There’s no such thing as absolute morality. For that matter, there’re pretty few absolute anything outside of maths and vodka.
I’ll drink to that!
Good line. 
Pride has the more ‘sterotyped’ ooh, scary, it’s a man in a pink feathery dress! participants as well as - at least in London - millions of people just walking along. It’s a parade, so it’s not surprising that people will dress up and be, well, flamboyant.
And it’s about acceptance for all gay people, not just the most straight-acting. It’d be a bit hard to say it was gay ‘Pride’ if we said ‘Pride for everyone except you people who are the most obviously gay.’
As a wise man once noted: Vodka corrupts. Absolut vodka corrupts absolutly.
My exposure to gay life is a shade closer than the guy (or girl, because who goes to the same person twice?) who makes my latte. I didn’t say that pride parades weren’t useful. There is no emotional appeal to homophobes. But this idea that people who don’t understand gay people are automatically homophobic assholes. That’s not true.
I’m not supposed to answer this from a biology point of view, right?
And I find that distasteful and trashy as fuck as well. Well, no - immature and distasteful. Trashy is when thirty five year old women walk around on Halloween like they’re hooker nurses. I guess we all have our opportunities to act like freaks.
Don’t ask me.
I will say that standards of decency have lowered significantly.
There’s no pandering. I happen to think that dildo parades are in no way beneficial to the American public and I’m pretty sure if you poll the American public, they’ll agree with me on matters of taste. Much more than the 60 per cent (give or take) who support civil unions/same-sex marriages.
I don’t even wear polos. Where is this coming from?
WTF since when does dudes liking dudes mean you’re all signing the same tune? Where’s the rainbow in your flag?
Yeah, well, I’m sorry, but the assless chaps dudes make it harder for the Adam and Steve types to adopt.
No. It means that I don’t believe in a world where* everything goes.* Does it make me a homophobe or someone who’s turned off by sadism, multiple sex partners, and a culture of sex? Because gay culture is more about sex and less about the politics. Too bad.
I don’t have TV, but my point was that they matter because people do listen. It’s not just Fox News. The people polled who responded favorably are not spread out across America.
How many states can two gay guys get married in? Hmm?
I reject that. Places where there are leather daddy parades are places of general acceptance. In San Francisco, New York, or Chicago, you’re only in the closet if you want to be.
It’s the guy in Duluth, MN, who is afraid to lose his job moreso than the guy in SF. Gay communities kind of self-segregate as well. You’re just not going to find a gay neighborhood in BFE, Nebraska.
I reject that everyone in their natural state is always the best state.
Me, either.
Me, too.
Such a thing knows no law.
Yeah, now there is where I draw the line.
…something about a man wearing chaps and a dildo and the word dignity attached to it just won’t make sense in my brain.
Of course. But you can’t ‘accept’ every thing that is human. We do not accept murder, sexism, rape, etc., etc. So while being gay is no crime and is nothing to be fixed, I’m not so sure that a sexualized community is a psychologically productive one.
Obviously.
Let me help you:
I reject the idea that it’s OK to depict gay culture as sex, sex, sex, sex, sexual objects, sex. Maybe you are okay with a stereotype of cruising for dicks, but I’m not.
I’m starting to wonder, if CitizenPained had been around in the 60s, would (s)he have been all in favor of civil rights for Negros who could pass the paper bag test?
To be fair, I’m getting a distinct impression of **CitizenPained **as not someone who has a problem with homosexuality, per se, but as someone who is overcome with the vapors when *anything *relating to sex makes its way into the public sphere.
I mean, someone has to think of the children, don’t they?
Someone has to think of the homophobes and she seems to have appointed herself in that role.
I suppose some of them are like you and find anything to do with sex distasteful, so I’m happy to widen the category to homophobes and prudes. The rest of what you wrote isn’t worth responding to, but I’m not sure why you said this:
since you clearly don’t think homosexuals should have that opportunity, lest the homophobes and prudes use it out of context against them for the rest of eternity.
