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925220 Responseshttp://www.racerelationsproject.org/2009/11/lgbt-class/LGBT+Class2009-11-06+14%3A46%3A03Sam+Richards to LGBT Class
This comment is totally stream-of-consciousness and all over the place.
Relevant video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSh1D3CZaW4 interesting/funny at 3:00, but relevant part at 3:40…
Wanda’s point- that voting against gay rights is voting for discrimination stating it like that makes it so clear. I was for full rights for LGBT people before, but when you say it like that, how can anyone be against it?
On ‘don’t ask don’t tell’: Since the military isn’t democratic, it is the perfect organization to start the trend. Honestly, if you are willing to lay down your life in the pursuit of something that someone ‘above you’ has deemed would benefit the citizens of this country…or would make the world a better place…or whatever, you should be allowed to be open and honest with who you are. You have enough mental issues to deal with without having to worry if you are going to be discharged because you spoke about your significant other.
One of the most interesting moments in class all semester (including the 9/11 class which I loved), was the reaction to the picture of the (gay) married couple kissing. One loud outburst by someone who was surprised and taken aback, followed by a wave of nervous laughter. Wow. I think that is more telling than what anyone would have said.
Something that has been brought up in passing in class that I think bears retelling is that some people are (might be) uncomfortable with LGBT because they are uncomfortable with their own sexuality. SO TRUE.
In discussion we were talking about ‘gaydar’, and what alerts you to the fact that someone might be gay… for me something that I often find among people who are LGB is that they are very confident with their sexuality. It is who they are, and they are ok with it. Many straight people don’t think about their sexuality, many are slightly to very uncomfortable talking about it.
In discussion I related a story about a period of my life where I was unsure whether I was lesbian or not because I was scared shitless of guys and therefore completely unable to conceive ever being physically intimate with one. (Abuse can do that to you…who knew?) SO I had to confront the reality that as a human, I am a sexual being. And through this discovery and healing I had a chance to think about sexuality in a way most people never do. It turns out that I am attracted to guys, but I could totally understand being intimate with a girl. Ultimately it is not about gender, it is about the person.
As a note on yet another topic, you can’t compare being gay to being black and which is worse. You can’t. You can lump them together with women as minority groups that have been discriminated against, but as far as putting them on a scale….you can’t. It’s like trying to compare levels of abuse….you can’t do that either. For some people giving them a hug makes them uncomfortable….you can’t ever qualify someone else’s experience and deem it ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than yours. If you were living that life, to you it might be better, but to them it might totally suck. You can’t really judge their life. Let them live it and if you do judge, keep it inside your head.
I thought the class about LGBT issues was one of the most interesting classes this year. It definitely made me think about these topics and examine why and how I think what I do.
I do not have a problem with people choosing to be gay; that is a personal choice that each individual is free to make. However, I do not support gay marriage. The Bible defines marriage as that between and man and woman. I would consider myself a religious person and strongly support my church’s anti-same-sex marriage beliefs. However, if people are going to live gay lifestyles, that is fine by me. I do get uncomfortable when I witness gay and lesbian PDA, because I don’t personally support it. Being straight, I do not understand how some people can be attracted to someone of the same sex. It doesn’t make sense in my mind, but like I said before sexual orientation is a personal choice that shouldn’t be influenced by others.
Sam is very good about pointing out hypocrisy, which I definitely think is a good thing. It makes us think about how we are all hypocrites at some point or another. During the LGBT lecture, I’m pretty sure that mostly everyone, including myself, got called out for being a hypocrite. When Sam talked about the sins from Corinthians, homosexuality was listed among fornication, drunkenness, and sodomy. How many people commit these sins yet condemn homosexuality? This lecture definitely opened my eyes to the equivalence of these sins in God’s eyes. Sam was exactly right when he said that we point out and criticize the things that we don’t do, never acknowledging that we may be just as sinful. I’m not sure how this problem can be solved however. People, including myself, tend to stick with what they believe, and I somewhat doubt that they will change their ways just in the name of not being a hypocrite.
One topic that especially made me think was the issue of choosing to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Do people really choose to be gay, or are they born that way? I believe that people choose to be gay and that God would not create someone like that. Seeing that the Bible and my faith reject homosexuality, I do not think that people are born as gays. However, Sam brought up a good point that you see many young children that already seem to be gay. At such a young age, one does not truly know what being gay means and I doubt that they can consciously choose something like their sexual orientation. I still believe that being gay is a choice, but this topic definitely made me think about my beliefs and why I believe what I do.
When Sam says that a class is going to be one of the best of the semester, I am usually anxious to see what he has in store for us. I was actually really pleased with the way in which Sam handled this class. It is a delicate topic that is tabooed in some of our cultures, and he did an excellent job getting his point across to everyone.
LGBT issues are something I have debated over because I consider myself a strong Christian. I am told that homosexuality is a sin, yet I have never really had a problem LGBT issues from a sociological standpoint. That is why I really liked the way Sam began class with the 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 verses, and that he laid out all that this entailed. He used the sins of fornication, idolatry, adultery, covetousness, reviling, extortion, drunkenness, thievery, sodomy, as well as homosexual sex, to show us that we have all committed sins that will block our way to Heaven. I think that this was effective because many of these sins are ones that have been committed by college students on a regular basis, and this opens them up to the understanding that homosexuality is no different.
It was also interesting when he began to compare heterosexual relations with that of homosexual relations. He said that those people who identify as heterosexual have the ability to dabble in homosexual acts or viewpoints, but they do not have to change that identity that they have. This is the same with LGBT. They can experiment with heterosexual acts without leaving their homosexual identity. This is where I agree with Sam that we are all a little bisexual. It is extremely rare to find someone who is COMPLETELY straight or COMPLETELY gay. As Sam said, people who identify one way will be aroused by porn of the other sexual orientation. Therefore, how can anyone be COMPLETELY one sexual orientation?
At this point in our culture and society, I believe it is rare to find anyone who does not know someone else who identifies as LGBT. It is becoming more accepted, even if giving them the right to marry is not. So is being gay a choice? There are many who believe it to be so. But if you actually ask someone you know who is gay if he chose to be so, odds are he will tell you that he did not. Many homosexuals struggle for so long to reveal their sexual orientation because of all the stigmas that go along with that identity. I know of one boy from my friend’s church who considered himself a strong Christian, yet he struggled with accepting the fact that he was gay. He knew that his religion preached that this was a sin, yet what could he do? He cried himself to sleep every night trying to resolve this conflict. Does this sound like someone who chose this pain and heartache? I believe that one does NOT choose to be homosexual. Nor does one choose to be straight. We are born that way, and we cannot help to whom we are attracted. So if we cannot change our attractions, why is it that those who are straight, being the majority, feel the need to constantly suppress those who are homosexual? Are they afraid that their own sexuality is in danger? That seems as though they should look within themselves to resolve the issue instead of blaming and shaming the LGBT. Nor is it okay for the government to regulate who may marry and who may not. What is the legal basis for banning gay marriage? I’m not sure, but I bet it’s pretty flimsy.
The class I believe Sam Richards is referring to was the class talk about lesbians and gays in society today. Sam basically came out to the class in a statement something like “If my wife passed away I would be with a man.” I think this statement caused a lot of different emotions to run through the classroom. Many people I spoke with following this statement were surprised, shock, and even a little confused. I personally was not shocked by this statement coming from Sam Richards but was definitely confused. As far as I was concerned he was a straight man who loved his wife who had experienced much more than anyone in our class. He was therefore extremely open-minded and willing to share himself in order to further our thinking of race and topics such as homosexuality. So I was to put it simply, very confused. Is he straight is he gay? He kept talking about the situations saying he doesn’t look at other women, and often looks at men walking down the street.
He then says his wife to him is perfection and no other woman could replace her and that’s why he would turn to men. We talked about this comment in my race relations group the following day. It was a great discussion about sex and homosexuality and a lot of goods points were brought up. Some people felt that although this may sound sweet and romantic, in the no one else but you way, it is also what someone referred to as extremely “creepy”. I personally would not want to know that my husband would often think about other men with me. However, once again, there is the double standard. Would I want my husband thinking about other women? Would that be less “creepy”. I guess there are two ways to look at this situation and everyone must decide for themselves what they rather their spouse or loved one do. They can both be happy that their husband is not comparing them to other women and let their husbands think about other men, or let their husbands compare you to other women and not men. I almost feel that it is more hurtful to be compared to another woman. I just know personally women are very self-conscious about those situations. However, I would not want my husband having homosexual thoughts when he was with me.
Everyone is different and everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions. During my race relations discussion group I heard some things I never expected to hear because they were so honest in regards to feelings against homosexuality. I realized to be openly against homosexuality is not easy in some places today. So if we are all pretending to be ok with homosexuality does that make our society any better than a society really against it.
