Kevin Jennings: Telling Tales Out of School:

The Life of Kevin Jennings

The 1963-born Kevin Jennings is the story’s creator, and he is an adult. Even though he wasn’t a queer when he was a teenager, he grows up to be one. He was an aspirational child who imagined himself as the next president of the United States. He faced a few challenges when he was young, but they didn’t prevent him from succeeding in the future. His home state of North Carolina had a favorable climate for prosperity. Characters revealed about the author include a hardworking, driven man who worries about failing in the future because it will be his downfall. His life became a bit difficult when his father died as he was only eight years and his mother then started to provide for the family.

Success and Challenges

Amongst the author’s success includes making it into high school being a hardworking studded and this earned him a scholarship to Harvard University. This is earned through determination where he aimed at showing his mother and himself that the American dream was true and would come to pass. The author is seen to have made it to the image of a successful person but this came with challenges. Being characterized by Southern heritage which is seen to be backward and different from the rest; the author brings out southern heritage as a heritage characterized by an accent that when one talks it becomes a laughing stalk.

Fears and Insecurities

Fear is also seen in the author where he is insecure about his heritage and ashamed to invite his friends to his home with a feeling of being laughed at that they were worthless and ignorant. Communists are a fear to the author as he used to believe that they have the plot to undermine the American nation. These communist control banks, media and the blacks; it is shameful as the author points out “niggers’ to be plotting on how to rape women. The author points out the phrase ‘Do to others what you want them to do to you’ as ironical in his father who criticizes others.

Homosexuality and Acceptance

Homosexuality is often condemned in Christian society including his father who uses religion to excuse his prejudices. At the age of six, the author already felt something unusual with him when he could not be excited by the adult magazine that made his brothers fascinated and enjoyed reading them. He knew was gay since then trying to escape it but in vain. He hid this fact from his brothers in fear of their reaction. The author seems to have difficulties in understanding what his feelings really meant having been raised as a Southern Baptist who knew that gays were twisted perverts and will end up in eternal damnation. With time he understood that he was gay.

The Struggle for Acceptance

In my point of view, the story was actually meant to talk about gay and lesbianism because it starts by telling us how gays and lesbians celebrated when Ellen DeGeneres comes out of closet on Prime TV. The author feels positive about this that’s why he comes out and tells his story. American society criticizes homosexuality and these groups of people have difficulties in gaining acceptance into the society. Parents, Government and religion are seen to torment and criticize homosexuals in the society. According to Kevin Jennings, he experienced torments in trying to conceal his identity as he was different from the rest.

A Plea for Understanding and Acceptance

Personally, I’ll start by encouraging the author to continue pushing his success and not to let daily experiences hinder his prosperity. The story is all bitter truth about gays and the challenges they face. The society needs to accept the homosexuals and have a place for them it might be an inborn thing that one has no control over it. The author is seen to have no interest in adult magazines at a tender age of six and he had not heard of the word gay thus innocent and don’t understand his feelings then. Critics on homosexuality leave the gays and lesbians lonely with depression and may commit suicide. Kevin Jennings writes about a boy who had several suicide attempts due to stigma in the society.

Appreciating Heritage and Understanding Others

Hard work and determination pay as the author become successful through this. We need to accept our heritage and be proud of it before trying to change it. This will bring a different perception to those who down look it and will try and accept it. The southerners are ashamed of their heritage and try to change it from them once they relocate which is difficult and sad. Our schools should try and educate students on how to adapt and relate to different people from other backgrounds and places. The religious society uses religion to justify wrong deeds in the environment without looking it a different point of view. This should not be the case as many respect religion and once one uses it to condemn acts in the society it leads to dangers of isolation and leaving in fear. In conclusion, the society should have a place for everyone and develop a better way of solving issues that seem to deviate from the rest. Everyone has an equal place on earth should be treated with respect to humanity and equality.

References

Jennings, Kevin. Telling Tales Out of School: Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals Revisit Their School Days. Los Angeles: Alyson Books, 1998.