Zelgadis

EVERY gay person? Keep your flagrant overgeneralizations to yourself, please. There are plenty of slutty heterosexuals too you know. And your reason why gay people get beat up is exactly the same defense that rapists once used to justify their behavior. ISF

Nothing that society decides is writ in stone. Take Canada and Spain for example. This discussion is meaningless. Gay people will be able to adopt and will be able to marry in the future. We cannot be stopped. We will not stop until we have full, equal rights. The only thing society will decide is how long it will take. When the time comes, it will be a non-issue, just like women's suffrage and civil rights. And I'll hide my sexuality when all straight people hide theirs. No holding hands in public, no more weddings, no more walks in the park with your sweetheart. We can all just skulk around, hiding our love for each other, as if something that we do is gross instead of beautiful. ISF

Whoa! I'll start a flame war if I get involved in this one. *sounds air raid siren and puts on helmet* Incoming! ISF

Believe me when I say that the social problems that stem from just being gay are 10 times worse than having gay parents. This is experience talking here. However, none of the problems I experienced had anything to do with me being gay. It was the people who couldn't accept it that caused the problem. (Yes, I said before that I didn't realize until I was 24, but I found out later that it had been quite clear to everyone else since I was in middle school.) Most people with gay parents I've known are reasonably well-adjusted individuals who had few problems with bullies. I, on the other hand, in the same school system, was abused by my friends, and school administration alike. ISF

Date: 7/17/2005 6:17:38 PM Author: Alkaola interessting thread , i'm not gay but i can look at guys... sometimes i see guys then i think ' they re fine or cool' but i can't fall in love with them , man girls are so much cuter i have no problems with gays but no addopting kidsquote> No problem. We can still acquire children the old-fashioned way. In the end, it makes no difference. ISF

@jumusshorn: Your Asian guy is cute, but: My Asian guy is cuter than yours! Neener neener neener! @guinea: Every pic I've seen of you features one eye obscured by hair. Which leads me to the question: How's your depth perception? *crash* Thought so... Anyway, here's a picture taken of me just after I got my tattoo. Enjoy! ISF

8/10 Hmmm, I recognized Britian, US, and Turkey's flag. But that other one... ISF

8/10 How did you get the text to flash like that? ISF

I teach college-level students, mostly. However, there are adult student in the class too. Most of them know. And it hasn't really caused any problems. It is my intention to live as normal a life as possible, so I often talk about my boyfriend as casually as another man might talk about his girlfriend. It's a very disarming tactic and it works quite well for me. ISF *Post number 1000 x 25%!

Why a Pride parade? Because it's necessary. Heterosexuals don't need that. They are already accepted. Some heterosexuals would like us to go away and the yearly Pride parades all over the world show that we are not. Besides, let us not forget the ultimate heterosexual pride parade: the big, fancy wedding. Almost every minority community needs something like that to encourage activism in their own communities and show everyone else that yes we are different but also normal. I have found a clarifying point in Simone de Beauvoir's Ethics of Ambiguity. In that book, she states that while we are all free to practice our freedom, we are not free to deny freedom to others (like kicking the **** out of people). Jemi's being who he is (as flaming as he wants to be) is his own expression of his freedom and it does nothing to impinge on the freedom of others. Jemi's attackers impinged on his freedom, which is wrong. ISF

Wow, have I become that jaded? Everyone else reacted to Jemi's story with something like OMG!! I reacted with something like Yep, heard this before. And I also reacted to his follow-up about his principal with Yep, heard this before. I'm only 28 and already certain things are not surprising me which perhaps should. And thatmonkeysim, trust me, there are worse things in the world than everyone thinking that you're hot. I consider myself reasonably decent looking but I almost never get hit on which is a little depressing. I'm not overweight, but I'm not slim either. My tummy still jiggles when I brush my teeth. Gay people can be incredibly shallow when it comes to weight, I've discovered. If people think your hot, enjoy it while you have it! I am at least lucky that I found a boyfriend who likes that there's a bit more of me to hug. ISF

