Sexuality

I wanted to be well rounded, and so far since I haven't talked about sexuality, I will now.

I remember a few years ago, about a few young gay girls waiting at a bus stop, as one of them were killed brutally by two men upon learning they were lesbians. I remember being shocked, because this girl was very young. Tender age of 15 to be exact. I searched online,
and found some information. Her name was Sakia Gunn, she died May 11, 2003 in Newark. I wonder sometimes, what kind of world do we live in? Why did this man kill her? I think some men cannot handle rejection, and upon hearing women's sexuality as excuses in their heads, as in having no interest - men get upset and violent. One women who wrote about Sakia's story, Alicia Banks, http://femmenoir.net/?p=527, believes Sakia to be butch, and feels safer than butch sisters, in that, femme lesbians, are more feminine thereby not being as noticeable to those who don't know them. Then I thought about it. My friend's friend, is butch. I'll call her Mimi since I do not want to use her real name. I met Mimi about 5 years ago, and as soon as I saw her, I knew she was gay. She was petite, but very manly... she had short black hair, she dressed like males (basic white button shirts, black slacks), and when she talked, it sounded like she was purposely, with force, trying to make her voice sound deeper. One time, we ate at a restaurant where she served as waitress. It was in the Castro (San Francisco), and I recalled a customer asking her for something. As Mimi walked away, I heard the customer say "He or she? I can't tell..." and they laughed it off. I just thought that was so rude, and to say such a thing when you're in the Castro? Come on! Am I just being sensitive? I think butches are definitely more noticed and attacked on more, verbally or mentally, and in some sad cases, physically.. .as in Sakia's story. I think it's sad that in this day in age, people are still so homophobic. My other friend is bisexual. She was very open about it when she told me. I was openly there to accept her for who she is. I just found out one of my close friends, who I've known for close to 15 years is bisexual. Now that.. I found strange, the fact that she never told me and I found out through someone else who is not as close to her as I should be. Nonetheless, in my opinion, I think the way the world should be, is that you are accepted for who you are and to not be bashed because you don't fit in with the norms. We all would like equality, equity, but there will always be an imbalance. Imbalance or not, I think we should all at least show respect to each other, as humans living coexisting in this world together. Stop the bashing, stop the hatred, stop the violence, just stop. To those who have ever been mean to others because they were trying to be themselves, please learn to show respect as you would like it to be given to you. This includes me.. I'll be honest, I have been mean to people... but over the years, I've learned a lot. As diverse as we are, whether it's race, sexuality, religion, I think we all should hear what others have to say before closing the doors in faces.