For those of you old enough to remember, the featured image of this post will bring back some haunting memories. Everybody remembers when Al Gore grabbed Tipper at the 2000 Democratic National Convention and proceeded to have a public make-out session on the stage. While the crowd inside the event all cheered as though they were at a wedding, most of us at home had a different reaction.
Yuck.
It wasn’t that it was Al Gore. Many of us reached for the barf bags at the sight of Bill and Hillary Clinton dancing and kissing on a beach and reminding everybody of just how little sun there is in the state of Arkansas.
To be honest, I’d have the same reaction if GWB started tonguing Laura or if Dick Cheney started a public face sucking moment with Lynne. There are some things that are better left behind closed doors.
This all has to do with the now famous kiss that newly drafted NFL player Michael Sam planted on his partner when he found out he was drafted by the St. Louis Rams. Miami Dolphins defender tweeted “OMG” and “horrible” in reaction.
The reaction of the Miami Dolphins was swift and severe. They basically cut him loose from the team and said, “Don’t come back until you’ve gone through some re-education camp so you an tell everybody how beautiful it is when two dudes kiss.”
Here’s my reaction to Jones being grossed out that he saw two dudes kissing.
So what?
Who cares? Why is it that getting skeeved out by seeing two guys kiss, taboo? Or better yet, what makes somebody a homophobe or a bigot as a result? Why can’t something be gross to somebody without it being some kind of peeled back layer into their soul. Do you remember the commercial where Bar Refaeli kissed that geek guy? Here, allow me to remind you:
Yum!
Actually, no.
Nasty.
What would you do if your parents decided to start a make-out session the couch if you were visiting? Would you sit there and admire the beauty or would you retreat back to your 10 year old self and shout, “Mom! Dad! That’s gross! Stop!”
Would that make me a parentaphobe?
People will of course attempt to say, “Yeah well….if it was two women kissing, most guys wouldn’t have a problem with it!” Oh really? Show of hands guys……who wants to see Rosie O’Donnell kissing Michelle Rounds?
If I single hand went up, that would be the person who should be forced to go through some kind of re-education camp.
Not every negative reaction to something a same sex couple does is bigotry.
If gay people truly want to be seen as the same as anybody else, then they (and their knee-jerk thought police protection squads) will have to deal with the some of the silly natural reactions people have, particularly as it relates to public displays of affection.
Honestly, the Michael Sam kiss didn’t bother me at all. But so what if it did?
People just need to lighten up.