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Is a gay area an area where gay culture is prevelent (to use an example, like a china-town might be for chinese people?), or any area where gay culture isn't frowned upon?
Just wondering, because if you mean the first, then I would tend to disagree, as I've seen gay people kissing at uni, in airports, train stations, outside mcdonalds - everywhere really you'd see straight people kissing, and never heard anything said or done. Was a non-event.
However, if you mean by 'gay' areas as areas that have said 'its ok to be gay here' then I may agree, for example I can't imagine a gay person feeling very comfortable snogging their boyfriend outside bargain booze in Braunstone (where there are lots of teenage 'mini-gangs' in Leicester). I think society is moving towards greater tolerance though, even if it's not quite absolute. I think as Budda said
means that it's going to be everpresent, but I'd say in the last 2000 years it's seen as less of a bad thing than ever before.
On that point actually, did all of the hate-the-gays come about because of the social context in which the major religions were born, which then spread their message. I wonder, for example, how native american indians thought of homosexuality (since they were detatched from organised religion).
What an odd thing to say, they had their own organised religions.
Since they were detatched from organised religions that originated in the middle east, that by and large took of lot of their doctrine from what was culturally acceptable at the time in that locale. This then spread to Europe, North Africa and some of Asia.
It depends whether you ask Western anthropologists who've tended to romanticise the Indians culture or the Indians themselves
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/07/navajo07.xml
I think it's an interesting point. Although they probably did have their own organised religions, i'd be interested to see what an area which wasn't affected by the major religions we know, thought about homosexuality.
I live in C. London, and I am very grateful for the comparatively liberal environment I've landed in, but that doesn't mean I've never had any trouble. For clarity, I should explain that I don't have a partner and so am not prone to holding hands and kissing in the street. However, because of the way I look I do get quite a lot of shit. When I used to live in Holloway I would often have people shout "fucking dyke!" at me, and once a man pushed me into a corner and said "You know what I really hate? I really fucking hate lesbians".
Even in Soho - the "gay village", essentially - I've had people come over to my friends and I and shout abuse at us when we're going into clubs.
I've also had problems at college - I've had to deal with a senior Union officer claiming he would shoot his son if he came out, I've attended CU events (as a Christian) where I've been told that were I to have sex with a woman I love it would be as bad as committing murder. On Friday, someone who is by no means anti-gay told a meeting that we shouldn't treat BME students and LGBT students the same way because BME students are born that way and LGBT students have made a choice.
I could go on.
PS as for the CU events, all sins but one are considered equal, though I can completely understand how you must feel being told that. I felt compelled to clarify that, I think a lot of christians lack sensitivity.
You should talk to someone about those who said that to you. Even the press could help. Fuck 'em and expose them for what they are.
Good idea, they should be exposed as the bunch of homophobic hateful arses they are.
I still don't know why we are so ready to jump onto racism, but so much of authority generally ignores homophobia? Surley it's just as bad?
One thing, don't go to the Mail.
Black and Minority Ethnic group, dunno why considering blacks aren't even the largest ethnic minority group in the UK.
Sorry, I realise this is derailing a bit, but I'm interested.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=273
Yeah, I think there are a lot of places where you can be 'gay' or 'straight'. For example, in Kingston two women could walk around holding hands, but in a more insular town, for example in Wrexham it would be frowned upon. I think some places are more open to progressive change than others in that respect.
Good question (will look that up).
I think that when people discuss homophobia in religion, we mostly have Judaism, Islam or Christianity in mind. For example, Buddhism, Shinto, Taoism, HInduism, Jainism, Sikhism all probably have very different viewpoints.
I think it's easier to tell with men. A lot of people think lesbians are just big butch dykes but most lesbians I've come across are anything but. Now with a fella, speech, the way he moves his hands and even the way he dresses, dead cert in most cases.
Long as someone looks close enough to whatever twisted stereotype they hate that night, there gonna be fair game to abuse, anything to make their own miserable, bitter, waste-of-a-life feel better.
Can you? how? Ok a few flaunt it, but I know several who its taken me ages to find out simply because there sexuality has never come up and that's the only thing which sets them apart from straight people.
Isn't it a sin punishable by death (in christianity) for a man to touch a woman when she is on her period. I mean, it's all a bit rubbish really, and I think homosexuality is the same thing. It was written there as a social thing at the time rather than anything else, and it annoys me when religious types take some bits as literally as anything and ignore other bits. Surely religion is about love/charity/respect and is more of a guide than a rulebook.
Really sorry to hear that piccolo, I was just saying from the homosexual people I know they've never received much negative attention. I was called gay for years when I was little :grump: but I think that was the insult at the time. Weird thing though, I know several god-fearing bible-bashing christians (you know the hardcore type who go to church EVERY sunday) and they have no qualms with homosexuality. Unless you talk to them about it in a theoretical context, they quote how it is a sin etc. But as my friend puts it best 'jesus loves everyone anyway' whether you're gay or not.
I've got a friend who came out a few years ago. The change was instantaneous, you could not miss that he's gay, even if you just saw him. He just flaunts it. 'dancing queen' is quite apt for him...
However, I don't think I "act gay" (except for kissing girls, of course). I'm not remotely butch, if anything I'm quite camp which is just all the wrong stereotype!
I know the theology, Fiend, but thanks for the clarification. I don't mind so much that people disagree on the issue (well, I do, but it's not the point here) - as you rightly say the main issue was a total lack of sensitivity.
Surely the main issue is that your Christian Union is a bigot club? They harbour offensively-archaic views which really aren’t acceptable in a modern, thinking society. The fact that they’re not sensitive about their institutionalised ignorance seems by-the-by to me.
I can't tell with everyone, but I can with most. Dunno how. Gaydar I think its called...even though I'm straight!
Even my best mate who's gay, hates queens!