Katherine on changes she would not have expected

While we did many things on our spring break excursion, one moment during our trip that stuck out to me was when we took a tour of the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg. It is the largest hospital in the southern hemisphere.  Our guide who works on a program called “Health 4 Men” showed us around many areas of the hospital and then brought us to the Board Room.  She discussed how “Health 4 Men” works and what kind of patients they see.  It was started in part to provide a place for gay men to come and receive health information.  There is a large gay community in Soweto (the biggest township in South Africa) where some of the “Health 4 Men” program participants come from.

During her speech, the lady who showed us around said that “Health 4 Men” does not promote homosexuality but understands that it exists and therefore is providing a place for sexual health awareness.  I was surprised at how offended I was by this woman’s comment about homosexuality being something they do not wish to “promote.”  After she made the comment I quickly glanced around the room wondering if I had misheard the woman, but other people were frowning and making unpleasant facial expressions, as well.  While I am heterosexual, after living and interacting with three people on a daily basis who have declared their sexual orientation to be within the LGBTI range, I have become much more sensitive to how they are perceived.  It is not always easy for them, especially when people are not willing to accept them, even if their sexual preference is not “straight.”

At the end of her talk, she asked a few times if there were any more questions and when everyone seemed to be done asking questions I finally decided to challenge the woman’s comment about homosexuality.  I told her that I do not find homosexuality to be something that, if promoted, is contagious and will make other people become gay.  I then asked her how the gay community can feel welcomed or comfortable coming to “Health 4 Men” if the program continues to stigmatize homosexuality.  The woman’s response led me to believe that she had not quite meant what she had originally said.  She informed our group that homosexuality is still extremely shunned in South Africa and that if “Health 4 Men” was seen as a homosexual program than those who were known to come to the clinic would be harassed or abused.  While I understood what she was trying to get at, for some reason I still was bothered by the use of the word “promote.”

I was proud of myself for challenging the woman’s statement.  Before living and interacting with a few people who are not heterosexual, I would have most likely let the comment go and not have asked the “Health 4 Men” woman any questions.  I was surprised when one of the people in my group thanked me for being an ally and countering the woman’s statement.  Instances like this show me that I have changed in ways I would not have expected before coming on this trip.