Pet Peeves

[Kurt Cocaine]

Gaystones lol

[kiehozero]

I've remarked to different male groups of friends I've been part of over the years, either retrospectively or on the spot, that if any one of them were homosexual, they would have found it almost impossible to come out, since the vibe of the group was so casually homophobic in that "harmless" yet omnipresent kind of way. And I'm talking about in such liberal strongholds as Paris...and even Greystones!

These days, in Europe, once a guy comes out he'll have no problem finding lots of other LGBTQ+ people to hang out with, etc., but from my experience very few would have felt truly comfortable among the friends they may have grown up with. What would you call that if not a direct effect of discrimination and the vestiges of archaic views of what is and isn't "normal"??

Exactly, and I'd say that was, and is, true of many male groups. It pains me to admit this but I'd definitely include my own group of friends in that group when I was growing up.

Anyone who thinks that people who are homosexual or trans aren't still discriminated against can trying walking down the high street with anybody of the same gender, or alternatively simply attending any church in the country on a Saturday night or Sunday morning.

[Pedrito]

Gaystones lol

[Kurt Cocaine]

What's the last thing you want to hear when you're ordering a drink at a gay bar?
Someone come up behind you and say; "Do you mind if I push your stool in?"

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

What's the last thing you want to hear when you're ordering a drink at a gay bar?
Someone come up behind you and say; "Do you mind if I push your stool in?"

If you are ordering a drink at a gay bar, more likely that's exactly the kind of thing you want to hear 

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Anyway, the above posts merely add further evidence to my point, and probably all of your groups of male mates were the same as mine; "casually" but palpably hostile towards homosexuality, such that no one within it would have felt comfortable coming out. 

[Ducky]

Anyone who thinks that people who are homosexual or trans aren't still discriminated against can trying walking down the high street with anybody of the same gender, or alternatively simply attending any church in the country on a Saturday night or Sunday morning.

This is a good point. I've directly experienced homophobia myself by virtue of living in small town Ireland and being a guy with long hair.

[Kurt Cocaine]

Anyone who thinks that people who are homosexual or trans aren't still discriminated against can trying walking down the high street with anybody of the same gender, or alternatively simply attending any church in the country on a Saturday night or Sunday morning.

This is a good point. I've directly experienced homophobia myself by virtue of living in small town Ireland and being a guy with long hair.

Did your boyfriend not stand up for you. 

[Caomhaoin]

Homosexuals feeling uncomfortable about coming out because of fear of being ostracised is unfortunate, but I wouldn't consider that discrimination as I understand the word. I think you are overstating the case for 2020 though, and you are conflating homophobia with discrimination.

I'm dealing with teenagers every day at work, and I've asked them the same question so as to compare it to my day (I'm 37). Without going on about it, their attitudes are light years away from my own at that age, and that misgiving that we might have had has diminished significantly. My uncle confided in a friend that he was a homosexual in the 80's. He told me the other lad simply didn't believe him, 'ah yer messsin now, maybe in Dublin but not around here'.

As regards transsexuals/dysphorics or whatever, why are they included in LGBT? The others are sexual preferences, the other is, well, something else.

[Ducky]

Homosexuals fear coming out because of discrimination. Being ostracized falls under the umbrella of being discriminated against because of their sexuality.

It's great that the younger generations are more accepting of these things, but the older generations and their prejudices are still very much with us. Just because it would've been more difficult in our day (I'm 37 as well) doesn't mean the current attitudes towards it are all tickety-boo.

I'm assuming that transexuls are included under the LGBT banner because of the "T" at the end... up or down, transexuls are discriminated against because they don't fit the sexual "norm", just like how LGB folk are.

[Kurt Cocaine]

Listening to my colleagues who have kids in secondary school it's allegedly 'uncool' to be straight nowadays. All the better for it I say.

[astfgyl]

I would have thought that being trans would involve wanting to be accepted as whatever gender they switched to, rather than being accepted as trans? Is it sort of defeating the purpose of switching by labelling them so rather than just man or woman? I dunno really I know fuck all about it.

I wonder does the whole labelling of people by their sexual preferences fly in the face of equality anyway. same as race or whatever. If we were all wishing to be truly seen as equals should we not do away with labelling anyway and just let each other get on with it. But then where would someone go to meet those of a similar mindset or preference to to themselves? I dunno it's a complicated and probably needless argument.

On the subject of kids, I meet a lot of them doing work experience and they are miles from the casual homophobia and racism that was rife in my own time as a teenager. I'm 37 as well as it happens.

Uncool to be straight is a funny one as well, so the door of discrimination is swinging back the other way.. ah well each to their own, it's a minefield being a teenager anyway

[Pedrito]

Now don't jump down my throat here, but the constant celebrating of gay culture, the narrative that being straight is not the norm etc etc surely might be a reason as to why kids these days look at it as uncool. I'm not saying it's good or bad, rather pointing out that in the same way we were taught/manipulated to think that being straight was the only way to be, now there's a trend, which is to be seen in all walks of life towards the opposite. Definitely not trying to open a can of worms here, rather pointing out that current views seem to have swayed completely to the other end of the spectrum in the same way church-going was massive a couple of generations ago and now nobody goes. It begs the question as to what is peer pressure/group think, and what is actually felt/thought in private.

[Caomhaoin]

Now don't jump down my throat here, but the constant celebrating of gay culture, the narrative that being straight is not the norm etc etc surely might be a reason as to why kids these days look at it as uncool. I'm not saying it's good or bad, rather pointing out that in the same way we were taught/manipulated to think that being straight was the only way to be, now there's a trend, which is to be seen in all walks of life towards the opposite. Definitely not trying to open a can of worms here, rather pointing out that current views seem to have swayed completely to the other end of the spectrum in the same way church-going was massive a couple of generations ago and now nobody goes. It begs the question as to what is peer pressure/group think, and what is actually felt/thought in private.

Wrongthink! Get this lad sacked!

[astfgyl]

Ah sure once that becomes the norm the kids will just get bored and find something else to move on to. LGBTQRS will be yesterdays' news and whoever prefers whatever will just get on with it.

Can you imagine shifting a fella over peer pressure, being a straight young lad? Fuck sake it'd be cat. The thought has just struck me that all the lads who were in the closet have basically been doing that only it's girls they were shifting. Must have been fair scaldy for them. I can't speak for the women as I'm not one.