Posts by slywolf45

boldjackal10 said:Creams are out of the question. I don't need moisturizer; I need a hell of a lot more willpower than I currently have. I've got a plan.

share it with the rest of us😁

I can't help but wonder how one actually goes about quitting... though, if I'm being perfectly honest, my main dilemma is that I don't even particularly want to stop. It’s become such a casual habit—almost like grabbing a bag of Lay's while watching a movie or something.👎

George Newman58 said:And you are absolutely right to demand that; being treated normally, just like everyone else—I couldn't agree more. No one is better or worse than anyone else.
However, I wouldn't exactly be seeking out fame either if I spent all my time wandering around, say, a gay club, loudly proclaiming how heterosexual I am, how wonderful it is, how everyone who doesn't get it is a primitive, and how it's my personal business, while simultaneously making a systemic effort to make sure everyone knows about it—which is exactly how some homosexuals behave. To be clear, I'm not talking about the people who live their lives openly and naturally; I believe no one has the right to harass them in any way. But there is a distinct difference between living your life and constant advertising or public spectacle, treating an orientation as if it were the sole defining feature of a person's entire identity.
At the end of the day, you are first and foremost yourself, and only then, as you put it, a lesbian.

Look, some people are genuinely trying to explain things to those who think being gay means someone is a monster or some kind of predator lurking in the shadows to target children—it simply isn't like that. I respect that effort, even if I'm not the type to march in a Pride parade; I understand why people feel that need. Because once the physical and verbal attacks against gay people stop, the necessity of shouting your rights from the rooftops at parades and such will eventually fade away.
And I'm sorry... but if you can't wrap your head around the fact that human sexuality might differ from your own... then you're just being primitive.

George Newman58 said:And you are absolutely right to demand that; being treated normally, just like everyone else—I couldn't agree more. No one is better or worse than anyone else.
However, I wouldn't exactly be seeking out fame either if I spent all my time wandering around, say, a gay club, loudly proclaiming how heterosexual I am, how wonderful it is, how everyone who doesn't get it is a primitive, and how it's my personal business, while simultaneously making a systemic effort to make sure everyone knows about it—which is exactly how some homosexuals behave. To be clear, I'm not talking about the people who live their lives openly and naturally; I believe no one has the right to harass them in any way. But there is a distinct difference between living your life and constant advertising or public spectacle, treating an orientation as if it were the sole defining feature of a person's entire identity.
At the end of the day, you are first and foremost yourself, and only then, as you put it, a lesbian.

Of course it isn't the only thing. Some people are perfectly fine with being gay, while others struggle with it. For those who struggle, it unfortunately ends up becoming a massive part of their identity because when society slaps a label on you, everything tends to get reduced to that single point. You can't truly discuss it or grasp the weight of it unless you've actually lived through it.

George Newman58 said:At the end of the day, everyone chooses their own teachers; what sounds perfectly reasonable to one person might seem utterly insane to another.
That said, just as I would find it suffocating if someone tried to terrorize me simply because I couldn't adhere to every single religious mandate, I also find it equally stifling when people suggest that it isn't enough to just treat someone's sexual orientation as a non-issue—as if we should focus on who they are as a person rather than their orientation—but instead insist on handing out medals for it.
I find myself standing against both negative and positive discrimination in this regard.

What kind of medals are you talking about here? This isn't about seeking awards; it's strictly about stopping harassment and discrimination. Why on earth would I expect a medal just for being a lesbian? 😕
All I'm looking for is basic decency—not having to look over my shoulder while walking down the streets of Washington, D.C., after leaving a club, fearing that three idiots might jump me like they did to my friend a few years back.

That's all I want, nothing more.

George Newman58 said:Alright, since we’ve already opened the door to discussing the Church, let me offer a small clarification. From what I understand, the Church doesn't actually condemn homosexual people themselves, but rather views homosexuality as the issue at hand. An individual is perfectly acceptable to them, provided they aren't acting on those impulses or actively pursuing them—whatever that entails. It’s a similar story with heterosexual relationships outside of marriage; the expectation is that intimacy should be reserved for marriage, primarily for the sake of procreation. It really is a set of incredibly high standards for just about everything.

Yeah, you've got a point there. The Church always follows its own internal logic, I suppose, but there is something fundamentally absurd about listening to an institution that preaches such rigid laws and moral standards while simultaneously being so incredibly hypocritical.👎

neonhound10 said:So does that mean I'm unthinking too, even if I don't consider myself part of some mindless crowd? It feels like the exact same kind of prejudice I have toward vegetarians or the LGBTQ+ community, except at least I'm actually aware of my own biases...

