rabbit

OK so here is the deal, I'm not stating my stance on homosexuality because that isn't the point of this thread ... why are so many gay/lesbian/bi people always covering everything with rainbows and whatnot and constantly declaring their sexual preference? I myself am straight and I don't stick heterosexuality bumper stickers on my car and "STRAIGHT PRIDE" and so on ... I think people should keep their sexual preference to themselves!

I live near Northampton MA, an incredibly large community of gays/lesbians/bis ... If I were to go there and be like "HEY I'M STRAIGHT! I LOVE IT! STRAIGHT PEOPLE ARE AWESOME!!!" I'd probably have alot of homosexuals confronting me in a "not-so-happy" way ... likewise, when homosexuals go around declaring their sexual preference in a WORLD that is largely heterosexual they are bound to get the SAME response from those with a different viewpoint. While you're at it you might as well state your religious, ethnic, cultural, culinary, musical, environmental, educational, preferences as well... oh and don't forget to let people know what type of laundry soap you prefer... downy is the softest.

If you are gay/lesbian/bi and don't want any slack from people, why not try what the rest of the world does and keep your private life to yourselves?

I'm not trying to get people mad at me, I don't have anything against gay/lesbian/bi people (though as stated before, I wont get into whether I agree with the act of homosexuality or not because that's not the point of this thread) ... I'm just saying that- similarly to my view on "minorities" (as you'll find in another thread)- if you don't want people to cause trouble (which is bound to happen sometimes no matter how excepting the majority of the world is), you shouldn't go around stating private things like that.
--
EDIT:

STRAIGHT PRIDE!!! MEN AND WOMEN TOGETHER LIKE IT WAS MEANT TO BE!!! MARRIAGE = MAN + WOMAN!!! I'M STRAIGHT AND I'M PROUD!!!


j/k (annoying isn't it?)

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Deafness

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Maria

I know what you mean. I don't do such things like this, either and even, thou I am straight. I don't announce for the whole world to know what my preference is. Who cares to hear about it, eh ya know ? That's not somethin' new. It's all old.

The way I see this world, people are openin' their minds too wide - gone too far. This is why I said Who cares to hear about it ? *shrugs*

Cheri

Rabbit,

I totally understand where you are coming from, You got a good point there also. I've seen a lot of pink triangles and rainbow symbols on their avatars on myspace, tagdeaf, in forums. It does get annoying sure it does, I'm sure they are proud of themselves for who they are, but does it really matter what their characteristics are? I don't see what’s so important about announcing their sexual orientation to the world? I'm no gay, lesbian or bisexual basher, but still I don't see the point of bragging about who they are. I don't really care who's lesbian, who's gay, who's bissexual, we are all people, we all came from the same world, God's world.

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GalaxyAngel

Yea... as long, not my business.. their wish as out of loud mouth and recolgized their symbols... but too much flying color!

Should have themselves proud who they are and really not necessary shown full blown symbols..

Not alike same as whoever straight peoples... not shown symbol at all..

As human beings are respect each other one.. That what I like.. but not my business.. their wants.. that's fine w/me.

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EagleCherokee63

Rabbit, I am agreed with you but only God between them also, need pray for them. When We saw few the cars or trucks on bumper rainbow sticker. My husband never seen it before. I explained to my husband what meanings rainbow sticker. after that I yelled him HEY! look other car bumper on rainbow sticker. He got it clear. We were younger since never use rainbow sticker. Now, it getting worse and worse look cars or trucks are rainbow stickers.

Phillips

Yeah... That what I thought also its hard for my 5 years old daughter who love Rainbow too but she is not lesbian!!??

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rabbit

Yes, by people just TAKING these symbols as a statement of sexual preference/tendency they have- in effect- barred the common use of them. If a guy wants to wear a purple shirt, or if somebody loves rainbows (maybe because they think of them as God's promise to mankind, or they just like them because they are pretty) they are automatically assumed to be of a certain orientation ... and whether or not this assumption is true, it is really none of other peoples business to be thinking about a persons private decisions.

