I'm an in the closet gay man. On the street I am not recognized as being gay. I wish people would get over their feelings of hatred towards fellow man. I don't force my way of life on anyone and don't expect anyone to force theirs on me. Lets get along and be happy. Agree?
125639
Intolerance is born from fear of the unknown or what is different. We have been making great strides in recent years by educating people about what it means to be gay. The fact that there are gay characters on TV and in very popular movies is a sign that the world is becoming more tolerant. We, as gays, have a responsiblity to educate those around us that being homophobic is not acceptable in this day and age. I like to ask people who are being intolerant of the LGTB community to please replace "gay" or "lesbian" or "transgender" with "black" or "Jewish". If they can still make the statement and not feel embarrassed, then it is probably an OK thing to say. \n\nI don't know your situation or anything about you, but we in the LGBT community and our friends need all the help we can get in fighting this ongoing prejudice. It would be wonderful if you could come out and help us in striking down all the hate in our society. That being said, I would never advise you to do something that is not right for you or would put your safety in danger. \n\nIf you would like someone to talk to about how to come out, or about being gay in general, I would be happy to get a mail from you. A closet can sometimes be a very lonely place to be. \n\nTake care and keep asking the important questions!
611213
The gay community has gotten so strong and arrogant that they are showing a great deal of distain towards not all straights,  just the ones that dont support them.   If you disagree with the gay lifestyle your branded as an intolerant bigot homophobe.  \n\nPersonally I dont care what they say about me.   I'm not the one trying to fertilize turds.
170907
steel yourself up. it will be a long time before us gays worldwide are not mocked at or boored for what we are. does your neighborhood have any kind of police protection? or is the police as bad as the neighborhood? hate crimes are serious, and reporting such abuse might help. \nignore what people call you. show them that you do not care what they think of you. they are goading you to do something, or react negatively, and when you do so, they will have won the battle to put you down. do not let them get to you. also counsel your boyfriend to keep his rage in check until the time is right. you can enlist the help of the local gay community for support too.
292957
Isn't it astounding?  And some of these posts are completely illiterate, too!  Not only am I gay, but I'm a lawyer, have a fantastic house, a great career, live in a great city, have great friends and family, have an awesome partner who I couldn't love more, and I wouldn't change my life for the world even if I could.  \n\nMost of these posts make me laugh, and I am always amazed at how irrelevant these homophobes are to my life.  I don't want their lives, their Gods, their morals (ha!), or their approval.
618889
I think everyone is a little bit gay... and everyone's curious, even if they don't admit it.  I say do what you want to do.  No regrets.  As long as you don't hurt anyone else in the process, go get yours.
667515
D! How come the guys get to choose from decent women but us women get the bottom of the barrel to choose from? Just Kidding. I'm sure these are all really nice guys. I just thought that this would be the perfect time to come out of the closet and let the world know I would rather be GAY!\nLove & Light\nSharon
338959
I honestly don't have nothing against gays. Gay people have never done anything to hurt me and I try my best not to do the same. If that what you choose, that is your business. I can't judge and I can't say. Who am I to judge. If your heart tells you to go for it, I say go for it. Please use protection!!!!!
253829
I'm not sure... I was the victim of a gay bashing on Christmas Morning, 2005. And since I live in western Nebraska, I really was not sure what to do. If I had made a stink out of it and got the police involved, I more than likely would have been subjected to it again. Maybe gay bashing is done by those who are too chicken shite to admit they really are gay, so they hate those of us who are out of the closet and fear that we will drag them kicking and screaming into the world of Gayness. lol.
336210
Interesting article indeed. I do agree with you in the sense that it is not a choice- it is only explainable by they way a person FEELS or thinks, not by the way he WANTS to think. I hate people who hate people with different sexual orientations- they dont have a right to judge people by their feelings and preferences, although i dont have a gay/lesbian friend in person.
631278
First of all, thanks for your apology. That takes a lot of guts.\n\nAs for "homophobic", I'm not sure exactly what it refers to, but I think it's way overused in the gay community. I've concluded that "antigay" and "homophobic" are not the same, but are often intertwined. I would consider my family as antigay because they disapprove of homosexuality for various reasons, but they're not homophobic as in being afraid of or hating gays.
195652
yup - as a teenager I was fairly homophobic if I'm honest, I was trained as a dancer and felt branded as 'gay'.  however by about 20 years I'd seen enough scientific evidence and met several gay men in the profession to change my mind.  It's not their fault, it's in their genetic make-up, they have to live with that too, it's not a choice they make.  However, I still wish they wouldn't be so stroppy!! it's a characteristic I've come to laugh at from time to time, you can stop them from a mile away just from the disturbance!  I don't envy them at all, glad I'm straight, got married and had kids.  There are worse people in the world (like religious folk in cults, like Christianity etc)...
196591
Some people are threatened by other people unlike themselves.  I used to be a lot more intolerant toward homosexuality than I am today.  While I still don't condone it, I am much more tolerant of it because I have met a number of people who are gay, and they are as human as I am.  Today, I believe that a person's orientation is his or her own business, and as long as they're not bothering me, or flaunting themselves indiscriminately, I say live and let live.  Incidentally, I would say the same thing about heterosexuals too.\n     Frankly, I'm not sure why these posts are being taken down.  I haven't noticed.  But I have noticed a lot of other questions on here that are very sexually derogetory, so I hope they're being consistent and removing those too.
535927
i joined the gay straight alliance, and someone told me "you cant ally with the gays... theyre just... too gay."  i didnt like them much personally, and any respect i had for them instantly vanished.
