: : Bottom line; they are people, dammit.: No disagreement. I'm not a gay basher.
Unfortunately, a frighteningly high number of people are; nearly all openly gay males will be attacked at some point in their lives; a quarter of them will be seriously injured as a result of it.
Remember, they are ultimately being attacked over something that is a part of them; something that they really don't have control over.
In this, they are no different to people who've been attacked because their skin was the wrong colour or because they belong to the wrong Church.
Think about it, Lark; gays are attacked not because they are gay; but because other people are unable to tolerate their being gay.
It's like someone being attacked for being black; not because they were black; but because they didn't apply enough face paint to disguise the fact.
Or someone being raped because "they were asking for it, dressed like that" - it ultimately shouldn't matter how a person is dressed; rape is rape.
: : And the next time you think that the heterosexual lifestyle isn't shouted from the rooftops, go out and count the number of advertising hoardings, films, TV programmes, magazines and newspapers that show partially or completely nude women.
: If that annoys homosexuals then hopefully they will subscribe to the idea that two wrongs do not make a right.
If you feel that nekkid wimmen are also wrong, what do you plan to do about it?; I'm sure you can guess what would happen if you really tried to stop expression of heterosexual sexuality in public; you might as well try and push mountains around.
As such, the only way to achieve parity and overcome the existing homophobic bias is to make it damn clear that all people are people, regardless of inclination.
It's no sillier than affirmative action after all; trying to ensure that ethnic minorities have an equal chance to do what they want.
: : My opinion, I repeat: what's in someone's head and heart matters far more than what's in their trousers.
: OK but do they have to make their private lives public business?
It's a reaction against the forces of the 'moral majority' that would shut them up, Lark. A lot of deeply unhappy kids have killed themselves in past years because they didn't have access to unbiased information; because what seemed natural and normal to them was seen by society at large as intolerable and disgusting.
Look at Alan Turing's life story; a classic case.
If gays had equality in law and representation in the media; if they had no need to fear homophobic assault for expressing affection in public; if they were not discriminated against by institutions and religions, then you could reasonably say that they ought to be more discreet about it.
(Although the vast majority of gays never indulge in public showing-off of their sexuality; look at Michael Portillo and Peter Mandelson...)
While things are the way they currently are, it is vitally necessary for people to be reminded that gays are people too and that they aren't just going to vanish or die or turn to Jesus for forgiveness. The point needs to be made that gay people are part of society; and gay culture is part of our shared culture; and that trying to segregate them or treat them differently is apartheid.
Think of it as affirmative action; the execution may be lousy, but the idea is sound.
Farinata.
