Unsplash | Jason Leung

Man Asks Twitter When They Chose To Be Gay To Remind Us That's Not How It Works

Updated September 2, 2021

No matter how many members of a society re-evaluate what they once assumed, there will always be some that stick to their beliefs no matter what evidence comes along to challenge them.

It is likely for this reason that certain people still claim that merely existing as a gay person is unnatural and, by extension, a choice.

One might assume that the fact that both humans and animals have entered into same-sex relationships for thousands of years — with female Laysan albatrosses in particular being known to mate with other females for life — might inspire them to rethink this, but it remains a persistent belief.

And that's why one Twitter user decided to show the absurdity of the concept of "choosing to be gay" with one unusual question.

Simon H, who appropriately goes by @FreelanceCynic, found an interesting way to signal what kind of answers he was looking for.

Twitter | @MrGJohnson

Simply asking "So. Gays. When y'all choose to be gay?" could invite an array of different interpretations as to his intentions, but he paired it up with his own reason for this "decision."

And from how he told his story, it was clear that this was an invitation for fellow LGBT Twitter users to find a humorous way to express their own struggles.

Although some shared lighter joke answers than others, many responses echoed Simon's sarcastic way of questioning the logic that people just wake up and decide to be marginalized.

For one the lighter answers, it seems that someone needed to read the sexual orientation license agreement a little more closely.

It's just as well, though. There's no telling how long the toll-free number for something like this would leave him on hold.

Have you ever had a really good idea for a movie only for someone else to write it before you could? This person knows that feeling well.

Not only is this funny and relatable, but it takes a lot of places' education systems to task for shying away from covering such key parts of our lives.

With other responses, however, the trauma behind them is a lot more clear.

For anyone who's unaware, "poof" is a homophobic slur that's commonly used in Britain. It's sadly not hard to imagine what this man's attackers would be yelling stateside.

This guy may be a little embarrassed about why he made his choice, but it's pretty impressive that he remembered this exchange at all.

Considering how grumpy I apparently was when I was born, I can only imagine that I ticked a box at random just to get the doctor out of my face.

Well, the important part here is that she would recommend it overall.

Sure, all of those things sound pretty disheartening and outright horrific on their own, but maybe they came together in a particularly fulfilling way.

I guess you had to be there.

Is this what people who think that sexuality is a choice figure is happening when someone realizes they're gay mid-relationship?

If so, it begs the question as to what somebody's motivations would be for doing this. After all, Marky B here makes it clear there aren't many benefits to this situation.

Well, there you have it. I guess that doesn't leave folks with too many options.

Reddit | ParisHatesYou

I laugh, but this person also has me wondering how much fleece is hanging around my house. I didn't realize I was playing into a stereotype there.

It's not hard to see why he made this decision. If there's one thing I know about unrequited love, it's that people going through it sleep soundly and never feel bitter.

Yes sir, nothing makes someone skip through the street and whistle a happy tune like loving a person who doesn't love them back.

But in all seriousness, I can only hope that was a fun, or at least cathartic thread for those who participated.

Reddit | PM_ME_YOUR_MECH

And maybe someone will see it and reconsider what they thought was true around what makes sense? What can I say? I'm an optimist.

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