Nolan Vasali

Mr. Ward

Honors English 4

10-13-20

Nolan Praxies: A Story of How I Became Based

“Why do people want to be gay?” I asked back in Middle School during lunch with a

friend. My friend and I argued about homosexuality one day at lunch in 8th grade. I thought it

was a choice. I also didn’t understand why people wanted to switch genders. Stemming from my

faith, my 8th grade self viewed homosexuality and other parts of the LGBTQ community as

unatural. I saw it as an act against nature and I was ignorant to the fact that gender dysphoria

was a thing. Since then, however, my view of the LGBT Community has changed.

In 8th grade I really didn’t understand the LGBT movement. I didn’t know why people

wanted to be homosexual and transgender. In my head, being homosexual or transgender was

a choice. I would not say I ever hated people for being LGBT but rather result of a lack of

understanding of the situation as a whole. None of my friends at the time were part of the LGBT

Community. From a more political standpoint, I did not align with any political parties or

ideologies at the time either, I just really hated Donald Trump.

Furthermore, in 9th and 10th grade I considered myself to be a Tankie or Stalinist. I was

an authoritarian communist who started to dislike capitalism. My social and political opinions

didn’t change much from 9th to 10th grade. I used gay as an insult because I thought it was a

funny insult. In 9th grade, one of my closest friends came out as bisexual to me. I accepted him

which started getting me to look at and research more about the LGBT Community through 9th

and 10th grade. However, I still didn’t fully understand the issue. Part of me did still think it was

a choice to an extent. My real change started in 11th grade.

 In contrast, starting off and going through 11th grade I start to become more educated

on the LGBT Community and start caring more about the issue. My political view also made

some change because I became less authoritarian. I didn’t consider myself to be a Stalinist

anymore, but rather a Trotskyist communist. I also become a lot farther left on various other

political issues. What really drove my support for the LGBT Community was more of my friends

were coming out as LGBT. In the summer bewteen 10th grade and 11th grade I got into a

heated debate with an internet fascist about homosexuality. He advoctated homoseuality was a

choice and we should exterminate and deport people who are LGBT. I did more research which

really showed me what the LGBT Community was about and how gender identity and

homosexuality worked. Another part of my political change was my increase in interest in the

Antifa movement. However, the biggest shift came in the summer before 12th grade.

On May 25, 2020, an unarmed black man named George Floyd was killed by a police

officer who put his knee on Floyd’s neck for around 7 minutes straight. Not only did this cause a

surge in Black Lives Matter protests and riots but also really swayed my political views. I no

longer considered myself to be authoritarian left but rather libertarian left. I fully supported the

protests and riots. My views on the LGBT Community also grew more positive. Even more of my

friends come out as part of the LGBT Community and even I start questioning my own sexuality

at times. I get into online debates with internet Fascists, Conservatives, and even

Anarcho-capitalists frequently. I also debate my mom who thinks I am too radical at times. As of

right now I support Black Lives Matter, the LGBTQ+ Community, and Antifa. Today I have

moved farther down the political spectrum and consider myself to be an Anarcho-Communist or

Libertarian Socialist.

Over the past few years I have gone through a series of social and political changes.

Going from an Authoritarian Stalinist to an Anarcho-Communist. In terms of social changes, I

have changed and grown from not caring about the LGBT community; to defending it,

questioning my own sexuality, and having friends who are part of the community. In addition to
this, I have learned many things about myself over the course of these few years. I myself have

grown into a different and better person. People can change if they research and find it in them

to care about various social issues such as the LGBT Community. What this comes down to is

time. As time goes on most people will grow and evolve and become more open minded just

like I have. Sometimes we got to give these people a small push in the right direction. People

are meant to grow and evolve. However, you sometimes have to put in the effort to better

yourself and grow.