Gay Tolerance

I could be a good Catholic boy and tell you that I've been studying all weekend but that would be a white lie, of course. Reading boring textbooks all day long on pharmacology and physiology only makes me as testy and grumpy as an old bear so weekends are definitely a time of rest for me - and my books are usually laid aside for a two-day hibernation period.

As treatment for my general nastiness after an intense bout of studying, shopping somehow acts as the perfect panacea... calms me down from vicious, bloodthirsty acts of carnage, brings down the spiking blood pressure and reduces the heart rate - and generally makes me a genial, companionable soul that's easy to live with.

My devilish ISO understands this shopping addiction of mine - and occasionally acts as an enabler. There is a home furnishings store that I occasionally venture into in Damansara, a store specializing in exquisite soft furnishings imported from India - bedcovers, silk runners, pillow cases, the odd lamp or two... and I simply can't resist the bright, shiny stuff. I also can't resist sexy, dark-eyed Indian men too but that's another story altogether.

There were a few silk/velvet bedcovers that I had my eye on - that I knew would look perfect in the guest bedrooms. I'm notorious for being just a tad too friendly with the sales staff so as usual, I flirted with the Malay salesgirl ( or person if you want to be PC about it - but hell, if it had been a guy, I'd have done more than flirting ) and as we bargained over the price of the bedcovers, she casually mentioned that her boss was actually gay - and therefore wouldn't be in the least bit interested in her. Don't ask me how I even managed to stray away from the topic of the price to her boss' sexuality...:)

The queer fact just spilled out in such a blasé, matter-of-fact way that I stared at her blankly. Obviously from the way my jaw fell to the floor, she must have thought that I had some homophobic tendencies since she hastily backtracked. Just as quickly I corrected her assumption and told her that I was buying sheets for my boyfriend. Another white lie but it was just so fun coming out like that!

It's always surprising to meet such easy acceptance by a common salesgirl, especially a conservative Malay girl. Just an everywoman who treats homosexuality as another shimmering facet of a person's character. Nothing odd or scandalous to be whispered about, nothing to be derided or commented upon. It might be nothing to speak of in a Western country but over here in Malaysia, it is something of a surprise. Guess we have progressed in tiny baby steps after all - and I, for one, am glad.