Lucille

AeonFlux

I just think like this: We are all just people who love other people. It doesn’t matter to me who loves who or what gender and I don’t understand why it all has to have a different name...

This is exactly how I feel.

weezee

I must be very sheltered because I've never had anyone ever (other than online) tell me their gender/sexual preference etc. I mean, that just isn't something that's done... maybe it's just cuz I'm old? LMAO

and I'm of the mind that I don't like being labeled. I am me like me or don't, ya know?

Not just you! I've experienced the same thing. But, I for one, tend to be more open and "me" online than in person. I'm afraid I'm too weird for real life, the only RL person I'm fully me around is my hubby. So I'm betting a lot of the reason more people aren't as open about their gender/sexual preference etc. IRL is that it's harder to be honestly you face-to-face. Especially when it comes to something as controversial as this - never know who is going to accept you or bash you.

THIS! I agree so much. I think it is a lot easier to be yourself online than it is in person, because of stigma and such. For example I know a ton of witches online, but no one IRL has ever told me they practice witchcraft. People can be too judgy face to face.

Man, I must be unusual or something because I find that sexuality comes up a lot even in casual conversation. Same with witchcraft/paganism. Not so much gender, but it does come up from time to time. (I also just... really don't give a crap what people think about me, so... I don't care if people judge me)

Well, maybe it's just the area we live in? I mean, I could see some bigger cities having that kinda thing come up in casual conversation cuz they have more diversity? *shrug* I don't know.

It comes up with my friends a lot but mostly w/the younger ones.probably has to do w/the college environment at the moment (there’s actually discussion groups centered around sexual identities where I’m at)

I live smack dab in Bible Belt USA, so....

It's also the context in which you meet people, I suppose. E.g. in medieval renfair-related gatherings, witchcraft probably comes up way more often than, say, sexuality At work or with colleagues only, both would probably not come up often at all - unless you're doing "silkwork" (is a word I got from a comic ).

What is silkwork?

The one job where your physical gender matters.

Hi =) I do not know any people in real life that identify themselves as those other labels that you've all have talked about recently. I have friends who are gay and my brother is bi. And one thing I do not get is why people fixate on other peoples sexlives. I do not mean that labeling your person what you like and such are wrong in anyway, I just mean, like, church for example or people that judge other people because their sexlife differs from the 'norm', is weird to me. I mean, to me it's weird that other people care about other peoples sexlife. And I get thoughts like, do they want to watch those people have sex then? Or, why do they care about bullying someone for who they love, when they got nothing to do with that, if they themselves do not want to have a sexual relationship with that person? Even if it's a church thing, why should church care when it's not their own soul that go to some sort of 'hell' according to the bible or something weird like that? Let people be their own master of their soul then. Meh. (I myself is not a church person and don't care about that at all.)

I mean, let people love who they wanna love and let everyone have sex as they like as long as it's concensual adults.

But what do I know. I from Sweden and we got very different views on things it seems, unlike most other countries.

I myself got bit of autism which makes my emotional life different from the norm. I've never had a romantic or sexual relationship with another person as of yet (I'm 33 years old atm) coz I just don't get those sort of feelings it seems. I can look at a person and think they're beautiful, but I don't get any feelings like, oh I wanna have sex or touch that person in some intimate way. Maybe I'm that asexual label then? Just wondering. I can feel lonley at times thought when I see other people feel those things I may never feel. But like some other person mentioned, that's something I would only talk to the person it pertains to, that might be interested in me in a way that makes it good to talk about those matters.

I've seen programs about gay people on tv from the US, and I personally find it wierd that some people politicise their sexual orientation. But I guess that's in answer to the political and judemental climate that some people grow up in, and that's their way to fight for rights and make people more educated?

As you can read I'm prolly not very educated myself I don't really care about other peoples sexlives, but what I do care about is that all people should be able to live free and be able to have something so basic as to be able to love another person, wether they are man or woman, without other people having a say and deny basic human rights for other people.