The class about LGBT issues triggered many of my emotions about the topic. I don’t find myself talking about these issues everyday, so it was interesting having a class like this with a professor like Sam who isn’t afraid to talk about those ideas. The thing he said that had me the most intrigued was his opinion about gay “marriage” as opposed to gay “unions.” The comic he showed had a very strong message to go along with Sam’s comments. We hear about (or at least see in movies) people getting married in Las Vegas after a wild night, getting married after finding out the guy got the girl pregnant, and getting married for financial or family-related reasons. All of those are called “marriages.” And most of these sorts of “marriages” do not involve love. I think if a random person were to be stopped in the street and asked to define marriage, they would say something like, “a man and a woman who love each other get together to finally tie the knot.” This would have been my response before this class, at least. But the difference between the couple in Vegas and a gay couple that wants to get married is usually that the two gay men actually love each other. Still, the couple from Vegas can be legally wed anywhere. Only a few states would allow the gay couple to be legally wed. If you make the comparison of homosexuality to race, it’s weird to think of why only five states allow gay marriage. What if the government decided that people of color were not allowed to get married in certain states? Why does it seem as if America has made strides towards becoming racially accepting, but homosexuality is still discriminated against? If two gay people are passionately in love and want to make it official, how are they any different from a man and a woman deeply in love? If I were asked what the definition of marriage was after sitting through the class on LGBT issues, I would say, “two people who love each other get together and tie the knot.” People often argue that gay marriages make straight marriages less authentic, but I think that people getting married who aren’t in love make marriages less legitimate. People should get married because they’re in love- that’s what makes a marriage so beautiful. The picture Sam showed with the two guys kissing looked like the two men were in love. It’s the phony marriages in Vegas that belittle real marriages. Maybe they felt as if they were in love at the time because they were intoxicated, but in reality, they were not. It’s the idea of hypocrisy that Sam keeps emphasizing. Gay marriage doesn’t affect me, so why should it be banned for any two people who are in love?
Tuesday’s class on LGBT issues was by far my favorite class this semester. Essentially, we all at least know one person who is gay, or we have friends who are gay, or friends with gay parents. I accept all aspects of sexuality and don’t see anything wrong with those specific relationships. I’m not particularly religious and I never really quite understand why God has to be brought into a LGBT discussion because as Sam said, God doesn’t make mistakes. My impression of God, and what I’ve heard all my life from my grandmother, is that he loves all his children. What I don’t understand is why statements like that are made and then contradicted under certain circumstances. If God creates everything and sets our course in life, doesn’t that mean that homosexuality has a purpose? It honestly makes no sense to me. I also don’t understand why gay marriage can’t just be legalized. Who does it affect if two men or two women decide to get married? Why should someone be denied a marriage license just because someone might feel uncomfortable? Does having a gay couple living next door to you really affect your life or hurt your family? No, it doesn’t. So why is it such an issue? They’re going to be together either way and live their lives the way they want to, so why not just let them tie the knot, say some vows, and share a last name? The world is changing generation by generation. I feel as if a majority of my generation is tolerant of homosexuality and many believe that gay marriage shouldn’t be such a huge deal. But, then again, I also grew up with people who think the same way as me and never really heard the other side of the story. It really bugs me when religion is brought into these kinds of discussions because I feel that religion isn’t everything, or at least it shouldn’t be. I feel as if we should all be able to think without any restrictions of what the Bible says. I feel that God shouldn’t even be brought into a discussion such as this one especially since not all of us in this country may believe in him. Why should strict religion dictate our way of life here? I also find myself wondering what someone who is a firm believer in God would say to someone who is transgendered and feels completely uncomfortable in his or her skin. Or what if they had a friend who already had an operation to become the other sex and never knew about it, and one day found out? I feel like these kinds of things shouldn’t even be issues anymore.
LGBT issues are ones I particularly care about, being that I am of the Christian faith I believe they are going to burn in hell anyway. That is their preference or some even believe they were born that way which is quite possible. I don’t feel as if the LGBT community should be awarded certain privileges that are given to the regular society. I disagree on them having legalized marriages and being able to adopt children. LGBT community should have the rights originally in the constitution based on morality standards.
The first issue about LGBT’s that I will comment on is the God factor. People often believe that there are different levels of sin and different ruling for the kind, that is false. A sin is a sin is a sin, meaning they all are equivalent. Yes, everyone sins its impossible not to sin, since no one person is perfect. Then people say well God would not make such people who will be termed damnation. If you knew the Bible or have read it then you will know God gives humans free will, and humans erased the perfect world with the first sin of earth. The sin in which God specifically told Eve not to commit was not to eat the forbidden fruit.
Another factor playing into the way I feel or may comment on LGBT people is that I am what you could call a homophobe, meaning I am afraid of gays. The only main reason I may be a homophobe is that one it’s nasty, but honestly because of my religion and moral beliefs. It’s just immorally wrong, disgusting, deceiving, and inhumane. I think that it is their right to be gay, but at the same time I feel as if they should be inclined to tell you in different situations. This could be just because of my phobia, however I feel that if I am playing a contact sport such as football or basketball. I feel that if they congratulate by a traditional slap on the butt and are gay and I don’t know that that is a cheap shot at their arousal at my expense unknowingly. They should have to share that information in that case.
The main topic I feel uncomfortable about are transgender people. That is one of the most deceptive things in life I have ever heard of. That is the ultimate dishonest thing anyone could do to another person in the pursuit of happiness. Personally, my view of LGBT groups is that they are deceptive, manipulative people who think that it is ok to do such things. Especially with technology nowadays able to do miraculous things and the ability to change someone completely is wrong. I believe that it should be illegal and not allowed.
I don’t understand at all why anyone has a problem with same-sex marriage. I completely agree with Sam that it does not affect anyone, so I don’t see why anyone has a problem with it. I don’t think that anybody has the right to judge which marriages are appropriate and which ones are not. If we wanted to look into every marriage than I’m more than positive that there are same-sex marriages that are a lot more safe and loving than some straight marriages. In my opinion, I think marriage should be between two people that love each other and support each other and that should be enough. It shouldn’t matter who the marriage is between, as long as it is a healthy devoted relationship.
It makes me mad that everyone prides America on freedom and equality, yet when there is something not of the norm, that freedom and equality becomes restricted. What’s the difference between same-sex marriage and interracial marriages or interreligious marriages? They are all different that “the usual” but it is still a relationship between two people that love each other. People should seriously just be happy that others are finding love, and stop questioning what is right or wrong about the love. It’s really nobody’s business unless it is affecting somebody, which it’s not. Everyone should have a right to their own personal lives, and if that personal life includes homosexuality, then so be it. It honestly boggles my mind that anyone can even question the issue of whether same-sex marriages should be allowed. Many straight people get married every day, and I’m pretty sure nobody is questioning the validity of those marriages.
I especially don’t understand when people say that homosexual couples can have a “union” but not a marriage. What the hell is a union? Are we really going to start creating special terms for things, just so same-sex couples can’t have the same things that we do? I just think it’s so stupid when people justify that they’re not against same-sex partnerships as long as they can’t get married. The definitions of a marriage and a union can almost be interchangeable, so why do we need this new thing specifically for homosexual couples? I just don’t understand why it is anyone’s business in the first place to tell homosexuals what they can and cannot do. Love is love; nobody should have to be restricted.
It’s hard enough for homosexuals to come out about their sexuality, and even harder to find someone to share love with. Think about it. The homosexual dating pool is tremendously smaller than the heterosexual dating pool, and there are still many heterosexuals that can’t seem to find “the one.” If a homosexual finally finds someone that they love and want to share a life with, I don’t think that anybody has the right to stop them.
There is a lot of controversy about lesbian gay bisexual and transgender issues. There are people in this country that believe that all Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are immoral and sinners. Even though there are many people that believe this there are also some like Sam that believe that there is nothing wrong with Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people because what a person does in there life doesn’t affect you at all then you shouldn’t be bothered by it at all. While I look at both sides of this argument I find myself somewhere in the middle. I believe that Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should have the same rights as any other person but I find myself drawing a line on some issues. I think that they should have the same rights as a married couple but I have a hard time calling there union a marriage because I feel like marriage is a religious thing and all popular religions are against gay unions. Although there not called marriages I think that they should have the same rights as a straight couple. For example they could visit their sick partner in the hospital or inherit their money when they die. I also cannot watch public displays of affection, I know it’s not a big deal but I just can’t stand watching it. I hope someday I can get past this but for now I can’t.
There are many other issues gay lesbian bisexual and transgender people face. Companies and employers sometime discriminate against Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and refuse to give them a job. I feel like this is one of the worse discriminating things. To refuse somebody a job based on the sexual orientation is a horrible hate crime. Hey are not hurting the company at all and are just as qualified as straight people. Another problem Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people face is the military does not except gays in their organization. They use a system called don’t ask don’t tell. This means that as long as you don’t tell anybody that you’re gay you can still join. This has to be one of the stupidest things I have ever heard of. If a gay person wants to defend this country and is willing to sacrifice their time and potential their life there should be no reason why they can’t join the military. Sam said during class that they took a survey of top ranking military officials and asked them if gays joined the military would the moral of the troops fall. According to this survey the moral would not be affected at all. I believe someday that These issues will be fixed and people will live in peace.
The issue of discrimination and persecution against gays and lesbians truly breaks my heart. I really enjoyed what Sam had to say in lecture on LGBT issues. He presented the material in a way that provoked me to really think about the issue at hand, and when I left class, the issues that gays face didn’t seem quite as insurmountable as I had once thought. The data and the statistics about corporations accepting gay and lesbian coworkers were really astounding to me. To see how far we’ve come in accepting these issues as well as race issues is really encouraging to hear about. I can only hope that we as a society continue to move in the same direction.
As a Christian, it has been drilled into my head over and over again to despise homosexuals and to disapprove of their practices. But I’ve always struggled with agreeing to do so. I have a very close uncle who is now one of my best friends that is openly gay. It took me years to figure this out, but once I did, my view of him didn’t change. He’s still one of my best friends and one of my closest family members. When I hear preachers or people in general condemning homosexuals, it makes my skin crawl. I believe in a God whose love is endless and limitless. He doesn’t discriminate. I believe that we are all sinners, and that God loves us despite the sins that we will continue to commit for the rest of our lives. Why should this issue be any different? And just like Sam said, I believe that God doesn’t make mistakes. Maybe there’s a purpose that God meant for this that we simply can’t see or understand yet. I believe that whether a person is born gay or chooses to be gay, God will still forgive him or her. I believe that Christ knows us better than ourselves, and loves us anyway. When we accept Him as our Lord, His love covers all of our transgressions and faults. We are all handicapped in different ways, but He will still love us, no matter what our sins may be.
