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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!mgnetp!mgwess!plw
From: plw@mgwess.UUCP (Pete Wilson)
Newsgroups: net.motss
Subject: Re: opportunity,the net,and language
Message-ID: <14941@mgwess.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 15-Aug-85 20:53:49 EDT
Article-I.D.: mgwess.14941
Posted: Thu Aug 15 20:53:49 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 18-Aug-85 04:33:38 EDT
References: <503@hpda.UUCP> <801@ptsfa.UUCP> <1527@bbncca.ARPA> <385@bbncc5.UUCP>
Reply-To: plw@mgwess.UUCP (Wilson,Pete,PL)
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Information Systems - Montgomery Illinois
Lines: 60

In article <385@bbncc5.UUCP> sdyer@bbncc5.UUCP (Steve Dyer) writes:
>
>Here, here, Ken.  For what it's worth (which admittedly is not much)
>net.motss was always intended as a forum for both gay and non-gay people,
>always in the context of sharing information for better understanding.  It
>need not mean "defending" anything.  Frankly, given the small volume of
>postings, I'd rather read an article from a single "heterosexual" than wait
>for the supposed-thousands of read-only gay people to speak up.
>-- 
>/Steve Dyer
>{decvax,linus,ima,ihnp4}!bbncca!sdyer
>sdyer@bbnccv.ARPA

	Ok, Steve, here's a posting from a non-gay:

	I've been passively reading this group almost from it's inception.
I started reading it mostly out of curiosity. My contact with the gay
community has been very little (mostly a couple of gay men I met in the
Navy) and I was curious as to just how different gays are from straights.
	After reading 'Jason On Bars', I came to the conclusion that the
inhabitants of gay bars belong to the same 'types' as those who go to
straight bars (if you want to classify people into types). The only
difference is sexual orientation.
	One person I worked with in the Navy 'came out' to me shortly
after I started working with him (this was in the early sixties). I
must have had a shocked look on my face because he immediately tried
to reassure me, in a somewhat disgusted manner, that he wasn't going
to attack me in the showers or curl up in my bunk with me! He was
rather effeminate and took a lot of guff from those who didn't know
him or work with him. We didn't discuss his gayness, so our discussions
centered mostly around work, home, future plans, etc. I'm somewhat
sorry now we didn't talk about being gay, because I think I wouldn't
have been so homophobic for so long if we had.
	I have been 'hit on' a couple of times in bars by gays since
then, but I just said it wasn't my style and they moved on. It did make me
a little uneasy at the time, but it wasn't traumatizing.
	I've done a little analyzing of my homophobia, and have come
to the conclusion that it stems from insecurity about my own masculinity.
If I am seen talking to a gay man or admit I have gay acquaintances or
friends, I THINK that others (males mostly) will think I am gay. It
really shouldn't matter what others think as long as I know what and
who I am.
	After reading this group for so long, I think I can accept
gays better than I could a few years ago, but I'm still not entirely
comfortable about it. Gays are not going to go away and they're not
a 'threat', so where's the problem? I don't know.
	To be perfectly honest here, I must say that I think being
gay is wrong; if not entirely from a religious standpoint, then
certainly from a biological one. However, I'm not going to try to
convince you folks of that - I'm going to try to accept you as you
are.

Just a few thoughts from a former homophobe....



	Pete Wilson
	AT&T IS CGBS
	Montgomery Works
	..!ihnp4!mgnetp!mgwess!plw