Normally open July 4th only---the one day a year when partisan politics, religion, etc. are acceptable topics on this Board. (The 2012 window is now closed; thanks for playing.)
Avante, your personal business concerns about a parade once a year doesn't even come close to outweigh the suffering that gay people have to live through by always considered second-rate and not as good as others--often having to fear violence and bullying as well. In light of that, I really don't care about your business for that one Sunday a year. If a gay pride parade is really having a seriously negative effect on your business, you should probably look into how you manage it anyway. As for the yuck-factor, you would probably be a much happier person in your life if you allowed yourself to be just a bit more de-sensitized to it. As an interesting aside without inferring anything, recent studies have shown that those who have strongest aversion to gay people in general are also those who are most aroused by gay pornography. Makes you go hmmmm...
I don't mind people having negative opinions about gay people, but I ask of everyone that when you express it, please be mindful of your audience. Words can be extremely hurtful to young people and they don't need to be judged any harder for what they are and cannot help being. You are born gay and you cannot change that. Any person who isn't gay themselves have no business questioning that!! At the end of the day we are all humans, though, and we need to treat each other with courtesy and respect. Any person in a position to be a role model who feels he needs to hide the fact that he is gay is doing dis-service to all of us. It is time for the world to become educated about what this really is about.
If Anderson Cooper can come out, I suspect that a gay Olympic gold medalist would do just fine. Maybe no Wheaties box cover, but who gets those anymore anyway?
I hope that we are getting closer to the point where it is silly to even say , I am proud to be gay. I think there are many reasons to be proud, but proud of your sexual preference?
Does this sound silly- I would like to announce that I am attracted to women and I am proud of it. I also like steak and I am proud of it?
No one loves James Brown more then me and I understand the profound importance of, I'm black and I'm proud. I also want to live to see that this is also, meaningless.
Again, doesn't this sound silly, I'm white and I'm proud. I work with a "person of color" and when he leaves to retrieve something he says, I'll be black and I say "I will be a horrible shade of pink."
Being gay or being black doesn't tell you anything about that person.
SQUACKEE wrote:I hope that we are getting closer to the point where it is silly to even say , I am proud to be gay. I think there are many reasons to be proud, but proud of your sexual preference?
Does this sound silly- I would like to announce that I am attracted to women and I am proud of it. I also like steak and I am proud of it?
No one loves James Brown more then me and I understand the profound importance of, I'm black and I'm proud. I also want to live to see that this is also, meaningless.
Again, doesn't this sound silly, I'm white and I'm proud. I work with a "person of color" and when he leaves to retrieve something he says, I'll be black and I say "I will be a horrible shade of pink."
Being gay or being black doesn't tell you anything about that person.
I couldn't agree more, i am also not proud to be black. Neither are things that i have accomplished they just are what they are !!
Historically being both black and gay have been things that one was supposed to be ashamed of so declarations of pride have been and still important but on a personal level i don't feel the need
SQUACKEE wrote:I hope that we are getting closer to the point where it is silly to even say , I am proud to be gay. I think there are many reasons to be proud, but proud of your sexual preference?
Does this sound silly- I would like to announce that I am attracted to women and I am proud of it. I also like steak and I am proud of it?
No one loves James Brown more then me and I understand the profound importance of, I'm black and I'm proud. I also want to live to see that this is also, meaningless.
Again, doesn't this sound silly, I'm white and I'm proud. I work with a "person of color" and when he leaves to retrieve something he says, I'll be black and I say "I will be a horrible shade of pink."
Being gay or being black doesn't tell you anything about that person.
I couldn't agree more, i am also not proud to be black. Neither are things that i have accomplished they just are what they are !!
Historically being both black and gay have been things that one was supposed to be ashamed of so declarations of pride have been and still important but on a personal level i don't feel the need
SQUACKEE wrote:I hope that we are getting closer to the point where it is silly to even say , I am proud to be gay. I think there are many reasons to be proud, but proud of your sexual preference?
Does this sound silly- I would like to announce that I am attracted to women and I am proud of it. I also like steak and I am proud of it?
No one loves James Brown more then me and I understand the profound importance of, I'm black and I'm proud. I also want to live to see that this is also, meaningless.
Again, doesn't this sound silly, I'm white and I'm proud. I work with a "person of color" and when he leaves to retrieve something he says, I'll be black and I say "I will be a horrible shade of pink."
Being gay or being black doesn't tell you anything about that person.
I couldn't agree more, i am also not proud to be black. Neither are things that i have accomplished they just are what they are !!
Historically being both black and gay have been things that one was supposed to be ashamed of so declarations of pride have been and still important but on a personal level i don't feel the need
Well said, mump.
we have World Pride in london this weekend. it is going to be a totally embarrassing shambles. I don't know anyone who's going to go.
I don't believe below to be true, at least for men, I think women are more flexible, what say you? Maybe he means the cliche' of what a gay man looks and acts like?
I won't be attending Pride this year. I'm fine being a homosexual any day of the year. Gay is a lifestyle choice and like Pride I don't have the cash to fund it.
I don't believe below to be true, at least for men, I think women are more flexible, what say you? Maybe he means the cliche' of what a gay man looks and acts like?
I won't be attending Pride this year. I'm fine being a homosexual any day of the year. Gay is a lifestyle choice and like Pride I don't have the cash to fund it.
I don't know what he means by that and i don't think he believes it either !!
He's not suggesting you can choose your sexuality. He's saying that you can choose whether to your life in a 'gay' way or not. Just because Pride is on for the gays it doesn't mean he has to go.
Read the comments further down, someone asks the same question.
Not about any athletes, but loosely connected with athletics - the Helsinki Gay Pride festival took place last week at the same time as the Euros, with the climax being people congregating in Senate Square and walking to Hesperia Park in the afternoon before the athletics started. My parents were in the city with me (though not at the games) and witnessed it.
ldnbloke wrote:There was a jump finalist in helsinki who I'm sure is gay and not just because he's yummy
If we're thinking of the same one, I wouldn't be surprised either way - he seems to think that keeping people guessing lends him some mystique (a bit lame - Bowie and others did that in the 70s).
I agree with you about him though. Verily, he offendeth not mine eye.
