Crazies on the Community Board

[donald...really]

Nancyg56, please come to this board more often! We need more wonderful people around like you.

 

[Magpie]

Hey - I don't actually belong here. This thread caught my eye on the main board and I just had to find out what the crazies were saying. And then I had to keep reading, just to find out more about the guy who thought his kid could catch "teh Gay" from the media.

But, now I have to throw in my two cents as a woman who has been in the Canadian military. Frankly, I've always wished they'd do away with the whole "boys over here, girls over there" routine, and just treat us all the same. Our (rather ancient) facilities aren't set up to accommodate separate women's quarters, resulting in wasted space and cramped quarters for everyone.

And when we're in the field - geez, everyone sleeps together anyway! When you're exhausted, piled together like a lot of very cold, rather wet, puppies, no one's thinking about sex. I've fallen asleep with my head on one guy's stomach and another man's head resting on my own stomach. Once a really stupid officer decided I couldn't sleep with the guys, so I had to take my tarp way out into the woods and sleep all alone. Gee, I felt SO much safer! THAT's when I started sleeping with my knife, because there were a couple guys you just couldn't trust.

Yeah, sex is a problem in the military, but not in the showers. Sex is a problem in the bars, after hours, and with our superior officers. I think they should really crack down on sexual harassment and quit the whole "wink-wink" thing that results in stuff like our Sergeant making the girls kneel to get their weekly allotment of condoms. He'd shout, "Assume the position!" and then crack up as he handed them out. Jerk.

I never gave a good ******* what the sexual orientation of any of my fellow recruits was. I can't say I ever even thought about it. Even if some of the other women were gay, why should I assume they've got any interest in ME? And if they did, so what? I've had girls make passes at me, both in and out of the military. It's a compliment, and I don't have any issue with saying, "Sorry, not interested, but thanks anyway." Exact same thing I say when a guy makes an unwanted pass at me.

Oh... and I have to say the thought of a whole lot of naked straight men packed into a shower together just makes my heart go pitter-pat. Yeah, I write slash fiction.

 

[OrlandoMike]

Hey - I don't actually belong here.

Of course you belong here! Welcome!

 

[NYBlue1]

Hey - I don't actually belong here.

Anybody that wants to be here belongs here! You dont have to be Gay or Lesbian to be here we enjoy hearing from everyone , I enjoyed your post, even though Im an american I respect your service to your country, stop by whenever you want or see a topic you want to talk about!

 

[DisneyMomOK]

Another reason to go to the Community Board: support for Fred Phelps. I got in trouble for calling him evil...

Sharon

PS The reason why this military thing seems so upside-down to me is because I have always felt the folks that I knew in the 70's that came out in my own litttle piece of Middle America were unbelievably brave and isn't that what a military is all about, brave men and women protecting their homeland?

 

[OrlandoMike]

I have always felt the folks that I knew in the 70's that came out in my own litttle piece of Middle America were unbelievably brave and isn't that what a military is all about, brave men and women protecting their homeland?

Amen sister! And our friends in New York in the day! Dad's History lesson for today....


http://youtube.com/watch?v=3UNOXD7HfCE

 

[NYBlue1]

Another reason to go to the Community Board: support for Fred Phelps. I got in trouble for calling him evil...

Sharon

PS The reason why this military thing seems so upside-down to me is because I have always felt the folks that I knew in the 70's that came out in my own litttle piece of Middle America were unbelievably brave and isn't that what a military is all about, brave men and women protecting their homeland?

He is evil, you pegged that one, there are many many christian folks that agree with him..to a point...I would say that being minus the funeral picketing, everything else would be a ok for them.

There are many that want nothing to do with this line of thinking either, its sad that groups are thought of by their most extream members, personally I would never even think of mr phelps going anywhere but down and im a christian, so hey another opinion .

I have been insulted and beraided by some of the holyest of holy on the disboard, they have no respect for anybody that does not agree with them, they cut and insult in the name of God and religion, it really is amusing to read most of time, enjoy watching them be everything they claim not to be, its amusing.

 

[DisneyMomOK]

Well, you would have thought that people would have at least assumed he was going to be in Purgatory for a while...

Sharon

 

[rie'smom]

My husband has 2 brothers who are gay. Bill died of complications of AIDS. He showed as much courage fighting his illnesses as he did fighting discrimination from nutballs. If he had chosen to join the military, they and we would have been lucky to have him.
2 words to the gays and lesbians serving to protect us, thank-you.

 

[DisneyMomOK]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3UNOXD7HfCE[/url]

Thanks, Mike. I especially liked the sign from Oklahoma .

My heart does break, though, to think that so many of those boys should be going gray, as I am, but instead they died long before their time.

Sharon

 

[BarleyJack]

I normally do not come to this board but saw the post on the index and I feel compelled to respond.