I’ve always had a tough time thinking about why any form of love could be wrong in the eyes of society. I really liked the comic strip that Sam posted on one of his lecture slides about all of the ways that marriage is abused, yet accepted of and perfectly legal. The cartoon laid out the issue at hand and very simply pointed out the flaws in arguing against gay marriage. I believe that two people who are committed to each other should have the right to love each other freely and to receive the same legal benefits as heterosexual couples.
The class we had last week was nuts. Like it blew my mind.
We talked about a lot of things that I found interesting. The two things I want to write about are freedom of expression and bisexuality.
Freedom of expression is something that is “guaranteed” in our country. But is it actually guaranteed when gays and lesbians can’t even express their love? This debate doesn’t even come down to the legalization of gay marriage. I’m solely referring to the acceptance of gay and lesbians in the community. Gays and lesbians walking down the street without being stared at, gays and lesbians allowed to kiss in public without parents covering their kids eyes, stuff like that. Like why is it different than any other couple kissing or holding hands. I held hands with all my best friends at summer camp basically since I was 10 to 17, and that wasn’t ok because our camp director thought that my group of friends was sending a bad message to the younger campers. What was that message? That we were all lesbians? No. perhaps it was that we freely expressing our loving friendship by holding hands?
I started reading “Crossing The Blvd.” and there is one section that so far has really stood out to me the most. It was the section about the six different stories about women from China who practiced the Falun Gong exercises. These six different stories told of such a time period that I never even knew existed. The Falun Gong exercises were established and promoted off of three basic concepts to teach practitioners new ways of living, healing, and being.
The six women in the story were each tortured mentally and/or abusively. One women, I don’t remember her name had to do drugs and have her daughter watch her. Then her husband was questioned and was made to divorce her. The stories talked about how each of the women chose the practice over the government’s rules to ban the practice.
I do not understand at all how this could have possibly been banned from a society. Like seriously, that’s like banning yoga, and no one would do that here? Why was it such a big deal!
This reminds me of gays and lesbians expressing their love to each other because I feel like I do about the stories of the six women because gays and lesbians and each of these women were / are fighting for understanding. Not even acceptance, but more so just an understanding of why some people feel the way that they do.
Just to say a little about my feelings about bisexuality: I agree with sam , I think that all people are definitely bisexual.
First of all, I want to say that it was a very interesting class. I am from abroad, and I am not used to my teachers being so direct and personal when they teach. I do actually like it though. The first thing that comes to my mind after listening, and reading some of the other blogs is that I completely agree, that what other people do, in their private lives and as long as it is not directly harmful to anyone else, should be kept private. Maybe it is because I myself do not care much about who other people share their bed with, however, it is just so hard for me to understand how anyone can be offended by other peoples business. I have a friend who actually throws up when he reads or hears about gay people having sex, and I just cant understand how this can be?
During class when Sam said, we are all bisexual, was very interesting for me. I consider myself a heterosexual woman, however, since I was younger I have always thought that other women can be beautiful and attractive, too. I have never denied the possibility of being with another women, however, it just so happens that I am mostly attracted to guys and find them more interesting. But of course, I think we have all tried to be facinated or admire someone with the same sex, and thats not wrong, it does not make us any less of a person.
One of the reason why it is so hard for me to be religious, is that my impression is that most religions are so judgemental and limiting. When Sam showed us the powerpoints about the sins of the bible, I think most of us were shocked to see that we are all sinners and we are all going to hell. Come on now, of course we are not! We are not sinners, we are humans.
In general, I consider myself as being very openminded but I have experienced situations where this Lesbian/gay issue is problematic. Often if I walk on the street and meet a gay couple, I do not know if look at them or to look the other way. I mean, both things could be interpreted as wrong, and I really do not want to give anyone a wrong impression of how I feel about them. My last thoughts are basically conneceted to my idea of !who are we to judge and limit love”. Love is beautiful, I dont care if its Man and Woman, Woman and Woman, or Man and man. As long as people are happy, why cant other people just mind their own business, and maybe even manage to be happy on behalf of others.
WHEW! This was definitely one of the most intense classes thus far. I legitimately did not have any words after the discussion. My mind was wandering off in SO many directions I truly did not have a clue what I even wanted to focus on. I personally am a strong supporter and believer in equal rights for all people whether they are straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender and after this class I kind of had to just take a step back and ponder about it. I love how Sam tears down barriers and defy social norms to actually say how things are and how he truly feels about issues. I actually walked home from this class reconsidering and just intensely thinking about my perspectives, gender roles, and overall internal feelings of these LGBT issues. I was compelled to fully encompass my gender role and determine whom I truly was. It was really empowering how Sam opened up and admitted that he himself is attracted to some men, but it doesn’t really hinder the way he feels about women in any way shape or form, especially his wife. Although he is attracted to men, it doesn’t necessarily make him love his wife any more or less.
I honestly was never a believer in choosing to be gay, bi-sexual, or tranny nor do I think you are born with these inclinations. I agree with Sam that these are feelings that people experience at some point in their lives. Some people just experience them more intensely and may choose to act upon these inclinations, arousals or feelings. The thing I don’t understand still or rather am not comfortable with is the different levels of “queerness” or being gay. The fact that the people who classify themselves as transgender feel that they are trapped in the wrong being and are usually compelled to the same sex as they are even though they believe they are man or woman or vice versa doesn’t technically make them gay or does it? I mean my feelings on the whole issue of “being gay” don’t hide who you are and don’t be afraid to express your feelings due to the judgment of other people. We only have this one life (as far as we know) to live here on earth SO LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST and be happy, don’t worry about what society burdens you with, be strong enough to overcome it. For example for a man to marry a woman or vice versa just to say to society hey look I’m straight I’m normal but then go off and have affairs or fiend for the same sex all the time is just simply absurd. I personally have experienced and dealt with gays for a majority of my teenage and now adult years and I have accepted these people as normal, and some are even my best of friends. A lot of the girls I went to high school with tried the whole gay/bi experiment thing and I just thought that to be wrong because in a way I felt like they offended people of that sexual orientation just because they wanted to try something new.
Personally, I’m a pretty open person when it comes to my sexuality. If anyone wants to talk about sex, sexual feelings, controversial or ultra personal… I don’t get shy. Sam said in November 6th’s class (probably the best, eye-opening class ever) that we all have homoerotic feelings, even if we are straight. I am a straight young woman. I’ll admit it: I find other girls attractive, which is pretty common – no matter what people claim to feel. I can appreciate a “hot girl” but that doesn’t mean I’m going to seek her out and try to have sex with her!
When Sam brought up the fact that he thinks we should try gay sex once in our lives – I will admit that I’ve thought about it. As have most girls AND guys (despite admission of this…). I might be the only person to admit it on this blog, but when Sam said that we are all a little bit bisexual, I can’t help but agree. I am not romantically attracted to other women whatsoever, but the sexual curiosity is there. And I truly feel that this curiosity is a prominent aspect in many people’s lives. I’m sure religious view and shame also plays a part in why this curiosity is usually hidden. But I am willing to admit my curiosity because it doesn’t mean that I will act on it – it’s just human nature!
I’m sure that people struggle dealing with having these feelings and especially admitting them – but regardless… they are there. Not many people act on it or even entertain the idea because of views on being “gay” and the fear of how they will be judged. But according to Sam, the people who judge the most and act the most disgusted by this are usually the ones entertaining suppressed homoerotic thoughts themselves.
Sexuality is just something that is kept “hush-hush” our entire lives. When we’re younger and just discovering ourselves – it’s absolutely a secret, almost shameful thing (depending on your upbringing). I was watching Oprah with my mom and my 8-year-old sister and it was about Ellen and her wife, Portia. My little sister had the typical reaction to this, “SHE HAS A WIFE!?!” and then my mom makes me turn off the program. When I asked her reasoning for this, she told me that she doesn’t want my little sister to know about lesbianism yet because she doesn’t want her to doubt her sexuality at an early age. I see this entire idea differently; I was brought up in a very conservative and sheltered place. I was not educated about sexuality at all by my parents; it was something I found on my own. Being sheltered my whole life did not keep me from believing that we are all somewhat bisexual (no matter how much we are willing to act on it).
In college, sexuality is everywhere. We are just coming to find out who we are as people. I see lesbian and gay couples walking around campus, in the bars and frat parties there are always girls making out (whether this stems from wanting attention from men or bisexual curiosity, I couldn’t tell you.) But my point is IT’S OUT THERE. It’s something that just happens. It’s not something to hide from or be ashamed of. We should embrace it, because it’s not going away. So I guess what I’m trying to say is we have all felt some kind of bisexual feeling at one point in our lives and you’re lying if you say you don’t.
I have been waiting for the LGBT issues class since the beginning of the semester and first saw that it was on the syllabus. I knew back then that not only would this subject serve as a worthwhile break from our usual class material, but also promote particular heated discussion.
I had been warning my friends for weeks- “this is the class that I’m going to raise my hand in.” Or “Just wait, I’m going to make a comment during that class.” Honestly, because I have been itching to say something all semester, but I feel bad or less legitimate about myself sometimes because I’m usually in the majority.
I find that nearly every time Sam calls out to the class asking all those who are (insert racial minority here) to raise their hand. Usually, I am unable to participate and hence feel like my commentary on any given subject is perhaps less valuable or at least less legitimate than some of my well, “better qualified” peers.
Finally- I would be able to raise my voice about an issue that I felt a part of. I am gay. I’m a 20 year old gay man who is getting steadily more comfortable with his sexuality and his place in the world. I’m out to my friends, a few of my professors, and a select few of my family members. I have a long way to go in my total acceptance of myself, but I am still well along in my process.
