We’ve all heard of this stereotype before: the idea of the theatre loving, fashion forward, flamboyant gay man that’s been perpetuated over and over again in the media.

The idea of the “gay best friend” has been trending the past few years. One popular example of this is the sassy Kurt Hummel in the teen comedy-drama series, “Glee,”who is always there for his best girlfriends with a tub of ice cream or fashion advice. Hummel has become a dream for what many teen girls want.

People say society is now more accepting of homosexuals than ever before, which could be true, but society is accepting them in a disturbing way. Instead of accepting all sexualities and going on with life, human beings are being accessorized like a trendy scarf for the straight majority. The proof is all over the internet in forms of a wikiHow to “Find your Gay Best Friend” and a Pinterest blog about how “Every girl needs a gay best friend.” The idea of a gay best friend denounces the fact that not every gay male feels the need to shop, sing or gossip with his girls.

This stereotype pressures teens to pose as straight to avoid the humiliation and novelty that society finds with homosexual men and makes it more difficult for people to come out as gay. It’s also unfair to teens or men who fit into the stereotype but don’t identify as gay.

Also, this “acceptance” of gay men does not extend to lesbians, which is a double standard furthering the fact that America is going in the wrong direction concerning the treatment of people who identify as anything other than heterosexual. When have you ever heard of the lesbian best friend? Just make a Google search of lesbians, and you’ll find evidence of the oversexualization lesbians endure in our society.

The gay best friend trope will only bring society further from our goal of acceptance than before. Instead of this odd obsession with having a sassy gay friend, people should simply accept the person for who they are rather than their sexuality. It’s like wanting a black friend. It’s racist. This acceptance should not only stop with gay men, but women as well, and anybody who doesn’t identify as those either.

The bottom line is that the fetishizing of flamboyant homosexual men needs to stop now, and the acceptance of human beings of all sexualities needs to take its place. I’m not saying that gay people who love theatre should stop if that’s who they are, and it’s what they love. However, we shouldn’t force homosexual teens to become who they are not. Not every person is the same, and not every gay teen is a Kurt Hummel.