Jemi, your story has a familiar ring to it. I've heard that same defense used time and time again by rapists. She shouldn't have been dressed so provocatively. She shouldn't have come on to me like that. It was wrong then, and it's wrong now. What your teacher wants is for you to hide who you are so that she can maintain her comfort zone. And as for your question, Republicanism may or may not be a word. However, English permits the creation of new words, and you properly grafted the suffix ism to turn it into another noun. I had a French teacher in high school who often espoused her Republicanism. I was in high school when Nixon died. When that happened, she spent 15 minutes of class time giving a long-winded speech about how wonderful he was. When she finished, I shouted out None of that changes the fact that he was a criminal! Oh yes, she was hopping mad. Later, I had a New Testament teacher in college who often spent 2 or 3 minutes at the beginning of every class explaining how wonderful Clinton was. Nice change of pace. But all that is beside the topic at hand, so I'll shut up about it. ISF P.S. Congrats Masher! I hope the next 7 months are happy! And the next 7 months, and the next...

Kenton County Adult Education is actually an off-site institution. Things would be different if we were actually on one of the Gateway campuses, but we're not. There are no security people as of yet. However, after a meeting today, we are instituting some new security protocols. Hopefully, that will help. It's a rough neighborhood where I teach. I found out today that there was a double homicide on the same street corner where I teach about 10 minutes after class ended on that same day that crazy guy came to the class. On a related note, I'm glad that I own an oddball car that's not desirable to thieves because it's neither luxury car (it's an aging, mid-level Acura) nor is it profitable for a chop shop. It's so rare that they wouldn't be able to sell the parts. ISF

Date: 7/14/2005 8:42:25 AM Author: thatmonkeysim Date: 7/14/2005 8:29:04 AM GLBTs ARE PEOPLE TOO! as for the topic at hand... i have been having questions about my oreintation lately... and im glad that people here would take it better than people at home... and i know my sister is gonna see this and she i gonna be surprised but its been on my mind for a long time and just want it off it before it rots inside of me... thank you GB for making this topic btw... the mods said that this is ok so get over it... its gonna be around for awhilequote> I think I speak for a lot of people here when I say that we know what it's like to be in the questioning phase. I've known many in this stage and it's been about 50/50 whether they come to the conclusion that they are indeed gay. I hope it did indeed help you to get that off your chest. It's never good to let it rot inside, as you put it. If the question keeps bugging you, and there is a person whom you can trust, by all means pay him/her a visit. It can do wonders. My aunt helped me greatly though my time. Also, thanks to everyone who defended this thread much more eloquently than I could have. (That includes you, thatmonkeysim.) And how gratifying it is that it appears that this includes some of our straight friends here. That said, I would like to request that the participants here, with whom we have been having a civilized discussion, to be wary. It occurs to me that somebody might try to deliberately start a flame war in this thread in the hopes of getting it shut down. Let us not take the bait if that happens! ISF

Let's stop beating a dead horse, shall we? The moderators have already given their approval and the discussion has been quite civilized so far. Don't visit if you don't like it. On to other matters. I don't watch Queer Eye, nor will I ever. I gave up on makeover/decorating shows a long time ago. It was just too disappointing to see the end result: Ew, what did they do to that kitchen?! I concur that Orlando Bloom is overrated. He's good-looking, not great-looking. He's a good actor, not a great-actor. Well, at least he's not mediocre. Johnny Depp really outshined him in Pirates of the Carribean. Give me Viggo Mortensen any day! And I must say, Sir Ian McKellan has aged quite well. ISF