Growing up gay in a small and relatively conservatively minded town had been a real challenge at times, though I never truly felt my safety was threatened at any point. I certainly faced adversity from many sources throughout my high school years, and made the decision to wait until starting college to be honest with others about my sexuality.
Long story short- its been really good for the most part. Most of my friends were supportive and loving and everything I would ever want them to be. It was certainly hard to hear from a few of them that they actively disapproved of my “lifestyle choices” but as I always say, “Don’t agree with gay marriage? Then don’t get one!” How is it that my marriage makes yours any less legitimate?
I feel that the LGBT class was certainly helpful and eye opening, certainly to those who hadn’t been especially exposed to LGBT issues before. For my group of friends and myself, we felt it was more of a “Homosexuality: For Dummies”- but then again, we’re all theatre majors, so a solid 1/3 of our friends are members of the LGBT Community. There certainly things that I learned in that class however, and Sam made interesting and legitimate comparisons between the struggle of LGBT individuals and individuals of color. As always, I walked away feeling engaged, interested, challenged and as always, proud to be who I am.
I’m glad that Sam gave us the option to post about his class. I completely agree that this was a very important discussion to have. In a class that focuses on accepting people and overcoming prejudices, to ignore lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues would be neglectful. This class opens our eyes to many topics in today’s world that people often ignore. I think that, especially if a person is homophobic, that this class was necessary in pointing out that there are people everywhere that differ from our own sexuality and it is important to accept these differences in the same ways that it is important to accept racial differences.
Something that really popped out to me during this blog post was the fact that it doesn’t affect me or Sam or anyone if a person is gay. What do two men getting married mean to me? Nothing. And that’s how it should be. Anyone has the right to get married. Just because I am straight and plan on marrying a man, that doesn’t mean that I should have a say in who someone else can marry. It is not important. Nor should it be.
Another thing that I had never really considered was sex. I had always interpreted sex as the physical intercourse and never about the emotion behind it. I found this realization very significant. People never consider the love that does come with “making love” and I think that this discussion really opened everyone’s eyes.
Sam has never been afraid to say what he thinks. I think that his openness is one of the most important aspects of this class. It is easy for all of us to think whatever we want, but his willingness to say it out loud proves that he is truly more open than all of us. We took this class because we were curious, and what we’ve learned will truly stay with us.
All these things are very common. A large percent of the population is gay. This country is a melting pot for different races. I think that discussing all these things in an open and realistic way makes Sam who he is and the class as impactful as it is.
I was personally very interested in the class. Every time a new subject is brought into this class, I am amazed. I live my life very open and accepting, but truthfully, this class brings that to a whole nother level. I don’t even realize all the things happening in the world. I do not even consider some of the things people go through. Whether the topic is race or sexuality, I think all of these things being brought into perspective have changed the way I look at the world.
Although society today is doing a good job moving forward with open minds about gay people and their rights, it unfortunately still has a long way to go and I believe this change is not moving quick enough either. There are still too many people again gay rights and gay marriages. What I don’t understand is why people think that they have absolutely any say in how another person chooses to live their life. Where do they come off thinking that they own the only truth? Also, I don’t understand why there are people that are constantly offended by the acts of gay people as well. How can one person be affected by what another person does to themselves. If gay people choose to get married, it has no effects whatsoever on the lives of any other person. It will have to significant impact on anyone else. It would simply be the choice of two people who have committed themselves into a loving relationship and choose each other to share the rest of their lives with. For someone to deny this to anyone is down right wrong and absurd.
I think it’s so interesting when people say that they are against the lifestyle that gay people have. Although it’s interesting to hear their thoughts, it’s also hard for me to hold conversations with homophobic people who are so closed off to LGBTA issues. I really like what Sam mentioned in class last week about people enjoying watching gay sexual acts in porn such as two girls kissing but are totally repulsed by the idea that two girls wanted to have a loving relationship in real life. It shows the great hypocrisy and the double standards that people in this country have when it come to LGBTA issues.
Because I have a gay uncle, I have had more experiences that have opened my mind to certain issues. It wasn’t easy to find out that I have a gay relative but then I snapped back to reality. What did it matter that he was gay? He was the same loving fun guy who cares about and loves my family. It was interesting to see my reaction to this news and how I took a step back for a moment. Even I had some hesitation and questions in my head about how my relationship with my uncle would change unit I realized that it doesn’t matter. This is why I can say that I understand why some might be hesitant about gay people and gay rights because it’s something new and strange to them but they need to remember to keep and open mind and remember always to value people no matter what.
I think that the LGBT lecture was certainly interesting. It is one of the most provocative things to be talked about in one of my classes since I began my college career about 3 and a half years ago. I am both glad and disappointed that this conversation took place. I am glad because it was the kind of thought that I have waited to experience for 3 years. I am disappointed because it took so long. When coming to college, I thought that higher education crossed those boundaries that high school had strictly set. I thought that free thought flowed throughout every campus, and students and teachers alike weren’t afraid to “go there”. Sam’s words during this lecture were certainly interesting…and so truthful. He shouldn’t be afraid to express what he feels. I am almost positive that a high percentage of students have thought about the same sex in “that way”. I can definitely see that being true, and it is sad (but reasonable) that we as humans are afraid to express such thoughts. It frustrated me so much that during class, so many students were so wrapped up in Sam’s odd confessions that they could not grasp the messages he was trying to get across to each and every student. It is so high school to giggle, laugh, and be so “grossed out” and “weirded out” by what an actual honest person is laying out for them. Sam successfully weirded out an entire lecture hall (or most of it)…but he enlightened me. Also, he made me a little more comfortable in my own skin that day. He was real that day, and that day I walked out of that classroom feeling real as well. Even more frustrating than the lecture was the group discussion that followed it. People are so grossed out and uncomfortable about talking about this that they do not pay enough attention to such a topic to even formulate rational thoughts on it. I am definitely a person who is all for listening to people’s view on topics, but some people are just regurgitating the views of their parents…and it is so obvious. How is it possible to think that homosexuality is both acquired and genetic? There is gay or not gay, and there is only one way to get there. I believe that there are experimental people, but they do not necessarily consider themselves gay. These people are “confused”. “Confuse” to me means one of two things: They are either sexually exploring (bisexual) or they are afraid to admit that they are exclusively attracted to the same sex (homosexuality). The latter does not say that they just became gay. It says that they are just now coming to terms wit something they knew most of their lives.
Who cares! I still have not figured out why everyone cares so freaking much about what makes other people happy. When it comes to lesbian, gay, bisexual transgendered issues I could care less about what other people chose to be it does not in any way effect what I chose to do with my life or how I chose to live it. I have had family and friends around me my whole life that were gay and lesbian and I had there girlfriends and boyfriends coming and going just as if they were a straight couple. Their break ups were no easier or harder than that of a straight couple. I mean of course as a small child would ask my mom why Liz and Tina kisses because it wasn’t something I had seen every day but once I was told I was o ok she loves her I understand that. And after that it was once again normal. I think the best part of that class was not the fact that we were talking about an uncomfortable issue it was the fact that Sam was asking us to look at another persons perspective and think about how the world and society says that it is so accepting an as far as I can see that is not true. I see this in situations that do not even include LGBT issues. I have a tattoo that could possible be visible, it is on my foot. Disney world will not hire me because of my multiple piercings and possibly visible tattoo that is fine if that is their policy until they claim to be so diverse and understanding. They were the first company to give benefits to lesbian and gay couples but they wont hire me because of something that is on my skin. How in anyway does it affect them what I look like!
I understand it’s a point of being professional and im not saying that Cinderella should have a tattoo on her forehead but why does it matter if the server at the restaurant has a tattoo on his arm, it doesn’t. I just think that this shows that the world is hypocritical in its thinking yea we try to move forward with change and diversity but at the same time people are still assuming that stereotypes that were put in place many years ago are true is ridiculous to say the least. I think tattoos and piercings show individualality not that you’re a “bad” person or “partier.” While being in the LGBT community is not a choice you make but are born with you chose to put these things on your body and that shows it must be something you wanted for one reason or another.
I agreed with Sam when he said that America supposed to be a “freedom” country, however there’s still discrimination against homosexual. Why is that? Just like what Sam said, if gay couples got married, what does that do to us? It has nothing interfering with our lives at all. It’s actually their lives and they can do whatever they want with it. Maybe their families can have party and opinions in it but who are we to say that they can or they cannot married. I think it is very stupid that in some state gay married are allowed but in some don’t. I mean come on, America is one country, and how can there be a different law for each state. If that is the case then why don’t we just split each state in to their own individual countries? That way the homosexual couples won’t have to travel from state to state just to get married.
Moreover, Hypocrites really upset me. Some people will be saying that they hate homosexual so much, but they would get turn on when they see homosexual couples make out and so on. What is that all about? I mean come on, if you hate them, then really hate them. Just choose a side, don’t just be in the middle. I have seen it before when people have no problem with lesbian couples but they make such a big deal out of gay couples. What is that suppose to mean!? So are you against homosexual or are you not? What is the different between female and male homosexual. The couples are still of the same sex. You should not discriminate against one another. Just because they are guys, so that makes them not allowed to be in love with person from the same sex? We are no one. We cannot judge people from their sexual orientation. Again, America is country of freedom. That’s why so many people migrated here. Let’s keep it that way where everyone have no business in other people lives. It cannot be that hard just to stuck with your own business. My life is already busy enough. I don’t have time to think about that gay couples are getting married. My time worth a lot more than that. If they are fine with it and if that is what they want then good for them. I am very open to homosexual because I have a lot of friends back home who are like that and they are just as good as any other straight friends I have. It really pissed me off when I heard people talking trash about homosexual and they know nothing nor ever experiences anything about it.