I got off on a rant here but I really needed to express my thoughts that this fight shouldn't really be nessessary at all. If anyone need me to try to explain something further about what I've written pelase tell me, as I think I took the conversation a bit deeper than it started out as.

Edit: If you actually look in nature, it's more common that people thought for animals to choose a partner of the same sex. Take seagulls for example: The female finds another female, they hook up, and then one of the females find a male seagull, get pregnant and the two females raise the eggs together. I mean, being a person who are attracted to the other gender is perfectly natural in nature, so why must humans complicate things so much? Again, Meh.

Arizosa

And one thing I do not get is why people fixate on other peoples sexlives. I do not mean that labeling your person what you like and such are wrong in anyway, I just mean, like, church for example or people that judge other people because their sexlife differs from the 'norm', is weird to me. I mean, to me it's weird that other people care about other peoples sexlife. And I get thoughts like, do they want to watch those people have sex then? Or, why do they care about bullying someone for who they love, when they got nothing to do with that, if they themselves do not want to have a sexual relationship with that person? Even if it's a church thing, why should church care when it's not their own soul that go to some sort of 'hell' according to the bible or something weird like that? Let people be their own master of their soul then. Meh. (I myself is not a church person and don't care about that at all.)

Well, there may be several factors weighing in, I think.
One is that procreation is one of the major biological drives. It may actually be the number one reason why people would like to know if you might be interested in them without THEM even realizing!
The second one is that some people seem to be scared about someone else being sexually interested in them, so they'd like to be sure that's NOT the case.
Third, it's a great source for gossip Who with whoelse and whatfor etc, you know? Not my topic, really, but I guess it is for many people ...

Arizosa

But what do I know. I from Sweden and we got very different views on things it seems, unlike most other countries.

Like mosquitoes! I hear you have giant swarms of them there?

Arizosa

I've seen programs about gay people on tv from the US, and I personally find it wierd that some people politicise their sexual orientation.

It's more of the other way around. By my count, people don't get killed for being hetero, but people get killed for being gay.
Hence, gay people show up to unite and display support for one another, which they will probably do as long as kids still get bullied for being way more interested in the same gender than they "should be".
As long as "gay" is being used as a curse, gay rights need to be fought for.

Arizosa

I don't really care about other peoples sexlives, but what I do care about is that all people should be able to live free and be able to have something so basic as to be able to love another person, wether they are man or woman, without other people having a say and deny basic human rights for other people.

I agree

Arizosa

Edit: If you actually look in nature, it's more common that people thought for animals to choose a partner of the same sex. Take seagulls for example: The female finds another female, they hook up, and then one of the females find a male seagull, get pregnant and the two females raise the eggs together. I mean, being a person who are attracted to the other gender is perfectly natural in nature, so why must humans complicate things so much? Again, Meh.

Couples of male flamingoes and penguins have been observed stealing an egg to raise as their own, too

Flederfalle

Well, there may be several factors weighing in, I think. One is that procreation is one of the major biological drives. It may actually be the number one reason why people would like to know if you might be interested in them without THEM even realizing!
The second one is that some people seem to be scared about someone else being sexually interested in them, so they'd like to be sure that's NOT the case.
Third, it's a great source for gossip Who with whoelse and whatfor etc, you know? Not my topic, really, but I guess it is for many people ...

Thank you Flederfalle for answering my post in such a good way. You brought up the procreation side of things, and that might be something I don't think about because I don't really have those feelings, so I have trouble relating and thinking about it that way. But, after I've tried to think about it from that perspective I can sort of see it.
The second point is weird to me. If someone do not want someone to come around and express those feelings, in a normal world the recipient should just be able to to say that they are not interested and that's that. But it's true in all forms of relationship that there are assholes that do not understand no. But those few assholes should not make the whole group of men and women bad in the eyes of everyone else, and in some case over react majorly.
The third point... no not my area of interest either. :3

Flederfalle

Like mosquitoes! I hear you have giant swarms of them there?

