Independence Day Pride

I am going to partially agree with you in that the PRIDE stuff is so pervasive it is starting to feel like indoctrinating propaganda. But it isn’t something that particularly bothers me and I don’t really care.

 

You were bothered enough by such a petty thing to start a thread.

 

Yet, there are and will continue to be those who seek to take away gays hard fought rights and go back to a time where they didn't have any, nor any protections at all. Not to mention, they still don't have fully equal rights in various ways and despite some laws now protecting them, they remain at higher risk of being the victim of discrimination or of physical violence. None of what they have fought for is about "special dispensation." That's a canard of a question that some use to deflect against homophobia, not unlike what whites have done throughout history with respect to black civil rights.

 

What if they're gay veterans?

I don't think anyone cares more about gays than veterans. True, there's been more conspicuous activism on the gay front lately, but I don't think that's an indication that people care more about them than veterans.

 

Hard to believe that you and the Mrs. didn't turn gay.

 

Or we have gay family members that we love and hope that the right wing bigots of the world stop trying to make their lives a living hell. That is a thought.

 

There is a MASSIVE tax payer funded infrastructure to take care of our veterans that we all have approved of. Gays have bigotry and hatred.

 

I don’t have a problem with normalizing it. I am of the generation that agreed that people should be treated equally regardless of race, gender orientation etc. It shouldn’t matter at all.

This has now changed to a mindset that we do not treat differences as equal or otherwise irrelevant. We are to recognize, shout out and celebrate the differences, as often and as loudly as possible.

 

I know it bothers you. You started the thread lol, which as I suggested, seems petty, ntm misguided.

Sorry man but I don't know that you're right. Seems to me you're now taking a rw compulsion (i.e *owning the libs*) and mistakenly projecting that type of thinking on libs but toward conservatives.

Maybe this is why you seem so confused to me?

 

I assume most straight liberals don't think about gay people, as a social group or identity, much at all in a normal day.
And I guarantee you most liberals support gay pride, not because it bothers republicans, but because it makes them feel good to see people celebrating their hard-won rights.
I bet you are the kind of person that complains about a gay character in a TV show and complains about gays taking over TV and the gay culture being shoved down your throat when 90% of characters on TV are still straight.

 

The gay pride movement has been about gays fighting for their dignity & rights, and very much a self-driven effort to build pride in who they are within a historical backdrop of centuries of oppression, discrimination, and violence against them because of who they are. Something, that straights never had to worry about.

That companies are now capitalizing on this is what companies do in a capitalistic society, unless you're Chic Fil-A and the like. That people will push back against those who would like to regress back to the way things were because they're homophobic or uncomfortable with this normalization and equalization should be expected given that history and that there are still forces out there seeking that regress.

 

I didn’t read this entire thread but would like to add,,,

First, I don’t think it’s anyones business what someone’s sexual preference is.

Second, why do gay people have to tell everyone they are gay? I don’t care, but damn it gets old hearing about it, reading about it, and watching it on TV.

 

Perhaps because for centuries, hiding it was a must for so many, up to and including a mortal danger?

Still a danger for many gay individuals--familial and social exclusion, violent victimization, potential for lost employment opportunity etc.

I can't remember anytime that I've ever had strangers berate and throw hate my way because I was straight. I witnessed at least three incidents occur with gay friends where that happened because they were gay--all of them traumatic experiences for them and eye opening to me.

 

Yes you reiterated my questions. Are they not valid in world of commerce? If you're not selling as any outlet would say I'm not buying,

 

Agree on the first point. On the second point, why do people where Gator shirts or FSU underwear? Well, people wear FSU underwear and no one will ever see it, but you get my point. People want to identify with groups. It’s just human nature to want to belong. I wanted to use a red hat example, but that will trigger some folks here.