[edit]

ALSO... because of this unusual openness of sexual preference it has created problems in showing affection for others. In some countries where homosexuality is not as "liberated" as it is in the US it is perfectly fine for a straight man to kiss another's cheek in sign of friendship. But because gayness has become so openly "expressed" with things such as bumper stickers, flags, rallies, parades, etc... the average straight man in the US would never dream of kissing another man for fear of people assuming he was gay... another reason why no matter WHAT your preference is, it should be a private matter.

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shel90

I love purple and I have purple magnets, seats, and stickers on my SUV and some people in the deaf community started a rumor that I became a lesbain. I thought it was funny.

As for displaying their pride via stickers, logos, and etc, I cant answer that cuz I am straight. It never really bothered me cuz I never really paid much attention to it.

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HoHGuyOhio

Are you kidding me? Straight people flaunt the heterosexuality ALL DAY. If I go into a grocery store, there is a straight couple holding hands. If I go out to a movie, there are people kissing and putting their arms around each other. You flaunt your wedding rings and your anniversary celebrations.

When you stop voting for stupid republicans who want to outlaw gay marriage, when you start supporting candidates who are for EQUAL rights for all...then we won't NEED to have a rainbow sticker on our cars.

rabbit

I didn't mean holding hands and things like that... I meant by having gay parades and rallies and by having rainbow bumper stickers. You don't see "straight pride" celebrations do you?

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HoHGuyOhio

Gays and Lesbians are an oppressed minority...like Jews, Blacks, and Deaf people. Deaf people have Deaf Clubs, Deaf socials, Deaf Happy Hour, Deaf Awareness Week...the purpose of those things are two-fold: A. Deaf people like to hang out with other Deaf people because it's comfortable and you can be yourself and feel at home. B. Deaf public events raise awareness about Deafness. Gay events have the same purposes. We like to be around other gays because it's comfortable, we can be ourselves, and we feel at home. And Pride Parades and festivals raise awareness about the gay community.

rabbit

But the deaf haven't taken symbols to specify their deafness (i.e. the rainbow, or certain shapes/colors).

I don't like to hear about other peoples sexual preferences, that's TMI.

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HoHGuyOhio

There are PLENTY of deaf symbols. The ILY handshape that is all over everything at deaf events and expos. Very tacky. There is also the symbol with the ear and a slash through it.

Gay people don't talk about their sex lives out in the open all the time, any more than straight people do. If seeing a rainbow flag on a car makes you picture two guys fucking, then that's your problem. You need to get a grip on your thoughts.

shel90

U got a good point there. Whenever I see gay/lesbain symbols, I dont automatically think of their sex lives. I just go into automatic pilot and recognize that whoever has those symbols are part of the gay/lesbain community.

I have the ILY magnet on my truck to show my pride for being deaf.


Off the point..do gay women prefer to be called gay or lesbains? Some tell me they prefer gay while others dont care. I want to make sure I dont offend anyone.

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doh

The similar question can be put to Deaf people.

We are happy being GLBT! We're PROUD OF IT! We are NOT ashamed!

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InTheGenes

Gay people employ the use of rainbow flags and pink triangles for a number of reasons. The story behind how those symbols become icons for the gay community are just as varied. The rainbow flag has long been seen as a symbol of celebrating diversity (ie., you need all colors to make a rainbow = it takes all kinds of people to make the world go round). It also "speaks" to some gay people in a way that reminds them of the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", which has triple importance to some gay people: 1) a reminder of their youth, 2) a reminder of a gay icon (Judy Garland) of the past, and 3) a reminder of the actual LYRICS of the song, which hold a special place in the hearts of the gay community, since it serves as a metaphor for many gay people as they struggle to come to terms with accepting their own homosexuality and/or gaining acceptance in a world that is hostile to them. I'll reprint the lyrics here:

"Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true

Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?

