The New F-Word | Teen Ink

The New F-Word

October 8, 2014
By Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou


Pink is for girls; blue is for boys. Dolls and tea sets are for girls. Toy soldiers and sports are for boys. Girls can believe in unicorns and in rainbows—and that one day they themselves will be princesses like in the fairy tales. But can a boy believe any thing alike? No. He can’t believe the same thing. If a girl fiddles with a boy’s plaything, she’s generalized as a tomboy; but a boy who plays with a girl’s toy or dreams the fantasies she believes as realties is a homo.


The word itself is so cold…hollow…and damning that is seems to send you straight to Hell once the word attaches itself to you. Anyone outside the “norm” is victimized with the word, gays and non-gays alike.


When I was younger, I loved playing outside with all the neighborhood boys: playing soccer, laughing, running, riding our bikes. But I was never any good at any sport; yet no one seemed to mind. When we’d laugh, we’d laugh together; never at each other.


That is until one boy started pointing out my flaws: my clothes, my high-pitched voice, my stupid hairstyle, my stance—my hands almost always on my hips—and my thoughts and ideas. I didn’t mind it at all, at first; until every thing I would do was “so gay” to him and everyone else that I was always self-conscious around them any time I did any thing or ever spoke. And I’d think at night, restless, am I gay because he said so? Or am I gay because I’m not like all the other boys? Eventually, he called me homo any time we were around each other, and no one bothered to stop him; instead, they’d all laugh even harder than the previous times. It hurt knowing that I once was someone else to these boys that I loved being around; then one word, uttered too easily by any lips, made me a pariah. I was an outcast among my own kind, all because one person decided I wasn’t similar to everyone else enough for his own taste.


To them, I wasn’t a homo because I did or did not like boys; I was a homo because I was slightly different—and because he knew well in his mind and heart that “you’re such a fag” wounds much more than “you’re so gay”.
To society, fags aren’t solely gays; fags encompass a group of people outside the “norm,” regardless to what degree. I shut all of those boys out of my life. Nonetheless, their ridicule rattles me at times, even though it was years ago since we last hung out together. I’ll admit: I’m scared that I’m a homo not because of who I like, but I’m a fag based on how I look and behave. As for “happily ever afters”, I dare to dream them, but, I know, some kid somewhere else doesn’t believe in them lest he be labeled a homo.


The author's comments:

This was an assignment for a course for I finished recently. It deals with the misconceptions of femininity and masculinity among men. 


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This article has 6 comments.


on May. 2 2015 at 4:37 pm
WOWriting SILVER, Broadstairs, Other
5 articles 0 photos 266 comments
Yeh i no what u mean - u can write something really powerful and hav it edited by them and it just gets on ur nerves :( Im glad u've done so. I no what it can feel like but i used 2 be bad at pulling away :P

Mckay ELITE said...
on Apr. 30 2015 at 5:52 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

Agreed. Thanks for commenting, pimp.

Mckay ELITE said...
on Apr. 30 2015 at 5:51 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

I wish it had been so! Thanks anyway. :)

Mckay ELITE said...
on Apr. 30 2015 at 5:50 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.&quot;<br /> &mdash;Apple&rsquo;s &ldquo;Think Different&rdquo; commercial, 1997<br /> &ldquo;Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn&#039;t understood.&rdquo; <br /> ― Weihui Zhou

Oh don't fear of nit-picking. I appreciate every help. This was more of a spoken piece I had to do. But I decided to submit it here too. Unfortunately, the editors here censored and edited some parts, which I understand but at the same time annoys me. >.> I have removed myself from a lot of those people; I am in a better place, not fully, but getting there. Thanks!

on Feb. 21 2015 at 7:45 am
WOWriting SILVER, Broadstairs, Other
5 articles 0 photos 266 comments
An emotional topic you described well. Some very relatable, sad truths. I hope, if this is true, these people have been dealt with and you've found people you're more comfortable being yourself around and who accept you for who you are. As a piece, I think there are some parts which are stunted or don't flow, but I'm just nit-picking. Great job overall!

on Feb. 15 2015 at 12:04 am
Allen. PLATINUM, Palo Alto, California
32 articles 9 photos 525 comments

Favorite Quote:
[i]No matter how much people try to put you down or make you think other things about yourself, the only person you can trust about who you really are is you[/i] -Crusher-P

Very well written. I agree with Jade, if not put in the magazine, it should at least have gotten an Editor's choice for effort, thought, time, and emotion.

on Oct. 27 2014 at 10:33 pm
Jade.I.Am ELITE, Fishers, Indiana
214 articles 14 photos 1159 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;If you&#039;re losing your soul and you know it, then you&#039;ve still got a soul left to lose&rdquo; <br /> ― Charles Bukowski

This is really touching. It should have gotten an Editors Choice — it's relevant to everyone, whether you're ga.y or not. I think there's a lesson to be learned here, and you described it beautifully :) Good job, moe.