<strong>gayness has been rebranded as a sort of "enlightenment" politics. Sell it to students and psuedo-intellectuals, put it on display on college campuses and make it a virtual criteria for anyone who wants to think of themselves as smarter/fairer/deeper than the average dolt.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Matsu, I love you
The main problem of homosexual people, not homosexuality itself, as I see it, is that they often present themselves as a sort of social protest. Not everybody has their own identity, but everybody wants to. If I paint my hair green and call it a social protest, you call me a moron. If I become gay in order to expose myself, well, it's plain stupid. I am either gay or not and it has nothing to do with social protests. Let's be honest. We live in the world of stereotypes and it's not going to change any time soon. Gays cannot deny they have certain problems caused by these stereotypes. This raises one more question: are children prepared for that?
Of course, we should not mix civil rights and moral rights. Everyone should consider his responsibility before action. This concerns not only gays, obviously. For gays there is simply more to be worried about.
<strong>I do however find myself resentful toward them when I realize that I will have to explain the why "Michelle" has two mothers. I know it makes me an a$$hole for saying that but, I don't want to have to explain things like this so early.
Trust me .."Some kids have two mommies." doesn't usually end the questioning.</strong><hr></blockquote>
So, exactly to what degree should social policy be based on making the world easier to explain to small children?
The main problem of homosexual people, not homosexuality itself, as I see it, is that they often present themselves as a sort of social protest. Not everybody has their own identity, but everybody wants to. If I paint my hair green and call it a social protest, you call me a moron. If I become gay in order to expose myself, well, it's plain stupid. I am either gay or not and it has nothing to do with social protests. Let's be honest. We live in the world of stereotypes and it's not going to change any time soon. Gays cannot deny they have certain problems caused by these stereotypes. This raises one more question: are children prepared for that?
Of course, we should not mix civil rights and moral rights. Everyone should consider his responsibility before action. This concerns not only gays, obviously. For gays there is simply more to be worried about.</strong><hr></blockquote>Yes. . . but a big and innacurate stereotype is that most gays are protesters with their lifestyle.
Most gays are very very much like everybody else except they are gay
There is a huge population of people who prefer same sex love to hetero love and yet they are not all of them marching in the street wearing leather crotchless pants . . .
and they don't all live in SF or Iowa City (say hi to george's bar for me Amorph!! ( )) And many of them are monogamous and together and also have many straight friends and would make great parents!!!!!
<strong>Opinion: The Gay Community is its own worst enemy in many of these issues.
The gay community does so little to present the side of itself that shows that there are facets of our lives that aren't the flamboyant, dramatic, parading group that we and the hetrosexual community market us as.
Thanks for reading
Adam</strong><hr></blockquote>
Yes, the gay community doesn't represent the fact that the whole of our lifestyle isn't spent parading down the Castro in chaps and nothing else. But the media also never bothers to take the snapshot of PFLAG members in a gay pride parade, or gay bankers- it's far easier and more ratings-getting to find teh most flamboyant drag queens, or dykes on bikes.
I also don't want kids. But I think it's pretty freaking tragic that the case in Florida that caused Rosie O'Donnell to come out (where a stable gay male couple who had raised several HIV+ foster children for years were not allowed to adopt one of them- whom they had raised for 10 years as foster parents- because they were gay) have to happen; especially in a state that has children being found dead in foster care.
There are enough kids sitting in orphanages around the world; if there are stable people who want to adopt them, let them. Rosie O'Donnell may be the most grating performer I can think of, but she has the drive, the desire and the income to make sure that her adopted children will want for nothing.
I'd let her adopt me, if I didn't have to hear her talk.
I work with many gays/lesbians that are 30-60 and have life-long partners. Not a single one fits the stereotype. It is important to realize that gays and lesbians in lifelong relationships are all around you, they just don't stand out at all.
[quote]Originally posted by Luca Rescigno: I mean, there are cases of sexual abuse of girls by their fathers, but they are very rare. <hr></blockquote>
Research has shown that ~25% of girls are molested by adults before the age of 13. [<a href="http://www.ipce.info/ipceweb/Library/nelson.htm"; target="_blank">JSET</a>] This is not by any means limited to father-daughter cases, but it is very important to recognize the reality.
