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Your Sexuality


Phill

What is your orientation?  

257 members have voted

  1. 1. What is your orientation?

    • Straight
      152
    • Gay
      59
    • Bisexual
      32
    • Unsure
      14


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My auntie told me a little story about one of her friends a while ago, with their attitude towards talking about relationships and sexuality with her children. They're about 7, the children, so they're around the age where comments get passed around at school about this word, "gay", without them truly knowing exactly what it means. She had brought her children up to be so open- minded, they know all about the different sexualities, in terms that it is okay for a man to marry/ be with another man and the same for two women.One of the children went home crying because someone at school said it was wrong and that their mum had told them lies. Apparently she said to them that there are some really ignorant people in the world and that not all people are as open- minded, but told them that it is perfectly alright to be different. I just found it really touching that those children are going to grow up with such an accepting attitude towards sexuality and relationships. So rare to see parents take on this approach as well.

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It'll come with time. Remember homosexuality was illegal in living memory, it was the norm legally, socially and religiously to be homophobic - so most people openly were.My grandparents - disgusted by it, and made no attempt to hide their venom.My parents - would rather pretend it didn't exist I think, but would outwardly accept anything.Me - couldn't give a crap what you are.I'm sure the same thing is happening everywhere. Kids at that age are merely expressing their parents views, as the more modern, tolerant people start raising kids those kids will not have the same hang ups young uns have now.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I can understand why people have these sort of 'events' but surely the whole idea is to be equal.Yeah - I am gay. I can still go for any job any straight person can... So why need a coming out day?

Can you give blood straight away if you have sex with a man?Are you able to get married to another man or can women marry women?Do straight people have to come out as straight to their parents?We aren't equal from the word go. A national coming out day can give strength to people who might feel they are all alone in a world where hate crimes, bullying and gay suicides are oh to common. That is the first step to equality if we can be accepted for who we are and not for a facade you put in place in fear of being discovered as gay.
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Can you give blood straight away if you have sex with a man?

This is a particularly difficult issue and one that isn't as clear cut as you might initially think. But at least the NHS have taken steps in the right direction now that they're not banning gay people altogether from giving blood. As soon as there's evidence that any limitations on gay people giving blood is a stupid idea (which I'm sure will come in no time now that the ball is rolling), that year time limit will be gone thankfully.
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A friend of mine recently posted the facebook status stating:'My Mother has Finally accepted me for being gay she says that she does not support me being gay but she has supports her son and will love him no matter his sexuality.'Obviously this is good, but I mean it's still heartbreaking. She doesn't understand that it's not a choice and that it's difficult enough to come to terms with without your own family passing judgement. A good step forward though!

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Yeah thinking about it, I've been having an interesting conversation with my mates lately, about accepting other sexualities. You see, all my friends call each other gay like its a bad thing, everyone does it. But I said to them, why are you calling me gay like its a bad thing? I mean I'm not gay but whats wrong with it? Whats wrong with being different? And they actually mostly suprised me and came out with stuff like "Yeah, being gay is a bad thing, if we were meant to be gay or something other than straight then god would've made us with different body parts, we were made to be straight."But I was thinking, thats not acceptable, there was a time when I was doubting what I was and to be honest I'm still not sure, I don't really want to find out yet, but rules were meant to be broken weren't they?We can't just live life the one way, the way that everyone does, the right way. We were all made to be different, we don't have to follow everyone else do we? I know this is starting to sound like an essay but it's just not on... I even said "Ok, maybe you don't like them but do you accept them?" And they said things like: "No, I don't their a bad influence and we should not be gay" And:"Call me a homophobe, but I just don't like gay people"... I know this is getting quite personal and touching some possibly controversial and tender subjects but this isn't right. You can't live life all the same, you can't not accept different things. You can't not like some people because they are not like you and all your friends. I'm sorry but ALL of them said something against other sexualities and none of my friends said they accept other sexualities other than straight people. Its just not on.They've really pissed me off doing that, they really have.