This comment is totally stream-of-consciousness and all over the place.
Relevant video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSh1D3CZaW4 interesting/funny at 3:00, but relevant part at 3:40…
Wanda’s point- that voting against gay rights is voting for discrimination stating it like that makes it so clear. I was for full rights for LGBT people before, but when you say it like that, how can anyone be against it?
On ‘don’t ask don’t tell’: Since the military isn’t democratic, it is the perfect organization to start the trend. Honestly, if you are willing to lay down your life in the pursuit of something that someone ‘above you’ has deemed would benefit the citizens of this country…or would make the world a better place…or whatever, you should be allowed to be open and honest with who you are. You have enough mental issues to deal with without having to worry if you are going to be discharged because you spoke about your significant other.
One of the most interesting moments in class all semester (including the 9/11 class which I loved), was the reaction to the picture of the (gay) married couple kissing. One loud outburst by someone who was surprised and taken aback, followed by a wave of nervous laughter. Wow. I think that is more telling than what anyone would have said.
Something that has been brought up in passing in class that I think bears retelling is that some people are (might be) uncomfortable with LGBT because they are uncomfortable with their own sexuality. SO TRUE.
In discussion we were talking about ‘gaydar’, and what alerts you to the fact that someone might be gay… for me something that I often find among people who are LGB is that they are very confident with their sexuality. It is who they are, and they are ok with it. Many straight people don’t think about their sexuality, many are slightly to very uncomfortable talking about it.
In discussion I related a story about a period of my life where I was unsure whether I was lesbian or not because I was scared shitless of guys and therefore completely unable to conceive ever being physically intimate with one. (Abuse can do that to you…who knew?) SO I had to confront the reality that as a human, I am a sexual being. And through this discovery and healing I had a chance to think about sexuality in a way most people never do. It turns out that I am attracted to guys, but I could totally understand being intimate with a girl. Ultimately it is not about gender, it is about the person.
As a note on yet another topic, you can’t compare being gay to being black and which is worse. You can’t. You can lump them together with women as minority groups that have been discriminated against, but as far as putting them on a scale….you can’t. It’s like trying to compare levels of abuse….you can’t do that either. For some people giving them a hug makes them uncomfortable….you can’t ever qualify someone else’s experience and deem it ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than yours. If you were living that life, to you it might be better, but to them it might totally suck. You can’t really judge their life. Let them live it and if you do judge, keep it inside your head.
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I thought the class about LGBT issues was one of the most interesting classes this year. It definitely made me think about these topics and examine why and how I think what I do.
I do not have a problem with people choosing to be gay; that is a personal choice that each individual is free to make. However, I do not support gay marriage. The Bible defines marriage as that between and man and woman. I would consider myself a religious person and strongly support my church’s anti-same-sex marriage beliefs. However, if people are going to live gay lifestyles, that is fine by me. I do get uncomfortable when I witness gay and lesbian PDA, because I don’t personally support it. Being straight, I do not understand how some people can be attracted to someone of the same sex. It doesn’t make sense in my mind, but like I said before sexual orientation is a personal choice that shouldn’t be influenced by others.
Sam is very good about pointing out hypocrisy, which I definitely think is a good thing. It makes us think about how we are all hypocrites at some point or another. During the LGBT lecture, I’m pretty sure that mostly everyone, including myself, got called out for being a hypocrite. When Sam talked about the sins from Corinthians, homosexuality was listed among fornication, drunkenness, and sodomy. How many people commit these sins yet condemn homosexuality? This lecture definitely opened my eyes to the equivalence of these sins in God’s eyes. Sam was exactly right when he said that we point out and criticize the things that we don’t do, never acknowledging that we may be just as sinful. I’m not sure how this problem can be solved however. People, including myself, tend to stick with what they believe, and I somewhat doubt that they will change their ways just in the name of not being a hypocrite.
One topic that especially made me think was the issue of choosing to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Do people really choose to be gay, or are they born that way? I believe that people choose to be gay and that God would not create someone like that. Seeing that the Bible and my faith reject homosexuality, I do not think that people are born as gays. However, Sam brought up a good point that you see many young children that already seem to be gay. At such a young age, one does not truly know what being gay means and I doubt that they can consciously choose something like their sexual orientation. I still believe that being gay is a choice, but this topic definitely made me think about my beliefs and why I believe what I do.
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When Sam says that a class is going to be one of the best of the semester, I am usually anxious to see what he has in store for us. I was actually really pleased with the way in which Sam handled this class. It is a delicate topic that is tabooed in some of our cultures, and he did an excellent job getting his point across to everyone.
LGBT issues are something I have debated over because I consider myself a strong Christian. I am told that homosexuality is a sin, yet I have never really had a problem LGBT issues from a sociological standpoint. That is why I really liked the way Sam began class with the 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 verses, and that he laid out all that this entailed. He used the sins of fornication, idolatry, adultery, covetousness, reviling, extortion, drunkenness, thievery, sodomy, as well as homosexual sex, to show us that we have all committed sins that will block our way to Heaven. I think that this was effective because many of these sins are ones that have been committed by college students on a regular basis, and this opens them up to the understanding that homosexuality is no different.
It was also interesting when he began to compare heterosexual relations with that of homosexual relations. He said that those people who identify as heterosexual have the ability to dabble in homosexual acts or viewpoints, but they do not have to change that identity that they have. This is the same with LGBT. They can experiment with heterosexual acts without leaving their homosexual identity. This is where I agree with Sam that we are all a little bisexual. It is extremely rare to find someone who is COMPLETELY straight or COMPLETELY gay. As Sam said, people who identify one way will be aroused by porn of the other sexual orientation. Therefore, how can anyone be COMPLETELY one sexual orientation?
At this point in our culture and society, I believe it is rare to find anyone who does not know someone else who identifies as LGBT. It is becoming more accepted, even if giving them the right to marry is not. So is being gay a choice? There are many who believe it to be so. But if you actually ask someone you know who is gay if he chose to be so, odds are he will tell you that he did not. Many homosexuals struggle for so long to reveal their sexual orientation because of all the stigmas that go along with that identity. I know of one boy from my friend’s church who considered himself a strong Christian, yet he struggled with accepting the fact that he was gay. He knew that his religion preached that this was a sin, yet what could he do? He cried himself to sleep every night trying to resolve this conflict. Does this sound like someone who chose this pain and heartache? I believe that one does NOT choose to be homosexual. Nor does one choose to be straight. We are born that way, and we cannot help to whom we are attracted. So if we cannot change our attractions, why is it that those who are straight, being the majority, feel the need to constantly suppress those who are homosexual? Are they afraid that their own sexuality is in danger? That seems as though they should look within themselves to resolve the issue instead of blaming and shaming the LGBT. Nor is it okay for the government to regulate who may marry and who may not. What is the legal basis for banning gay marriage? I’m not sure, but I bet it’s pretty flimsy.
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The class I believe Sam Richards is referring to was the class talk about lesbians and gays in society today. Sam basically came out to the class in a statement something like “If my wife passed away I would be with a man.” I think this statement caused a lot of different emotions to run through the classroom. Many people I spoke with following this statement were surprised, shock, and even a little confused. I personally was not shocked by this statement coming from Sam Richards but was definitely confused. As far as I was concerned he was a straight man who loved his wife who had experienced much more than anyone in our class. He was therefore extremely open-minded and willing to share himself in order to further our thinking of race and topics such as homosexuality. So I was to put it simply, very confused. Is he straight is he gay? He kept talking about the situations saying he doesn’t look at other women, and often looks at men walking down the street.
He then says his wife to him is perfection and no other woman could replace her and that’s why he would turn to men. We talked about this comment in my race relations group the following day. It was a great discussion about sex and homosexuality and a lot of goods points were brought up. Some people felt that although this may sound sweet and romantic, in the no one else but you way, it is also what someone referred to as extremely “creepy”. I personally would not want to know that my husband would often think about other men with me. However, once again, there is the double standard. Would I want my husband thinking about other women? Would that be less “creepy”. I guess there are two ways to look at this situation and everyone must decide for themselves what they rather their spouse or loved one do. They can both be happy that their husband is not comparing them to other women and let their husbands think about other men, or let their husbands compare you to other women and not men. I almost feel that it is more hurtful to be compared to another woman. I just know personally women are very self-conscious about those situations. However, I would not want my husband having homosexual thoughts when he was with me.
Everyone is different and everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions. During my race relations discussion group I heard some things I never expected to hear because they were so honest in regards to feelings against homosexuality. I realized to be openly against homosexuality is not easy in some places today. So if we are all pretending to be ok with homosexuality does that make our society any better than a society really against it.
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The class about LGBT issues triggered many of my emotions about the topic. I don’t find myself talking about these issues everyday, so it was interesting having a class like this with a professor like Sam who isn’t afraid to talk about those ideas. The thing he said that had me the most intrigued was his opinion about gay “marriage” as opposed to gay “unions.” The comic he showed had a very strong message to go along with Sam’s comments. We hear about (or at least see in movies) people getting married in Las Vegas after a wild night, getting married after finding out the guy got the girl pregnant, and getting married for financial or family-related reasons. All of those are called “marriages.” And most of these sorts of “marriages” do not involve love. I think if a random person were to be stopped in the street and asked to define marriage, they would say something like, “a man and a woman who love each other get together to finally tie the knot.” This would have been my response before this class, at least. But the difference between the couple in Vegas and a gay couple that wants to get married is usually that the two gay men actually love each other. Still, the couple from Vegas can be legally wed anywhere. Only a few states would allow the gay couple to be legally wed. If you make the comparison of homosexuality to race, it’s weird to think of why only five states allow gay marriage. What if the government decided that people of color were not allowed to get married in certain states? Why does it seem as if America has made strides towards becoming racially accepting, but homosexuality is still discriminated against? If two gay people are passionately in love and want to make it official, how are they any different from a man and a woman deeply in love? If I were asked what the definition of marriage was after sitting through the class on LGBT issues, I would say, “two people who love each other get together and tie the knot.” People often argue that gay marriages make straight marriages less authentic, but I think that people getting married who aren’t in love make marriages less legitimate. People should get married because they’re in love- that’s what makes a marriage so beautiful. The picture Sam showed with the two guys kissing looked like the two men were in love. It’s the phony marriages in Vegas that belittle real marriages. Maybe they felt as if they were in love at the time because they were intoxicated, but in reality, they were not. It’s the idea of hypocrisy that Sam keeps emphasizing. Gay marriage doesn’t affect me, so why should it be banned for any two people who are in love?
