Two right feet. Two wrongs don’t make a left. That’s left. Any of these phrases sound familiar to you? Probably not. Why? Because we are living in a world dominated by a certain majority: The right-handed people.

Living in a right-handed world can be very difficult for the 10 percent of the population that is left-handed. Basic tools like can-openers or scissors can cause the biggest problems. How do I know this? Well, University of Illinois, I am left-handed.

When I was little, a speaker told my class some cultures used to believe lefties were associated with the devil — the devil, I tell you. All my friends turned to me and laughed. It was a traumatizing moment for a young child.

Sure, we may have advantages in sports like baseball because not too many people expect a lefty to come up to bat. Some of the greatest baseball players have been left-handed — Babe Ruth, for example.

But life as a lefty is not all fun and games.

Sometimes it would be nice to have an advantage in the classroom. Ever sat down at a left-handed desk and been annoyed? Welcome to the world of lefties. Just about everything for us is backward. Can-openers? I would be lying if I said I haven’t broken one or two out of frustration. It is much harder to find a left-handed one than you think. Sure they make them, but companies also seem to like to charge more if you do find one. Same goes for left-handed mitts, notebooks with the spirals on the opposite side and scissors with the blades switched.

And have you ever had a smudge on the side of your right hand? Probably not unless you are writing in a language that reads right to left such as Hebrew or Arabic. That smudge pretty much defined my childhood. I would come home from school, and the side of my left hand would be covered in the colors of whatever craft I had participated in for the day. Even wall pencil sharpeners were causes of childhood hyperventilation.

But those classroom desks. While annoying to you, they can turn a lefty’s test-taking nightmare into a test-taking dream. I’ve had professors stare me down during tests to make sure I wasn’t cheating just because I was awkwardly rotated in my chair. Even when I have tried to sit in a left-handed desk on the end of the aisle, I have been told to move to make room for more students. It is a travesty. Such discrimination, here, at the University of Illinois!

I was hoping as I grew up, I would learn to deal with some of these problems. Nope. Even a basic handshake for a lefty leads to awkward situations. When lefties meet new people, it’s difficult to not automatically stick out our left hands for a greeting. Or sitting at dinner. No one wants to sit next to the lefty because we will just keep bumping arms. It’s the disease that keeps on giving.

You know what else isn’t so fun about the world of lefties? Some say it is likely we die sooner. If that’s true, it might be out of frustration. I’d blame the can-opener.

But, there’s some hope: The last five out of seven presidents have been left-handed and in some of these races it was lefty vs. lefty. Think Obama vs. McCain or Clinton vs. Bush Sr. And had previous presidents not been forced to convert to right-handedness, who knows how many more there might have been. Society wanted these great men to convert, as to not let their left-handedness be a plague on society. And conversion clearly worked for them. They were cured. So let’s convert the gays.

Wait. No. That’s stupid.

Yes, gay people are a minority.

And gay people are associated with the devil — that idea is quickly changing.

Gay students find school terrifying — it does get better.

Gay athletes have helped shape the sports world — just look at Natalie Cook in beach volleyball or Matthew Mitcham in diving.

Gay politicians continue to gain a greater presence in government — such as Rep. Barney Frank or newly elected Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

And no, being gay is not a choice.

Conversion therapy is harmful and needs to be banned. We may have been able to change handedness, but we can’t do the same with sexuality. Some people are left-handed, some people are gay, so live with it.

Joanna is a senior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected].