Homosexuality

[paulos66]

I've seen a lot of posts on here worried about the 'promotion' of homosexuality in case vunerable young minds are swayed. I am heterosexual and I don't believe I ever had that choice to make. Has anyone actively had the choice and had to decide whether to be straight or gay and if so what things would have swayed them. I suspect , but could be wrong, that sort of rubbish is just spouted by people with little confidence in their own sexuality and perhaps they should be pitied by gays and straight alike............. your thoughts?

[jno]

considering the choice of friends you have, gravitate, you clearly like living life on the edge. Do they notice the way you surreptitiously stand at arm's length in case they suddenly blow you a kiss?

[karmabum]

Someone, I think it was Pippa, said they didn't believe that sexuality was promoted - have you ever watched telly? Heterosexuality is promoted like it's gonna be banned tomorrow! All the guys covered up from head to foot in baggy clothes and the girls all but naked (or do I mean all butt-naked?) and writhing their open crotches into the camera. I'm heterosexual, but I find that really offensive. Girls are being taught to be nothing but a recepticle for a sulky man's attentions, and boys are being encouraged to be uncommunicative, unsmiling, covered in bling and of course have a girl at every corner who will simper at them and stroke their tattoos. And by the way, Gravitate, chlamydia is not a gay disease. Neither is AIDS or any of the hep's. The biggest spreader factor is drug use.

[pastafreak]

I suspect gravitate should stop worrying about his gay friends and their "diseases".....the problem for him (and all "straight" people) is any potential partner.....sexually transmitted diseases are becoming rife in the heterosexual population....probably because it has until recently been presented in the media as a "gay" problem, so most believe it is not "their" problem and it won't happen to them.

[Pippa68]

karmabum I actually said that your sexual persuasion cannot be promoted, not your sexuality. The two are different.

You may think that the images you see are promoting a sexual persuasion, but I don't think they are. They may well be offensive to you, but to be honest I don't notice them that much as I don't watch much TV and don't subscribe to celebrity magazines. My kids do, and so far I believe that my 18 year old daughter takes no notice of any such 'promotion' you speak of.

Nudity and provocative clothing/behaviour has been on our screens almost since media began. I don't have a problem with that. If others want to take something out of it then it's fine by me ~ I believe in that freedom of choice and personal liability.

[123everton]

I don't believe you can educate somebody into being gay or straight for that matter.
I do believe it is a choice (conscious or unconcious but a choice all the same) I don't feel compelled to have sex with women anymore than a gay man (I'd imagine) is compelled to have sex with men, we all do it because we like it.
Children should be taught (by their parents) from the very beginning that it takes all sorts to make a world to try and respect one another and not to hurt people. It's nobodies business what anyone does (or believes) as long as it's a premise to hurt, insult or abuse.

[paulos66]

Everton, what makes you think it's a choice? I'm convinced I never had a choice. Did you choose?

[123everton]

Not conciously.
The point I'm trying to make is that by trying to define WHY someone is sexually orientated the way they are. Serves only the needs of people who wish to abuse or oppress them, nobody (as a consenting adult) has to justify themselves to anybody.
They're here there queer and we should be over it.
The reality is that they're out there, and loving it. That is the testament to our society and the way it's progressing.

[Pippa68]

You cannot choose who you desire to have sex with. You can choose whether you act on it.

Hence many men (and women) entered into a heterosexual marriage to try and change themselves ~ they thought life would be better and/or easier to deal with, and as I said before, bow to social pressure.

That in itself was a choice. The choice of trying to change themselves. Luckily many have decided to be themselves but unfortunately many have been hurt along the way. If only they hadn't chosen the original path and remained true to themselves.

Put it this way, if I were to enter into a lesbian relationship that would be a choice. The fact that I am heterosexual is in my genetic make-up, and not a choice at all.

[paulos66]

Everton sorry to be pedantic with semantics but I doubt there such a thing as a subconscious 'choice'

[Skreecheeboy]

Of course it's a choice Paulos. You could easily choose to go out and have sex with a man but you are choosing not to. A gay man or woman could easily choose to go out and have sex with somebody of the opposite gender but reasons known only to them, they don't and it's not our place to question why people make the decisions they do, just accept it.

[123everton]

Pete Price (local radio presenter) underwent sexual reorientation therapy to try and "cure" his homosexuality. It did'nt work. You can't teach someone to enjoy something.
Heterosexuals are by far the majority (at a guess I'd say 95% of the world is straight) so to go against that requires some consideration (I'd imagine) to go along with it requires none. How many people describe themselves as "bi-curious"?
I sincerely hope they don't discover "the gay gene" (unless it's a stone washed Versace with a boot cut) because then they CAN find a "cure" or worse abort at birth.
If a gay man says that he's gay, he's been made gay and there's nothing he can do about it is nowhere near as positive as saying he's gay, he likes being gay, being gay makes him happy, that is positive and assertive.
The world would be a much happier place if people worried less about WHY they are the way they are and just celebrated THAT they are the way they are.

[jackthehat]

Sorry.................I've been away for a while.......
I could no more choose to be straight than I could opt to change my eye colour...........and despite the overwhelming pressure, which could have caused me to 'sway', I remain, resolutely gay.

I am pleased to see that the usual trolls and neanderthals didn't respond to this question...........

[123everton]

Choose or want?
If you did'nt enjoy it you would'nt do it.
No-one can say for certain, but I do feel to try and explain your sexuality leaves one open to having to justify it, and to endeavour to find out (however well meaning) could open up a whole Pandoras box of ethical questions. Which in the end would produce more heat than light.
Love the skin your in.

[tanushka]

It's not a question of choice, though having said that I do think that some bi's have same sex relationships for kicks but most are probably gay and have problems coming to terms with it. Someone estimated a figure of 95% being straight - you would be surprised! I live in a small village of 250 houses with over 20 openly gay residents, at least 10 who are closets and a good number who have made overtures to the gays at some time or another. I'm 60 and in during my life have swayed both ways. However, looking back I know that I've always been gay - from childhood I always loved girls - it just wasn't easy in the swinging 60s and I didn't come out until I was 30. By then it was easier and I felt I couldn't hide anymore. But the myths really irritate me. Straights seem to think that all gays will try it on with ANY person of the same sex, that lesbians must be typecast as butch or femme and all use dildos and one must be "the man" - all a load of tosh. Sure, there are some that will, but the majority are just not interested. Another gripe are people who think they can turn you, "you just haven't had the right man/woman", how arrogant they are (and quite likely to be the worst ever lovers). When I first came to the village I was a straight, married woman and it wasn't until my husband died and a couple of gay guys moved here that I considered coming out (for the second time). But villagers, and close friends, who had expressed quite hostile attitudes to gays suddenly decided that these two were really lovely people great fun and I felt it might be OK. Nobody believed me at first, and I was very wary of outing myself to certain people, but now it's all fine and we are all totally integrated and accepted. A small minority make snidy comments but they're not exactly the sort of people that any of us are desperate to befriend. If folk would just accept people of all races, religions, politics and sexual persuasions the world would be a much happier place.