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Tuesday’s class on LGBT issues was by far my favorite class this semester. Essentially, we all at least know one person who is gay, or we have friends who are gay, or friends with gay parents. I accept all aspects of sexuality and don’t see anything wrong with those specific relationships. I’m not particularly religious and I never really quite understand why God has to be brought into a LGBT discussion because as Sam said, God doesn’t make mistakes. My impression of God, and what I’ve heard all my life from my grandmother, is that he loves all his children. What I don’t understand is why statements like that are made and then contradicted under certain circumstances. If God creates everything and sets our course in life, doesn’t that mean that homosexuality has a purpose? It honestly makes no sense to me. I also don’t understand why gay marriage can’t just be legalized. Who does it affect if two men or two women decide to get married? Why should someone be denied a marriage license just because someone might feel uncomfortable? Does having a gay couple living next door to you really affect your life or hurt your family? No, it doesn’t. So why is it such an issue? They’re going to be together either way and live their lives the way they want to, so why not just let them tie the knot, say some vows, and share a last name? The world is changing generation by generation. I feel as if a majority of my generation is tolerant of homosexuality and many believe that gay marriage shouldn’t be such a huge deal. But, then again, I also grew up with people who think the same way as me and never really heard the other side of the story. It really bugs me when religion is brought into these kinds of discussions because I feel that religion isn’t everything, or at least it shouldn’t be. I feel as if we should all be able to think without any restrictions of what the Bible says. I feel that God shouldn’t even be brought into a discussion such as this one especially since not all of us in this country may believe in him. Why should strict religion dictate our way of life here? I also find myself wondering what someone who is a firm believer in God would say to someone who is transgendered and feels completely uncomfortable in his or her skin. Or what if they had a friend who already had an operation to become the other sex and never knew about it, and one day found out? I feel like these kinds of things shouldn’t even be issues anymore.
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LGBT issues are ones I particularly care about, being that I am of the Christian faith I believe they are going to burn in hell anyway. That is their preference or some even believe they were born that way which is quite possible. I don’t feel as if the LGBT community should be awarded certain privileges that are given to the regular society. I disagree on them having legalized marriages and being able to adopt children. LGBT community should have the rights originally in the constitution based on morality standards.
The first issue about LGBT’s that I will comment on is the God factor. People often believe that there are different levels of sin and different ruling for the kind, that is false. A sin is a sin is a sin, meaning they all are equivalent. Yes, everyone sins its impossible not to sin, since no one person is perfect. Then people say well God would not make such people who will be termed damnation. If you knew the Bible or have read it then you will know God gives humans free will, and humans erased the perfect world with the first sin of earth. The sin in which God specifically told Eve not to commit was not to eat the forbidden fruit.
Another factor playing into the way I feel or may comment on LGBT people is that I am what you could call a homophobe, meaning I am afraid of gays. The only main reason I may be a homophobe is that one it’s nasty, but honestly because of my religion and moral beliefs. It’s just immorally wrong, disgusting, deceiving, and inhumane. I think that it is their right to be gay, but at the same time I feel as if they should be inclined to tell you in different situations. This could be just because of my phobia, however I feel that if I am playing a contact sport such as football or basketball. I feel that if they congratulate by a traditional slap on the butt and are gay and I don’t know that that is a cheap shot at their arousal at my expense unknowingly. They should have to share that information in that case.
The main topic I feel uncomfortable about are transgender people. That is one of the most deceptive things in life I have ever heard of. That is the ultimate dishonest thing anyone could do to another person in the pursuit of happiness. Personally, my view of LGBT groups is that they are deceptive, manipulative people who think that it is ok to do such things. Especially with technology nowadays able to do miraculous things and the ability to change someone completely is wrong. I believe that it should be illegal and not allowed.
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I don’t understand at all why anyone has a problem with same-sex marriage. I completely agree with Sam that it does not affect anyone, so I don’t see why anyone has a problem with it. I don’t think that anybody has the right to judge which marriages are appropriate and which ones are not. If we wanted to look into every marriage than I’m more than positive that there are same-sex marriages that are a lot more safe and loving than some straight marriages. In my opinion, I think marriage should be between two people that love each other and support each other and that should be enough. It shouldn’t matter who the marriage is between, as long as it is a healthy devoted relationship.
It makes me mad that everyone prides America on freedom and equality, yet when there is something not of the norm, that freedom and equality becomes restricted. What’s the difference between same-sex marriage and interracial marriages or interreligious marriages? They are all different that “the usual” but it is still a relationship between two people that love each other. People should seriously just be happy that others are finding love, and stop questioning what is right or wrong about the love. It’s really nobody’s business unless it is affecting somebody, which it’s not. Everyone should have a right to their own personal lives, and if that personal life includes homosexuality, then so be it. It honestly boggles my mind that anyone can even question the issue of whether same-sex marriages should be allowed. Many straight people get married every day, and I’m pretty sure nobody is questioning the validity of those marriages.
I especially don’t understand when people say that homosexual couples can have a “union” but not a marriage. What the hell is a union? Are we really going to start creating special terms for things, just so same-sex couples can’t have the same things that we do? I just think it’s so stupid when people justify that they’re not against same-sex partnerships as long as they can’t get married. The definitions of a marriage and a union can almost be interchangeable, so why do we need this new thing specifically for homosexual couples? I just don’t understand why it is anyone’s business in the first place to tell homosexuals what they can and cannot do. Love is love; nobody should have to be restricted.
It’s hard enough for homosexuals to come out about their sexuality, and even harder to find someone to share love with. Think about it. The homosexual dating pool is tremendously smaller than the heterosexual dating pool, and there are still many heterosexuals that can’t seem to find “the one.” If a homosexual finally finds someone that they love and want to share a life with, I don’t think that anybody has the right to stop them.
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There is a lot of controversy about lesbian gay bisexual and transgender issues. There are people in this country that believe that all Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are immoral and sinners. Even though there are many people that believe this there are also some like Sam that believe that there is nothing wrong with Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people because what a person does in there life doesn’t affect you at all then you shouldn’t be bothered by it at all. While I look at both sides of this argument I find myself somewhere in the middle. I believe that Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should have the same rights as any other person but I find myself drawing a line on some issues. I think that they should have the same rights as a married couple but I have a hard time calling there union a marriage because I feel like marriage is a religious thing and all popular religions are against gay unions. Although there not called marriages I think that they should have the same rights as a straight couple. For example they could visit their sick partner in the hospital or inherit their money when they die. I also cannot watch public displays of affection, I know it’s not a big deal but I just can’t stand watching it. I hope someday I can get past this but for now I can’t.
There are many other issues gay lesbian bisexual and transgender people face. Companies and employers sometime discriminate against Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and refuse to give them a job. I feel like this is one of the worse discriminating things. To refuse somebody a job based on the sexual orientation is a horrible hate crime. Hey are not hurting the company at all and are just as qualified as straight people. Another problem Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people face is the military does not except gays in their organization. They use a system called don’t ask don’t tell. This means that as long as you don’t tell anybody that you’re gay you can still join. This has to be one of the stupidest things I have ever heard of. If a gay person wants to defend this country and is willing to sacrifice their time and potential their life there should be no reason why they can’t join the military. Sam said during class that they took a survey of top ranking military officials and asked them if gays joined the military would the moral of the troops fall. According to this survey the moral would not be affected at all. I believe someday that These issues will be fixed and people will live in peace.
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The issue of discrimination and persecution against gays and lesbians truly breaks my heart. I really enjoyed what Sam had to say in lecture on LGBT issues. He presented the material in a way that provoked me to really think about the issue at hand, and when I left class, the issues that gays face didn’t seem quite as insurmountable as I had once thought. The data and the statistics about corporations accepting gay and lesbian coworkers were really astounding to me. To see how far we’ve come in accepting these issues as well as race issues is really encouraging to hear about. I can only hope that we as a society continue to move in the same direction.
As a Christian, it has been drilled into my head over and over again to despise homosexuals and to disapprove of their practices. But I’ve always struggled with agreeing to do so. I have a very close uncle who is now one of my best friends that is openly gay. It took me years to figure this out, but once I did, my view of him didn’t change. He’s still one of my best friends and one of my closest family members. When I hear preachers or people in general condemning homosexuals, it makes my skin crawl. I believe in a God whose love is endless and limitless. He doesn’t discriminate. I believe that we are all sinners, and that God loves us despite the sins that we will continue to commit for the rest of our lives. Why should this issue be any different? And just like Sam said, I believe that God doesn’t make mistakes. Maybe there’s a purpose that God meant for this that we simply can’t see or understand yet. I believe that whether a person is born gay or chooses to be gay, God will still forgive him or her. I believe that Christ knows us better than ourselves, and loves us anyway. When we accept Him as our Lord, His love covers all of our transgressions and faults. We are all handicapped in different ways, but He will still love us, no matter what our sins may be.
