Do you have any gay family or friends? If so, how did you handle it? (1 Viewer)

[El Floppo]

I've thought about this a few times and I literally don't have a relationship with a single person who has come out as gay.

I only know of two people from my HS who are known homosexuals and I don't know that I ever even had a conversation with either of them. I can't think of anyone I knew in college who I've heard was gay either.

I honestly haven't done this on purpose, but the combination of the majority of my friends being from church and growing up/living in an extremely conservative area has likely kept me from meeting people who are openly gay.

I did go to college in St Louis and live/work there afterwards for 4 years, so you'd think I would have met and associated with at least one openly gay person. But in college, I played two sports and hung out primarily with either athletes or Christians. Then after school, almost all of my close friends were married and went to church.

Work would have been the best place for me to come across at least one openly gay person, but after racking my brain I seriously can't come up with a single person who I know was gay.

It's like I'm some kind of gay person repellant. Wherever I go they either leave or stay in hiding.

ETA: also, not a single gay family member. My wife has like a second cousin who recently came out as gay, but I only met her twice and couldn't even tell you her last name.

Athletes and Christians can't be gay, so I understand

Not what I said, Ace.Churches and locker rooms are traditionally the two least friendly places for homosexuals. Anyone who I knew that was gay likely kept it a secret. I made a distinct point to say that I didn't know of anyone, not that there weren't any around me. I honestly believe there had to, it is just that no one came out.

But, hey, keep reading what you want and ignore what people actually say. You are soooooo smart.

I don't know what you're expecting openly gay men to act like- but I read the bolded exactly the same way Moops did.

 

[Tennessee_ATO]

Years back my ex-wife was friends with a male couple. I personally was around them in social situations only a couple times. Was not a problem.

My brother, now deceased, was gay. He talked about it some, I listened in those rare occasions so it was also not a problem...until I told him I did not agree. At that moment our relationship was damaged beyond repair. I immediately became a bigoted, homophobe who was out to get him due simply to that fact.

A female co-worker who I count as a friend divorced, dated men for a time, then all of a sudden announces a relationship with another woman. I can imagine my reaction showed some surprise. No problems with her since.

So my experience is limited, but that is all I have.

Why did you tell him you 'did not agree'?

He told you he was sexually attracted to dudes. What could you disagree with? I mean, did you think he was wrong and he was actually attracted to women?

 

[fantasycurse42]

Yes I do... I handled it like an adult and respected their decision on how to live their life.

 

[Jayrod]

I've thought about this a few times and I literally don't have a relationship with a single person who has come out as gay.

I only know of two people from my HS who are known homosexuals and I don't know that I ever even had a conversation with either of them. I can't think of anyone I knew in college who I've heard was gay either.

I honestly haven't done this on purpose, but the combination of the majority of my friends being from church and growing up/living in an extremely conservative area has likely kept me from meeting people who are openly gay.

I did go to college in St Louis and live/work there afterwards for 4 years, so you'd think I would have met and associated with at least one openly gay person. But in college, I played two sports and hung out primarily with either athletes or Christians. Then after school, almost all of my close friends were married and went to church.

Work would have been the best place for me to come across at least one openly gay person, but after racking my brain I seriously can't come up with a single person who I know was gay.

It's like I'm some kind of gay person repellant. Wherever I go they either leave or stay in hiding.

ETA: also, not a single gay family member. My wife has like a second cousin who recently came out as gay, but I only met her twice and couldn't even tell you her last name.

Athletes and Christians can't be gay, so I understand

Not what I said, Ace.Churches and locker rooms are traditionally the two least friendly places for homosexuals. Anyone who I knew that was gay likely kept it a secret. I made a distinct point to say that I didn't know of anyone, not that there weren't any around me. I honestly believe there had to, it is just that no one came out.

But, hey, keep reading what you want and ignore what people actually say. You are soooooo smart.

I don't know what you're expecting openly gay men to act like- but I read the bolded exactly the same way Moops did.

You read "openly gay" and think I'm saying athletes and Christians can't be gay?

You guys may need to crack open some dictionaries.

And as far as what I expect them to act like....I have no point of reference. I guess I'd expect it to come up in conversation at some point.

 

[El Floppo]

Openly gay men don't go around talking about gay things all the time.

Its likely you've been around openly gay men who don't have to proclaim it to the world... or in locker rooms or at church.

Based on what you've written, you seem to think otherwise.

You're pretty sensitive about this.

 

[TheIronSheik]

Openly gay men don't go around talking about gay things all the time.

Its likely you've been around openly gay men who don't have to proclaim it to the world... or in locker rooms or at church.

Based on what you've written, you seem to think otherwise.

You're pretty sensitive about this.

I get what he's saying. He may have been around openly gay men, but no gay men who have told him they're gay.

 

[CBusAlex]

Openly gay men don't go around talking about gay things all the time.

No, but they do occasionally bring their SOs to events, or at least talk about them from time to time.

 

[Zow]

Openly gay men don't go around talking about gay things all the time.

Its likely you've been around openly gay men who don't have to proclaim it to the world... or in locker rooms or at church.

Based on what you've written, you seem to think otherwise.

You're pretty sensitive about this.

I get what he's saying. He may have been around openly gay men, but no gay men who have told him they're gay.

Probably out of self-preservation.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

My great uncle, for whom I was named (middle name) was a clarinet player who was a member of the USO during World War II. He was a bachelor who lived for years with his close "friend". Apparently my great grandmother, an orthodox Jew, discovered somehow that my great Uncle was up to sinful behavior and sat shiva for him (basically she declared him dead to the family, and ostracized him from all family events.) This all happened in the early 50s; my great uncle lived apart from the family for several more years until his "friend" died of cancer; shortly after that he (my great uncle) put a gun in his mouth and swallowed a bullet. I never knew him.

Uncle Scho?

 

[SWC]

i always wonder brohans what the guys who use the bible and religion to justify bigotry would think if they could be here in two hondo years i mean look through the years people have used little versus and snippets here and there in the bible to justify slavery racism denying womens rights genocide and murders of people suspected of sorcery and eventually the enlightened rise up and the church stops saying the bigoted or racist or sexist things are ok i mean is there really any doubt that in a hundred years the church will have backed off of the anti gay position i mean then what would these jokers say does being racist or bigoted in the big kahunas name go from being ok in one generation to a sin in the next or is hate always just wrong that always sort of makes me wonder i think the better way brohans is to just accept that god is love and love your brohans from other mothrans just like you would love god do that and no one will need to figure out what you are against because they will know what you are for take that to the bank bromigos