Basically what I was going to say.TheAmazingHobo said:
It shouldn't matter if it's a choice of not, because there is no reason for it to matter. Respect and acceptance are vital to our society, we just need to embrace it more.
I'm a fairly conservative guy, but I am still flabergasted by people who think gay is a choice
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It shouldn't matter if it's a choice of not, because there is no reason for it to matter. Respect and acceptance are vital to our society, we just need to embrace it more.
To be honest, I don't usually walk up to strangers and tell them anything. I know that I do look a bit stereotypically lesbian and people ask me. To date I have never lied and never will when asked. I think that the only time I had to say so unsolicited was when I accidentally pulled a bloke at a sci fi convention - awkward misunderstanding involving a camera and Claudia Christian. (edit - er, that sounds terrible, but it was an innocent story too long to be bothered with here)RhombusHatesYou said:You'd get a "how's that working for you?" from me. That's my standard reply to people when they start telling me things about themselves I don't need to know.Valksy said:
Unless I was drunk, in which case you'd get an "awesome, me too. okay, you take the gay birds, I take the straight birds and any bi birds we flip a coin" because I'm totally cultured and suave when I'm pissed.
I see where you're coming from but over the years I've met too many gays who have treated the discovery of a biological basis for sexuality to be something of a holy grail that would suddenly get the general public onside and everything would be smooth sailing from there on, so I get a bit preachy about it. Probably also has a bit to do with the sheer number of people I've known over the years who think sexuality is biologically basis but still think homosexuals are wrong, creepy and should be beaten with sticks... It's Australia after all, and while some people might be surprised how much we understand science, we're not a people to let it get in the way of a long held prejudice.
Liked the rest of your answer =D You are a true gentleman ;-)
It certainly does not guarantee safety any more than assuming that all atheists are automatically pro-gay. It just isn't true. I never got "gay bashed" but came close a time or two and I never really understood why. The UK is pretty secular and the words that were said didn't suggest anything other than a hatred for something "different". I wasn't sure that the reason for that difference even occurred to them.
These days bigots can get in my face and yell and froth all they like, they can think that I am creepy and weird and wrong. They can call me a "dirty c***-licking lezzer" if they want. I will simply smile and go on my way. What they cannot take from me is my rights as a human being. That is the only battle I want to fight, and I will fight it, and we will win.
I was being a pedant.CarpathianMuffin said:
Personally, I believe human sexuality is so complex that there'll never be a single causative factor that people can point to and say "That! That's the tricky little bugger right there!" Which is why I don't buy the 'choice' argument. Could turn out that there are a myriad of factors that you need a certain number of in certain combinations for non-heterosexual sexuality to trigger.
You know who I feel sorry for? The people who's sexuality does change. Fucking every side decides to tell them that they we either faking or made a conscious decision.
Oh yeah, one other thing I have against the whole "choice" argument is that I've seen good friends struggle to come to terms with their sexuality and the idea that someone would willingly put themselves through that is laughable.
this... kinda. it kind of went somewhere else afterKortney said:
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I know a few people that arent gay (or even bi) but they just happened to like someone of the same sex and were instantly labelled. It leads me to wonder what actually defines gay? generally being attracted to men? or having the capability to be attracted to men? I tend to think the latter honestly even though it is a bit close to being bi. im a bit pinickity like that. YES PINICKITY.
Don't know what led me to be bisexual, but it was like a trigger in 8th grade. I just suddenly realized that I was attracted to males and females and went from there. No idea what did it.
Honestly, I'm surprised. In 18 years of being out and active, I have never met any GLBTQ folks who said that they made a choice. Admittedly my girl/guy ratio of discussing sexuality has probably been 90% girls, 10% guys - because woman together get awfully chatty =)Mimsofthedawg said:
I'd call them by their names. Apparently most people respond better to it than a label.Kortney said:
I wasn't suggesting I'd use the word "gay" in place of their first name. I was saying that what was described does make the person a homosexual.RhombusHatesYou said:I'd call them by their names. Apparently most people respond better to it than a label.Kortney said:
I think the labels heterosexual and homosexual are defined by which gender(s) an individual has physical attraction and sexual preference for, rather than the actual actions the individual pursues. The line between heterosexual and homosexual can also be considered blurred, with many people who identify as bisexual/pansexual/other and have sexual preferences reflecting their stance.
