There was a lot of media coverage in China a few years back about straight women ending up in marriages with gay men - many of them knew their husband to be was gay but married him out of parental/societal pressure, or wanting to have children, or naively thinking the man would somehow magically become straight. Most of these cases had reportedly led to domestic violence, mental health problems, or the husband neglecting (or outright abandoning) his wife and any children so he could pursue relationships with other men.

Of course this happened all over the west before homosexuality became more accepted; and is still the case in a lot of countries/cultures where homosexuality is punished or strongly discouraged. And yet we still have religious, conservative, and "family values" groups that think that heterosexual marriage somehow "cures" LGB people - or at least gives them the ability to suppress their sexuality for the rest of their lives. (spoilers: it doesn't)

I'm not homophobic, but I'm getting incredibly pissed off with the constant references to the 'LGBT community'.

yes i am. If it`s a free world everyone can have their opinions. I agree with most things realwales said on the other page.
i don`t get why i have to like the idea? it doesn`t mean i`m going to beat up a gay person but it doesn`t mean i have to be friends with them or agree with what they do.

Why is that?

Even though it was mostly a load of uninformed and prejudiced nonsense? That's rather sad.


You don't have to "like the idea". You could simply accept that there is nothing wrong with being gay and that "what they do" is really none of your concern. And are you really saying that you could never be friends with a gay person?

My generation was brought up to believe that homosexuality was not only morally wrong but illegal as well. Those years of conditioning may still influence attitudes.

I would say it is highly likely you are already friends with a gay person and don't even realise it.

Me too and I'm not even sure what it means

I consider myself LGBT, being the "B" in the LGBT, but tbh it is rather annoying. But you kinda get mocked for not wanting to be part of it either (the labels thing) so I do try to live my life as easy as possible without all the claptrap.

Having said that, we can't moan too much because there was a time when the only labels given to homosexual folk were "queers" "fags" and the like, so yeah, the fact there's actual appropriate labeling is much better

If you aren't then why are you getting so angry at something that doesn't effect you?

Hmm...

Indeed. Most people don't care about hearing that phrase.

Well you get angry about things that don't affect you regularly.

This thread also nicely demonstrates that homophobia is alive and well

Keep up the good work guys

Definitely in society there is still a whole "that's not normal" kind of attitude to same-sex relationships. It's understandable as a lot of generations weren't taught any different...

however the generations growing up now should teach their kids to be open minded!

Agree with the points I've quoted.

In a world of heterosexual sex, why would anyone 'chose' to be gay???

Exactly. Straight people don't chose who they are attracted to, they either fancy somebody or they don't. Why some people seem to think it is different for gay people I will never understand.

You will find that gay men still refer to each other as "queer" in the same way that American black people refer to each other as "n****rs which the PC world hates of course

Would you say how you were raised played a part in those feelings towards same-sex relationships?

Yes both my parents were very very homophobic. Wouldn't say I'm as homophobic as them. I don't agree with attacks on gays for example. They should be allowed to live their lives with whom they choose and not suffer abuse, either verbal or physical

Well, some of them do. Most gay or black people probably wouldn't use those terms.

It's always straight people who tell us we chose to be gay as well.

Odd how they see themselves as more of an expert on whether I chose my own sexuality than I am.

blimey is this poof thread is still going ?

in my view homophobia is extinct

Please tell me thats a typo and this is a 'poor thread'.....

'Cause it goes against what a sky fairy said in a dusty old book.