If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?"

As for the pink triangle, that is a symbol that Nazi Germany gave to homosexuals, to recognize homosexuals for who they were. (Just as they required Jews to wear Stars of David.) Making use of the pink triangle today is often seen as a "reclaiming" by the gay community of something that was once a symbol of disdain and hatred. This tends to disempower the negativity; several cultures in our world's history have similarly adopted once-negative images and/or nomenclature.

The reason you would likely meet with a "less than happy" response from members of the gay community would likely be because your mockery of their sentiments of pride would be quite obvious. As a straight person, you've likely never been stigmatized, harrassed and/or marginalized in society because of your sexuality. There's never been a NEED for you to "stand up to your critics" to let people know that you're proud of who you are, despite their hatred/bigotry/ignorance. It takes a lot more courage (even these days) for a gay person to stand up for themselves against a hostile society than it does for a straight person the other way around.

Honestly, I think it's rather disingenuine of you to state that you don't have anything against GLBT people, because to me, it's quite clear that you do. And, what you've chosen to focus on in this thread is rather petty, to boot.

Also, it's a pretty hateful thing to say that "if (gay people) don't want people to cause trouble, (they) shouldn't go around stating private things like that."

First off, that's like saying that a woman that is date-raped is responsible for being raped, because she decided to dress up nicely for a date, or wore perfume, or had a few drinks with her aggressor. Like she was ASKING to be raped.

That's like saying that black people deserved to be lynched in years past because they DARED to refuse to sit at the back of the bus, or because they DARED to look at a white woman, or because they DARED to use the same water fountain as a white person, etc.

Sorry, but the SOLE responsibility for any act of hatred belongs 100% to the person (or people) committing the act. Period.

People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter what color their skin is, who they love, or whether they can hear or not.

rabbit

InTheGenes, I agree, you have a point with all the things you've. I sit corrected.

Though I am not gay and I don't agree with the practicing of homosexuality... I understand that it's not my choice what people do... so I'm sorry if I offended anyone. To each his own I guess.

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Heath

Hi Rabbit, I am surprised you live near Northampton, MA, That really is more of a lesbian town. I remember going to Northampton about 10 -15 years ago and they had some of the best pizza next door to a theatre but at that time it was Halloween so I think it was more of a museum in a theatre or something and that pizza shop was so small when I walked in to order some pizza and they truly are the world best pizza because they have everything, chicken pizza, vegetable pizza, I mean everything and you could see the pizza under the window on nicely placed racks. You could order by the slice or a whole pizza. It was mostly pick-up pizza because there really wasn't any place else to sit. I think they had only about 4 to 6 tables. That was it. That really was a very good place to eat pizza. I never have had pizza that so good ever since. Just wondering what the name of the pizza shop was please, if you know ?

Angel

Perhaps these are the moments that give us a glimpse of who we really are....


btw InTheGenes, Whoa, that's was ONE amazing post, got me quite speechless here but you have made a good point there....

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VamPyroX

I understand your frustration.

I have a friend who said the same thing. She loves rainbows, but is often labeled as a lesbian because of that.

No, this isn't from the straight people... but from the lesbians and gays.

Another gal I knew stood up and made a complaint regarding rainbows. She stated that she used to collect rainbow-colored things, but no longer did so because lesbians and gays thought she was a lesbian.

A friend of mine has a Pink Floyd poster. (design of rainbow & prism) He has it in his closet. He used to proudly display it on the outside of his door, but stopped because gays started harassing him and thinking that he was gay.

