The Rumors

The antics started after my mother and I moved to a house in the country. Suddenly, the local women and girls would sway their hips, flutter their eyelashes, and fix their hair the moment they saw me. This went on for a whole summer. I suspected that a rumor had started circulating, and I had a theory as to why.

​In the circle I came from, we believed that everyone is basically a bit gay and that we should stop putting people into boxes and begin treating everyone the same. We wanted a world where people could just be themselves. But since we were intellectual and left-wing, our views weren't exactly common knowledge and could easily be misunderstood.

​I supposed the villagers had heard something about this, but not understanding the idea behind it, had ended up doing the exact opposite of what was intended. That is, they put me in a box and gave me special treatment. Because they didn't see themselves as part of that same box, they never tried to actually connect with me. As a result, I felt hurt and singled out.

​When I tried to bring up the subject, the reaction was absolute silence. No one had heard anything; there were no rumors. I had a feeling that new information was being spread, but that the official version was the following: gay people had showed interest and, not being gay myself, I had felt harassed. Since even day-care children had been involved, I was pretty sure that was a lie.

​I tried to explain the view of my community, but it only seemed to lead to new misunderstandings. Like these couples who started showing up outside my window, getting explicit with each other. I also heard people talk about the issue from a distance, but it all seemed to be about whether I was gay or not.