I never have been. In my mind it is for the following reasons:
I am bisexual and I don't look like what the common stereotype of a lesbian "looks" like. There is nothing butch about me so I walk around and no one would guess my orientation.
I have always lived in socially liberal communities with large, thriving, powerful LGBT communities.
My work environment is extremely open minded and gay people thrive there too.
Age. The LGBT community had already done some hard work on this issue.
However, I know it exists. I know people go through it and I wanted to maybe shed some light on this issue so that people who say that it doesn't are proven wrong. Maybe someone will learn something. I have heard people say that gay people are too pushy or why can't they just keep quiet and in the shadows like they used to be. I have also heard that the thought that gays have been given enough now so they should be happy with what they have.
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Have you ever been attacked, discriminated against or demeaned for your sexual orientation?
Active Ink Slinger
Quote by NickiC
I never have been. In my mind it is for the following reasons:
I am bisexual and I don't look like what the common stereotype of a lesbian "looks" like. There is nothing butch about me so I walk around and no one would guess my orientation.
I have always lived in socially liberal communities with large, thriving, powerful LGBT communities.
My work environment is extremely open minded and gay people thrive there too.
Age. The LGBT community had already done some hard work on this issue.
However, I know it exists. I know people go through it and I wanted to maybe shed some light on this issue so that people who say that it doesn't are proven wrong. Maybe someone will learn something. I have heard people say that gay people are too pushy or why can't they just keep quiet and in the shadows like they used to be. I have also heard that the thought that gays have been given enough now so they should be happy with what they have.
God I wish Tony was still posting, this is just the type of op that he'd give a brilliant answer to!
I'll have a good think about this and come back to it but the short answer would be yes.
Her Royal Spriteness
Quote by NickiC
I never have been. In my mind it is for the following reasons:
I am bisexual and I don't look like what the common stereotype of a lesbian "looks" like. There is nothing butch about me so I walk around and no one would guess my orientation.
I have always lived in socially liberal communities with large, thriving, powerful LGBT communities.
My work environment is extremely open minded and gay people thrive there too.
Age. The LGBT community had already done some hard work on this issue.
However, I know it exists. I know people go through it and I wanted to maybe shed some light on this issue so that people who say that it doesn't are proven wrong. Maybe someone will learn something. I have heard people say that gay people are too pushy or why can't they just keep quiet and in the shadows like they used to be. I have also heard that the thought that gays have been given enough now so they should be happy with what they have.
yeah. kind of like... why are you complaining? we feed you bread and water and suddenly you want a hamburger, right? thing is, we're not asking for more rights then anyone else. we're simply asking for the SAME rights as everyone else. if that's being pushy or having a 'gay agenda', ok, i'm pushy. it took me years to finally be "allowed" to get married to the woman i love. was that really asking so much? tell me, who does it hurt? is anyone worse off because we are legally married?
You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.
Quote by sprite
yeah. kind of like... why are you complaining? we feed you bread and water and suddenly you want a hamburger, right? thing is, we're not asking for more rights then anyone else. we're simply asking for the SAME rights as everyone else. if that's being pushy or having a 'gay agenda', ok, i'm pushy. it took me years to finally be "allowed" to get married to the woman i love. was that really asking so much? tell me, who does it hurt? is anyone worse off because we are legally married?
My thoughts too. I don't understand why anyone cares who marries who. I was so happy when my friends could marry because quite honestly their relationships are a lot more solid than many straight people I know. When it was up for the vote in Maryland and Washington I cringed at first because I don't think the general population has the right to vote on other people's civil rights. Luckily, people came through and they did the right thing.
One thing most people don't realize is there is a disturbingly high rate of gay hate crimes or especially transgendered murders that the police don't take seriously. On another forum I belonged to a person with a blog asked me to look at her blog. There was a section on unsolved transgendered murders and the rate was so high I was shocked. Family members even sometimes knew who did it and tried to get justice but nothing.
When I decided to get more active on this issue it was after I saw a documentary on the Matthew Shepard story. I asked a gay male friend who is older than me and he said it was a case that galvanized the community and made a lot of people sit up think. That of course is an extreme case as is the Brandon Teena case. How about that poor man who was beaten and then urinated on by a group of teens.
However, there are the little ways and the snubs that are most insidious. Not many people are homicidal maniacs but there are people who do things that make life harder.
FBI statistics:1,318 hate crimes against a member of the LGBT community. That is 1,318 too many.
Her Royal Spriteness
Quote by NickiC
My thoughts too. I don't understand why anyone cares who marries who. I was so happy when my friends could marry because quite honestly their relationships are a lot more solid than many straight people I know. When it was up for the vote in Maryland and Washington I cringed at first because I don't think the general population has the right to vote on other people's civil rights. Luckily, people came through and they did the right thing.
One thing most people don't realize is there is a disturbingly high rate of gay hate crimes or especially transgendered murders that the police don't take seriously. On another forum I belonged to a person with a blog asked me to look at her blog. There was a section on unsolved transgendered murders and the rate was so high I was shocked. Family members even sometimes knew who did it and tried to get justice but nothing.
When I decided to get more active on this issue it was after I saw a documentary on the Matthew Shepard story. I asked a gay male friend who is older than me and he said it was a case that galvanized the community and made a lot of people sit up think. That of course is an extreme case as is the Brandon Teena case. How about that poor man who was beaten and then urinated on by a group of teens.
However, there are the little ways and the snubs that are most insidious. Not many people are homicidal maniacs but there are people who do things that make life harder.
