LGBTQ+ Rights and America

Goddammit BSA. Stop making me ashamed of being a member.

...I just saw that, and damn that's the best "It Gets Better" video I've seen. Dammit, Biden! Why do you have to be so awesome, and, yet, be the running mate to someone I cannot, in good conscious, vote for?

@Maxima: What about people who are bothered by the hypocrisy but ultimately leave the faith because they simply don't agree with its teachings?

Can't watch the video right now, but I found a transcript online. I'd vote for Biden as our next President if I could.

Honestly, I'd much prefer a Biden Presidency to another four years of Obama. I mean, he'd still probably be too conservative, for me, but he'd still be less so than Obama.

Sadly, there's probably some gun-toting militiamen that would be happy with the process by which a Biden presidency could be achieved on short notice.

Dont know if this has been posted in the thread yet. Christian man pretends to be gay for a year and writes a book about it.

Interesting experiment. Unfortunately the comments make it clear that other people don't see it that way.

I saw that a while back, I'm glad he did that, it was quite awesome of him.

I had a friend post the article on my facebook along with his support of the ruse.

I'm torn on this. Fundamentally, I know the guy was not being ugly or hurtful. I know he was moved by curiousity and the desire to understand.

But being gay is not a costume one can just wear. I would not approve of someone pretending to be a different culture, religion, or ethnic group either. I find it distasteful, regardless of intention to pull a farce like this.

I can airbrush my skin, don a wig, and wear different makeup. That doesn't make me black.

I can wear a hijab, even a full nikab, say the prayers and follow the pillars. That doesn't make me Muslim.

This man is being lauded for learning common respect. Has common respect and empathy become so rare someone needs to lie to both his original friends as well as the gay or supportive straight friends he made? I couldn't find a single account where he discussed how his gay friends felt about his trick. Does that really deserve a gold star?

Again, I don't think he's a bad guy or that he's operating under bad intentions. I just don't think this sort of action needs to be encouraged because it's condesending.

My friend posted it with the biblical quote about when a man asks you to walk a mile with him, you need to walk two.

Someone else posted under it Jesus' rebuke of Thomas for doubting and not just acting on the word of his breathern. I thought that spoke very well.

Relevant image.◊

How I see it was as someone taking the "walk a mile in his shoes" thing way too literally.

So is "Queer" derogatory term or what?

No longer, I hear; it's been reclaimed.

I believe so.

It has? I thought they still preferred homosexual.

edited 15th Oct '12 6:33:40 PM by Kostya

Yeah, I hear you about appropriation, but really: fuck that. I don't give a shit that someone pretended to be gay in order to understand what it is gay people go through. I am so glad someone did, because it means that someone has made an effort, even if only a partial effort, to get it. That's great. Sure, maybe in an ideal world we wouldn't have to be happy every time someone learns basic decency, but we're not. There are so many people who don't have basic decency that it is a huge deal when someone has an epiphany and gains it, and speaks up about it. I don't begrudge the guy his book if that's what he wants in return.

EDIT: I probably only feel this strongly about the issue because the goddamn Tumblr social justice world has taken it up as one of its recent OMG THE OUTRAGE causes, and I really really hate the Tumblr social justice world because I feel it can be just as hateful and exclusionary as whatever people it opposes. This is just a symptom really. I apologise for the strong language.

edited 15th Oct '12 6:40:33 PM by Chalkos

This man is being lauded for learning common respect. Has common respect and empathy become so rare someone needs to lie to both his original friends as well as the gay or supportive straight friends he made?

Starting to look that way.

Jesus' rebuke of Thomas for doubting and not just acting on the word of his breathern

I never got why Thomas gets looked down on. He just wanted the same evidence the rest of the disciples got.

So am I supposed to call them homosexual gay, or queer?

If Jesus was Picard, Thomas would be Wesley.

edited 15th Oct '12 6:41:57 PM by DeviantBraeburn

I don't know what it's like in other parts of the country but in my region of PA homosexual is the unisex term, gay refers to a man, and lesbian refers to a woman.

"Queer" is useful as an umbrella term for the entire spectrum of sexual and gender minorities, and I've seen it used often as that. "Gay" should probably only be used for those to whom it directly applies— individuals who are attracted to the same sex and/or gender, to avoid lumping. Nobody likes lumping. "Homosexual" appears to have fallen somewhat out of favor amongst my circles. Don't know if that's a common thing.

edited 15th Oct '12 6:42:16 PM by Chalkos

That seems a lot different from what it's like in my area.

It's what I've seen as well. Queer as an umbrella term. Gay seems to largely refer to men in my area. Lesbian to women. Homosexual ends up as a blanket term for Gay men and Lesbians but doesn't cover anyone else on the spectrum.