OK, I'll jump in here, as I have a feeling some comments I made on the Bruno thread may have been the cause of this "discussion".

I think Siper just made a very relevent comment about gay men "acting" overly femine...or "gay".  This is and always has been the problem for me, and it comes into play with gay themmed movies, like Bruno, as well as Gay Parades.

If 2 guys want to be togther, fine by me...no problem.  If 2 chicks want to be together, again, more power to you. This isn't the problem though.  It's people who act in a way that they know is going to cause issues, push buttons, etc.

For some reason, straight people find humor in overly femine, gay men.  I don't know why, I don't share that opinion, but it's obvious.  Look at the latest "Next Food Network Star" show.  They've got this obvioulsy gay man on there, walking around, talking about himself as "Mamma", "Mother", and other female-like things.  They threw a party in Miami recently and the crowd there either loved his antics, or hated them...but he just couldn't stop, and for me it's totally irritating.  It's very polarizing.

Bruno is the same way.  Gay Parades are the same thing.  Live and let live always works for me, but don't slam things in my face that I don't want to see.  No reason for it.

Quoted from Dreamscale OK, I'll jump in here, as I have a feeling some comments I made on the Bruno thread may have been the cause of this "discussion". I think Siper just made a very relevent comment about gay men "acting" overly femine...or "gay".  This is and always has been the problem for me, and it comes into play with gay themmed movies, like Bruno, as well as Gay Parades. If 2 guys want to be togther, fine by me...no problem.  If 2 chicks want to be together, again, more power to you. This isn't the problem though.  It's people who act in a way that they know is going to cause issues, push buttons, etc. For some reason, straight people find humor in overly femine, gay men.  I don't know why, I don't share that opinion, but it's obvious.  Look at the latest "Next Food Network Star" show.  They've got this obvioulsy gay man on there, walking around, talking about himself as "Mamma", "Mother", and other female-like things.  They threw a party in Miami recently and the crowd there either loved his antics, or hated them...but he just couldn't stop, and for me it's totally irritating.  It's very polarizing. Bruno is the same way.  Gay Parades are the same thing.  Live and let live always works for me, but don't slam things in my face that I don't want to see.  No reason for it.

So...are you in therapy because of this?  Or undergoing some type of treatment?  Because clearly all these people "acting gay" has taken its toll on you.

I mean, I know I'm out of commission for a whole week when I see someone acting gay.  Ugh.

Quoted from dresseme So, you experienced a moment of discomfort?  Did they come over and fondle you afterward, because if not, this seems like a pretty bland negative effect.

Are you deliberately misunderstading me or what?

No, not at the moment.  I've learned to deal with stuf like this, but it doesn't mean that it's right, or that people have to deal with it.

It's a private matter, that should be kept private.  No reason to sing out to the world how you feel about being gay or straight.  There aren't any "straight pride" parades that I'm aware of.

I agree, Sniper, Dressel is seeminhgly purposely missing the point here.  Not sure why...

Quoted from Dreamscale There aren't any "straight pride" parades that I'm aware of.

This has already been beaten into the ground.

Once straight people are being oppressed(that's right, the word is "OPPRESSED") for being straight they can have a parade.

Hell, they could have a parade tomorrow, it would just be damn confusing.

Quoted from Dreamscale I agree, Sniper, Dressel is seeminhgly purposely missing the point here.  Not sure why...

I get the point, I just think it's rather weak as I asked for actual negative effects on your life.  Something that you can't just look away from or ignore.

Matt,

You asked...

Quoted from Dressel Can anyone actually put forth an argument on how homosexuality negatively effects them?

Both Jeff and I have given you examples of how homosexuality negatively effects us. Why are you talking about therapy and medication? Maybe you should reprase your question, dude.

Quoted from sniper Both Jeff and I have given you examples of how homosexuality negatively effects us. Why are you talking about therapy and medication? Maybe you should reprase your question, dude.

Wow, sarcasm just doesn't come through on this.

I was originally asking for something more than your negative feelings on the issue, and something a bit more concrete.  Like, it stops you from getting (fill in the blank here).

But oh well, I think I'm about done with this anyway.  Back to writing!

There are numerous actual negative effects of Gay Parades.  Some may find this comment shocking, or even appalling, but I don't think young children should see this kind of stuff going on.  Lude behavior, counter culture lifestyles being brought into teh forefront...it's not good for anyone who doesn't live that lifestyle.  No one outside of it wants to see it or be around it.  I also believe that these "events" require quite a bit of law enforcement that should be used in muich better ways....like protecting our streets and taking a bite out of crime, as apposed to keeping the peace.