Perhaps... though one could argue that religious crowds tend to be a bit more massive than the other groups we're discussing..

You aren't an individual standing apart from the crowd; you're just another part of it.

neonhound10 said:Look, he’s just a leader, and true believers should absolutely have the right to push back—it might even be their responsibility to do so... While things usually run a bit smoother when there’s one person at the helm, every single person in the community ought to have a seat at the table and a voice in the conversation.

The Bible teaches us that sometimes a believer needs to wrestle with God to truly prove their devotion... After all, God doesn't want followers who just blindly follow without thinking, because that kind of blind faith could be applied to anything at all. The whole point is to have a faith rooted in actual understanding.

But then again, I suppose we were talking about LGBTQ+ issues rather than theology, so I guess this is drifting a little far off-topic...

Look, I realize this is a bit off-topic—honestly, it’s a pretty silly subject to dive into since I’m not a believer myself. To me, organized religion is just a bunch of nonsense, essentially a tool used to keep the masses under control through dogma...👎
But, let's be honest, it's difficult to stay strictly within the lines of a single topic when there are so many interconnected threads pulling at it...

neonhound10 said:The Bible is the truth, but let's be real—the church itself is basically just pure marketing. Just like anywhere else in America, you're going to find good people and bad people walking through those doors...

Anyway, we're really here to talk about homosexuality. It feels like there was a time, maybe just last year, when being "woke" was the absolute trend, and having a gay friend was practically a social requirement if you wanted to stay relevant...

So where does that leave us? It’s such a weird contradiction, seeing how we all fall prey to propaganda one minute, only to push back against it so hard the next...

I honestly think anyone would drink down actual poison if it were presented to them with enough charm and a slick enough presentation...

And let's face it, nobody is ever going to buy an incredible product if all they hear about is the negative press surrounding it...

Look... Sarah Wood8 was bringing up the church and the Pope... and I suppose the Pope is essentially the big shot among the believers; he’s supposed to be a moral compass for everyone else, someone whose word carries weight. 🙂

So, if he’s condemning homosexuality, does that make him the good guy or the bad guy? And who even gets to sit in judgment of that? If he’s meant to be a leader, shouldn't he be the good guy and stick to the Bible, right?

neonhound10 said:Honestly, you're talking nonsense; even in the Bible, there are mentions of people being born that way, and nobody is out there judging anyone else, so maybe don't present your own perception as if it's some universal truth, but rather just state that it's your personal view...

live long and prosper

Hey... neonhound10, I assume even you can grasp the distinction between organized religion and the actual teachings of the Bible. The Church as an institution is one thing, but the scripture is another. Go ahead, ask the Pope what he thinks about gay people—trust me, he isn't going to tell you the Church doesn't condemn them, simply because they are mentioned in the Bible.
Hello !!!😉

Hey neonhound10... it’s been a while since we last crossed paths. Honestly, I'm starting to lose my edge because I have nobody left to argue with lately.😁

I’d say they just take turns suffering through it... one minute it's "your turn," then the next it's "my turn."

It's much like my own history with the women I've dated—there was never this rigid "man versus woman" dynamic. Instead, it felt more like two people who simply rose above those tired, old-fashioned stereotypes.😬 😉

Anonymous said:Does anyone happen to have any insight regarding this medication and its potential side effects? Specifically, I'm curious about how it interacts when taken alongside methotrexate.div>

Look, this is the romance and dating subforum... you really should head over to the Health & Wellness section. Not that it matters much; the mods will probably just move the thread once they spot it anyway.div>

wanderingscout13 said:For that argument to actually hold water, wouldn't the reverse also have to be true? I mean, logically speaking, if that were the case, we should see an equal proportion of gay individuals coming from healthy, stable families as well as those from broken ones, right?

Personally, I know plenty of gay people who grew up in perfectly functional, well-adjusted families... I wouldn't necessarily say there's a direct correlation there.

ruggedpanther64 said:I suspect you might have missed my point entirely, though perhaps I wasn't being particularly clear myself.

What I was actually getting at is that on a global scale, for a very long time now, being gay isn't some freak occurrence... most people in the world don't even blink at it or react with that sort of "oh my god, how scandalous" attitude. We’re still living in a bit of a rural mindset here, and I reckon it’ll probably stay a taboo subject in our neck of the woods for at least another twenty years or so.