I’ve always had a tough time thinking about why any form of love could be wrong in the eyes of society. I really liked the comic strip that Sam posted on one of his lecture slides about all of the ways that marriage is abused, yet accepted of and perfectly legal. The cartoon laid out the issue at hand and very simply pointed out the flaws in arguing against gay marriage. I believe that two people who are committed to each other should have the right to love each other freely and to receive the same legal benefits as heterosexual couples.
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The class we had last week was nuts. Like it blew my mind.
We talked about a lot of things that I found interesting. The two things I want to write about are freedom of expression and bisexuality.
Freedom of expression is something that is “guaranteed” in our country. But is it actually guaranteed when gays and lesbians can’t even express their love? This debate doesn’t even come down to the legalization of gay marriage. I’m solely referring to the acceptance of gay and lesbians in the community. Gays and lesbians walking down the street without being stared at, gays and lesbians allowed to kiss in public without parents covering their kids eyes, stuff like that. Like why is it different than any other couple kissing or holding hands. I held hands with all my best friends at summer camp basically since I was 10 to 17, and that wasn’t ok because our camp director thought that my group of friends was sending a bad message to the younger campers. What was that message? That we were all lesbians? No. perhaps it was that we freely expressing our loving friendship by holding hands?
I started reading “Crossing The Blvd.” and there is one section that so far has really stood out to me the most. It was the section about the six different stories about women from China who practiced the Falun Gong exercises. These six different stories told of such a time period that I never even knew existed. The Falun Gong exercises were established and promoted off of three basic concepts to teach practitioners new ways of living, healing, and being.
The six women in the story were each tortured mentally and/or abusively. One women, I don’t remember her name had to do drugs and have her daughter watch her. Then her husband was questioned and was made to divorce her. The stories talked about how each of the women chose the practice over the government’s rules to ban the practice.
I do not understand at all how this could have possibly been banned from a society. Like seriously, that’s like banning yoga, and no one would do that here? Why was it such a big deal!
This reminds me of gays and lesbians expressing their love to each other because I feel like I do about the stories of the six women because gays and lesbians and each of these women were / are fighting for understanding. Not even acceptance, but more so just an understanding of why some people feel the way that they do.
Just to say a little about my feelings about bisexuality: I agree with sam , I think that all people are definitely bisexual.
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First of all, I want to say that it was a very interesting class. I am from abroad, and I am not used to my teachers being so direct and personal when they teach. I do actually like it though. The first thing that comes to my mind after listening, and reading some of the other blogs is that I completely agree, that what other people do, in their private lives and as long as it is not directly harmful to anyone else, should be kept private. Maybe it is because I myself do not care much about who other people share their bed with, however, it is just so hard for me to understand how anyone can be offended by other peoples business. I have a friend who actually throws up when he reads or hears about gay people having sex, and I just cant understand how this can be?
During class when Sam said, we are all bisexual, was very interesting for me. I consider myself a heterosexual woman, however, since I was younger I have always thought that other women can be beautiful and attractive, too. I have never denied the possibility of being with another women, however, it just so happens that I am mostly attracted to guys and find them more interesting. But of course, I think we have all tried to be facinated or admire someone with the same sex, and thats not wrong, it does not make us any less of a person.
One of the reason why it is so hard for me to be religious, is that my impression is that most religions are so judgemental and limiting. When Sam showed us the powerpoints about the sins of the bible, I think most of us were shocked to see that we are all sinners and we are all going to hell. Come on now, of course we are not! We are not sinners, we are humans.
In general, I consider myself as being very openminded but I have experienced situations where this Lesbian/gay issue is problematic. Often if I walk on the street and meet a gay couple, I do not know if look at them or to look the other way. I mean, both things could be interpreted as wrong, and I really do not want to give anyone a wrong impression of how I feel about them. My last thoughts are basically conneceted to my idea of !who are we to judge and limit love”. Love is beautiful, I dont care if its Man and Woman, Woman and Woman, or Man and man. As long as people are happy, why cant other people just mind their own business, and maybe even manage to be happy on behalf of others.
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WHEW! This was definitely one of the most intense classes thus far. I legitimately did not have any words after the discussion. My mind was wandering off in SO many directions I truly did not have a clue what I even wanted to focus on. I personally am a strong supporter and believer in equal rights for all people whether they are straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender and after this class I kind of had to just take a step back and ponder about it. I love how Sam tears down barriers and defy social norms to actually say how things are and how he truly feels about issues. I actually walked home from this class reconsidering and just intensely thinking about my perspectives, gender roles, and overall internal feelings of these LGBT issues. I was compelled to fully encompass my gender role and determine whom I truly was. It was really empowering how Sam opened up and admitted that he himself is attracted to some men, but it doesn’t really hinder the way he feels about women in any way shape or form, especially his wife. Although he is attracted to men, it doesn’t necessarily make him love his wife any more or less.
I honestly was never a believer in choosing to be gay, bi-sexual, or tranny nor do I think you are born with these inclinations. I agree with Sam that these are feelings that people experience at some point in their lives. Some people just experience them more intensely and may choose to act upon these inclinations, arousals or feelings. The thing I don’t understand still or rather am not comfortable with is the different levels of “queerness” or being gay. The fact that the people who classify themselves as transgender feel that they are trapped in the wrong being and are usually compelled to the same sex as they are even though they believe they are man or woman or vice versa doesn’t technically make them gay or does it? I mean my feelings on the whole issue of “being gay” don’t hide who you are and don’t be afraid to express your feelings due to the judgment of other people. We only have this one life (as far as we know) to live here on earth SO LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST and be happy, don’t worry about what society burdens you with, be strong enough to overcome it. For example for a man to marry a woman or vice versa just to say to society hey look I’m straight I’m normal but then go off and have affairs or fiend for the same sex all the time is just simply absurd. I personally have experienced and dealt with gays for a majority of my teenage and now adult years and I have accepted these people as normal, and some are even my best of friends. A lot of the girls I went to high school with tried the whole gay/bi experiment thing and I just thought that to be wrong because in a way I felt like they offended people of that sexual orientation just because they wanted to try something new.
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Personally, I’m a pretty open person when it comes to my sexuality. If anyone wants to talk about sex, sexual feelings, controversial or ultra personal… I don’t get shy. Sam said in November 6th’s class (probably the best, eye-opening class ever) that we all have homoerotic feelings, even if we are straight. I am a straight young woman. I’ll admit it: I find other girls attractive, which is pretty common – no matter what people claim to feel. I can appreciate a “hot girl” but that doesn’t mean I’m going to seek her out and try to have sex with her!
When Sam brought up the fact that he thinks we should try gay sex once in our lives – I will admit that I’ve thought about it. As have most girls AND guys (despite admission of this…). I might be the only person to admit it on this blog, but when Sam said that we are all a little bit bisexual, I can’t help but agree. I am not romantically attracted to other women whatsoever, but the sexual curiosity is there. And I truly feel that this curiosity is a prominent aspect in many people’s lives. I’m sure religious view and shame also plays a part in why this curiosity is usually hidden. But I am willing to admit my curiosity because it doesn’t mean that I will act on it – it’s just human nature!
I’m sure that people struggle dealing with having these feelings and especially admitting them – but regardless… they are there. Not many people act on it or even entertain the idea because of views on being “gay” and the fear of how they will be judged. But according to Sam, the people who judge the most and act the most disgusted by this are usually the ones entertaining suppressed homoerotic thoughts themselves.
Sexuality is just something that is kept “hush-hush” our entire lives. When we’re younger and just discovering ourselves – it’s absolutely a secret, almost shameful thing (depending on your upbringing). I was watching Oprah with my mom and my 8-year-old sister and it was about Ellen and her wife, Portia. My little sister had the typical reaction to this, “SHE HAS A WIFE!?!” and then my mom makes me turn off the program. When I asked her reasoning for this, she told me that she doesn’t want my little sister to know about lesbianism yet because she doesn’t want her to doubt her sexuality at an early age. I see this entire idea differently; I was brought up in a very conservative and sheltered place. I was not educated about sexuality at all by my parents; it was something I found on my own. Being sheltered my whole life did not keep me from believing that we are all somewhat bisexual (no matter how much we are willing to act on it).
In college, sexuality is everywhere. We are just coming to find out who we are as people. I see lesbian and gay couples walking around campus, in the bars and frat parties there are always girls making out (whether this stems from wanting attention from men or bisexual curiosity, I couldn’t tell you.) But my point is IT’S OUT THERE. It’s something that just happens. It’s not something to hide from or be ashamed of. We should embrace it, because it’s not going away. So I guess what I’m trying to say is we have all felt some kind of bisexual feeling at one point in our lives and you’re lying if you say you don’t.
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I have been waiting for the LGBT issues class since the beginning of the semester and first saw that it was on the syllabus. I knew back then that not only would this subject serve as a worthwhile break from our usual class material, but also promote particular heated discussion.
I had been warning my friends for weeks- “this is the class that I’m going to raise my hand in.” Or “Just wait, I’m going to make a comment during that class.” Honestly, because I have been itching to say something all semester, but I feel bad or less legitimate about myself sometimes because I’m usually in the majority.
I find that nearly every time Sam calls out to the class asking all those who are (insert racial minority here) to raise their hand. Usually, I am unable to participate and hence feel like my commentary on any given subject is perhaps less valuable or at least less legitimate than some of my well, “better qualified” peers.
Finally- I would be able to raise my voice about an issue that I felt a part of. I am gay. I’m a 20 year old gay man who is getting steadily more comfortable with his sexuality and his place in the world. I’m out to my friends, a few of my professors, and a select few of my family members. I have a long way to go in my total acceptance of myself, but I am still well along in my process.