541378
Joanna,\nYou ask a genuinely thoughtful and, I think, respectful question.  You deserve a likewise, respectful answer.  I don't know your age, so I can't determine how much experience you may have talking about or hearing different views on the subject of   people's sexual orientation.  I've had many years of listening to the rantings of religious conservatives (granted, usually through the media) who have at various times claimed that: gays deserved AIDS as it is God's punishment for immoral behavior; gays and lesbians should not be allowed to teach school, providing a negative role model for kids; homosexuality is sinfully perverted, no different than pedophilia, or any number of other criminal behaviors; public signs of affection between same sex partners is somehow more disgusting and socially aberrant than straight PDA's; etc, etc, etc, etc, ad nauseum.\n\nIf gay people and those who know, love and support them and their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have a hard time having a "talk" with religious conservatives (Christian or otherwise) it may be because there often seems to be a condescending, 'holier than thou' attitude to these discussions.  We're told that "I love homosexuals, but hate their lifestyle", or "God made us all equal, but we must overcome our urges to sin"!  Ugh, it's depressing, frustrating and frankly insulting coming from someone who isn't gay and hasn't lived through the threats, intimidation and sometimes physical violence perpetrated on gay people.\n\nWe sometimes feel like the 'last acceptable minority' to single out to disparage and scapegoat.  Sorry, Joanna, but you asked the question, and I want you to know the answer from my perspective.  I'm a spiritual person, who believes deeply in my connection to God, the divine, and it's awfully offensive to have to hear people with no greater moral compass than I, and often I think, much less, offer pronouncements on my soul's fate.\n\nThat you've "never heard anyone say 'I HATE gays'...", doesn't sound very convincing to me, I'm afraid.  It does speak volumes about 'how' we hear what we hear, and what we 'want' to hear at times.  Trust me, it's being said, in many ways subtle, sometimes with sweet, sweet kind tones.....but make no mistake about it, the intention IS there.\n\nI wish we could have had this discussion in person; I certainly don't mean to offend you, and I hope I don't come across that way, but I do emphatically want to stress that when you, or anyone talks to a gay person about their life, lifestyle, etc. you are treading on something so fundamental, so private, and so much about who they are as a person, that you can't help but stir their deepest feelings.
214402
That could be the reason he isn't coming out, because he is afraid or cautious about what people might say or do. I personally don't flaunt the fact that I'm gay, because it isn't so widely accepted in some areas. Just be supportive of his decision, and he will come out if he wants to.
548705
Wow, I think there's some misunderstanding here....First of all, I'm straight, and I'm Catholic (practicing), and no, I do not hate homosexuals (oh and BTW I agree with that guy who answered before: homo is short for homosexual; although it can be used in a derogatory (sp?) fashion, I don't think that's the case in the asker's post).  In fact, I love homosexuals, just as I love heterosexuals, because they are children of God.  That doesn't mean I don't think they're misguided.  Does that mean I'm prejudiced?  No.  It means I think they're wrong.  As for the demon comment, I'm pretty sure the asker meant it in the way you'd say "battling your inner demons;" I don't think he meant literal demons.  I agree with the asker on some things, although I wish he'd phrased other things better.  I think it's undeniable that homosexuality has a much greater focus on outward/physical aspects than normal heterosexuality (when I say normal, I mean I'm discounting things like prostitution, etc., even if they are technically heterosexual.).  I think that many homosexual people (note the use of the word: MANY, not ALL) take an overly defensive attitude toward certain ethical viewpoints, most notably Christianity.  Of course, some people have experienced hatred or at least strong dislike for their sexual practices, but I think that's actually the minority of cases.  It only makes sense that the relatively few instances of discrimination are emphasized by the proponents of homosexuality.  That's natural for anybody to do about something they believe.  But it doesn't mean that all gays are hateful toward Christians or all Christians are hateful toward gays.  As for the rest of the asker's post about the musical instruments and "churchy homos," well to be quite honest, I kind of lost him at that point.  It's not exactly...easy to follow.\n\nOne of the most annoying things I hear nearly every day (yes, I do personally know some gay people, btw) is how it's so wrong for people to "force their morals on other people."  I heard this especially during the days leading up to a Nov. 6 (I live in Wisconsin, where a state constitutional amendment was passed defining marriage as btwn one man and one woman, and that no similar status would be granted to any other group.).  Now, that doesn't mean there aren't ways around this--people can technically get "civil unions," and what isn't accorded the same status as marriage can be quite easily fixed by other means (for example, simply naming the homosexual partner as the beneficiary of your will; it just takes a little more work.  Anyways, it bothered me to hear that because whenever you vote, you're "forcing your morals on other people."  You vote based on your beliefs regarding ethics and morals (most people do anyway), and by voting, you're partaking in a process which will constitute the law for a certain area; hence you are helping to force a certain moral code on certain people.\n\nAnyways, I hope that's not too rambling...In short, yes I bet some gays could say that a Christian (or non-Christian, for that matter) has demonstrated hatred or unkindness toward them based on their sexual lifestyle.  That isn't a Christian act, which is unfortunate--so many Christians are Christian in name only.  Does that mean I think gays ought never to be criticized?  No.  Do I think that their depiction of and view regarding sex is false?  Yes.  There, simple.  No hateful words, no claims of "judging," nothing but simple statements of moral belief and hope that we can cause a change in society's depiction of sex, to make it less about personal pleasure and more about self-giving love, which it ultimately is.\n\nLater all, try not to get too riled about these posts--you've gotta know that some people post just for the heck of ticking other pe
538668
ill admit curious but not gay. right now im gonna stick by kkkjewhaters side. but when i turn gay (if i ever do) ill let you all know. im not the "hide in the damn closet forever" type.