FBI statistics:1,318 hate crimes against a member of the LGBT community. That is 1,318 too many.
i remember the Matthew Shepard murder well. it happened just shortly after i realized i like girls as much as i did boys. it was enough to deal with my sexuality (i was 16 at the time) without having the threat of violence hanging over it... his murder affects me to this day - those two events will be forever tied together for me. Gwen Aruajo should be mentioned as well - her case was similar to Teena's. a transexual murdered at a party by three guys. it happened in Newark, CA. it would be nice to be able to be open and free about who you are, but it's not always safe. coming out takes a great degree of courage and bravery. just look at our culture. 'you're so gay' is an insult. 'faggot' is thrown around still, a term i equate with the N word and it's acceptable. we live with that stuff daily. in some parts of the country it's oppressive.
so yeah, coming out IS a big deal, at least to those coming out.
You can’t truly call yourself peaceful unless you are capable of violence. If you’re not capable of violence, you’re not peaceful. You’re harmless.
Head Nurse
I grew up in a very conservative area. It is a common occurrence to find both tractors & horse/buggies in the parking lot of the local Walmart.
I have not made my sexual preferences an issue when i am home because I've seen how the community can and will ostracize those who are "sinning." It's not something that I care to inflict on my family. I'm not secret about it, but I don't bring girls home.
That said, some of my very best friends are lesbians in this community. I've seen the damage that can be done to a persons psyche. Not all actions are physical ones. My friends have been put through an emotional gauntlet by people who believe they are absolutely in the right. Worse, not all words can be shrugged off as just an inconsiderate person.
I've mentioned some of these things before, but the problem is this is considered normal behavior in the area, and most people believe it is their moral obligation to do so.
When my cousin came out, the entire family stopped talking to him. In fact, he was no longer mentioned. It was as if he no longer existed. I know this has happened several times in other families. Siblings and parents no longer talk to or even about another, just because of who he/she loves. The truly sad part about this is that because they believe more is at danger than just their happiness, they believe they are right. This is what is so intense about religious arguments. Both sides believe they are right and moreover, that they are justified in their actions.
The worst horror to me was a very very dear friend. She was raised in the church, and is a devote member. She also happens to be a lesbian. She has tried to kill herself a number of times. In her words, 'everyone tells me I am sinning if I'm with a girl, but I feel I am 'gay' and sinning if I'm with a guy.' it's not just others telling her she's sinning. She believes it too. She suffers deeply everyday trying to balance right and wrong in her heart.
I have not made my sexual preferences an issue when i am home because I've seen how the community can and will ostracize those who are "sinning." It's not something that I care to inflict on my family. I'm not secret about it, but I don't bring girls home.
That said, some of my very best friends are lesbians in this community. I've seen the damage that can be done to a persons psyche. Not all actions are physical ones. My friends have been put through an emotional gauntlet by people who believe they are absolutely in the right. Worse, not all words can be shrugged off as just an inconsiderate person.
I've mentioned some of these things before, but the problem is this is considered normal behavior in the area, and most people believe it is their moral obligation to do so.
When my cousin came out, the entire family stopped talking to him. In fact, he was no longer mentioned. It was as if he no longer existed. I know this has happened several times in other families. Siblings and parents no longer talk to or even about another, just because of who he/she loves. The truly sad part about this is that because they believe more is at danger than just their happiness, they believe they are right. This is what is so intense about religious arguments. Both sides believe they are right and moreover, that they are justified in their actions.
The worst horror to me was a very very dear friend. She was raised in the church, and is a devote member. She also happens to be a lesbian. She has tried to kill herself a number of times. In her words, 'everyone tells me I am sinning if I'm with a girl, but I feel I am 'gay' and sinning if I'm with a guy.' it's not just others telling her she's sinning. She believes it too. She suffers deeply everyday trying to balance right and wrong in her heart.
Quote by naughtynurse
I grew up in a very conservative area. It is a common occurrence to find both tractors & horse/buggies in the parking lot of the local Walmart.
I have not made my sexual preferences an issue when i am home because I've seen how the community can and will ostracize those who are "sinning." It's not something that I care to inflict on my family. I'm not secret about it, but I don't bring girls home.
That said, some of my very best friends are lesbians in this community. I've seen the damage that can be done to a persons psyche. Not all actions are physical ones. My friends have been put through an emotional gauntlet by people who believe they are absolutely in the right. Worse, not all words can be shrugged off as just an inconsiderate person.
I've mentioned some of these things before, but the problem is this is considered normal behavior in the area, and most people believe it is their moral obligation to do so.
When my cousin came out, the entire family stopped talking to him. In fact, he was no longer mentioned. It was as if he no longer existed. I know this has happened several times in other families. Siblings and parents no longer talk to or even about another, just because of who he/she loves. The truly sad part about this is that because they believe more is at danger than just their happiness, they believe they are right. This is what is so intense about religious arguments. Both sides believe they are right and moreover, that they are justified in their actions.
The worst horror to me was a very very dear friend. She was raised in the church, and is a devote member. She also happens to be a lesbian. She has tried to kill herself a number of times. In her words, 'everyone tells me I am sinning if I'm with a girl, but I feel I am 'gay' and sinning if I'm with a guy.' it's not just others telling her she's sinning. She believes it too. She suffers deeply everyday trying to balance right and wrong in her heart.
That is simply very sad. To get to the point that you are so tortured that you want to end your own life is tragic.
I hope she finds a way to accept herself.