How many gay Americans are there?

[Dreamweaver]

They certainly hit above their weight class.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/...re-are/257753/

[Feather]

Probably a lot more than people think.

[Ross]

Would those statistics pertain to people before or after joining TBM ?

[Samen]

Originally Posted by Ross

Would those statistics pertain to people before or after joining TBM ?

So am I at risk?

[Ross]

So am I at risk?

IMO people whose head gear consists
of an inverted spittoon with horns should
not worry excessively .

[Samen]

Spittoon?

Let it be known that this gallant helmet doubles as my night potty, its a rinse and wear model. And let it be know that the "Golden Shower" boys tend to follow me if i forget to rinse it when i leave home.

Spittoon now who would even think using this a a spittoon.

[Mousehound]

At work, there are 4 nurses (male and female) that openly admit to being gay. We are only a small company, so that makes way over 1% (of course this isn't America).

[Lars]

I feel pretty,
Oh, so pretty,
I feel pretty, and witty and gay,
And I pity
Any girl who isn’t me today.


There was a time, not too long ago, when "gay" was a joyful, poetic word. Then a pushy minority co-opted it for their own purposes. Now it is lost forever. The english language is poorer for it.

[Fartacus]

Originally Posted by Lars

There was a time, not too long ago, when "gay" was a joyful, poetic word. Then a pushy minority co-opted it for their own purposes. Now it is lost forever. The english language is poorer for it.

I feel the same way about the word "fabulous."

[Sysiphus]

Originally Posted by Feather

Probably a lot more than people think.

I think a lot more than straight folks think (1%), and a lot less than gay people think (10%).

[LvDemWings]

Between the actuals, the wanna bes and the I'll never admit its, a figure of 8 to 10% is probably close.

[Feather]

I used to work with a guy that was so far back in the closet that he couldn't see the light under the door.

[Oric]

I wonder,

All the gay people have been socially oppressed for generations to have hetero marriages and have children. They claim (and I believe) that it is a genetic trait and you do not choose to become a "gay" if you are hetero.

So if the socities support gay marriages and gay people marry each other and don't have children, will that genetic trait not cease to exit in 50 years ?

[SarahS]

There may be a genetic tendency, but it's not all genetic. Neither do I consider it a choice. I know a lot of folks who have had conventional marriages and children, and then lead their lives the way they want once the kids are grown. My male friends who have done this identify as "bisexual" (although they now seem to be exclusively homosexual) and the women as homosexual. Don't know why.

[rb.]

SarahS, that's interesting. My grt grandfather "was bi". Got married, had a child, wife died of TB when my grandfather was 2, and he never went back to women.

When I was a kid, there were two women living together, down the road from us , from the early 70s-90s. I was an adult before I realized they were lesbians. It never struck me as odd, and they were totally accepted by the adults on the road. We kids thought they were pretty cool, they had a pet rabbit in the house. They were probably in their 40s when I first became aware of them. One of them had grown children. Interestingly, their next door neighbours had two teen daughters. One was my friend when we were late teens. She was a lesbian. She actually outed a boyfriend to me.

[Potemkin]

I think it depends on the definition of "gay" is.

If you mean exclusively, always have been, never deviate I would also agree about 2-3%.

I think if you throw in bi, bi-curious, one off experimentation as a pubescent teen, people who have spent jail time, dorm room escapades, etc. I am guessing about 10-15%.

Heck there were some studies in the late 1980's that found that about 40% of females who live is university dorms "experimented" with members of the same sex at least once.

You also have to be careful with survey methodology. How were the questions? Did the respondent feel comfortable revealing the truth? Was there bias in the survey taker? Was there cross checks? Did they take it with a female survey taker then a male survey taker with different cross checking questions?

[Feather]

At the age of 6 my youngest came home from a weekend at is dad's and asked me if I knew what a lesbian is. I said yes, why don't you tell me what makes you say someone is a lesbian. He said that Aunt Wheezey and Aunt Ronda are lesbians and that means they share a room, hold hands and give each other a kiss good bye when one leaves. I told him he was right. When he got older he once agains asked me if I knew what one is and once again I asked him for his version. By this point, 14yrs old, he really knew what was what so I asked him what he thought of it. He said in some cases it a waste of a pretty girl. The last I hear he thought any person that is homosexual is gross. If they want to be that way fine but don't do it in front of him.

I wonder if he still thinks that way, his wife just got out of prison. She was locked up for 3 years.

Earlier today I made a lunch date with a friend who will be in town next week for the state fair. He's the brother I never had and I'm the first friend he came out to. He wants to talk about his will. He's having me be in charge and we are going to figure out which foundation to give left over money to. I'm thinking the Matthew Shepard Foundation. We definately want one that helps GLBT kids and hopefully help prevent some suicides. Friend thought about it as a teen.