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I read that in American in 1973, the percent of people who thought being gay was bad was at 70% and now in 2010, it has dropped to 46%. I feel that society of today are becoming more tolerant and open to the idea of LGB but for it to affect more areas, it will take time. David Cameron is trying to convince Tories to back same-sex marriage and hopefully, this will be the beginning.Long article:MONDAY, Oct. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Younger generations are leading the way toward greater tolerance and social acceptance of gays and lesbians in the United States, according to new research. While the nation remains deeply divided on gay marriage, the vast majority of Americans support basic civil liberties and freedom of expression for homosexual people. This wasn't always the case. In 1973, 70 percent of Americans felt homosexuality was "always wrong," the report revealed. By 2010, the percentage of those who felt that homosexuality was "always wrong" had dropped to 44 percent. The findings show a clear "trend toward greater tolerance regarding homosexuality," said Tom W. Smith, director of the General Social Survey at NORC and author of the NORC report, in news release last week. The researchers found a dramatic increase in support for same-sex marriage over the last 20 years, jumping from an 11 percent approval rate in 1988 to 46 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, 40 percent remain opposed. "There is a large generation gap on the issue [of same-sex marriage]," noted Smith. While 64 percent of those under age 30 support gay marriage, just 27 percent of those aged 70 or older feel the same. The findings, based on a national survey of more than 2,000 people, also showed more general acceptance of homosexuality among younger people. In 2010, only 26 percent those under age 30 said they believed same-sex behavior is "always wrong." However, 63 percent of those 70 and older held that belief. Public attitudes on the issue are highly polarized, the researchers found. Although 44 percent of those surveyed felt that sex between two adults of the same sex is "always wrong," 41 percent thought such behavior was "not wrong at all." Only 11 percent of the people surveyed fell somewhere in the middle. Although the nation remains divided on feelings towards homosexuality, a significant increase occurred in support for civil liberties for gays and lesbians over the past two decades. Support for a gay person's right to speak publically jumped to 86 percent in 2010 -- up from 62 percent in 1972. Meanwhile, support for homosexuals teaching at colleges or universities rose to 84 percent in 2010, up from 48 percent in 1973. The researchers also found more people approved of library books that cast a favorable light on homosexuality. Support for these books rose from 54 percent in 1973 to 78 percent in 2010.

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The problems with statistics is that it doesn't really show the true reality of whats going on out there. The overall impression is that homosexuality is acceptable by most but like, just last week, a guy was tied to a lampost and burnt alive in Scotland.All for something as trivial as sexuality.

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I fail to agree with ^ board.At the ages of 3 when you can talk, I don't think anyone could know they were gay, and are not born that way.

You're going to be popular here...

Am I trying to be popular here? No.What do you mean by that, it sounds as if you think I've got something against Gay people, well I have not.

Dear UnderItAll I can confirm from my experience that I was born gay.

As in like, at weddings when you were 5, when other guys would go and kiss a girl, you thought it wasn't for you?Fair enough.

Individual differences mean that no two people are exactly the same. What one person may think/feel at a certain age another may not.

But I really cannot see how you are born that way...
Taken from the random picture thread. A slightly controversial subject. Are homosexuals born homosexual, or are we nurtured into a sexuality? The age old discussion: Nature Vs. Nurture.There have been many scientific studies into the matter, I believe that the common conclusion is that neither answer is completely correct, yet it is a combination of the two.
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  • 2 weeks later...

With the nature vs nurture thing, I'd say nature. It just makes more sense to me for some reason. I don't see how an upbringing could influence sexuality. Plus, my brother is gay but he has always loved cricket, snooker, planes/flying, my dad watched football, played for a local team and often took me and brother to watch, my dad's friends who we often saw are all very "blokey" etc. If anyone's sexuality was to be influenced by nurture it should have been me, what with being so tomboyish and always having male friends, but I'm definitely straight! But then again, my erm...mental "differences" are the main reason I have got on easier with males; they are easier to understand in a social aspect and do not bitch like females do. They don't chat as much :P Personality is definitely influenced by nurture though. Something my brother was discussing the other day and something I'd not really considered until he did. No one is born with a personality, you are a product of your parents. People do not inherit characteristics, they observe them and learn them. And as I said, despite a lot of the things my brother grew up with, he is gay. And yes Ian, some of the coolest people here are indeed gay :o But the straight guys are awesome too :wub:

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  • 1 month later...

Saw this on Facebook and found it really touching.Applies to bullying in general but I thought this was really powerful that Disney made this video. What a wonderful company.

I think things like that are really nice. I'm straight myself and none of the issues mentioned in that video have ever involved me, but I can really relate to the video and the people going through the issues included for some reason.There's this one as well which I thought was rather touching when I first saw it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7skPnJOZYdA

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  • 2 months later...

I'm about as straight as Alan Carr and Graham Norton. :o

That's a very good cross for you Stu... about right too... :PMe- Iam officially Bi have been in Long Term relationships with both Men & Women before and often found kind of never works out with women so more heading towards gay than straight Am not really out with it many people would say nah don't believe you when I tell them.Although many people do know about this I often get seen as a straight, am just me I suppose :)Jonny
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