Date: 7/13/2005 2:14:30 PM Author: subedei Your correct it really needs to be removed Mickibear. No one here really needs to know other members lifestyles. Now when you combine the younger members pics along with the fact that they are gay it could bring un-wanted people to ST. Its really more for the protection of our younger members than try to smother anyones beliefs. subedeiquote> Okay, I'm confused. So you say that pictures of younger members combined with the fact that some of them are gay could bring unwanted people to ST. Did I paraphrase accurately? How would this be different if everyone here posted their pictures and was also straight? Granted, perhaps pictures of our young members could attract certain malfactors, but sexuality wouldn't make a difference in that case. The kinds of people to whom I believe you are referring don't really care whether their intended victims are gay or straight. I believe the moderators do an excellent job of keeping the malfactors out. And the biggest reason I love this forum is because it's about much more than just Sim games. It's uniting people with a common interest. Perhaps it's not 100% safe, but I think it's reasonably so. Most people here are surprisingly mature, I think. Keep everything as is. ISF P.S. Xspiderman, no biggie. A perfectly innocent mistake.

Yikes what a day... A crazy homeless guy came into my class and sat down like he belonged there or something. I managed to kick him out but the students were a little rattled. In a strange twist of fate, immediately afterwards, we started Chapter 5 in Tapestry Writing 3, the theme of which is homeless people. So howzabout a vodka martini. I could use it right now... On another note, to all of you who are students here, please be kind to your teachers. They have a harder job than you know. You'd be surprised how difficult it is to teach a class when you have a rampaging case of the farts... ISF

Date: 7/12/2005 7:20:53 PM Author: XSpiderman Um OK I don't want to sound overtly stupid, but Zelgadis I thought you said you were a lesbian, but you're getting married to your boyfriend? quote> XSpiderman, I'm a guy, thank you very much. You were perhaps referring to a previous post wherein I wondered if there were any lesbians about? Anyhoo, a big welcome to our lone (so far) lesbian participant! ISF

Human sexuality is such a varied and wonderous thing. From what I read, the jury is still out on whether or not upbringing has anything to do with it, but most scientists agree that genetics play a major role. We are more complex than fruit flies though, so most researchers also believe that it's a combination of genes in humans that influence sexuality. That said, and to illustrate this point, I would like to tell a story. It's a big lengthy. So I apologize for that and I would be most appreciative if you would stick with it until the end. People on my mother's side of the family seem to go through a sort of delayed adolescence. The same holds true for both my brother and me. My mother was able to get into the circus when she was 19 and married for the kids price (under 12). My brother was less than 5 feet tall until after he was in college for 2 years. Now he's 5'10. On a side note, it was sort of funny that he couldn't drive his first car (a 1975 Chevy Malibu) unless he sat on a pillow. My delay was of a different sort. I grew up mostly on schedule (5'8). But I can definitely say that I was quite asexual for a longer time than most people. Up until I was 23 years old, I never experienced attraction of any sort to men or women. At that time, my delayed adolescence kicked in. Try to remember what it was like going through adolescence when you were a teenager. If you are a teenager, just think about what you're going through now. Now try to imagine it when you are an adult. Scary, eh? That's what happened to me. During that time, I grew another inch and a half and experienced all sorts of other uncertainties that most have when they are teenagers. At this time, I lived alone, in Japan. Nobody to influence me other than me at that time. I figured out that I am attracted to men at the age of 24, courtesy of a very handsome video game character. (Laugh if you wish, but I've always been drawn to the abstract and fanciful. I'm still that way and it's just part of what makes me who I am. I still sometimes buy games based on whether or not the main character is cute.) My hormones settled and my brain returned to normal. I met my boyfriend, whom I'm marrying next year. Thinking back, I know of nothing that could have influenced the way I am other than genetics. (except, perhaps, for a pre-pubescent crush on Commander Riker from Star Trek: TNG) Many things I enjoy have been influenced by how I grew up, but I am virtually certain that my genes just took me for a ride on this one. Besides, there is scientific evidence that, while gay people cannot naturally have children, there is a place for us in natural order. Studies are starting to show that homosexuals in the family units of higher animals act as sort of surrogate nurturers, taking care of young whose parents have abandoned their offspring or died. That's a bit odd to me, because I loathe babies. Anyway, I hope you made it to the end here. Thanks for indluging me. ISF P.S. Oh, and the identity of the aforementioned video game character is in Off Topic somewhere, for those of you who are interested.

