John Lewis

    It was a nice spring evening on the ASU softball field in Tempe, AZ a few years ago.  U of A was in town and the all the ASU fans were nervous.  I was excited to be there and hoped to see an ASU victory.  As the game progressed the excitement escalated because the score was close and it looked like ASU had a chance to win.

    This excitement and interest in the game suddenly became distracted.  My wife was hitting me on the leg and telling me to look at the ladies down the row from us.  Much to my surprise they were kissing each other.  This was a very different sight for me to behold and something that I had never seen before.  I had heard that many of the fans of college softball were lesbians.  I usually discounted that as a rumor but I could see for myself that it was true at least for these two women.  I was shocked and didn’t really know how to react. 

    From the on-deck circle I could see my wife’s friend looking up into the stands.  She saw the two women kissing and she was embarrassed.  My wife’s friend explained that she has had increased exposure to lesbians while playing softball the last couple of years at ASU.  Her coach is a lesbian and there are a few other lesbians on the team.  She has become more accustomed to this behavior and it does not shock her as much anymore even though she does not agree with it.  Her real source of embarrassment was for us because we were there supporting her and we had to witness this. 

My wife, her friend and I were raised in similar situations in small towns where we did not normally see homosexual activity.  We were also all raised in that same small town culture and with the same basic beliefs and values.  This is mainly why we all felt that the action was inappropriate.  My wife’s friend had more experience with homosexual activity than we did but we all reacted in the same way.  We were also taught to respect others and that is why we realized that we had to respect their decision and not treat them any different than we would a heterosexual couple.

The issue of same sex marriage is raising numerous discussions in the United States at this time.  A few years ago this subject would not even be discussed because people felt it to be morally wrong.  Over the years people’s perspectives have changed and more people are in favor of legalizing same sex marriage.  I think this is a result of people striving to gain more freedom and also the result of decreasing sexual morals.  I think the women kissing in public at the ASU softball game clearly shows the change that has happened over the last few years.  These women want to be treated like everybody else and so they are comfortable enough to display their affection in public.  If this had happened twenty years ago they may have been persecuted and even kicked out of the stadium.  Like me most people believe that being homosexual is their decision and we should not persecute them even if we don’t agree with them.  The attitude of trying to maintain peace has made it easier for homosexuals to have their voice heard and right now they are trying to get the government to hear that voice.  

The values that I was taught as a young boy are the reason why this experience affected me way that it did.  These values are based on strong religious beliefs.  Throughout my life I have been taught that homosexual activity was inappropriate.  I was taught from the bible that the misuse of our sexual power in anyway was against God’s will.  This is why this experience has stuck with me.  It caused me to evaluate my beliefs and determine how I would react to these situations.  I know that this is not the last time that I will be faced with this situation.  I feel that my religious beliefs are correct and I will always be disappointed when I see homosexual activity.  I also feel the same way about the declining morals of heterosexuals.  I believe that sex is overused and treated lightly in the world today, especially in the media.  A sexual relationship is a special relationship between a husband and a wife and the morals of people today treat sex like it is a big game.

Seeing these two women kissing at the ASU softball game really helped me to evaluate my stance on homosexuality.  Through this experience and watching Laramie Inside Out, I have really understood that homosexuals are mostly nice people who are not trying to harm anybody.   Just with any group of people there are homosexuals who do off the wall things and create a bad name for others who might be associated with them.  My stance that homosexuality is bad will never change.  I know that a true family unit is centered on a relationship between a husband and wife and I will always stick to that.  But I will never make fun of or discredit anybody for their decision to be homosexual.  I will try to help them because I feel that it is wrong.  I believe true love can help, unlike the preacher who was picketing in Laramie Inside Out. He was full of hate.  This experience will always help me to remember to love everybody even if you don’t agree with the course of life that they are pursuing.

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