I do not consider myself to live any of these lifestyles that others may decide to live. I do however know people in each of these categories and I am tired of hearing people act rude towards people based on their personal choices in life. I have a class in college right now discussing the media and the diversity we have in this country, but it is important to accept each other no matter their lifestyle and choices.

1. First, being straight, gay, bisexual, asexual, or any other sexual preference a person has should not matter.

I get so tired of hearing people say these people are "weird" because they choose to identify as something other than straight. I am a straight male who knows guys that are gay and it does not bother me. They sometimes share some common interests in me and still treat me with the same respect, so I will not be mean or ignore them because they choose not to like the same people as me. I do not understand why guys say it's "hot" for a girl to be bisexual, but a guy liking guys is "weird." If someone did not tell you their sexual preference and didn't feel they should be treated better based on their sexual preference, then being their friend should not be an issue as long as they treat you in a kind manner.

2. People should not count others out because of their race or ethnicity.

Every day I see social media news about crimes and good deeds being committed by every race you could think of. No one race is responsible for mass shootings or any other type of crime. I get so tired of hearing other people blame a race for something bad happening because that is stereotyping, so not every member of that race should be held responsible. No matter a persons race or culture we should respect them as an individual and allow them to be our friend as long as they are a good person towards you.

3. People should not discriminate based on religious beliefs.

I have grown up as a Christian and I do my best to represent God, but that does not mean I have to treat others poorly due to their religious views. Any person who cannot accept other people's choice of religion should stop trying to convince them otherwise and tell them they are wrong. They have the chance to make their choice and should not be shamed because their views differ. When a person dies whatever happens to them is on them not on you.

4. Jobs should not discriminate against people with colored hair, tattoos, or piercings.

No job should be able to tell you that you have to take them out or cover them up, because they are apart of who you are. The jobs do it because they know some older people in society cannot handle seeing people have tattoos or piercing because they were not common when they grew up. These people are judged by others every day because they chose to make a decision about their own body, so because they have something is done to their body you do not like it doesn't mean you should treat them without respect.

5. People need to respect others' politics, choices, and beliefs.

I always avoid talking about politics with people for two reasons. One reason is that I am not very involved in learning about politics and news, because it does not interest me. The second reason is most people cannot respect your choice. People can extremely upset when talking about politics and become very one-sided and try to make the other person feel stupid and wrong at all costs. There will never be complete agreement on everything (or anything) political, but that does not mean you get to yell at other people and treat them poorly based on their opinions. The same goes for liking a sports team or a movie or TV show.

You should not base your friendship with others because you disagree with their likes, dislikes, and opinions and allow others to feel the way they feel. I have met people of all different types and have enjoyed being apart of their lives and calling them my friends and family based on their life choices. Let us all agree to start treating more people with respect and embrace living in this free country.

Living in a free country does not give you the authority to mistreat others for unethical reasons just because you disagree with them.