Perhaps not so sweet. I gave the paper an F. I took the obligatory -10 points off for being late and the rest of the paper was so abominable that the other points just disappeared by themselves. It was one of only two F's that I have ever given to students other than ones who simply didn't bother to come to class. When you work with people for 3 weeks to get a paper right, F's become quite rare and even C's are unusual. This paper was just bad. *Note: I still follow the teacher's code of ethics by not identifying particular students, in case anyone here thinks it's less than honorable to talk to strangers about student work. It's considered okay to talk about student work so long as students themselves remain anonymous. That's true in North America anyway. ISF

Something sweet to relax... Ah, I'll have some plum wine. Just finished grading perhaps the worse paper I've ever seen. The student suddenly changed her topic before the final was due, didn't tell me about it, and turned it in late. As you can well imagine, the paper was graded quite savagely. But it was well-deserved. She did it to herself. I probably shouldn't have accepted it at all. I gave serious consideration to giving it back to her and saying that I wouldn't accept it because it wasn't the topic she told me she was doing. Oh well, too late now. *rant over* ISF

I am also aware of this study, but perhaps not for the reasons you might be thinking about. I first saw it in an ESL reading textbook called Creating Controversey. As a matter of fact, the actual experiements turned out to be quite naughty by fruit fly standards (presuming that there ARE fruit fly standards). There seems to be a medical explanation for transgender folks too. Some scientists believe that this state occurs when the mother's body bombards the fetus with the wrong hormone during gestation. That explanation is even good enough for the Ayatollah of Iran, who happens to have no problem with transgender people for this reason. ISF

Date: 7/10/2005 10:05:00 AM Author: ephorex_77 I assumed that this would be something else before I saw the 'Post you pictures here' thread. Interesting to see so many gays here on ST. Oh, and the thread you posted vid, was a VERY interesting read also. I wish I had been active then. For the record, I'm straight, and happily so. Also, it seems to me that this thread is deviating ever so slightly from its intended subject. *hint*quote> It's interesting to note that several of our straight friends here have declared their straightness with tags such as and happily so. Perhaps we should do the same, though I have to admit, my feelings on that matter are a bit conflicted. Am I gay and happily so? Yes. Would I have chosen to be this way? Hmmm, that's a difficult question. On the one hand, I am gay and happy with who I am. On the other, I readily admit that in today's world, it would certainly be easier to be straight. In terms of sheer practicality, I wouldn't have chosen to be this way. It would have saved me more trouble than anybody here knows (save one person: the only one who correctly guessed who my avatar is). On the other hand, I feel like not being gay would take away part of the essence of who I am, and that would be unacceptable. Anyone else with this conflict? I also read the thread to which vidioman posted a link. I wish I had been an active Simtropolis member then too. But better not to go any further than that, lest this thread devolve into a religious debate like that one did. Anyway, I don't think we're getting off-topic here. The topic is broad enough to the point where I think I can say that it's simply meant for us gay Simtropolis members to decorate our closet. I get to pick out the curtains! And, as always, our straight friends are welcome. ISF

Date: 7/10/2005 12:36:06 AM Author: masher Zelgadis: My baseball cap!.....*Fries toma* Peter's Son is also gay...no wait...remember that episode when they move to alabama ,or some place like that, and he kissed this guy who turned out to be a girl....then they went to a river and played with a dead manquote> *Toma escapes from the frying pan and nibbles Masher's pinky toes off. Zelgadis sics three more bunnies on Masher to work him over* Ha ha, go my minions! I must say, I'm looking forward to my wedding in Toronto next year. I never thought the day would come that I would actually be able to get married, but coming it is. My cousin is going to sing A Moment Like This. I don't think I will be able to keep my eyes dry when that happens... ISF

Oo, hors d'ouvres! (<--correct spelling) *Recesses fight for num-nums.* BTW, any lesbians here who would like to speak up? This thread is quite dude-laden at the moment. ISF