Did that click, or should I try explaining it differently?

Well, that's one way to put it... considering you previously wrote:

People with those orientations have already existed for twenty years.

..which, quite frankly, sounds a little ridiculous when phrased that way..

But fine, okay... everything is clear now.

ruggedpanther64 said:Hey everyone, here we go again with the same old repetitive debate. We’re basically just spinning our wheels trying to have a serious discussion about something that science hasn't even fully defined yet, so at the end of the day, we're all just guessing. Personally, I’ve always accepted the fact that GAY-ov is right there around every corner, and I view it as perfectly normal. I spent a good chunk of my life living abroad, and let me tell you, people with those orientations have been a visible part of society for decades... whereas over here in the States, it feels like it only became a massive trend in the last five or ten years. I can still vividly remember being a four-year-old kid back then; we lived near a certain establishment in Germany where the windows were positioned such that you could see everything happening inside. It was a mix of all sorts of people, both 😉 (GAY&HETERO), just coming and going. That was where they really cut their teeth, I suppose. A few days after moving in, I realized there were two guys living in my own apartment building who identified that way. Back then, as a kid, the whole concept of MAN&MAN didn't really register with me, but as the years passed and I grew up, I just accepted it for what it is. It's just how things are. To be completely honest, looking at the sheer variety of people out there in the world, the whole concept will probably never fully make sense to me, but that doesn't actually matter. Whatever floats their boat; it's not my business what people choose to do with their lives.

🤣 🤣 🤣 Honestly, I had to laugh out loud at that one. My dear, people with those inclinations have existed since the dawn of time...

I actually wanted to jump in and address that comment myself, but I tried to hold back. It feels like I’m constantly picking him apart lately, and I don't want to become that person...😉

briskgull4 said:In the end, whether homosexuality is innate or not isn't really the point. What matters is the fact that this community faces blatant discrimination in every single aspect of life. Honestly, we should start a thread specifically about homophobes... I think it would be far more fascinating to dig into what’s actually going on inside their heads. Then again, who knows... maybe we wouldn't find anything at all.

As the title suggests, the struggles for gay people often begin right at home and then follow them through their entire lives. What happens if the neighbors find out? How will they react? What if your employer finds out—are you looking at losing your job? How do you tell your grandmother that you're still her beloved grandchild? These are all anxieties that straight people just don't have to deal with. That's the kind of society we live in. And then you hear people dismiss Pride as "just a parade" and wonder why they even need to march in the streets. If the world were actually a normal place, they wouldn't have to be out there at all. Marching is essentially the only way left to be seen. It’s an incredibly brave move to make in a homophobic environment like ours. Even when a protest ends, and assuming you made it home safe without being jumped, you never know who saw you or what the fallout might be. You could be walking past a bar crawling with neo-Nazis who spotted you at Pride two months ago...

So, given all these issues (and there are plenty more), how can anyone think it's okay to continue harassing and discriminating against gay people?!

we actually had a thread like that once

neonhound10 said:I actually never said that anywhere...

And honestly... given that I actually work in this field... there are certain things where I can say without any hint of hesitation: yeah, to hell with medicine.

neonhound10 said:Our resident expert, the esteemed Professor Doctor.

To hell with medicine.

Aha... so medicine has officially proven that you can just choose this? You're talking nonsense again... as usual.☕

Anthony Sanders53 said:I guess there are just so many different factors that go into determining sexual orientation. From a psychological standpoint, people often point to the Oedipal stage of psychosexual development for both boys and girls, but that’s hardly the whole story—there’s way more to it than that. At the end of the day, it isn't some conscious choice. It's not like someone just wakes up one morning and decides, "Yeah, I think I'll be gay today." That's just not how it works. Plus, sexuality is such a complicated thing; we all have both heterosexual and homosexual aspects within us. People tend to experiment with different sides of themselves, and they eventually find where they land. Sometimes those feelings shift later on, and sometimes that pull toward both genders stays constant... at least, that's what science suggests. As for what families, society, or the church say? Well, you know how it goes. Usually, those views don't really have anything to do with true human nature. It feels more like they're just trying to keep everyone in line...

🙏 🙏 every single word is spot on..

Olivia Lopez41 said:I think that's completely wrong because it isn't caused by trauma; it's a genetic condition.☕

Wrong again... it isn't a disease.