WTF Stories of the Week

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by JWBear

But again, beside the point. What I object to is that same opposite sex couple claiming that they are not displaying their sexuality when they hold hands, but then tells me I am flaunting mine when I hold hands with my boyfriend. Can you not see the double standard there?

Yes, I can and I've said (third time) that I don't think it is flaunting or inappropriate.

But we're not talking about holding hands or kissing, or talking about your significant other. We're talking about a specific instance, saying, "I'm a lesbian," by way of describing yourself. There's no direct analog. Yes, saying, "My wife and I have been married for 3 years," on one level serves the same purpose. But to people who don't want to be tolerant, who want to find excuses to discriminate, it's easy for them to say, " You don't see me saying, "I'm straight" in my profile, do you?"

Denying the reality that there are actual, practical differences in the way things are communicated, to my eye, is counter productive. It'll just make people dig in. It gives them an easy excuse to say, "See, you're insisting on being treated differently and getting away with acting differently!"

The way I see it, it's better to confront and own those differences. "Yes, I DO occasionally have to be overt about it. You may be able to use the standard givens of society as an easy, effortless way to communicate what you want, but that doesn't work for me, so get over it. I'm not doing it to rub your face in it, I'm doing it because I have no other way to do what you do without even thinking about it."