Self-Hatred in the Heathen Community...
Dec. 5th, 2004 10:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mdehnersIt's been an eventful couple of weeks Heathenry-wise for me and has brought much Positive change. Probably the Biggest is to hold Heathenry to the same Standard I hold my Sexuality. Now, I realise this sounds a bit "Odd", but it does make Sense.
Even before I had an Inkling of what I am(Heck, before even Puberty< G >!)I was Called all sorts of Hateful Names...some of which had to do with my "supposed" Sexuality. The reason at the time was that we had moved from Army base-life to rural religious America and were quite different in Culture from the other kids...some of whom had never even been outside the county. I learned even before Puberty that if I cared what other folks called me, I'd never get anything done AND by reacting make myself an even Bigger Target for Buttheads. Later, when Puberty proved that I was Gay(though not what the Names meant...), this earlier Haranging gave me to tools to Deal with such things...
The reason that I brought this up is that a lot of Heathens act basically in a Heathen version of "Internalized Homophobia"(Heathenophobia< G >?). That is, they're so afraid of being called "Bad Names" that they change their Lives, Speech, etc so Others "don't Think I'm THAT WAY". I think it's about time that Heathens, stop doing so. How are you "Deeping" your Connection to the Regin when the Greatest amt of Energy and Time spent is to Prove to some Nebulous "They" that you're not "Like THAT/THEM"? What REALLY Brought this all "to a head"(yes, I Know...GROSS< G >!)was the Realization that the ONLY folk that had EVER called me a "Nazi" or a "Racist" were other Heathens...NEVER a non-Heathen!
Troth,
Patrick T. Duffy
Even before I had an Inkling of what I am(Heck, before even Puberty< G >!)I was Called all sorts of Hateful Names...some of which had to do with my "supposed" Sexuality. The reason at the time was that we had moved from Army base-life to rural religious America and were quite different in Culture from the other kids...some of whom had never even been outside the county. I learned even before Puberty that if I cared what other folks called me, I'd never get anything done AND by reacting make myself an even Bigger Target for Buttheads. Later, when Puberty proved that I was Gay(though not what the Names meant...), this earlier Haranging gave me to tools to Deal with such things...
The reason that I brought this up is that a lot of Heathens act basically in a Heathen version of "Internalized Homophobia"(Heathenophobia< G >?). That is, they're so afraid of being called "Bad Names" that they change their Lives, Speech, etc so Others "don't Think I'm THAT WAY". I think it's about time that Heathens, stop doing so. How are you "Deeping" your Connection to the Regin when the Greatest amt of Energy and Time spent is to Prove to some Nebulous "They" that you're not "Like THAT/THEM"? What REALLY Brought this all "to a head"(yes, I Know...GROSS< G >!)was the Realization that the ONLY folk that had EVER called me a "Nazi" or a "Racist" were other Heathens...NEVER a non-Heathen!
Troth,
Patrick T. Duffy
