Friday, October 10, 2008
禁色
自從認識A君後(正確一點說,是自從認識他的真「性」情後),我們之間的話題,便經常圍繞他的生活圈子,和他面對的問題。沒辦法,我對他們的世界,實在好奇。也難得他能不厭其煩地,逐一解釋。
───
「你會向媽媽說明你朋友的取向嗎?」
「一般來說,她不會問,我也不會說。」
腦海中,不禁盡力回憶和伯母見面時,她望向我時的眼神。
「這不行啊。你不說,她會誤解,我豈不是很 vulnerable?」
「You have to assert yourself!」
───
A解釋,性取向不是「孿」和「直」那樣簡單的問題。除了同性戀,異性戀,還有不同程度的雙性戀。更特別的,是 transexual:喜歡同性,但要把自己變成異性和對方異性戀。
我:「那有沒有 trans-homosexual?喜歡異性,卻一定要把自己變成異性去和對方同性戀?」
A:(無語)
───
A和男友合資買了房子,開始他們的同居生活。
「怎樣向你家人和親戚解釋?」
「我說他是我的 roommate 」
「Roommate?你以為你們是窮學生?兩個三十多歲的大男人搬進市中心豪華公寓做 roommate?」
「I don’t care」
───
曾經問過他,都已經半公開了,為甚麼還要遮掩?A說,他本人倒沒所謂,但不想家人(尤其是他媽媽)受壓力。閒言閒語,他可以不理會,但他不能不顧及家人的感受。
自問不是一個樂觀的人,若要我負上那樣的重擔,受那麼大的束縛,天曉得我會生活得何等的痛苦。A卻能逍遙樂天地過日子,我真的很佩服他的樂觀和積極。
我問他,會不會感到很壓抑?他說,年輕時曾經很害怕,很無助。不過,現在都放下了。
在這國家,這個城市裡,人們已算是能夠接受別人的不同之處。可是,社會對他們還不是完全公平的。他們仍要步步為營地,過着和你和我一樣的生活。
但願一天,每個人都不需苦痛忍耐,不需抺殺內心的色彩。但願一天,禁色不再被禁,換上的,是雨後色彩絢爛的彩虹。
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ReplyDelete嗰次見到大楊,講起個仔,佢有d眼濕濕。佢個仔喺劍記畢業,現正在美某名校讀PhD,研究時下尖端熱門的Biophysics。講真,做老豆做到咁,都收貨啦,係咪?追問落下,原來佢個仔同一個American beauty (ab) 結咗婚,在美國一小鎮定居,相信以後都唔多會返香港。大楊兩夫婦都係高級知識分子,點解唔體諒呢段異族情呢?原來他們是擔心將來無人睇佢哋,生活物質雖然豐富,但當進入old-old倒數時,會形單影隻,身邊無一親人聞問。
我都來不及俾反應,旁邊的大蘇就大嘆一聲:我都好唔得你好多。大蘇有二個仔,都係美國名牌大學畢業,之後在美國工作。大蘇想見吓二個仔,起碼要搭兩程飛機,因為大仔喺加州教大學,細仔喺紐約做投行。大蘇嘆完,好無奈咁講:舊年個細仔突然返香港,仲帶埋嗰ab回家。我啱啱喺屋企,咪好有禮貌咁話,很高興見到妳,請問貴姓。點知個仔話,唔記得介紹添,呢個係我dad,呢個係我老婆,Susan。唉,咁就做咗老爺。
嗰晚我返到屋企,即刻寫咗個e-mail俾嗰仔:其實係交友方面,我們不嬲都係好開通架。你同西人結婚冇問題,你甚至同黑人結婚,我都唔介意。作為父母,我哋只有一個小小的條件,就係唔好同男人囉,OK?
我有好幾位朋友都是和同性結了婚,都好,肯安定下來。其實我的底線是不高的。
ReplyDelete所以香港人送仔女去外國讀書就要有心理準備:子女不是單去接受人家的教育,還有可能接受埋人家的文化。
You should tell your friend move to SF. We have very high tolerance here, very gay-friendly. Hehe. ^^
ReplyDelete"所以香港人送仔女去外國讀書就要有心理準備:子女不是單去接受人家的教育,還有可能接受埋人家的文化。"
ReplyDeleteAmen. R&E you're right on.
As far as I'm concerned, relationships are a personal rather than a family matter, especially when it comes to marriage - after all, it is me who would have to live with that person for the rest of my life. So maybe this is rather selfish, but I wouldn't jeopardise my personal happiness for the sake of family approval. (However, I would never go so far as not to introduce my parents to the person until everything is a fait accompli as in "mum"'s example above).
And in spite of the fact that my mum is quite a traditional person, I've always had a fierce sense of independence from a young age, and my mum actually came around to the idea by now that there is no point in forcing me to do anything, whether it is career or marriage. She used to say that I'm causing her to lose face over all manners of silly things (like the fact that I'm single, like the fact that I chose an academic life over a business career, like the fact that I prefer the company of my college friends who happen to be Irish-Irish rather than stick with the local Chinese circle, etc. etc.).