Quoted from Dreamscale There are numerous actual negative effects of Gay Parades.  Some may find this comment shocking, or even appalling, but I don't think young children should see this kind of stuff going on.  Lude behavior, counter culture lifestyles being brought into teh forefront...it's not good for anyone who doesn't live that lifestyle.  No one outside of it wants to see it or be around it.  I also believe that these "events" require quite a bit of law enforcement that should be used in muich better ways....like protecting our streets and taking a bite out of crime, as apposed to keeping the peace.

Kids can't catch gay disease you know. They are either straight or they aren't.

It's more likely that they'll pick up negative traits from people who have a huge reaction against it.

As for the idea that people outside of any counter culture don't want to be subjected to it, it's a bit narrow-minded. Personally I like to experience all different kinds of culture. I'm a writer. Mainstream, dominant culture is more than a little bit dull.

In my experience a lot of the most homophobic people are that way because they are not settled in their own sexuality and they find it a threat.

Recent studies show that homophobic men tend to be sexually aroused by homoerotic images:

The authors investigated the role of homosexual arousal in exclusively heterosexual men who admitted negative affect toward homosexual individuals. Participants consisted of a group of homophobic men (n = 35) and a group of nonhomophobic men (n = 29); they were assigned to groups on the basis of their scores on the Index of Homophobia (W. W. Hudson & W. A. Ricketts, 1980). The men were exposed to sexually explicit erotic stimuli consisting of heterosexual, male homosexual, and lesbian videotapes, and changes in penile circumference were monitored. They also completed an Aggression Questionnaire (A. H. Buss & M. Perry, 1992). Both groups exhibited increases in penile circumference to the heterosexual and female homosexual videos. Only the homophobic men showed an increase in penile erection to male homosexual stimuli. The groups did not differ in aggression. Homophobia is apparently associated with homosexual arousal that the homophobic individual is either unaware of or denies.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/si.....mp;list_uids=8772014

No, kids aren't going to catch gay disease, but they are most likley going to be confused and ask, "why do they look like that?  Why are they dressed up like that?  Why are thy acting like that?"

What's the answer without going into a detailed discussion of sexuality and the like?  Maybe it's something simple like, "they're just acting goofy".  So then the next day, the kid decides to try it out himself and dress up like a woman.  He tells his Dad, "I'm just being goofy like the men in that parade yesterday."  Oh boy, here we go...

I don't think the issue here is homophobic vs, accepting, or whatever.

This thread is starting to remind me of this:

Quoted from George Willson FWIW, not much is said of Lot after that point. Lot made some bad decisions, and God spared him, we find that he ended up in a cave being humped by his daughters. The sons of his daughters were the Moabites and the Ammonites, two races eventually nearly wiped out by the Israelites. Not sure the message there is to idolize the incestuous drunk. Gotta keep your stories in context.

Context? The homosexuals were wiped out by God directly and Lot, the pimp, was spared. I think the point was that the Bible was condemning homosexuals while condoning Lot's shocking behaviour.

Quoted from Dreamscale "...but they are most likley going to be confused and ask, "why do they look like that?  Why are they dressed up like that?  Why are thy acting like that?" What's the answer without going into a detailed discussion of sexuality and the like?  Maybe it's something simple like, "they're just acting goofy".

Kids are going to be confused on everything at some point and ask crazy questions.  That's just what kids do.  "Where do babies come from?  What's the difference between a boy and a girl?  What's an orgy?"  A lot of this stuff they can get confused by simply from watching TV, let alone a looking out the window.  It's just basic parenting with how one responds to that, isn't it?

Quoted Text There are numerous actual negative effects of Gay Parades.  Some may find this comment shocking, or even appalling, but I don't think young children should see this kind of stuff going on.  Lude behavior, counter culture lifestyles being brought into teh forefront...it's not good for anyone who doesn't live that lifestyle etc etc

Eh.  I must disagree.  I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and while there's an enormous gay culture/population there, no one's negatively affected by it.  Kids weren't acting out and people weren't running for their basements and the area is still one of the most desirable places to live in the nation.  I think your last quote...

Quoted Text I don't think the issue here is homophobic vs, accepting, or whatever.

...is spot on.  I think the issue is more of people just not being ready for this kinda thing or just not ready for the shock of it all.  You see two dudes holding hands, it's kind of a shock.  If someone lives in an area where this thing is uncommon...what are they supposed to think?  And can you blame em?