I think that pride is something best left alone unless among their own kind. If a gay/lesbian wants to express his/her pride, it should be done among other gays/lesbians during a social gathering or in their own personal space such as a bedroom or something... not out in public where it makes others comfortable. The same goes for those who express deaf pride or black pride. There's a deaf black club here at NTID called Ebony Club. They get out of hand with their black pride from time to time. One of their members was getting very impatient with a few others that he was working with. He started to bitch and whine. When I asked him to calm down and be patient, he then yelled at me and everyone else in the group about how we had no right to mock their black race and accuse them of being "ghetto" and "immature". Where did that come from? I simply asked him to be patient. In another case, a guy was sitting in deaf class telling everyone about how proud he was to be deaf and proud to be able to be treated as a handicapped person plus with the priviledge of having a handicapped parking pass and believed that every deaf person should have a handicapped parking pass. Of course, this pissed off the other students in class.

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Liza

Did 'don't ask, don't tell' policy work for the military?

Foxrac

That's reason because heterosexual is majority since homosexual is minority, also more minority is offers to pride or event to support them.

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rabbit

It's called "PINOCCHIO'S PIZZA BY THE SLICE & SUBS", the address is:

122 Main Street
Northampton, MA 01060

and phone number:

(413) 586-8275

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Heath

Yes, That is it. Thank you and if I go on my way to Boston again, I will be sure to stop in for some very good pizza. That is some really good pizza !!!!!

rabbit

I agree, very good stuff! If you like mexican food there is a resturant (can't remember what it's called, it has a HUGE orange logo) that has REALLY good mexican food just a few doors down from it.

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Heath

I found the website of the pizza shop but it is only local pick up or delivery.

PINOCCHIO ROSTICCERIA

Delivery Express : Pinocchio's

VamPyroX

While they are a minority, there's also an issue of excessive pride.

If a person was proud to be gay, good. He doesn't need to go around wearing a rainbow shirt with "I'M GAY!" on it and yelling, "WOOT! Gay Power!" That would certainly scare away others.

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Foxrac

They aren't alone but there's Greek and Polish pride in Chicago area, also some of black pride, such as called black power or something like that.

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InTheGenes

VamPyroX, you might consider examining just why this bothers you so much. On the surface, it seems irrational and petty.

Our nation is chock FULL of people who express personal pride in their everyday lives... whether they're wearing t-shirts proclaiming their support for a particular political candidate (or party), sporting bumper stickers to that effect, putting signs up in their yard (or apartment windows) proclaiming their support... to people with the "Christian fish" symbol or "What Would Jesus Do?" bumper stickers on their vehicles, to anti (and pro) abortion bumper stickers, to "My Child is an Honor Roll student at XYZ High School" bumper stickers, to "I Love My Pet Schnauzer" bumper stickers, to Italian-Americans wearing t-shirts proclaiming "Italians Do It Better", to "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" sweatshirts, etc.

Get the point? While it's QUITE obvious that some foes of the homosexual community in our country (yourself included?) would seem to want to "keep gays in their place" by inhibiting their ability to have pride in who they are, I'm sorry to tell them (and you) that there's such a thing in this country as freedom of speech, which is the concept of the inherent human right to voice one's opinion publicly without fear of censorship or punishment.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution says that Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of "speech." Note that the document uses the word "speech," although a long succession of court decisions has expanded this concept far beyond ordinary verbal communication. Protected expression now includes such non-verbal expression as wearing a symbol on one's clothing, dance movements, and a silent candlelight vigil.

My question to you is: why is that form of expression any more threatening to you that any of the ones I mentioned above? Why are gays and lesbians any less deserving of that basic human right that is the birthright of every other citizen of this nation?

If the parades bother you, don't watch them. But that's the simple solution. Getting to the root of just WHY it bothers you so much is likely a more difficult journey of self-discovery. Well, take it from someone who knows: self-discovery is oftentimes not easy, but it's worth it.

doh

Very well put!

__________________
Monkey, killing monkey, killing monkey.
Over pieces of the ground.
Silly monkeys give them thumbs,
They make a club.
And beat their brother down.
How they survive so misguided is a mystery.
Repugnant is a (not dismal) creature who would
Squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here