Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 52 replies, 52 voices, and was last updated 17 years, 6 months ago by
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- I'm a gay teenager who lives in a fairly intolerant area of the South, and I've noticed that many people are disgusted at the thought of two gay guys or lesbians displaying affection in public, be it simple hand holding or kissing. Conversely, I see straight people showing affection all the time, usually much more than anyone cares to see. Why the double standard?
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Name : Robert, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 14, City : Panama City, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,Heterosexuals are allowed to show affection but not homosexuals because heterosexuality is the norm and the way the Creator made it. God made men and women for a reason. If homosexuality was condoned, He would have made two Eves or two Adams. Society is still offeneded to see homosexual attraction because of our moral beliefs, and seeing two men or two women holding hands or kissing is backward and isn't meant to be. Consider the difference in the sex organs: God didn't intend two penises or a penis and anus to come together, nor two vaginas. Furthermore, I don't believe people are born gay; you turn gay. Regardless of what people say, homosexuality is a choice. The Creator didn't make anyone gay; why would God wire someone to live in a way He said very clearly was an abomination and a lifestyle He so greatly despises?User Detail :
Name : Monique-M20340, Gender : F, City : Ft. Myers, State : FL Country : United States,One word: Heterocentrism. 90 to 95 percent of the population is heterosexual. They are used to seeing only heterosexual-based life around them. That is the 'norm.' Anything out of the 'norm' is immediately noticed and categorized as anything from weird to threatening. And then a response is thought of - anything from a hard stare to a hard punch or kick. The majority generally rules, although they always forget about Supreme Court rulings protecting against the 'tyranny of the majority.' Things are better now than they have been, but that is (of course) very dependent on which part of the country you happen to live in.User Detail :
Name : Mark Bentley, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : UFMCC - Cathedral of Hope, Age : 39, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Financial analyst, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I have had this discussion with my father many a time. He feels that by showing affection in public, gays and lesbians are flaunting their sexuality. I counter by saying it is a natural part of any relationship. Unfortunately, many straight people seem to feel that while they don't mind people being gay, they don't want to have to acknowledge it, which seems to me to be just as prejudiced. I live in the middle of London, but even so, very rarely do I see any public displays of affection between gay people, and gay-friendly as I am, it still causes me to do a slight double-take when I do see it, simply because it is so rare. Unfortunately, until more gay people feel able to express affection in public (which is unlikely, due to the volume of prejudice), it will not be regarded as commonplace, which in turn will discourage gay people from doing so. It's a vicious circle. Be aware though, that plenty of straights really aren't bothered by gay PDAs.User Detail :
Name : Anna, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 19, City : London, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,It is seen as an unnatural thing to see two men or two women being affectionate, whereas it is more natural to see men and women kissing and holding hands.User Detail :
Name : Aaron, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 31, City : Palo Alto, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Customer Service Rep, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I think the showing of affection from gays and lesbians is bothersome to some but not all. It would particularly bother someone if they don't understand that gays and lesbians are just the same as straight couples. Or maybe they have just never been witness to the showing of an affectionate gay/lesbian couple. It could probably scare someone who has never seen it before. Could you imagine what a person would think if they'd never witnessed a straight couple show affection?User Detail :
Name : Sara C., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 22, City : Davison, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower class,Why the disparity between public displays of affection for straights and gays? That's the way it has always been. Most straight people to whom you point out the inequities will argue in their favor (for various reasons), but some may stop and realize they are bombarded with heterosexual imagery everywhere, in advertising, television, movies, in public, etc. That's one of the reasons so many gay people have flocked to metropolitan areas with a gay population and gay bars, where they can feel free to express themselves emotionally and physically without fear of reprisal. As you learn more about gays and lesbians and the struggle for equality, you will come across many other inequities that don't make logical sense. Some straight people are against listing 'sexual orientation' as a protected employment class like race, gender, age, religion or disability, mistakenly thinking it would only protect gays. Just the opposite: it is currently legal to fire someone for being straight, and a 'sexual orientation' protection clause would protect them, too. Marriage and benefits are another sore issue, with straights seeing marriage as a religious right reserved solely for them. What they fail to realize is that there are many benefits that come along with marriage that, because gays and lesbians are not permitted to wed the partner of their choice, gays are discriminatorially denied homosexuals. The federal government has identified more than 1,400 benefits exclusively available to married heterosexuals, including inheritance, medical decisions, naturalizing a foreign born spouse, adoption, etc.New ground is being broken every day. Some steps are gained and others lost. I am hopeful that in my lifetime there will be no inequities based on who you love.
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Name : Doug25658, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : New Age/Metaphysical, Age : 39, City : Phoenix, State : AZ Country : United States, Occupation : Administrator, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Monique, can you please identify for us the time and place you chose to be straight?User Detail :
Name : T.C., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 32, City : Phoenix, State : AZ Country : United States, Occupation : Web Developer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,In Vermont, we are starting to see more and more of this. It has been my observation that this occurs mostly among women, although I have seen some men showing public displays of affection. As you may know, Vermont was the first state to legally recognize gay unions. While many in Vermont opposed this, they couldn' t get enough support to overturn it. The world is changing, albeit slowly.User Detail :
Name : Bill23067, Gender : M, Age : 44, City : Burlington, State : VT Country : United States, Social class : Middle class,To Monique: Prove to me it was a choice I made. And while you are at it, please tell me about the time and place you made the choice to be straight. And don't waste my time with scripture. I want to know how you know it is a choice.User Detail :
Name : Matthew, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 45, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States,Monique, I agree with you 100 percent. God's word clearly states that 'man shall not lie with man as with womankind.'User Detail :
Name : Redeemed-One30118, Gender : M, Race : Black/African American, Age : 54, City : Newport News, State : VA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,If that's the issue, you should have no worries. After all, a man doesn't 'lie with a man' the same with a woman; it's a whole different ball game (perhaps some colorful diagrams could illustrate). But in all seriousness, if you're going to admit that your beliefs are based entirely on your religon (which there is nothing wrong with), why do you go beyond your religion as far as who can be gay and who can't? I don't see how Leviticus can apply to those of us who don't read the Torah or Bible.User Detail :
Name : Ted24679, Gender : M, City : Westminster, State : MD Country : United States,Redeemed One, you seem like the type of person who would say that AIDS is a plague on gay people from God as a price for their lifestyles. You do realize that it is your particular minority group that is suffering from and spreading the virus more than any other group in the world. What are thay paying for? Were you redeemed from being a gay man? That does not last very long. I am very close to a gay couple, and they are the finest people you could ever meet, gay or straight.User Detail :
Name : William, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 39, City : Columbia, State : SC Country : United States, Occupation : Sales, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,The good book also says slavery's a good thing. How do you feel about that, oh Redeemed One? It's sad that there are still ignorant people in the world today, hiding behind erroneous interpretations of scripture.User Detail :
Name : Matthew21852, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 23, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : Writer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class,Of course, this is only if the Christian Bible, and your interpretation of it, is part of your belief system.To the original poster: It is a double standard, and it's one that's not going to go away anytime soon, especially in your geographic location. People like Monique and those who agree with her will always exist, unfortunately.
Still, count me among your supporters.
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Name : Lucia, Gender : F, City : San Francisco, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,
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