Odd thing happened this weekend. Amy and I were coming back from my improv show late Friday night, just walking down the street we live on. While we were chatting, I noticed this man walking in our direction wearing this strange outfit, it was kind of baggy and colorful--almost like it was some traditional African garb. He was also carrying a walking staff with bells on it.

Cambridge has some strange people living there (myself included), so I didn't react much to this as he came closer. Yet when we walked past him, he stopped and started yelling at us. Such a stream of obscenities came out of this man's mouth that I didn't even know what he was talking about until I made out the phrase "You stupid f*cking dykes!!" He was going on and on about how the US was Sodom and Gomorrah because of all the evil dykes and fags and how we couldn't have babies and all these other horrible things. His insults were quite creative, though, I'd not heard some of them before, and I've been harassed for being a homo many-a-time.

What I found strange is that Amy and I hadn't even been holding hands or kissing or anything else that might have made it totally obvious that we were big flaming homos. The hate-monger's gaydar was well-developed. Now I know I don't look like Mrs. Straight Woman to most, but this guy just automatically launched into his "gays are evil" tyrade without even confirming with us first. Haha.

So Amy and I just kept on walking while he stood in place screaming and yelling. I made sure to continue provoking him as well, by saying things like "Have a nice night!" and waving as we walked off.

It was pretty jarring, though. I think Amy was more affected by it than me at first, I shrugged it off and made fun of him as we walked home (both of us were glad he didn't follow us). Yet now, four days later, I'm still thinking about it. It's just so strange to hear that kind of thing in Cambridge, the big flaming liberal mecca where everyone seems to be okay with everything. I worried that I was getting too used to being in an environment where I can be gay and no one cares much, or at least they don't yell nasty things. It brought me back to college, where I did receive several death threats and had to deal with much more homophobia.

But why should I have to remember to be used to getting harassed? Some will say it's so I won't be surprised when it happens after I move away from the People's Republic of Cambridge. Why shouldn't it surprise me, though? Why am I the one who has to get used to it?