2. Homosexual
3. Fag
Three words that mean the exact same thing and yet have completely separate and different connotations. To be Gay or Homosexual refers to your gender preferences yet to be called a "Fag" has negative connotations and refers to a sterotype that is not only outdated but completely inappropriate and inaccurate. Gay men are envisioned as flamboyant, colourful, addicted to broadway soundtracks and overtly sexual which is terribly wrong. These people who hold negative views of homosexuality seem to get their images of gay men from television show characters like Sean Hayes' "Jack McPharlen" from NBC's Will and Grace.
Living right in the city in Sydney, I tend to go out once a week or so and therefore I meet a few people, people from all over the country and all of the world. However, one thing that I've noticed about these out-of-towners is their blatant use of the notion that Sydney is the Gay capital of Australia. According to exploregayaustralia, Sydney is
Home of the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Grasheld every year due to its sister partnership with San Francisco. Is that one event the reason for the stereotype on all sydneysiders?
Now I have absolutely no quarrel with a person who chooses to be straight, bi-sexual or gay however, of the people I've met, they seem to have very negative references to Gay people. What seems to be the problem with people who don't choose to like the "traditional" and the "correct" gender?!!? Shouldn't we be caring to all human beings? Regardless of ethnicity, gender or interests?
Taken from Christina Aguilera's music video for "Beautiful" which featured two men kissing
One of my best friends is gay. His name is Dom and he's been there for me through thick and thin. I met him back in high school and despite the fact that for 2 years we lived in countries on opposite sides of the world, he's never faultered to provide me with guidance, love and an ear to listen to all my rants. Never once has my being straight or his being gay ever caused an issue between us. It simply never has come up. Yet the issue of homosexuality comes up in papers everyday,in TV shows multiple times a week and in topics of conversation numerous minutes of the day.
This post was never designed to answer the question but rather start a debate... please if you are reading this and have a view point... share it with me and anyone else who takes the time to read it. It would be interesting to know what people think.
Some starting questions:
* Am I right that people seem to percieve Sydney as the gay capital of Australia?
* Should children be taught about homosexuality in schools?
* Scores of years ago, we were fighting for equal rights for women (i.e.:power to vote), equal rights for all ethnicities and race, shouldn't we have just started by fighting for equal rights for all?
9 comments:
Dude - I live in Melbourne and I have to say that when I think about it my friends and I do think of Sydney as the "gay" city. Wierd
Hi chick,
First of all, thanks for commenting on my post. I'm glad people liked it enough to comment on it (or hated it enough).
Before I comment, let me just say I'm not really an authority on anything other than my own opinion, which is probably just a mix of smarter people's opinions.
Now, to go through your post:
"Gay men are envisioned as flamboyant, colourful, addicted to broadway soundtracks and overtly sexual which is terribly wrong." - I guess that depends on your own definition of Wrong. Not everyone, gay or heterosexual, thinks being flamboyant is wrong, and the same is true for being overtly sexual. Some gay men and women are all these things, and some aren't, but even if they are, since when is sex a bad thing? And what's wrong with Broadway musicals? Some people like scat-jazz or opera or other silly stuff. Some people like to watch car races. I don't get it, but I don't see anything wrong with that.
"These people who hold negative views of homosexuality seem to get their images of gay men from television show characters like Sean Hayes' "Jack McPharlen" from NBC's Will and Grace." - Again, even though he's working hard to be a stereotype in the show, he's still a positive figure; maybe not exactly a role-model, but he's definitely a "good guy." And I'm sure that even though he's a stereotypical character, there are a lot of people who are in many ways similar to him. Nothing wrong with that, either.
"one thing that I've noticed about these out-of-towners is their blatant use of the notion that Sydney is the Gay capital of Australia." - I come from Tel-Aviv, the gay capital of the Middle-East. Unfortunately, Tel-Aviv and Israel in general are known world-wide for other things. I wish the only thing people knew about Tel-Aviv was that it was a gay capital and home to the Israeli gay parade. When you say "blatant use," it means you see something wrong with the portrayal of your city in a certain way, but why should you care? It's not the bird-poop capital of Australia and not the White-Supremacist capital of Australia. I've never been to Sydney but when I was fifteen my family traveled to San-Francisco, where I saw a beautiful bridge and street cars and a lot of young people smiling.
And as for the questions you ask:
1. I never knew that. I heard there's an opera house there.
2. I don't know. My sex-education class was scary to me. I don't even remember what they talked about. I guess if they mention heterosexual sex they should mention homosexual sex. As long as they talk about condoms in either type of sex.
3. As far as I know, that's just politics. The history of the civil rights movement is filled with examples of one group refusing to take on the struggle of other minority groups because of the fear that a country is ready to support them as long as they distance themselves from other groups.
There, that was a long one. Sorry if it's too long or if it sounds preachy. These are just my opinions, and as I said, they're probably not even my own.
Before I start, I really like your blog so please do keep it up. You seem to go for very interesting topic choices.