I am a Mother, have raised three children to adulthood, have a 6 YO DGD and can assure you that children are bombarded with a lot more than seeing gay men and women on TV. There is violence, abusive and foul language, a lot of innuendo on shows featuring heterosexuals, and it goes on ans on. Your kids are not going to be scarred for life if they come in contact with people of the same gender who are committed to each other. They won't even think much of it unless you point out to them your viewpoint.

My BIL was gay and my children were fine with that. They did not question his sexuality, his partner or his lifestyle. It just was what it was. None of them "caught" it by their interaction with their uncle, they were enriched by it, just as all children are blessed to have family who love them.

My BIL did not choose his orientation. He did not choose to be ostracized by family members, he did not choose to get beaten up by people who thought he was a joke, he did not choose to be different in a time when there was little to no tolerance for Gays. He was born the way he was, the same as you were. Your children will not choose their orientation, but will you accept it if one finds that he or she is attracted to people of their own gender or will you try to "protect" them from themselves?

You are entitled to your opinions but I don't agree with them or understand the fear you have. With all of the worries we have as a country today, this would be the last problem I would have in raising my children. I would put more energy into worrying how to protect them from what the future holds if we continue engaging in wars rather than diplomacy. And if it gets worse I would worry if we don't have gay men and women willing to enlist to help keep people free to have the right to discriminate against them.

Absolutely brilliant! Thank you so much!

 

[JennyMominRI]

i was a straight woman in the Marines. Guess what? There were lesbians..I served with them.. We all did. Guess what? We didn't give a crap..
I knew a lot of men who didn't like serving with me because I was a woman. Tough. I knew people who didn't like serving with black people..Again..tough.
These are the exact same arguments people used against having women and AA's in the military.. Again.. They will deal with it... They already have been dealing with it..There always have been and always will be gay people in the military.

 

[prncesaurora21]

i sometimes lurk here and as a straight 20-something female with many friends who are gay i just have to agree with the majority of you who say that just because someone is gay does NOT mean that they are checking you out constantly. i have never felt uncomfortable around my lesbian friends (or their lesbian friends of friends etc lol).

i have never been able to comprehend judging anyone based solely on one aspect of their identity (race, gender, sexual orientation, age, whatever!). i was luckily raised by parents who never made an issue out of these things and it took some pretty nasty comments made by people i met out in the world for me to be exposed to this type of discrimination. i understand that people are entitled to their own opinions but i will never agree that spreading messages of hate are the right way to raise children. nor is never exposing them to beliefs that are not your own.

sorry to rant but i guess i just felt that it needed to be said and here is a good place for me to say it maybe someday we will figure all of this out and issues like this won't even come up in the first place but until then all we can do is continue to promote tolerance and hope for the best.

 

[parrothead365]

I'm a Vet and yes we all served with Gays. Who cares?? If you are/where willing to raise your hand and swear to protect this country with your life I don't give a rat's behind(sorry Mickey) what color you are, what sex you are, or who you kiss. I'm thankful you stood up to be counted. I have bigger things to worry about.

 

[Kevin&Randall]

Normally I refrain from comment on debates of this nature, because I believe that very little positive comes from it. I don't think people's beliefs will change just because I post a reply.

But every now and then I need to respond. The quote below is edited by me to only pull out the statement I wish to address...

... The only part I would have an issue with, would be the shower situation. The older facilities have giant shower "rooms". A big room, tiled, no stalls...just about 10 spouts and a few drains. I would not feel comfortable showering with anyone who was attracted to the female sex, man or woman. I would constantly feel self conscious about my body. As would most girls. I imagine so would most guys. Once you make it to your company, you are put with a smaller amount of girls, like 30. The bathrooms are newer, at least they have stalls, not that they have doors.....Basically, at night, we would have to toe the line, Drill Sgt. would go over stuff for the day, and next day, etc. We had SEVEN (we got more time as we got farther along in the course) minutes to get showered, ready for bed, and back on the line. She would say go, we would all run for the bathroom, strip, get in line buck naked, and file into the showers, sometimes, 2 or 3 to a stall. We're talking rubbing bodies here people. I imagine that's why so many close friendships are made in the military ....

Do you honestly believe that gays and lesbians have no self control? Do you think that just because I see another naked male I will turn into some uncontrollable sex-crazed beast? I guess you do because that is the very basis of your arguement. Do you think that because everyone is in the same shower the gays will come in and just go wild?

Wrong.

I do have self control. I do know when it is appropriate to act -- a public shower is not one of them. Just as the middle of a Disney Theme Park is as inappropriate. Or a bus station. Or restroom at Sears.

Why does this issue revolve around sex in the first place? This issue is about personal ability, self sacrafice and the willingness to believe that fighting for freedom is more noble than fighting to suppress them.

Those in our military should not be judged on any part of their personality, but should be judged on their ability to perform their jobs. Everyone in society should be granted the same courtesy.

So everyone is entitled to their opinions and state what they will. Please realize that these issues of being gay, nature vs. nurture, don't-ask-don't-tell, become so hotly debated because it hits to the core of gay's and lesbian's identities. Others are stating we are somehow inferior, and that is the intolerable debate we seem to be having.