Comments
<strong>gayness has been rebranded as a sort of "enlightenment" politics. Sell it to students and psuedo-intellectuals, put it on display on college campuses and make it a virtual criteria for anyone who wants to think of themselves as smarter/fairer/deeper than the average dolt.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Matsu, I love you
The main problem of homosexual people, not homosexuality itself, as I see it, is that they often present themselves as a sort of social protest. Not everybody has their own identity, but everybody wants to. If I paint my hair green and call it a social protest, you call me a moron. If I become gay in order to expose myself, well, it's plain stupid. I am either gay or not and it has nothing to do with social protests. Let's be honest. We live in the world of stereotypes and it's not going to change any time soon. Gays cannot deny they have certain problems caused by these stereotypes. This raises one more question: are children prepared for that?
Of course, we should not mix civil rights and moral rights. Everyone should consider his responsibility before action. This concerns not only gays, obviously. For gays there is simply more to be worried about.
<strong>I do however find myself resentful toward them when I realize that I will have to explain the why "Michelle" has two mothers. I know it makes me an a$$hole for saying that but, I don't want to have to explain things like this so early.
Trust me .."Some kids have two mommies." doesn't usually end the questioning.</strong><hr></blockquote>
So, exactly to what degree should social policy be based on making the world easier to explain to small children?
<strong>
Matsu, I love you
The main problem of homosexual people, not homosexuality itself, as I see it, is that they often present themselves as a sort of social protest. Not everybody has their own identity, but everybody wants to. If I paint my hair green and call it a social protest, you call me a moron. If I become gay in order to expose myself, well, it's plain stupid. I am either gay or not and it has nothing to do with social protests. Let's be honest. We live in the world of stereotypes and it's not going to change any time soon. Gays cannot deny they have certain problems caused by these stereotypes. This raises one more question: are children prepared for that?
Of course, we should not mix civil rights and moral rights. Everyone should consider his responsibility before action. This concerns not only gays, obviously. For gays there is simply more to be worried about.</strong><hr></blockquote>Yes. . . but a big and innacurate stereotype is that most gays are protesters with their lifestyle.
Most gays are very very much like everybody else except they are gay
There is a huge population of people who prefer same sex love to hetero love and yet they are not all of them marching in the street wearing leather crotchless pants . . .
and they don't all live in SF or Iowa City (say hi to george's bar for me Amorph!! (
<strong>Opinion: The Gay Community is its own worst enemy in many of these issues.
The gay community does so little to present the side of itself that shows that there are facets of our lives that aren't the flamboyant, dramatic, parading group that we and the hetrosexual community market us as.
Thanks for reading
Adam</strong><hr></blockquote>
Yes, the gay community doesn't represent the fact that the whole of our lifestyle isn't spent parading down the Castro in chaps and nothing else. But the media also never bothers to take the snapshot of PFLAG members in a gay pride parade, or gay bankers- it's far easier and more ratings-getting to find teh most flamboyant drag queens, or dykes on bikes.
I also don't want kids. But I think it's pretty freaking tragic that the case in Florida that caused Rosie O'Donnell to come out (where a stable gay male couple who had raised several HIV+ foster children for years were not allowed to adopt one of them- whom they had raised for 10 years as foster parents- because they were gay) have to happen; especially in a state that has children being found dead in foster care.
There are enough kids sitting in orphanages around the world; if there are stable people who want to adopt them, let them. Rosie O'Donnell may be the most grating performer I can think of, but she has the drive, the desire and the income to make sure that her adopted children will want for nothing.
I'd let her adopt me, if I didn't have to hear her talk.
I work with many gays/lesbians that are 30-60 and have life-long partners. Not a single one fits the stereotype. It is important to realize that gays and lesbians in lifelong relationships are all around you, they just don't stand out at all.
[quote]Originally posted by Luca Rescigno: I mean, there are cases of sexual abuse of girls by their fathers, but they are very rare. <hr></blockquote>
Research has shown that ~25% of girls are molested by adults before the age of 13. [<a href="http://www.ipce.info/ipceweb/Library/nelson.htm"; target="_blank">JSET</a>] This is not by any means limited to father-daughter cases, but it is very important to recognize the reality.