[rb.]

Grt grandfather, cousin, best friend of 33 years, best friend of 31 years, two teen friends, several strong accquaintances in high school. Either I'm a magnet, or it's higher than 2%. And back in those days, you didn't come out until wel after high school...if at all.

[Fartacus]

Originally Posted by Potemkin

Heck there were some studies in the late 1980's that found that about 40% of females who live is university dorms "experimented" with members of the same sex at least once.

giggity

[Mousehound]

Originally Posted by Fartacus

giggity

Is it a sign of old age that I had to Google that, or am I a nerd?
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=giggity

[Potemkin]

Originally Posted by Fartacus

giggity

Originally Posted by Mousehound

Is it a sign of old age that I had to Google that, or am I a nerd?
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=giggity

Need to get out more. LOL.

From Family Guy.

[linttrap]

This is why you can never get an honest answer to that question in America, today. This is what hate looks like up close:



You'll be glad to know that this guy has been fine for 5 years since he came out to dear old Dad and got this letter in reply.

[jane333]

Is this letter real, or fake, just another internet propaganda item?

Either way, I see sadness in that letter, wistfulness, pain, grief, and disgust. I think I can totally understand another parent who lives day in and day out with the memory of the child in whom they once invested all love and all trust.

I could have written the exact same to my daughter...she has bipolar or some very similar severe mental illness which became apparent at around age 17. She ran away from home to stay with drug users and dealers with the explanation that she did it "for fun". She committed marriage fraud at age 18 with an illegal, recently out of prison, who had convinced her to help keep him from being deported. She dropped out of high school, and spiraled into a life of lying, stealing, and manic episodes in which our only contact with her was when she called, crying and yelling, to get money.

Maybe I'll write that letter someday. I have something very similar waiting in an envelope to deliver to her. It's been eight years since she left the country with her 'husband'. I don't expect to see her again. If we do, it might be like the day she jumped up onto our front porch after being missing for several weeks, only to announce in a shriek, giggling and smirking, that she was "getting married". I'll just quietly hand the letter to her, I think.

[rb.]

Lovely dad.

Somedad's seem to have it tough when they find out. My dad was asked by his sister and nephew, to tell BIL. They were afraid to do it themselves. When Dad told him, his reaction was to cry. Everyone else in the family had known since he was about 4. Turns out, that was the least of my cousin's "problems", and I'm betting my uncle now wishes that was all they had to deal with.

[linttrap]

[–]RegBarc[S] 2076 points 1 day ago*

In August of 2007, I finally built up the courage to tell my father I was gay. The moment I said it, the phone got quiet and he got off the phone after a few "Okay"s. I decided to give him time to process the news. About a week later, and not long before my birthday, I received the following letter:

"James: This is a difficult but necessary letter to write. I hope your telephone call was not to receive my blessing for the degrading of your lifestyle. I have fond memories of our times together, but that is all in the past. Don’t expect any further conversations With me. No communications at all. I will not come to visit, nor do I want you in my house. You’ve made your choice though Wrong it may be. God did not intend for this unnatural lifestyle. If you choose not to attend my funeral, my friends and family will understand. Have a good birthday and good life. No present exchanges will be accepted. Goodbye, Dad."

It's important to know just what this zealotry from Bryan Fisher, Maggie Gallagher, Dan Cathy, et al., does to everyday people. I've never done drugs, was an excellent student, an obedient child (far less trouble than many of my classmates), didn't drink until I was 22 because it terrified me, and have had just 1 speeding ticket in my life. Yet I am still seemingly deserving of this terrible act of hate and cowardice that one person can place on another. 5 years on and I am still doing fine, though this letter saunters into my mind every once in a while. When it does, I say without hesitation: Fuck you, Dad.

-------------------------------------------------------

Edit: Several folks have asked why this belongs in r/atheism. I am an atheist and it strikes me that the bible-thumping of why we are the end of the family unit. However, by forcing religion everywhere, they have been tearing apart the some of the very families that they strive to hold sacred.

In addition, thanks for the major support from you all. But 5 years later, I'm fine, please pass your acceptance and love to the people you personally know who are going through this type of persecution and harm from their blindly religious parents/guardians.

http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comm...r_when_i_came/

Maybe I'll write that letter someday. I have something very similar waiting in an envelope to deliver to her. It's been eight years since she left the country with her 'husband'. I don't expect to see her again. If we do it might be like the day she jumped up onto our front porch after being missing for several weeks, only to announce in a shriek, giggling and smirking, that she was "getting married". I'll just quietly hand it to her, I think.

I wouldn't bother. If she made it to another country, I seriously doubt she'll be coming back.