[H.]

Actually, one percent is almost certainly too low but no one has particularly valid statistics to go on due largely to the continued social stigma of homosexuality and bisexuality. There are few people who are equally bi relative to those who are mostly straight or mostly gay, but there are huge numbers of people who are somewhat bi. Most reliable studies have shown that about 25% (often a much higher number) of men have had sex w/ a man at least once. However, that's a measure of behavior (independent of attraction [the most common definition of orientation] or identity).

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Name : H., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : white Southerner, Religion : Methodist, Age : 25, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Occupation : statistician, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[H.]

I am continually amazed at the ridiculous and bigoted stereotypes so many Yankees and Westerners have of the nearly 80 million Southerners. Having lived in the South for virtually my entire life and traveled to every continent and most states, I can assure you that Southern women are among the strongest, warmest and most graceful on the planet. Southern culture is the most vibrant in the nation, and our food, music, architecture, literature and overall joie de vivre are unique and unparalleled in this country. I'm always shocked by how sedate and bland the social life and day-to-day life is in less culturally (and physically) blessed parts of the nation. The fact that we remember the dramas of our rich past and try to preserve our cultural distinctiveness is a positive thing. The dramatic migration of Northerners to the South continues, and the concern we fear is of becoming a place like so many out West and up North where no one has roots, no one knows their neighbors and every subdivision looks like every other. The pain and calamity that Southerners (of all races) have gone through is an important part of our past. Being nice and polite is not a negative. As an aside, contrary to some stereotypes, the South is the most racially integrated (at least in terms of residences, government and schools) region of the country, and of course we have far more minorities than other regions.

I admit that in certain areas of civil rights we do lag behind the rest of the country, and that is part of the curiosity of the culture that produced democracy while nearly half of its inhabitants were enslaved (witness the inconsistencies in the lives of quintessential Southerners like Thomas Jefferson and James Madison). I loved the fact that my high school celebrated Robert E. Lee and Martin Luther King's birthdays on the same day - for they were both great Southerners who should not be forgotten.

User Detail :  

Name : H., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : white Southerner, Religion : Methodist, Age : 25, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Occupation : statistician, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[H.]

Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, or any human, or any other organization (which are all subject to the sins of our anti-Christian prejudices), God does not discriminate based on race, sex, sexual orientation or any other God-given characteristic. Indeed, Christ's life exemplified the central values of our religion: Love, generosity and non-judgmentalism. Certain denominations (though far from reaching a Christian ideal) tend to be better at this than others. Try Methodism, Episcopalianism, Presbyterianism or, of course, the Metropolitan Community Church rather than the less God-oriented denominations of Baptist, Catholicism and Mormonism. Also, many individual congregations do remember God's teachings and try to welcome all people. In Portland, try Dignity; the Roman Catholic Gays and Lesbians University Park United Methodist Church Reconciling Congregation, which celebrates the gifts of bisexual, gay, lesbian, straight and transgendered people; or First United Methodist.

User Detail :  

Name : H., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : white Southerner, Religion : Methodist, Age : 25, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Occupation : statistician, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[H.]

I have to echo the previous respondent who said we should look to God and not the human institution that is the church. People who go to church often forget to humble themselves before God and to remember Jesus' central teachings: Generosity and love rather than judgment toward all. I have many friends who have been turned off to religion because so many people act against God's will and try to use His name to justify their human prejudices. Perfect examples of groups exhibiting this tendency are the Ku Klux Klan and Family Research Council, which promote racism, sexism, and homophobia while claiming to be Christian groups. There are many congregations that do a better job of being true Christians in a meaningful sense, and if you look you will find a congregation that, though not perfect, is right for you. Find such a place and you can contribute the gift of music in a place that is a light unto the world, its members and its community.

User Detail :  

Name : H., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : white Southerner, Religion : Methodist, Age : 25, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Occupation : statistician, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[H.]

It's impossible to stereotype the behaviors of gay men, just as it is for lesbians, bisexuals and straight people. The stereotypes that gay men are promiscuous, lesbians are always monogamous, straight men will sleep with any woman they can convince or who'll give them the time of day, and that straight women are passive and never initiate intimacy are all myths. There are promiscuous gay men, as there are promiscuous straight men; there are also many gay men who have only long-term and life-time monogamous relationships.

User Detail :  

Name : H., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : white Southerner, Religion : Methodist, Age : 25, City : Washington, State : DC Country : United States, Occupation : statistician, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

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