Right. I find assless chaps in public distasteful and I’m a prude.
How do you feel about thong bikinis at a public beach?
I think you’re coming off as a clueless nitwit personally.
You sound like someone who would suggest I can’t kiss my fiance in public because we are an interracial couple and someone might have a problem with it. Or like someone who would suggest I can’t wear pants because I’m a woman and someone might have a problem with it.
You can be very sensitive and delicate with your own actions if you like, but when you’re trying to push your attitudes onto others, something other than a cry about not offending the ignorant would be a good idea. People don’t get into positions of rights and power by being meek.
Your examples of “distasteful public behavior” so far have been a picture of two shirtless guys on a motorcycle, and a transsexual dressed up like a Vegas showgirl. Plus a bunch of links to the DSM describing a variety of sexual deviancies, with the implication that the former are examples of the latter.
I’d say “prude” is putting it mildly.
Only if the existence of that God were objectively proven, along with the morality he demands. Otherwise it’s merely a subjective opinion.
I can claim that there’s a rock in my backyard that demands to be worshiped, and spews forth “absolute morality.” In fact, carved into its surface is the word “truth.” Is your claim any more valid than mine?
CitizenPained, I fail to see anything morally apprehensible about any adult participating in any consensual sexual activity that doesn’t harm anyone. As you mentioned, homosexuality was considered a psychological illness until recently, and now it isn’t. Many of the examples you gave of other sexual practices currently considered pathological will likely be removed from the DSM with time, too. Consensual kink is a healthy part of many adults’ sex lives.
The sort of disdain you show towards healthy displays of adult sexuality are the sex-negative attitudes that cause slut shaming and victim blaming (“she deserved to be raped because she was sexually active and wore revealing clothing”).
Anyway, it’s great to see number like those in the polls mentioned, and display of widespread pro-gay-rights beliefs in the media (recently in the NBA, with the It Gets Better Project, Lady Gaga, etc.). We’re winning!
I’ve never claimed to be the moral police. I’ve also never claimed that homosexuality was any sort of deviant behavior - that would be rather odd, coming from me. But I do think that I’m allowed to find certain behavior a turn off, crude, or what have you. I won’t apologize for not wanting to be in the same group as the leather daddies. shrug If that makes me prude, so be it!
My links were pointing out that the gay community often reinforces untrue stereotypes that too many traight people think they have. I don’t agree with a culture that revolves entirely around sex.
We clearly disagree on that -
That is* such *bullshit. If anything, it’s the “anything goes in sex” attitude that causes victim-blaming - or just sheer homophobia, e.g., the fear that gay men prey on gay teens.
Um, I wasn’t aware of the rules with certain photos and I couldn’t post spoilers. That being said, I’d say that two shirtless dudes on a motorcycle is a little odd on any day…but…even though I have said this ten thousand times, you insist on pointing out that I didn’t post crude pictures from work.
::thumbs::
You stay classy.
[QUOTE]
Aww, are you fewwing fwetened
Are you projecting? Since when does walking around half naked have anything to do with interracial couples?
Over-react much? Are you the type that also is OK with a guy ramming a dildo up his wife’s ass when she’s unconscious?
wtf are your associations coming from ?
Newsflash, Princess. This is Great Debates. I’m allowed to have one of those opinion thingers. You’re not required to like it, agree, or even respond, but if you *must *bitch, at least make some sense.
I’m not here to push anything on you - you can act like an idiot in public if you want to. Do you see my trying to legislate anything? Ban assless chaps in public? Nope. I have an opinion about people who walk around looking like idiots and if you think that makes me some kind of moral or fashion police, that’s not my problem.
Everyone is judgmental. That’s how humans operate. I’m honest about it.
So are you. 
This is not The BBQ Pit.
Back off.
[ /Moderating ]
Heh, actually I thought this thread was in the Pit. Paying attention? Not my strong suit.
Aaaaaand that wasn’t Asimovian. It was me.
I think I’ll go take a nap.