I was joking. Excellent openning line like that? I couldn't resist the urge.Kortney said:I wasn't suggesting I'd use the word "gay" in place of their first name.RhombusHatesYou said:I'd call them by their names. Apparently most people respond better to it than a label.Kortney said:
Oh haha. I'm sorry! I didn't realise. I guess that's why the wink was there!RhombusHatesYou said:I was joking. Excellent openning line like that? I couldn't resist the urge.Kortney said:I wasn't suggesting I'd use the word "gay" in place of their first name.RhombusHatesYou said:I'd call them by their names. Apparently most people respond better to it than a label.Kortney said:
People who choose to be gay annoy me as much as people who choose to be black. The only upside is that at least we know we can cure them by making them choose to not be.
I myself have chosen to be rich, well-respected and Asian. It only annoys me more that while 'they' got to choose whatever they wanted, my choice has not turned out for me.
I myself have chosen to be rich, well-respected and Asian. It only annoys me more that while 'they' got to choose whatever they wanted, my choice has not turned out for me.
I just ask them when they chose to be straight.
Then I ask them when they chose to be retarded.
Extra points if they're not typically Caucasian. Can you imagine asking someone when they chose to be Black? (Although for extra impact, that would only have a large amount of shock-value in places that still have a strong history of racial tension.)
Then I ask them when they chose to be retarded.
Extra points if they're not typically Caucasian. Can you imagine asking someone when they chose to be Black? (Although for extra impact, that would only have a large amount of shock-value in places that still have a strong history of racial tension.)
Meh, why do you even bother to care about it? Such lines of thought are largely inconsequential.
There are only two answers to the question, and either should make anti-gay people happy.
1) It's a choice, so they can rail about it all they want.
2) It isn't a choice, so we can fix it when our knowledge of genetics gets high enough.
We should reserve until we know which is true, however. Making decisions that you can easily put off making when you don't have enough information to make a good one is idiotic.
There are only two answers to the question, and either should make anti-gay people happy.
1) It's a choice, so they can rail about it all they want.
2) It isn't a choice, so we can fix it when our knowledge of genetics gets high enough.
We should reserve until we know which is true, however. Making decisions that you can easily put off making when you don't have enough information to make a good one is idiotic.
Well lets first distinguish the difference between being "gay" and homosexuality. Gay is a lifestyle and homosexuality is the attraction between two people of the same gender. Having homosexual tendencies or thoughts does not make one gay, the actual act of acting upon those influences is. That said, acting on or in the vein of homosexuality is what makes one gay, using the definition of the two words (and I know they vary depending on the source but I'm using the Anthropological definitions.)Dexiro said:
It would means that having a biological tendency towards homosexual behavior is not the choice, the acting upon them is and therefore the choice of being gay or not. Now, there are shades in infinite magnitude on the straight-gay scale as there are on the gender's male-female scale so there is no definitive gay, not gay but the question posed was is being gay a choice, not "does one have a choice in their inner homosexual feeling." Had that been the case it would delve into Biological and developmental issues.
Homosexuality is a balance of biological, developmental, and psychological factors whereas "gay" is technically a culturally defined construct. Men in ancient Greece and Rome has sex with other men but were not "gay" because society did not say that so long as they eventually had a relationship with a woman. My entire argument was nitpicking on the improper concept of what is "gay" because one thing that irks me is when a term is used incorrectly so my apologies to anyone I've offended, just please use the correct terms and I'll try not to rant... really should get on the Gender v Sex debacle sometime.
*quick final thought* additional point that "gay" is a societal construct and a choice over homosexuality, some Native American tribes had the option for men to change their status in a tribe to a woman effectively if they were not capable warriors or hunters. They would effectively marry another man but have the same responsibilities and status as the women of the tribe. Can't remember what it was called off the top of my head but they weren't considered "gay" but a woman and in fact the men who chose to do this were usually sought after over the actual women in many cases.