nimbleranger52 said:When it comes to the whole gay community, I honestly feel like they’re getting way too much media coverage lately. Look, do whatever you want with your life, nobody is coming to stop you, but what is with all this constant noise in the news? It feels like we're being bombarded by a group that makes up maybe five to ten percent of the population at most.
It’s not like I’m afraid of gay people or anything; they're just people like anyone else, right? But could you please just not remind me of your lifestyle choices every single day? I get it, I see it, it’s fine—you’re gay, whatever, that’s cool. Just leave me alone and let me live my life without the constant lecture.
Look, I used to work with two gay guys, and both were great. Constant joking around, no issues there. But when they step out onto the street, people look at them differently. Even when I'm walking with them to grab a coffee at Starbucks, I notice it. It isn't necessarily that people are looking with horror, but because they have a more feminine vibe or dress differently, heads turn. Honestly, it annoyed me, even if I admit I might have glanced back myself if I were in their shoes.
Now, if those two ran into a tougher crowd—which isn't hard to find in certain parts of the US—or just some old-school types, they’d probably deal with some discomfort. These guys face that stuff on a weekly basis. They're used to it, I guess, but they'd still prefer it didn't happen.
They know they're different, and well, life happens. They also don't really care for Pride parades; in fact, they actually despise them and think they're just unnecessary nonsense. I tend to agree.
When I jokingly suggested organizing a "hetero pride," they told me a gay pride would definitely protest against it. That's hypocrisy, I suppose. They expect respect for themselves, but they aren't interested in respecting others.
And they aren't the only ones. There are plenty of examples like that.
I personally have no issue with Arabs, but if you insist that I wear long pants when I visit an Emirate, or if you point out that certain subways have separate sections for women and children—and I respect those rules—then maybe you should respect our values too.
It’s the same thing with gender equality. We recently saw an ad here where a man was dressed like a mattress next to a woman, with a caption like "if you're bored, just replace him." I honestly think if that ad had been reversed, it would be a completely different story. To me, the ad was a decent joke, but it's unsettling because I know how people would react if the roles were swapped.
