h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Wow! This article on such an emotive issue has been here for nearly 2 months with not a single reply. Anyway, here's my 2p worth.
In theory the arguments of the "It's not natural" variety fall over with just a gentle shove, but there is still something about inappropriate gender behaviour that I find creepy. I.E. effeminate men or butch women. Do they WANT to be a member of the opposite sex or is it some genetic thing where they have aspects of the other sex in their physical attributes? When people go all the way and have a sex change do they still want to have sex with partners of what was previously their same sex, or their NEW same sex?
Do I just find this behaviour creepy because of my social conditioning, or is it 'natural' to find it repulsive? I must admit to not personally liking gays, but feel it's OK for them to do their thing so long as they don't bother me.

Maybe it is natural to find effeminate men and big butch women slightly creepy. But what you've got to remember, though, is that not all gay men are like Dale Winton and not all lesbians are like Jean Claude Van Damme. But disliking the apparent "gender-benders" (and I mean this in the least offensive way possible) that do exist is certainly not caused by social conditioning, though. I should know, being bisexual. If it was social conditioning that caused me to find camp men annoying (and just as inattractive as a big muscley woman) then I would hardly be able to live with my bisexuality, would I?

Sexuality is a little more complicated than attaching one of 3 labels to what or who we happeneing to be doing at any time. I agree with Nick about finding certain types of gay men annoying ( and I am gay myself) - the scene queens who mince around drive me mad. I was on Holiday in Boston this Summer and visited Province Town on Cape Cod. Its uber gay. They had bumper stickers and fridge magnets proclaiming "Celebrate Diversity". This celebration seemed to involve everyone being muscle mary's with poodles on leashes. It was a ghetto and not a little unlike the Stepford Wives. In liberating themselves from "straight" oppression they have imprisoned themselves in a cocoon. Perhaps its only an American thing - but Brighton is starting to feel the same. I guess its a replay of Separate But Equal v Integration and Assimilation. I object to the idea of a gay community with a single collective mores and world view. Its just bollocks. There is no straight community, defining itself soley by its sexuality. We all muddle through the weirdnesss that life throws at us trying to make do - shagging as we go - trying to work out if we want relationships short term or longterm. For example my visit to Boston was to see an ex and his fiancee. Which pigeonhole does that belong to?

I am reliably informed by a couple of lesbian friends that, generally speaking at least, gay women wear belts. Straight women do not. Not the first thing you look for, I admit, but apparently true. Check it out..

Just joined a been to the M2M2 place which was on the front page. If there really are 38,000 people on this guide statistically there should be more that the 7/8 of us out there yet no one seems to be willing to come out and say anything on any of these forums. Anybody got any idea why?

I'm Bi, and I'm proud of it (Just so long as my parents don't find out) however I think an important thing about being homo/bisexual is that you don't let it rule your life. I have lots of other problems, exams/puberty and all the other lovely little pass times the universe likes to throw at the pubescant male and I like it that way. There is a lot more to me then a limp wrist and a fettish for vacaline.

Good to hear it. And it doesn't come any easier. Actually in my office at work it is quite interesting. There is me who easily passes as straight and one of the bosses who fits the hetro stereo type of what all gay men should be. Now I'm not out out at work, if people ask I tell, if they find out I don't deny. So I'm treated as straight and get to hear all the back stabbing they do of him, and those in the know are constantly watching me, and guaging my reaction and they'll step in to stop things if they get too far.

So R33856 all the best for the rest of your life.

Suggestions on lack of forum contribution: remembering to look things up, reading that far, thinking of something to say, actually getting round to typing it in, visiting often enough to make forum posting worthwhile, knowing how easy it is to spend far too long in this place (h2g2)>trying to avoid doing so in order to get the rest of one's life done,....

That's all I can think of right now.

Plus right now, I'm not sure what I want to ask or say re: homosexuality/gay/lesbian issues. I might think of something later.

Hope