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It's been an interesting few months in my small town.

Last year I spotted a pair of school girls kissing etc (each other) on their way to school (or maybe they had intended to skip school who knows?).

This year I've walked past same-sex teens holding hands (and not in that best friends way). They where undoubtedly comfortable with each other.

A couple of lasses from the local supermarket where having a snog whiling sharing a cigarette between them.

There have been other examples, but you get the point.

Now, it should be said I am not new to same sex intimacy. I've lived in Australia's largest cities and experienced it all (I'm no shy lad myself).

But I am surprised at seeing it so blatantly displayed in a small country town of 60,000 or less. Progress is good....the agenda roles forth...(snigger)

SOoooo I was wondering how goes the same sex public acceptance in your part of the world?



PS: I know that Xnforums has a same sex section, but when does one decide when a topic is a purely general discussion or a community issue?
For me, since same-sex topics are a nearly every day occurrence I kind of feel it is a general topic. Not having a dig at Roopster or the moderators, just airing my feelings.

From my time spent in Europe ( main land CH) I saw a lot of this kind of thing. For me as an American it was unusual, yet obviously acceptable in the countries I was in. No one else seems to pay any attention, except us Yanks. As far as in this country ,I think it very well maybe acceptable in certain locations yet not wide spread at all. Just an observation.

Yet I found Europe much more tolerant of most things compared to here.

I see your point AIUI - it does seem a little silly to have a GLBT section - exept that is a good place to put news type items such a court cases on gay marriage etc

It is also good that their is a listed GLBT section as many faith forums are biased against gays, it is a way of letting people know that all reasonable people are welcome here - even atheists.

Even atheists? Well, it's about time!!!... (exxclamation points!!)

Here in primitive territory, it's still a closeted affair. However, whatever happened to the days of girlfriends who were not gay, playing together, shopping together, etc.? I think the pressure is on not to look gay or lesbian. This is bible country after all and there are priorities to be upheld.

However, every once in a while I'll see a mixed racial pair (girl/boy friends). At a resturant some months ago a couple walked through the parking lot and some people inside were making ugly comments. These were tenny teens just sharing the day together. But like I said, this is bible country and such open behavior is frowned upon.

Last week hubby and I were eating at a greasy spoon (unchained melody) and some people were talking about how their religion was the only true one and how so many other people were going to hell. I made a point of asking the waitress if there were announcements on her bulletin board for the next Atheist meet-up in the nearby "big city". She said no, and added " I don't see how anyone could be an atheist". The other people there were listening to our conversation. Anyway, I told her it was easy after reading the bible, and she 'bout fell over with open mouth, nothing to say. Before leaving I told her she could find atheist times and locations for meet-ups on the net, just "google" and etc. She seemed totally surprised that atheists were having meetings. "For what" she asked. "For bible study", I said.
"WE do have to keep up with the current trends in religion and all that stuff," and I invited her to visit sometime.

Ahh, life is good when knowledge is expanded to those who lack information they so desperately need.

Carefull Roselyn or you'll give atheists a bad name.

If you keep up this sort of poor conduct well have to excommunicate you from our order. Fancy you consorting with a Believer, in a cafe full of Believers.

We do have standards.....

True enough Sola

I do find a lot of threads regarding the subject get delegated to the GLBT corner of most forums and are often over looked....even by me! You see apart from my sex life (a miserable small part of my life) everything else I do is just like everyone else.

Try Australia, we have a huge gay community, but it's usually only in the big cities that we see it publically displayed. Mind you public affection is rare here anyway. So when you see it you really do notice...especially in small towns.

Glad to see it in the open.

Don't ya knowit...it's sometimes like being in the pit of Armegeddon just waitng for the lighting to stir up a bigger fire. It's amazing how combustible some Christians are. You can see a few all of a sudden just go 'poof'. Angry little snots they are. And just imagine, I useta be one of them. Then the FSM came along and saved me, or was it that wild man called Skeptic who set me on the road to higher knowledge. Before that day, I considered knowledge a sin. It was that one thing that was an enemy of God. That one thing that threatened his existence. My bible firends hated knowledge, refused to investigate ancient tales. "One can't know the mind of God" and "we're not supposed to ask questions because our faith will see us through". What I came out of you really don't want to know. Seriously.

Growing up, those people were not to be mentioned, any way, any how. It was totally taboo. At least now the name gay, homosexual and lesbian can be said out loud. However, lesbian is most often slanged in dyke. Never figured where that figurative speech came from, but yankee seems to be blamed.

Roselyn- Thanks so much for sharing some bits of your road to enlightenment. It seems so simple, just give oneself permission to ask questions, but these churches keep control on their followers by forbiding some questions, and that is a shame.
Conservative Christianity is nothin but a large cult of untruth, injustice, and error, sprinkled with a few good works to help everyone to feel better.

I see the inevitable happened.

This thread ended up being delegated to the Community Centre again

I just feel all "special" when ever gay people get their own "place".

*sigh*

Ok I know we share this spot with Womens issues....hey where's the hetro and mens issues forum? Discrimination

Is it because Hetro mens issues are common everyday normal things so they don't get their special place on the forum? Or maybe it's because hetro men don't talk about their feelings enough?

Wow my last post did sound a tad resentful.

I just dislike having an important part of me socially considered for "special needs", with its own special forum etc. Being Gay is an important part of who I am, but it aint everything and I really just want to be (for want of a better word) normal.

I just want to ...*sigh* blend in, be part of the crowd.

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

AIUI,

I don't know who would frighten the Right Wing Christian Fundamentalists the most; you being homosexual or me being atheist. However, what I do know is that the Repugnuts want us both shipped off to another country. WE don't deserve citizenship or recognition as humans. Just off with our heads.

And I agree with you. I don't think you should be socially considered for "special needs" with the rest of us discriminated against. Seriously, the community center allows everyone to post on topic, just as the other designated places for different interesting posts such as atheists and agnostics and "assholes". I had to get that dig in about MB, he's so irritating and "offensive" to me, ya know. ("why are atheists offensive")

You're welcome Virginia. Sometimes they can't honestly see the points we are making and so we need to gradually enlighten them. And you're right, some churches forbid their members even associating with non members of their particular denomination in order to control the learning and critical thinking process. They say it is to protect their members from the evil of the world. Mormons come to mind as example, also numerous fundamentalists denominations. Growing up, our denomination of Independent Baptists were told to not associate with Catholics, JW's, Pentecostals, and a few more I can't remember at the moment. The Pope was of course the anti-Christ just waiting for opportunity to pounce on all the Protestants. I remember in fourth grade a few classmates putting me up to ask a Catholic classmate "what god do YOU worship?" After I stupidly did their dirty work they informed me plainly that she was a witch under her father the devil, the Pope in Rome. As kids do, it was a forgotten thing. And later in the year I apologized to her for being set-up in my ignorance. She laughed and we were friends. Another little snit thought it blasphemy for saying "God" and tried to get the teacher to expell me for cursing. Crazy days those days. I grew out of it, the majority of THEM did not.

I share the same kind of evangelical influence in my journey too Roselyn. When I finally got away from all of that I found the world was my oyster! No need to fear those who are "different"...in fact now that I've left pentecostal faith behind I'm finding a life that is a whole lot better...not confined to a tiny little box of belief. Pretty liberating I'd say.

Love your take on the Catholic classmate...friends in the end. Fabulous!

I wonder what she'd think of me today. Who knows, maybe she is now an atheist to. But it's doubtful. Last I heard about her was that she and her family had moved to Rome. Her hubby is some sort of technical supervisor in electronics. He travels all over.