I am lucky that I live sort of under the line where all the mosquitoes start to show up! I dont get so very many where I live. Those I get are enough.

Flederfalle

It's more of the other way around. By my count, people don't get killed for being hetero, but people get killed for being gay.
Hence, gay people show up to unite and display support for one another, which they will probably do as long as kids still get bullied for being way more interested in the same gender than they "should be".
As long as "gay" is being used as a curse, gay rights need to be fought for.

I totally get what you're saying here. It's just horrible that there need to be a fight at all because of insecure people that are scared that someone might like them. Coz that's what it sounds like to me. And yes the wording needs to be thought of before people say it out loud. It's become sorta mainstream to say the word gay when you mean something negative. I find it nice though that gay means happy (at least in wiki "Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term was originally used to mean "carefree", "cheerful", or "bright and showy".) Would be nice to at least get back that positive meaning. In utopia we would not have labels at all and everyone would resepect each other and just be happy someone found someone else to love and be happy with. Alas this is yet to be here. I hope the younger generations will grow up with better thoughts about this.

Flederfalle

Couples of male flamingoes and penguins have been observed stealing an egg to raise as their own, too

How interesting! :3

Here in sweden one of the political parties that are very against people from other countries and people that are not in a family of one mom, one dad and children, said that children of gay couples get an identiy crisis later in life. Luckily he got told how wrong he was when it came forward that american scientists had actually done that sort of study in 2015 at University of Colorado Denver och University of Oregon that according to them proved that there is no grain of proof in believeing that children to gay parents get an identity crisis later in life.

I hope that acceptance will come forward faster and faster in the world so people can live in peace the way they want.

Arizosa

It's become sorta mainstream to say the word gay when you mean something negative. I find it nice though that gay means happy (at least in wiki "Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term was originally used to mean "carefree", "cheerful", or "bright and showy".)

As friends of mine like to say, "I'm much rather gay than glum!"

So true!

I was just going to stop by and say howdy, but it seems like there is a pretty heavy conversation going on in here. So I guess I'll throw my two cents in also.

I'm a pretty religious person. I honestly try to live by 2 things.
1. Love my God...
2. Love my neighbor as I love my self.

If I'm so busy worrying about who, what, when, or how others are acting in relationships that have nothing to do with me, I'm being extremely hypocritical. Not only do I not want others putting their nose in what I do with my husband, if I'm tearing them down into little pieces I'm surely not showing them love that I want sent back my way.

If someone approached me and wants to have a personal conversation, awesome! I love hearing and gaining an understanding of other view points. But I don't want to force my view point and choices on others. I think there has been a serious loss of personal decency and respect for people as human beings that I wish we could overcome.

Love, people. Spend your time and efforts showing love and respect to everyone. Then there isn't room in your life for the hate.

FireLilly

I'm a pretty religious person. I honestly try to live by 2 things.
1. Love my God...
2. Love my neighbor as I love my self.

If I'm so busy worrying about who, what, when, or how others are acting in relationships that have nothing to do with me, I'm being extremely hypocritical. Not only do I not want others putting their nose in what I do with my husband, if I'm tearing then down into little pieces I'm surely not showing them love that I want sent back my way.

If someone approached me and wants to have a personal conversation, awesome! I love hearing and gaining an understanding of other view points. But I don't want to force my view point and choices on others. I think there has been a serious loss of personal decency and respect for people as human beings that I wish we could overcome.

Love, people. Spend your time and efforts showing love and respect to everyone. Then there isn't room in your life for the hate.

Well said!!!

Yush FireLilly!

I love how this conversation went. Hooray for people just being cool with people being people.

I was legit just gonna plop in, say hi and hope this would be a great place to hang out. That was a good 20 minutes ago though.

I literally scrolled up to read everything and that is the most adult way I have ever seen that conversation go. It was absolutely beautiful. Being in the Bible Belt, I don't get to see that happen a whole lot.

Totally sticking around now.

Nice to see you here Aello!!

Thanks!

How are you today by the way?