I, a resident student at my local high school, have noticed a lot of anti-gay sentiment. I was wondering, why? Whenever I get the chance, I ask these people “do you even know one gay person?” Usually, the answer is just a blank stare. I am curious, why has “gay” become the new insult? And why do some christians and other groups think they are so righteous in gay-bashing? I view them as a minority, and calling people homophobic names (queers come to mind) is just as bad in my mind as calling other minorities bad phrases. Why do we let this continue?
People will just be people. It’s not just gays that have a hard time. At different times in different cycles another group will be chosen as the scapegoat.
** Sigh. So many men, so few who can afford me ** Original by Wally
I’ve learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.
Homepage: www.superlativeandsassy.com
Occupation: Temptress
Location: Ultra, California
Interests: surpluses, excesses, abundances, extras, lagniappes
profile by UncleBeer
Jealousy of their sense of style.
This has been covered at great length before, but hey—it’s a valid enough question to do again. I’m sure our esteemed gay members will jump in soon enough, but my two cents are that anti-gay sentiment comes from:
a) religion
b) fear or insecurity
c) the need to feel superior to someone else
I think Eve has it dead on, though I believe that fear of the unknown takes the number one spot. Some guys I have known (sorry to the males, but most of the bashing seems to come from them) seem to have a real problem with it this way:
If I try to find out about it, I might start to understand it, then it might start to make sense to me, then it might happen to me!
This, of course, is ridiculous, but seems to be the fear.
My 2 cents, anyway.
Any similarities between your reality and mine are purely coincidental.
because those that do not follow the norm are not liked by the norm.
Some people also belive that homosexuality can be spread, much like the flu or the chickenpox. They fear the unknown but also don’t want their children to turn gay. I don’t know what the sense is.
A d) to add to Eve is an attitude I’ve run into with my dad.
He hates gay men. Lesbians, he doesn’t give a fig about either way, but any mention of homosexuality in a neutral or male context riles him up to no end.
This is primarily because as a young man, he was hit on by some very aggressive homosexual men, and may (I haven’t asked him flat out) have been assaulted by one. I view it the same way I view women who have been raped or assaulted by one man and end up hating all men. It’s tragic, but that kind of traumatic reinforcement makes logical refutation damn near impossible.
There have been a ton of discussions about various aspects of homosexuality on the board. This thread provides links to many of them.
Another thread not mentioned in the link I asks the question: “Are there really homophobes that are repressed homosexuals?” I think one of the primary reasons that anti-homosexual feelings run so strong in high schools is that many teenagers are just developing their sexuality and have trouble dealing with the sometimes conflicting sexual urges that they have (even in strongly heterosexual people).
I don’t get it when the Jesus people say that being gay is a sin. According to their bible, people are made in god’s image! So doesn’t that mean god is gay too???
A girl
According to Mr. Hat from Southpark “Because Homosexuals are vile creatures. Who’s hearts pump not blood like yours or mine but a thick black substance.”
Or somethin’ like that.
I believe that the most logical explaination is the theory that most homophobes are latent homosexuals that don’t have it in them to come to terms with their sexuality. They hate themselves for the way they really are, and their only defense is to lash out. There will always be plain ol’ hateful people, but the above theory makes sense.
Can you imagine pseudo-Dr Laura coming out of the closet on her show?
I will not deny that there are millions of people who hate gays, flat out. And a good portion of those folks claim to be Christian, or maybe even are Christian, who have that certain twisted spot in their heart.
But, there are also many (perhaps millions) of people like me, who are anti-homosexuality, but do not hate gay, or lesbian people. Unfortunately, because of all the true hate that the gay community sees in churches, and society, people like me may come across as gay-haters as well…which is simply not true.
A Girl: I’m not sure if your post was a troll or not, but I’ll address it anyway. The Bible very clearly states that homosexuality is a sin. It also states that it is unnatural.
Adam
[personal theory]
I am male, and being male I know that a good portion of my day is spent banging the crap out of females (in my head). All of my male friends are very similar. Were I not to have close friends who are gay, and were I not to have discussed this with them, I’m sure I would have a dislike/distrust/fear of gays based on the ‘male thought bang’ directed at males (and me as a member of the male population).
[/personal theory]
I’m in the Adam Carolla camp. Were it not for the damn blind attraction I have for the female form, the gay male lifestyle would be a dream! Like Hank Rollins said in Think Tank “…nuthin’ but the sound of belt buckles hittin’ the floor”
ARG220/Adam/Zion/Whatever:
Are you anti-homosexuality because you find the idea of two men or women engaged in sexual activity repulsive, or are you anti-homosexuality only because the bible tells you so?
Allow me to assume that since you don’t hate gays, you love them. And since you love them, do you believe they have the right to live in our society free from discrimination, like christians enjoy?
In my freshmen year of High School two people who I knew very well came out, and another VERY good friend of mine has done everything but come out. Guess what it did to our friendship…? ABSOLUTELY nothing…I don’t hate homosexuals. I don’t dislike homosexuals. To each his own as far as I’m concerned. However, I DO hate what they are doing, and I do think it’s unnatural. That being said, I would never be a ‘gay’ basher. I do not use derogatory (SP? Well you know what I mean) terms, and I give my friends all the support they need.
But that doesn’t mean what they are doing is right, and I don’t condone it. I love them because they are beautiful human beings. I think a lot of people think the same way.
The people are good, what they do is not. That’s what I think anyway.
“The bitch, oh the bitch, the bitch is back…I’m a bitch cuz I’m better then you, it’s the way that I move
The things that I do…” Elton John
“People try to tell me thoughts they cannot defend…” The Moody Blues
“To start, press any key. Where’s the any key?” Homer Simpson.
Adding to this thought is the insecurity of males that they will somehow lose their masculinity. That’s why typically lesbians are ignored. If you read secular anti-gay rhetoric, it will 90% of the time focus only on males.
When gays were rounded up by the nazis, lesbians were left alone. In the camps, a gay man could make life easier by becoming a body servant to a guard. The guards didn’t see hypocritical about as long as they stayed in the masculine role.
I’m curious, I often hear the argument that it’s unnatural. Do you mean unnatural, as in not what nature intended? Or unnatural as in “not the norm”? Not trolling, just trying to gather as many perspectives as possible.
So you eat raw meat and sleep in trees? “Natural” or “unnatural” is no basis for making judgements about a person’s behavior.
So people who are born gay are, what, god’s boo boos? Why would almighty god “make” gay people, if living a gay lifestyle is a sin? I thought god was supposed to love everybody and that’s that? Why does he single out gay people? Are gay people are just supposed to pretend like they’re straight?
Are there answers to any of these questions, or am I just going to be called a troll? I think gay people are some of the greatest, most beautiful, and creative people on the planet, and if god doesn’t like them, he must be a moron!
:mad:
“When we die, Sagebrush, do we go to heaven and dwell with man?”
“My father thought not. He believed we do not have to go there unless we deserve it.”
– By Mark Twain, from “A Horse’s Tale”
I certainly hope I am unworthy. I don’t wanna be anywhere where there’s no cats and no gay people.
A girl