Pigeon-Holding
“So what if I’m gay and Mexican?! Some people are fat and ugly, but no one seems to have a problem with it. It’s not a preference or a disease you could easily catch if you’re nice to me.”
-Pedro Jimenez
For the interview, I invited Pedro Jimenez over for lunch at the El Noa Noa taco stand on a Sunday, the 20th of September, 2015. In that early evening on a fulbright Sunday, Jimenez and I were surrounded by patrons dining and laughing loudly while servers ran orders left and right like chickens with their head cut off. I was patiently awaiting his arrival when Jimenez strode up to the counter where I stood calmly, dragged his feet after working nine long hours at Roadrunners (Arco- gas station and deli mart). As he meandered …show more content…
Often times, I would find myself defending him. People calling him a faggot and a mojado “wetback” which is “a derisive slang for Mexicans who enter illegally, supposedly by swimming the Rio Grande” (Schaefer, 2014, p.228). Jimenez would turn around and take his frustrations out on me, he told me that he’s been defending himself all his life and he doesn’t need my help. His father always treated him in that harsh, distant way, so it wasn’t anything new to him. Speaking of Jimenez’s father, he still won’t admit that his son is gay. It bothered Jimenez because his father would make rude remarks about gay people in the store when Jimenez was right in front of him as if his remarks were directly towards him. The only reason his father tolerates him was because of his mother. His mother on the other hand had a hard time accepting him too at first, but she came …show more content…
My niece Eileen discovered who she was at a very young age like Jimenez. It’s safe to say that Eileen was never in the closet. I think everyone knew she was gay before Eileen even knew what’s going on. My sister looked past everything, because no matter what, Eileen is still her daughter. Eileen is loved and supported by our family wholeheartedly. With Eileen’s situation, one word would sum it up, familism. According to Schaefer, familism is “pride and closeness in the family that result in placing family obligation and loyalty before individual needs” (2014, 232).
We knew someone who committed suicide because their family wouldn’t accept him as gay. So, our family didn’t want the same outcome for Eileen. Plus, Eileen will be the one facing the challenges, not us. It boiled down to Eileen and what she wants. It’s not like she could change from who she is overnight. It’s like what Jimenez said, “...as if I could just sleep the gayness away and wake up a newly reformed straight man.” So, Eileen knew there’s nothing she could’ve done