I will now climb down off of my soapbox and return to my room.

Thank you.

Randall

 

[Mackey Mouse]

OK.....straight, older woman, been posting on the Dis for what seems to be forever, just wanted to post in support of my new friends here on the G & L Board....

I live in liberal MA....actually very near PTown, I love going there, the creativity, love and happiness that you feel in that liberated town is amazing.

Anyhow, I have nothing impressive to say other than I feel that we all are free and should be able to live our lives free to love whomever we want. As far as PDA's are concerned, in WDW or anywhere, I think sometimes I am uncomfortable with that if it is over the top, but an occasional peck on the cheek or a hug, why not. I hold my husband's hand and hug him while walking through WDW...is that inappropriate??

Recently, we were in WDW, husband and myself. We were at Teppanyanki and were sat with a family, two Daddys, an Auntie and three children....I have never seen more love and attention, kindness, understanding, tolerance and respect for the family unit than I did that night. My DH and I still to this day discuss the day we met this great family... Auntie was there as an extra pair of hands, but these two men had it together and all I can say to this day was Wow....it was incredible seeing their family interact.

 

[Magpie]

Snipping for size:

I do have self control. I do know when it is appropriate to act -- a public shower is not one of them. Just as the middle of a Disney Theme Park is as inappropriate. Or a bus station. Or restroom at Sears.

Yep! Sexual harassment is sexual harassment regardless of who commits it, and the consequences should be the same for everyone. It's perfectly reasonable to expect everyone to behave with respect toward each other and sexual orientation clearly has nothing to do with it. I've been harassed by straight men, and also known straight men who'd be horrified at the idea of pushing something on me that I didn't want. I can only assume there's a similar distribution of jerks versus great guys in the gay community, too.

I know one man who now struggles with his attitudes toward gay men, thanks to a very unpleasant encounter in a public bathroom when he was a teenager. He admits he's not being rational - or fair! - but having experienced being ogled and spied on while the other guy got off, he's twitchy on the subject. I do understand - I know women who can't trust straight men because of similar incidents. What both this guy, and the women I know, need to come to realize is that they had a bad encounter with an individual, not a representative of the whole group/gender. It's difficult!

Even fifteen years ago I was having to prove that women could pull their weight same as the men. I had to listen to guys ***** about women in the military and then turn around and tell me, "But you're not like the other girls." I'd name three other women I knew who took their jobs seriously, only to be told they weren't like the "other girls" either. Turns out the "other girls" were one, maybe two, individuals who were taking advantage of the stereotype of being the "weaker sex" to get out of doing their jobs.

This is what I'm trying to teach my children now - that each person is an individual and you can't deduce anything about their character from their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Not in a negative way - and not in a positive way, either. Some folks will rise to the challenges in front of them, and some will voluntarily perpetuate their own ugly stereotypes if they think it's to their advantage. You can't say what they'll do until you've gotten to know them as people.

Anyway, just wanted to say I agree with you. And I'd like to add a thank you to the folks earlier in this thread who made me feel so welcome here!

 

[smartestnumber5]

She would say go, we would all run for the bathroom, strip, get in line buck naked, and file into the showers, sometimes, 2 or 3 to a stall. We're talking rubbing bodies here people.

Does anyone else think this sounds exactly like a porn scene? I just find this whole thing kind of . We can't let gays in the military because that would make the straight people feel uncomfortable about rubbing their naked bodies together in the shower in packs of 50. One would think if you were going to feel insecure about your sexuality it would be because you are rubbing your naked body against a 50 people of the same sex every night, not because one or two of those people might be gay!

Me, I'd be worried about craps and herpes.

 

[Magpie]

Does anyone else think this sounds exactly like a porn scene? I just find this whole thing kind of . We can't let gays in the military because that would make the straight people feel uncomfortable about rubbing their naked bodies together in the shower in packs of 50. One would think if you were going to feel insecure about your sexuality it would be because you are rubbing your naked body against a 50 people of the same sex every night, not because one or two of those people might be gay!

Me, I'd be worried about craps and herpes.

Me, me! And an awesome one, at that.

But that's just the slasher in me coming out again... How many hawt straight naked men do you have to rub together before one of them discovers that what he feels toward his best buddy ain't exactly platonic? Whee!

 

[OrlandoMike]

I find this whole thing amusing!

I've participated in and volunteered for a semi military youth activity for years! (Drum Corps) The kids, both gay and straight, do a lot of hard work during the day, spend hours marching, and operate pretty much like a small traveling army every summer.

I can assure you that when it came time to shower, the only thing on anyone's mind was just that, showering! The kids were given 45 minutes to shower, eat dinner, pack up, and get on the bus, much like being in the armed forces. They are much more concerned with getting in and out of the shower so they have more time to eat and relax!

The whole think is just a non-issue used by our government to discriminate!