This comment above, wow i've never seen one quite so long. I think that people in the sun was perhaps a little harsh with his words. For instance, "Gay men are envisioned as flamboyant, colourful, addicted to broadway soundtracks and overtly sexual which is terribly wrong." I happen to agree that there is this stereotype which lingers around gay men. Chick, you did say it is "terribly wrong" and so I thought I would just point that out to People In the Sun. I live just outside the city of Melbourne and I do agree that there is this strange belief that Sydney is hot for the gay and lesbian nightlife. In fact, ask a couple of my friends about Sydney and they would probably describe it rather inpolitically correct as "Gay Town" or something to that effect. Honestly, I don't know where that has come from but its there. With your questions-
1. To an extent, I think so.
2. Why not?
3. Probably, but we learn from our mistakes and "taking the bull by the horns" and simply trying to get equality for all wouldn't have been successful if at all for hundreds of years. Bit by bit works better from my point of view.
-Sam Anders
Wow thanks for the comments guys... "People in the sun" that is a great comment... damn it took a while to read. But I do appreciate it. However just to clarify a couple things.. when i said "one thing that I've noticed about these out-of-towners is their blatant use of the notion that Sydney is the Gay capital of Australia." - I should have made it clear that I was mainly refering to people who come from other parts of Australia. The reason I had said that I met ppl from all over the world was simply to convey the notion that i wasn't limiting my view point to a select group of people but rather i met lots of people and therefore i feel better about making a statement like that.
I've never been to Tel-Aviv and was surprised to learn that it is the gay capital of Israel... so that's something new that you learn everyday. :)
When i said "blatant use," i think you misunderstood my meaning... and that was probably my fault being unclear... i was using it to show the exaggeration that the city recieves. I don't see anything wrong with the portrayal of the city but I don't see why a city or a person for that matter should be labeled due to their gender preferences... it should be known for its opera house or beautiful scenery... that's all.
Finally you said "...portrayal of your city in a certain way, but why should you care?" well Sydney is not my city, i simply live in it. I'm just making a social comment on what I've seen to be true so far. However, i really do appreciate your comment. THANKS A BUNCH. :)
wow i love your blogs..really insightful..this last one really got me thinking..where do you come up with the ideas for your blogs? you raise some interesting points. Keep them coming..oh and by the way..i love jack too ..'just jack'..=)
I did a post on this issue a couple of days ago, "Fascination and Fear" that you might be interested in. Like your writing.
homosexuality is not something someone choses. it's not a sexual choice. it's a sexual orientation. it's different
Yeah I live in canada we are pretty open about this kind of thing. I myself Am a gay teenager !.
I would like to point out thou in reading that whole mumbling of words. It is nice but rather incorrect.
Not once Have I found that being gay was a choice.
It's just how you don't Choose to be straight one morning .
The only thing that is up to us in the matter are two things.
How to act about it. we can be little stereotypes and carry on like idiots and make everyone hate the rest of the gay people. or we can be ourselves and if it turns out a couple people are stereotypes by chance so be it.
And the other thing we have to choose is accepting that we are gay. Most people who come out late in the game are in a long cycle of doubt. They were gay all along but they couldn't live with it and they hide it from the world.
...........................
Hi,
My opinion as a bi/gay (?) individual is this:
First of all I am a scientist myself and I see little or no reason to differ people into homo- and heterosexuals. I think Kinsey's work proved that there is a full continuum of in-between states, men having only/preferedly/sometimes/never sexual intercourse with females and vice versa. Thus, it does not make any sense to sum all these intermediate preferences to either of the 100% sides of the chart.
The second point I want to make is about my personal discovery regarding my sexual preferences. Another commenter said "Most people who come out late in the game are in a long cycle of doubt." and this is definitely true. In fact I am 31 now and still doubting to some degree. When I remember my youth I was attracted by girls for sure, but I also admired always my well-shaped male fellows, then thinking about is as some form of envy. Through my adolescence I did not encounter any sexual relationsship, partly because of my overall shyness, partly because I did not had a strong feeling to do so with a girl and surely because I did not think about doing it with a boy. In my beginning twenties I first thought of myself as a person attracted by the same sex...partly because I got more thrilled by a gay blowjob than anything else, until I had my first sexual experience...with a male :-). It was since then, when I remembered that I also got my first kiss...at the age of around 15...from a boy...though on my face and mainly out of fun. But the important thing I remembered is the utter emotional confusion triggered by this kiss...it took me days to comprehend it. From todays viewpoint everything seems much clearer why this was so.
Is there a conclusion?
Yes...for any one concerned and unsure about his/her sexual orientation...try to get experiences, even if you are shy and insecure in the very beginning. Try to make these experiences early, say in-between the age of 15 and 20, because it will not get simpler if you wait (and you have an awful amount of time as a youngster to hang around for yourself, too). Do not give much about other peoples opinion, especially if they are not very close friends to yours. Do not give a damn on the societies opinion you live in, except maybe you live in a country, where homosexuality is still regarded as criminal.
Merely, do only what you think is right for you, but do it!
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