[NonIndigenous]

Originally Posted by Marguerite

Yes, unfortunately in the world we live in, you do need to be aware of this kind of stuff. The fact is though, people on this thread are acting like there are just these gay guys who are quiet and unassuming and one day they decided they were going to start dressing in pink 24/7, sing musical theatre songs whenever and wherever they possibly could, give people unsolicited fashion advice and just basically behave like a complete stereotypes to draw attention to themselves.

I have this friend who is gay, and kind of acts in a stereotypical manner about some things. For instance, he is obsessed with his hair, he loved fashion, he is a lady gaga fanatic, he is obsessed with Gossip Girl and Eurovision. Before I even talked to him I knew he was gay. Yet it took him about 3 or 4 months after knowing him for him to actually 'come out' to me. The other day I was having a conversation with him and he was telling me he was concerned because he'd kind of been mucking around with this guy and flirting with him as a joke, and he was worried what was going to happen if he 'found out' he was gay, even though everyone in the state basically knows, since having 'I LIKE HAVING SEX WITH MEN' tatooed on his head would not make it any more obvious than it already is. But he has no idea, because he isn't subscribing to a stereotype and acting like he thinks gay people 'should act'. That's just who is he, its just his personality. And what's wrong with that?

So if someone is purposefully drawing attention to themselves by wearing gay pride shirts 24/7 and kissing dudes all over campus, I'd agree, you probably need to either a) accept that people are going to notice or b) stop.

But if it's just your personality, the teachers have no place telling people to be a little less of who they are. Aside from just being bad and innapropriate advice, part of a teachers job is dealing with this crap, and you do that by stopping the bullying and the bullies, not going to the victim, finding what the bullies dislike about them and trying to 'get rid of it'. The teachers shouldn't be trying to make the bullies more comfortable, they should be trying to stop the behaviour.

Let's clear this up with all the "stereotype" personalities, "you are who you are" etc etc....

Just look to the TV, or magazines, to get a gist of how gay people are portrayed. Too frequently, they behave in the "stereotype" way on TV. Other gay people watching TV, automatically and subconsciously in their mind identify with this stereotype. Why? Because they're gay themselves.

It's that simple. It's not their personality. It's a trait a lot of them pick up from watching stupid fucking stereotypes on TV, and they don't even realise it. Oh.. and this doesn't just happen to gay people. It happens to most of the population nowadays, especially during younger years... up to maybe 25?


All in all... I find it very difficult to believe that a lot of gay people act in this stereotypical way, because that's just how they are or happen to be purely by coincidence. Bullshit.

And the whole issue regarding gay stereotypes is made even more stupid. Being gay... as far as I understand it, isn't a state of mind, or belief, or anything like it usually. From what I've been told/heard, it's just what you are. Same way that some people are born black and some white, same way that I'm straight. Being "emo" on the other hand, for example, has deeper meaning, because you're actually embracing a sort of culture, of music, beliefs etc... . So embracing a gay stereotype seems totally stupid to me, because it's just a very shallow and naive attempt at trying to "be part of something" where there isn't really anything to be a part of anyway. The whole gay stereotype is just a very superficial masquerade, ultimately hiding... nothing, because there is nothing to hide. Completely pointless.