Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site decwrl.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-dssdev!fisher From: fisher@dssdev.DEC (Gerry --- Hopelessly Obscure) Newsgroups: net.motss Subject: Celebrating Differences. Message-ID: <1262@decwrl.UUCP> Date: Tue, 5-Nov-85 11:22:06 EST Article-I.D.: decwrl.1262 Posted: Tue Nov 5 11:22:06 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 8-Nov-85 04:41:21 EST Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation Lines: 66 > What's with this anti-heterosexual kick? "Any derogatory signs, like > 'breeder'"?!? Mark, if you had been following the discussion concerning sign language, you would know that there are derogatory signs for gays and lesbians. This person was only curious if there were similar signs for straight people; she/he was not being anti-heterosexual. Stop being so defensive! No, calling straight people names is not the most mature response that gays and lesbians can muster, but you have to keep in mind that many straight people are oppressive threats to our health and well-being (some gay and bisexual people are probably threats to our well-being, as well). Calling straight people "breeders" is a harmless, childish way to vent steam. I don't condone it, but worse evils demand my attention. > "Well, they hate me, so I wanna hate them." How fucking stupid. What in If you need to use this kind of language, take it to net.flame where it is appropriate. How stupid? Probably. How human? Definitely! > Doing so says that homosexuals are not people ... are > different ... want to be different, want to not fit in ... this isn't > coming out right, it's simply deriding affecting a pose just because you > think you should Are you referring to effeminacy in gay men? Are you referring to masculine traits in lesbians? Are you saying that all gays and lesbians "pose"? How can you be so sure if it is a pose or if it is actually the way the person was meant to act? Or, are you opposed to gay men acting different from straight men, lesbians acting different from straight women? There is a school of gay thought that says that gay people *are* different. We are the same as straights in our humanity, but different in our expression of that humanity. Since we break societal mating norms, we are free to experiment with the male/female role models. Hence, we have formed a distinct gay/lesbian subculture. You can even make a good argument for a gay male subculture distinct from a lesbian subculture. What's the matter, Mark, do our differences bother you? If you are unable to celebrate differences, then you can concentrate on the many things that straight people, and gays and lesbians have in common. > Anyhoo, the whole message is let's stop this differentiation on meaninless > attributes ... sexual orientation, skin color, drug usage... Gee, if you want to treat everyone the same, why shouldn't we stop the differentiation between gay "posers" and "masculine" gay men, between "butch" lesbians and "feminine" lesbians. Why can't we celebrate these differences, or will celebrating these differences in gays and lesbians cause straight people to question their own male/female role models? Just throwing out a few ideas. Maybe someone else can take them and run with them... Gerry Fisher ...decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-dssdev!fisher *************************************************************************** Nashua, NH: Where the men are men, and the sheep are nervous.