I’ve spoken often about the “ick” factor — the visceral reaction many have to the sight of something unfamiliar, like two men kissing. When I was growing up, the reaction toward interracial couples was similar, and that disgust over white/non-white intimacy was used to justify laws against interracial marriage.
Many use their irrational discomfort over gay intimacy to justify discrimination. This video, shot in a restaurant in Mississippi, illustrates that all too clearly, underscoring deep social and religious divides over this question. But there is cause, too, for hope — especially among young people. The ick is fading away, as it inevitably will. So watch and ask yourself, “Do I have a bit of the ‘ick’ in me?”
