[William24306]

As a straight man, I am offended when I go into public restrooms and see gay pick-up lines and solicitations for dates written on restroom walls. It also offends me to see such things as holes drilled into the stall walls. My question is: How can gay men expect straight men to respect them, accept them and be less hostile toward their lifestyles in light of these offensive things, which are visible to our young sons who have to use these same restrooms?
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User Detail :  

Name : William24306, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Age : 40, City : Charleston, State : SC, Country : United States, 

[David]

It offends me just as much as seeing straight pickup lines degrading woman, as for hole in the walls, If gay men could live more openly, say like kiss and hold hands in public, there would probably be less hole drilling

User Detail :  

Name : David, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 38, City : richmond, State : VA, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Lauren]

Lewd or suggestive remarks written on any surface may be offensive, but paying particular notice to ‘gay’ remarks as if they are more offensive than any other graffiti is where your problem lies. Reading, ‘call Jenny for a blow, 867-5309′ above the urinal is of the same immature and cliche’ caliber as, ‘Gary’s meet Harry’s Exit 105, Tuesdays.’ The difference lies in the person- some would be lewd and juvenile because they just are, and some would not be because they aren’t. Sexuality is not a definative marker of character or personal class, no matter the orientation of the individual. (I do not tell lies because I am strait, I do not know truth because I am gay?) Focusing on sexuality as a clue to who someone really is will always be fallible. The gay people of the world who are not partaking in suggestive graffiti are the people that should be contemplated instead, as it is out of their control and not a transferable guilt onto them by what others less responsible would do in delinquence. Of course if you would choose to scrub the graffiti from off of the walls yourself, then the environment and the mature ratio of the gay population would collectively thank you for it. There will always be persons doing unethical things like this, like graffiti, but these persons are not unethical because they are gay. Teach your son to respect others, and to have disdain for disrespect within reasons/limits necessary. Gay should have nothing to do with reservation or special treatment though, in all equal fairness, unless the persons who are gay are being unfairly judged. Relax. It’s o.k. to be straight around gay people 🙂

User Detail :  

Name : Lauren, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 23, City : na, State : SC, Country : United States, Occupation : Student; Business Operator, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Luis]

As a gay man, I also get offended when I see graphic drawings or such suggestive messages in bathroom stalls. Would I do that? No way. Would I even consider answering someone who posted a message on a bathroom stall? Yikes! That’s crazy, and disgusting! There bad/ignorant/offensive in both gay world and straight world. Would you feel better if your son saw drawings of female genitalia or heterosexual acts in the bathroom stall (which I have seen before several times too)? Probably not. Unfortunately, bad people, whether gay or straight, are a reality in our world, but hopefully, the young minds in our world have guiding mentors or parents who can help them delienate between what’s good and what’s bad, and teach them how to make a good choice. However, it’s important that we respond in an open minded and understanding way. If your son came to you and asked you about finding something like that on the bathroom stall, would you teach him to hate gays because they do these things, or would you explain that there are bad people out there and explain why it might be a bad idea? Hope this provides a different perspective. Thanks.

User Detail :  

Name : Luis, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Christian, Age : 31, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : Theatre, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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