Good As You

That wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting.

Ha! I would have loved to have been there. I don't fit the 'stereotype' either but I am out and proud, as is my partner of going on 9 years. Not Madonna fans either. I'm more of a rock and roller, he's a gospel/R&B fan. Also he's a christian and I'm an atheist. We could be a sitcom!

This kind of stuff drives me totally nuts. As an (openly gay) volunteer EMT who hangs out with the "volunteer firefighters" (and paid ones too) and knows more than a few gay firefighters (and some gay fire chiefs), police officers, EMTs, and pretty much any other profession, this sort of self-loathing is patently offensive.

More offensive is that the fact there is a presumed requirement to be straight-acting (ugh, I hate that term too) to be in these professions. Some of the people referenced above lean to the more effeminate side but are damn good at their jobs and are well-respected.

I'd love the opportunity to go on and slap some sense into these guys.

It's all so programmed into us, Ed, that it's hard to point blame. But yes -- it is maddening.

My hopes, dreams, joys, wishes, desires, tastes -- these are what inform my life. My sexual orientation informs only the fact that I love a man (and must politically defend that love).

Stereotypes are difficult to ignore. You either embrace them and allow them to define you, or you actively fight against them. I try my best to ignore them, and just be myself.

And what is myself? I'm not particularly camp, but if I ever catch myself saying or doing something camp, I won't beat myself up about it. Why should I?

Not into sports. At all. Unless the players are hot. Dieux de Stade, anyone?

TRiG.

Well I think that's the thing, TRIG: Not seeing a need to self-check. I can honestly say that I'm not hung up on trying to fit in any sort of mold.

I saw the episode. It was amazing.
The first kid had ISSUES. He found both genders sexually repugnant.
I got the feeling his life was a build-up of sexual tension, until he finally gave in and had sex with a guy, and then he was repulsed immediately afterwards.
And the kid was 19, but he was going to wait until age 30 until he "went straight"? Presumably because he doesn't want to be a 30-year old going after 16-year olds, which in his small world experience is what gay 30-year olds are like.
And of course, he came from a Christian family where "most" things were taboo and wrong. Probably a major reason why he is freaked by all gender sexual organs.

Well, ain't Tyra the hung up nasty old piece of work?

Unless she does a follow up episode: straights that are sick of their vile, perverted lifestyle! You know. Birthing unwanted children, beating them, killing their spouses, having kinky sex and orgies with other heterosexuals, being obsessed with sex, bad fashion and really ugly hair (like Tyra).

The most unnatural thing to be is abstinent and celibate. Especially from social and political repression. Any doctor, medical or psychiatric worth his credentials would tell you that repressed sexuality, love starvation are EXTREMELY unhealthy!

No one should have to argue so exhaustively regarding their naturally occurring attribute. No one should be defending, if they are gay, why they can't work up any attraction to a female or 'force' themselves to like it.

The mental and emotional abuse that gay young people like this are subject to, should be called exactly that and parents given the opportunity to cease, or be considered abusers in the criminal sense.

C'MON people!
Would his parents look at this and not consider the fact that it is THEY who have created such a messed up young person?

And that girlfriend of the first part. SHE looks old enough to be HIS mother. She herself looks like a walking self esteem problem.
Hello?

When, when, WHEN...is the public at large going to get that homosexuality is NORMAL. And that all attempts to change, forcible political and social policy negatively impacts gay youth in ways that serve nothing good or positive in the long run.

Negative stereotypes are STILL harming black people, long years since the civil rights movement's implementation.
Does anyone really want the same legacy damaging more gay youth too?

And why the f*** is star-whore Neil G and GLAAD giving Tyra Banks a friggin Gold Medal in April at the NYC Media Awards? The invitation and award should be rescinded. She needs a 11 1/2 EE black ostrick Western boot in her backside!

I was getting tired of the word "lifestyle"!

If I had a penny.........

I can't believe shows like this are still being aired. I assume no one was on the show to counter-act these people's self-hatred? Jeremy makes a good point along the lines that being gay means different things to different people. There is really no such thing as "gay behavior" because we all act differently. I know some homosexual men don't relate to a lot of so-called stereotypical gay behavior, but the answer isn't for them to say they are non-gay or post-gay or what-have-you, but to simply expand what the term "gay" means which they could do by coming out. i.e. "I'm like this and not like that, but I'm still gay!"

I agree that GLAAD should ask for their award back from Banks.

The sad thing is that many of these self-hating homos that they had on the show lurk around GLBT blogs and message boards and regurgitate their venom via nasty anonymous comments.

Why did the Banks show choose just NOW to air this offensive program? What's up with that?