Cultural experience Essay

In zeal for this reflection, I began by thinking almost what cultural slip I would approximately like to attend, what would work for the assignment and what would in like manner benefit me in my personal life by actually forcing me out of my comfort district to watch things I never select before. Because Christianity is such a long part of my life I immediately thought I would destiny to do something based on an early(a) religion since Ive never truly gone out of my religious comfort zone, but for this assignment I chose to go to a festal bar. The reason I chose to do this was because I have been raised as a Christian, I grew up in a very conservative town and while I fight back cheerful rights being around lively wad is til now something that is foreign and a short(p) bit uncomfortable for me. My roomy also chose to use departure to the gay bar for an assignment for her human gender class, so while go to beding that I would have my roommate button with me ma de me a little bit more comfortable I still knew that this would be something that pushed me way out of my comfort zone. We twain continue in Elkhart, Indiana so while we were home for spring check out a gay friend of my roommates offered to determine us to a unite called Metro which is an 18 plus gay bar located in Kalamazoo, Michimmunoglobulin An which is about 45 minutes off.Before going to the gay bar I was so nervous. As mentioned before, while I support gay rights I have not necessarily ever been open(a) to them and I wasnt sure at all what to expect. The bar that we went similarly isnt strictly a gay bar so at that place would most likely be other straight state in that location but I had no idea how exactly to prep atomic number 18 myself for the situation. Because we were going with my roommates friend, who is gay, I knew I would feel a little more comfortable since we werent unsloped walk in wholly unprep ard. I was worried what flock would think of me when I went, if they would assume that I was gay. I didnt know if it was popular for gays to take straightfriends with them, I was worried about how people would judge me. As I began to get ready for the night I wasnt very too worried about what to wear, I skilful wore something that I would usually wear to go out but mentally I was slight prepared than ever. I had no idea how I was supposed to act, what if it was mucilaginous once I got there. Before we went my roommate and I met up with her gay friend and several of his friends.His friend group contained a mix of both gay and straight men and women who would be going to the bar with us so I immediately mat up more comfortable, knowing that I wouldnt be the only straight one other than my roommate. I expected the ride there to be awkward, considering I didnt know anyone other than my roommate and she didnt know anyone other than the one cat and me, but instead they were all so friendly and told us not to be nervous. Because we were going on a Satur daylight night they explained to us that there would probably be more gays there than the other nights of the week/weekend but that didnt mean they would assume we were gay, and people were usually clean good about asking before they get on you. After the 45 minute drive there we in the long run arrived and walked in. As we walked in a constituted that it wasnt any diverse than any other bar would be (not that Ive been in that numerous since Im only 19) full of people, dancing, music and drinking. The inside of the grammatical construction was pretty big and there was plenty of room. Almost everybody there was dancing. The people we came with were all over 21 so they all went and got drinks while my roommate and I just hung out. It was a little overwhelming at first. on that point were definitely a push-down storage of gay people around, dancing together, stand up at the bar flirting, and just hanging out with groups of people. counterbalancetually w e started to taunt up a little bit, while I didnt truly talk and get to know a bundle of gay people I was complimented by a lot of them. During our time there we pretty much just hung out and danced in the group that we came with. A fewer of the people that we came with went off and danced with other people, but because I still felt a little uncomfortable and awkward we didnt unfeignedly fortuity to far apart from our group and go dance with anyone else or anything. I think it would have a been a very different experience if we had gone when we were 21 and could drink at the bar, I think it would have changed the experience a little bit. We arrived at the bar at a little bit after 10 which is when the dance floor undefendable and stayed until around 1 in the morning.ExamineThe part of this experience that was the most compelling to me was almost the sense of community that I felt was just there between the gay community. Like there were a lot of groups of people there that ni ght that didnt even know severally other, but you would never guess that by the way they acted like they had been friends for years. Even towards me and my roommate who they didnt know, was just some straight stranger walking in and observing them they were so nice and accepting. They were willing to let us into their environment, knowing that we were not a part of it and I felt no judgment or anything. My fears that I had felt earlier in the day before going were put to rest, while some people were unmistakably friendly to me no girls really tried to hit on me, which was really relieving. As mentioned above, the most shocking thing I noticed was the community, or the way they socialized with and accepted themselves and each other. I think that at the roots of everything its amazing how well they have a grasp on who they are, and who they want others to represent them. Because being gay is looked down upon in numerous parts of our clubhouse that makes them part of an crush gro up. Not only are gays an oppressed group but I also saw varying degrees of sexism. Because the gay community also includes transgender people as well. This forced me to think past my original determineing of gender. On paginate 318 of the book it talks about how gender is a social construct, inwardness that gender is something that society defines which was really different when you read about it and see it in person. In person seeing someone who doesnt pertain with the gender they are born with is something that you fag outt really understand until you experience it in person.Articulate LearningBy attending this event I learned a lot more about the gay community than I could ever learn from a textbook. They really are a very close knit community. Their community is a lot different than what we observe in our day to day life. In normal everyday life when we see members of the gay community on the highway they are treated differently, they are looked out as outcasts and they ar e oppressed but seeing them in this environment gave me an entirely differently brainpower on them and made me respect them a lot more.The reason this matters is because I am certain that there are other peoplejust like me who feel uncomfortable, uneasy and unsure around people that they oasist really been around before. Because of the way I was raised I was taught to believe being gay was wrong, so I was never really around them very often so I was unexposed and uneducated about them entirely. I think it was really good for me to experience this because it made me realize that they really arent that different than everyone else.The most important thing I took away from this experience was that contrary to what I personally have been taught to believe, what society has forced us to think they are not horrible dread people. They are people just like me who have been oppressed and approach many challenges to get to where theyre at now and they still dont receive the respect and be nefits that they deserve in our country. I took away that it is important for me to for that very reason it is important for me to form my own beliefs and not just go off of what everyone around me has told me.ReferencesAdams, M. (2007). Introduction. In Adams M., Blumenfeld W.J., Castaeda C.R., Hackman H.W., Peters M.L., & Ziga X., Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York Routledge.