By Nick Hensley
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Three Colorado State University students, Aaron Turner, Cameron Turner, and Chris Gates, are normal roommates at a glance. They play video games together, play Frisbee golf on the weekends, and make late night McDonalds runs. Cameron and Aaron are brothers, and all three roommates are best friends, but what separates these three students from most college houses is Chris Gates happens to be gay.
“We don’t even think about Chris in that way. He is our best friend, and he just happens to be gay. Who cares if he has different sexual preferences than me? He’s a great guy, and a great friend.” Said Cameron Turner when asked how he feels about living with a gay roommate.
If you didn’t know that Gates was gay, you would think that he is just a normal college student. The three have a very solid friendship and hang out whenever they get a chance. In fact they seem to be closer than most friends.
“We are very close friends. We’ve lived together for three years, and not once has there been an issue about sexual orientation. We don’t really talk about it, because there is nothing to be said,” said Aaron while describing their friendship.
Cameron and Aaron are very close brothers and have lived together since freshmen year when Gates was their suite mate in the dorms. Both Turner brothers grew up in Grand Junction Colorado in a very conservative home, but that didn’t stop them from introducing Gates to their parents and ultimately deciding to live with him this year.
When asked about how they found out Gates was gay, Aaron laughed as he said, “He didn’t tell us he was gay until about 3 months into our freshmen year. We knew something was a little different; however we never would have guessed that he was gay. But it doesn’t matter what sexual orientation he is, It’s whatever.”
When asked about living with two straight guys, Chris replied, “It’s just fine, they are just like anybody else. But they never do their dishes or clean up the kitchen, which is disgusting.” According to Cameron and Aaron, Chris has a great sense of humor, which especially helps in any college living situation.
Gates is from New York and has been openly gay since high school. As a homosexual in high school Gates was picked on more than normal, but he didn’t let it bother him.
“I just know people picked on me when I was younger because of their own insecurities,” says Gates confidently. “I never really get harassed to my face now that I’m in college. I think people are more mature at the university level, but I know things are said behind every homosexual’s back. But I know it’s getting better.”
The Turner brothers have their own feelings about prejudices and slurs dealing with homosexuality. Both brothers feel that normal everyday comments toward gay people are detrimental to society and homosexuals everywhere. Both Cameron and Aaron feel that the words “faggot” and “queer” are derogatory terms that need to be cut out of everyday conversation. They believe that those hurtful words are used too much in everyday conversation, and even find themselves saying it on accident because the words are becoming so entrenched in today’s society.
“Not only are these words degrading towards homosexuals everywhere, they make the person saying them sound vulgar and ignorant,” said Cameron.
When two unnamed males were asked on the CSU campus if they would live with another gay male in the same house, the responses were, “I don’t think I would be totally comfortable with that,” and simply, “No way.”
The three don’t see themselves as being inspirational or activists, they are just close friends that decided to live together. They all have opinions on gay rights. However, they don’t feel the need to express their views publicly.
“You won’t see us outside a courthouse protesting marriage laws, because that is not our style. We try to lead by example. But if you were to ask us our opinion about homosexual rights, I believe everybody deserves the same opportunities,” Cameron confidently said. “We’re all just crazy college kids anyway.”
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