Luckily for me, she has realised by now that it is more important for me to be happy than to worry about the opinions of inconsequential others. That her success as a parent lies precisely in the fact that I am able to lead an independent life and be my own woman and can look after myself. Living my own life in no way means I don't love my parents or don't value their opinions; it simply means that their opinions of me are no longer influenced by what some "Uncle and Auntie Eight" thought, but are based instead on their knowledge of how I'm really getting on as an individual and as their child. I'd like to think that the battles that I've fought with my parents over the years to assert my right to my life choices mean that it would be easier for my younger siblings to live their own lives when they grow up.
確實聽說過 tran-homosexual 的人,覺得特別,但不感到奇怪、異性戀之外的感情關係惹人談論或承受什麼壓力,不大不小的一個原因就是異於「社會常規」,讓主流份子覺得不自在。坦白說,我不認為有天虹掛天邊的一日。選擇非主流戀愛方式的人步步為營以外,就要自求多福。所以我覺得 A 是「開竅」了,清楚考慮過家人感受才走上現在的生活方式。他願意不厭其煩向你解釋,是作為朋友的一種福氣:他找到願意理性求證、聆聽,並接受自己的朋友,你也沒有遇上因為生活壓力而變得(有點)偏激乖戾的同性戀者,可以跟他和平共處。
ReplyDeleteA 跟 lover 能夠開花,便算結果。我始終欣賞中國人的家庭觀念,對做人處世是一個良好的參照標準。但要以「人倫禮教」去約束下一代的生活,甚至人生大事,不合時宜之餘,也顯得有點不智。扭曲下一代的心靈去迎合自己的期望,做到了,又一定是好的嗎?
家人對我工作和私生活也嘮嘮叨叨,但極少深入過問,一來是我少主動提起,二來是自己的言行起居有足夠的透明度,不讓他們擔心,是給父母的一份信心:不管我所追求的是否他們喜歡或接受的(倒也是他們不喜歡、不接受的多),他們都曉得我不是鬧着玩,至少有個溝通基礎。然而,這是另一個課題了。
transexual的心態, 據我理解是因為他們本身對自己的身理狀況不認同. 有男亦有女. 不過"喜歡異性,卻一定要把自己變成異性去和對方同性戀"的應該很少吧.
ReplyDelete"A卻能逍遙樂天地過日子"美國已經這樣開放了, 還不樂觀麼. 既然都改變不了的事實, 唯有樂觀面對, 希望最不影響家人的情況下過自己的生活了.
mum & readnandeat:
ReplyDelete父母對子女有寄望,是很正常的事。職業,伴侶(某程度上)都是自由選擇的決定。但性取向不是文化的問題,是不能選擇的。真有底線的話,應該是他們的快樂吧。
yun :
Of course everyone knows SF is the gay mecca of USA. He actually had lived there for a while.
Also, gay couple can marry in CA!!! I really hope you guys will defeat prop 8 in Nov.
snowdrops :
At times I find myself facing the same struggle against my parents too. Sometimes they are very obsessed in urging me to follow the “accepted norm “ of their circle of relatives and friends. Luckily, one of the benefits of living overseas is that there aren’t many Aunties Eight around!
wordy:
真的google 到 transhomosexual 這個term 哩!
"我不認為有天虹掛天邊的一日":我卻比你樂觀。新一代的價值觀已不同了,現在電影電視對同性戀的描寫也平常得很,他們根本不當作一回事。
到了下一代,就算不能全面平等,我想至少也如異族通婚一樣,沒人會再視這為不能公開的醜事。
mad dog:
我是過份簡化了。我只是想說,人的性別認同和性取向是很複雜的一回事,同性戀和異性戀都只是其中的一個 condition。
美國也不是那樣開放的,和歐洲,甚至加拿大相比,仍有一段距離。而且,這不完全是社會風氣的問題,還要考慮到個人的成長背景和家人的壓力等等。我想,對亞洲人來說,始終是比較困難的。
小兒今年兩歲; 我一早已經在想他性取向的事. 如有一日阿仔帶埋阿joe 仔唔係josephine 回家食飯時, 我唯有選擇煮多o的送, 因男仔總會比女仔大食. 而且他肯公開開放地告訴我. 都是我幾生修道. 我地兩個幾好感情
ReplyDelete我堅信性取向是人的選擇, 又有誰 (爸媽都一樣) 可以決定什麼是正常. 沒有人可以為別人做選擇.
Joanne
Joanne: 兩歲就諗得咁長遠,早咗啲喎。遲多十幾年先講啦。
ReplyDelete做媽的由零歲憂到99歲,後生仔唔會明架。
ReplyDeletemum:冇錯,我係唔明,不過我唔係後生仔!哈哈。
ReplyDelete