Growing up gay in a small and relatively conservatively minded town had been a real challenge at times, though I never truly felt my safety was threatened at any point. I certainly faced adversity from many sources throughout my high school years, and made the decision to wait until starting college to be honest with others about my sexuality.
Long story short- its been really good for the most part. Most of my friends were supportive and loving and everything I would ever want them to be. It was certainly hard to hear from a few of them that they actively disapproved of my “lifestyle choices” but as I always say, “Don’t agree with gay marriage? Then don’t get one!” How is it that my marriage makes yours any less legitimate?
I feel that the LGBT class was certainly helpful and eye opening, certainly to those who hadn’t been especially exposed to LGBT issues before. For my group of friends and myself, we felt it was more of a “Homosexuality: For Dummies”- but then again, we’re all theatre majors, so a solid 1/3 of our friends are members of the LGBT Community. There certainly things that I learned in that class however, and Sam made interesting and legitimate comparisons between the struggle of LGBT individuals and individuals of color. As always, I walked away feeling engaged, interested, challenged and as always, proud to be who I am.
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I’m glad that Sam gave us the option to post about his class. I completely agree that this was a very important discussion to have. In a class that focuses on accepting people and overcoming prejudices, to ignore lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues would be neglectful. This class opens our eyes to many topics in today’s world that people often ignore. I think that, especially if a person is homophobic, that this class was necessary in pointing out that there are people everywhere that differ from our own sexuality and it is important to accept these differences in the same ways that it is important to accept racial differences.
Something that really popped out to me during this blog post was the fact that it doesn’t affect me or Sam or anyone if a person is gay. What do two men getting married mean to me? Nothing. And that’s how it should be. Anyone has the right to get married. Just because I am straight and plan on marrying a man, that doesn’t mean that I should have a say in who someone else can marry. It is not important. Nor should it be.
Another thing that I had never really considered was sex. I had always interpreted sex as the physical intercourse and never about the emotion behind it. I found this realization very significant. People never consider the love that does come with “making love” and I think that this discussion really opened everyone’s eyes.
Sam has never been afraid to say what he thinks. I think that his openness is one of the most important aspects of this class. It is easy for all of us to think whatever we want, but his willingness to say it out loud proves that he is truly more open than all of us. We took this class because we were curious, and what we’ve learned will truly stay with us.
All these things are very common. A large percent of the population is gay. This country is a melting pot for different races. I think that discussing all these things in an open and realistic way makes Sam who he is and the class as impactful as it is.
I was personally very interested in the class. Every time a new subject is brought into this class, I am amazed. I live my life very open and accepting, but truthfully, this class brings that to a whole nother level. I don’t even realize all the things happening in the world. I do not even consider some of the things people go through. Whether the topic is race or sexuality, I think all of these things being brought into perspective have changed the way I look at the world.
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Although society today is doing a good job moving forward with open minds about gay people and their rights, it unfortunately still has a long way to go and I believe this change is not moving quick enough either. There are still too many people again gay rights and gay marriages. What I don’t understand is why people think that they have absolutely any say in how another person chooses to live their life. Where do they come off thinking that they own the only truth? Also, I don’t understand why there are people that are constantly offended by the acts of gay people as well. How can one person be affected by what another person does to themselves. If gay people choose to get married, it has no effects whatsoever on the lives of any other person. It will have to significant impact on anyone else. It would simply be the choice of two people who have committed themselves into a loving relationship and choose each other to share the rest of their lives with. For someone to deny this to anyone is down right wrong and absurd.
I think it’s so interesting when people say that they are against the lifestyle that gay people have. Although it’s interesting to hear their thoughts, it’s also hard for me to hold conversations with homophobic people who are so closed off to LGBTA issues. I really like what Sam mentioned in class last week about people enjoying watching gay sexual acts in porn such as two girls kissing but are totally repulsed by the idea that two girls wanted to have a loving relationship in real life. It shows the great hypocrisy and the double standards that people in this country have when it come to LGBTA issues.
Because I have a gay uncle, I have had more experiences that have opened my mind to certain issues. It wasn’t easy to find out that I have a gay relative but then I snapped back to reality. What did it matter that he was gay? He was the same loving fun guy who cares about and loves my family. It was interesting to see my reaction to this news and how I took a step back for a moment. Even I had some hesitation and questions in my head about how my relationship with my uncle would change unit I realized that it doesn’t matter. This is why I can say that I understand why some might be hesitant about gay people and gay rights because it’s something new and strange to them but they need to remember to keep and open mind and remember always to value people no matter what.
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I think that the LGBT lecture was certainly interesting. It is one of the most provocative things to be talked about in one of my classes since I began my college career about 3 and a half years ago. I am both glad and disappointed that this conversation took place. I am glad because it was the kind of thought that I have waited to experience for 3 years. I am disappointed because it took so long. When coming to college, I thought that higher education crossed those boundaries that high school had strictly set. I thought that free thought flowed throughout every campus, and students and teachers alike weren’t afraid to “go there”. Sam’s words during this lecture were certainly interesting…and so truthful. He shouldn’t be afraid to express what he feels. I am almost positive that a high percentage of students have thought about the same sex in “that way”. I can definitely see that being true, and it is sad (but reasonable) that we as humans are afraid to express such thoughts. It frustrated me so much that during class, so many students were so wrapped up in Sam’s odd confessions that they could not grasp the messages he was trying to get across to each and every student. It is so high school to giggle, laugh, and be so “grossed out” and “weirded out” by what an actual honest person is laying out for them. Sam successfully weirded out an entire lecture hall (or most of it)…but he enlightened me. Also, he made me a little more comfortable in my own skin that day. He was real that day, and that day I walked out of that classroom feeling real as well. Even more frustrating than the lecture was the group discussion that followed it. People are so grossed out and uncomfortable about talking about this that they do not pay enough attention to such a topic to even formulate rational thoughts on it. I am definitely a person who is all for listening to people’s view on topics, but some people are just regurgitating the views of their parents…and it is so obvious. How is it possible to think that homosexuality is both acquired and genetic? There is gay or not gay, and there is only one way to get there. I believe that there are experimental people, but they do not necessarily consider themselves gay. These people are “confused”. “Confuse” to me means one of two things: They are either sexually exploring (bisexual) or they are afraid to admit that they are exclusively attracted to the same sex (homosexuality). The latter does not say that they just became gay. It says that they are just now coming to terms wit something they knew most of their lives.
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Who cares! I still have not figured out why everyone cares so freaking much about what makes other people happy. When it comes to lesbian, gay, bisexual transgendered issues I could care less about what other people chose to be it does not in any way effect what I chose to do with my life or how I chose to live it. I have had family and friends around me my whole life that were gay and lesbian and I had there girlfriends and boyfriends coming and going just as if they were a straight couple. Their break ups were no easier or harder than that of a straight couple. I mean of course as a small child would ask my mom why Liz and Tina kisses because it wasn’t something I had seen every day but once I was told I was o ok she loves her I understand that. And after that it was once again normal. I think the best part of that class was not the fact that we were talking about an uncomfortable issue it was the fact that Sam was asking us to look at another persons perspective and think about how the world and society says that it is so accepting an as far as I can see that is not true. I see this in situations that do not even include LGBT issues. I have a tattoo that could possible be visible, it is on my foot. Disney world will not hire me because of my multiple piercings and possibly visible tattoo that is fine if that is their policy until they claim to be so diverse and understanding. They were the first company to give benefits to lesbian and gay couples but they wont hire me because of something that is on my skin. How in anyway does it affect them what I look like!
I understand it’s a point of being professional and im not saying that Cinderella should have a tattoo on her forehead but why does it matter if the server at the restaurant has a tattoo on his arm, it doesn’t. I just think that this shows that the world is hypocritical in its thinking yea we try to move forward with change and diversity but at the same time people are still assuming that stereotypes that were put in place many years ago are true is ridiculous to say the least. I think tattoos and piercings show individualality not that you’re a “bad” person or “partier.” While being in the LGBT community is not a choice you make but are born with you chose to put these things on your body and that shows it must be something you wanted for one reason or another.
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I agreed with Sam when he said that America supposed to be a “freedom” country, however there’s still discrimination against homosexual. Why is that? Just like what Sam said, if gay couples got married, what does that do to us? It has nothing interfering with our lives at all. It’s actually their lives and they can do whatever they want with it. Maybe their families can have party and opinions in it but who are we to say that they can or they cannot married. I think it is very stupid that in some state gay married are allowed but in some don’t. I mean come on, America is one country, and how can there be a different law for each state. If that is the case then why don’t we just split each state in to their own individual countries? That way the homosexual couples won’t have to travel from state to state just to get married.
Moreover, Hypocrites really upset me. Some people will be saying that they hate homosexual so much, but they would get turn on when they see homosexual couples make out and so on. What is that all about? I mean come on, if you hate them, then really hate them. Just choose a side, don’t just be in the middle. I have seen it before when people have no problem with lesbian couples but they make such a big deal out of gay couples. What is that suppose to mean!? So are you against homosexual or are you not? What is the different between female and male homosexual. The couples are still of the same sex. You should not discriminate against one another. Just because they are guys, so that makes them not allowed to be in love with person from the same sex? We are no one. We cannot judge people from their sexual orientation. Again, America is country of freedom. That’s why so many people migrated here. Let’s keep it that way where everyone have no business in other people lives. It cannot be that hard just to stuck with your own business. My life is already busy enough. I don’t have time to think about that gay couples are getting married. My time worth a lot more than that. If they are fine with it and if that is what they want then good for them. I am very open to homosexual because I have a lot of friends back home who are like that and they are just as good as any other straight friends I have. It really pissed me off when I heard people talking trash about homosexual and they know nothing nor ever experiences anything about it.
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