Homophobia

My co-worker handed me something he wrote and asked for feedback. The title of the short paragraph is "A Convict's Introduction." It's more like a self-promoting ad seeking female companionship. He's been in prison for nine and a half years on a 13-year attempted murder sentence. He got locked up when he was 18 and never had a meaningful relationship with a female. He had asked his friends over the years to hook him up with a friend, but they never came through for him. With two years left before he paroles, he decided to seek for a female pen pal on his own.

Female companionship is something prisoners all long for. They don't want to be lonely. Sometimes people are able to develop meaningful relationship because love does not stop at the prison gates. Of course, the chance of a female writing a stranger in prison just from reading his ad is slim, but not impossible. Nothing is impossible in this world. There is a lesson learned through all our connections with people. I wish my co-worker luck.

In the afternoon, I stepped out of the shower and heard someone call my name. It's Gremlin (his nickname), a 25-year-old African American. He asked me, "Is he finished?"
"Who?" I didn't understand his question.
"That dude in the shower," he whispered.
Then it dawned on me. He was referring to the African American homosexual who was showering. Gremlin is homophobic. So I said, "Oh, you mean that human being, the brother, fellow prisoner who's in the shower?"
He said, "Yeah. I want to shower before all the workers come back."
"There're two open shower heads in there," I responded.
"I don't want to go in there with him. I don't get down like that."
"You see, that's the same way some people in society look at prisoners. Oh, they're prisoners. They're no good. Lock them up and throw away the key. What is he going to do to you?"
"If he touches me, I'll beat the shit out of him."
"Why would he touch you? He's only taking a shower."
I walked away. Gremlin waited outside the shower until the homosexual got out.