Gay hate: Crimes; Faces & Stories.

very sad and disturbing. no one should die for something like this. what a shame.

 

why so hard to love our neighbor?

 

my wife makes me watch project runway. or, at least, it's on while i'm enjoying prius chat. last week, two men were kissing on the lips. i'm sorry, i had to look away. i guess i'm just old and confused. i try to love evryone, but some things are not meant for public display. i don't hate them, far from it, but it is a difficult thing for me. can you make any sense of this?

 

no, although we do joke about it. but you're right, although i can stomach a man and woman kissing, i don't really want to watch that either. my kids are more comfortible with it than i am. some of the movies they watch, you can't get away from it!

 

I don't think we'd find an answer on priuschat. There are some differences with political or religious ideologies....but I haven't seen too much bigotry nor am I assuming any member has been involved with a hate crime.

One point that might be interesting to discuss is The Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. I think it's outdated and does more harm then good....but maybe it still helps with the enlisted that are gay. I've heard instances where people are forced out even with just an accusation of being gay: but I didn't realize that there are still gay military personel that have been killed by their bigoted brethren

Personally, I think sexuality should just be private...so, I admit it then makes it hard for gay rights: where if you're gay you then have to out yourself and stand for your rights. And then you get the openly gay, "queen" stereotype. Well, I must say, I respect anyone who does admit that they're gay....still in this day and age

 

very true, but we're joking about me turning my head, not the men kissing. my kids think it's funny that i have a 'problem'.

 

Well it is kind of funny if you think about it. Scenes of violence in the US aren't nearly as censored as nudity/sex are. I'm just old enough to remember when NYPD Blue was being a risque by showing a side of a breast on network TV. We're far more desensitized about voilence over sexuality here. Sometimes I wish, as Monty Python would say "Get on with it".

 

Actually, the scene Bisco is referring to (When Christopher was reunited with his partner after being a way for months shooting the show) was nothing more obnoxious than a straight couple would perform when they have been apart for a long time. It was not an extreme display of affection by any means.

 

Is it homophobic to use pictures of two men kissing to deride one or both of those men?

 

exactly!

 

Congrats, you made it from hate (like you may have been taught) to tolerance. You're halfway. The next step is acceptance. Then you can see two people being happy, not two people being gay.

 

Since you brought up DADT, i thought I'd throw this link out there:
Finally a Victory for Gays Using the Bill of Rights, Let Them Serve | ChattahBox News Blog

It's days are numbered, that's for sure.

As for the topic of kissing in public/on TV, etc... I don't think there's anything wrong with looking away or being uncomfortable in a given situation. Personally, I tend to look away from such signs of affection in public, regardless of who's doing them... but don't really mind it on TV. I say, if you want to look away, then look away. Accepting gays in your community, as neighbors or friends doesn't mean you have to submit yourself to overt public displays of affection - just like you don't have to for straight couples.

 

I think Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei would agree with you now too, as they are being charged with the suicide of Tyler Clementi. It seems like Dharun Ravi only posted videos of his roommate because he was outing him as being gay. If his roommate was straight, then I suspect he would have just turned the other cheek and would have given Clementi his privacy.

 

i actually think it's easier to accept on a personal basis (friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc.) than one step removed like television and other media. i do agree with others, i'm not much for watching either sex kissing for more than a sec pec.