Gay Kids Tell Their Stories in CRISIS

What ideas? Acceptance verses denial?
This book is written from the persecution experienced by those across the Country and the ideas and example that San Francisco sets is the RIGHT one. Anyone struggling the persecution from others due to their sexuality would be lucky to live in an accepting community such as San Francisco. The only reason these ideas don't work outside of places like San Fran, sadly, is the judgmental ignorants that live in those communities.

Roger, I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that your questions to me are honest questions.

First of all, the ideas I'm talking about as not working everywhere outside of San Francisco are your oft-spouted ideas to the effect that homosexuality needs to be rammed down everyone's throat in order to force acceptance. It doesn't work that way. You have recently stated that you are 100% opposed to arranged marriage. I know lots of people who think you are wrong and that arranged marriages are ideal. Well, do you think they would win your acceptance quickest by surrounding you with households that perform arranged marriages between teens? Do you think your kids should be explicitly taught in kindergarten that arranged marriages are just as valid as "love marriages" (as my friends call them), maybe more so in some cases? Well, that's how most of the country feels about San Francisco's preferred methods of encouraging tolerance of homosexuality. Maybe it works there, because of the demographics and history there. Fine. But to insist that that's the model for everywhere is just ignorant. I thought maybe you were getting it when I read your original post, but now I am wondering.

I could tell you plenty about how my gay loved one feels about being gay, growing up gay, surviving as a gay person in a somewhat (not totally) intolerant population. But he would never suggest parading his homosexuality around. He would rather see everyone taught to respect everyone as human beings, without qualifying it at all. In his hometown, it is nobody's business whether he's attracted to one gender or another, and if someone makes it a point to find out, then that person is expected to deal with it. Most people are not out looking to hurt anyone else. No, not even in the conservative Midwest, believe it or not. Most people want to show only love to their fellow man, even if they privately don't like what they are seeing. But, there are those, usually young / rootless males, who will hurt another person, and therefore it is dangerous to flaunt a lot of things - not just homosexuality - when you're around people you're not sure of. That's just reality. These people are ignorant and pretty much hopeless. Shoving homosexuality in their faces is not going to soften them. They are beyond a heart-to-heart chat with their mother or a book about feelings. And yes, there are other ways in which gay people in conservative areas have to adjust. If they are religious, they have to look for a church that doesn't treat them like an abomination (they do exist). When it comes to employment, they either choose a career field where homosexuality is relatively accepted, or they keep their sexuality to themselves (not really that hard to do at work). And then there are some parents who cannot accept their child as a homosexual (for most, it's very difficult at first, but they get used to the idea over time). Here again, bombarding adults with homosexuality isn't going to change this. But this is changing gradually as more gay people are getting brave enough to open up to their parents. (One of my most liberal friends had the hardest time accepting that his son was gay. Actually, he talked himself out of believing it and now believes the son was just going through a phase, whew. I don't know - maybe the son went back into the closet or maybe he was just pulling his dad's chain - but believe me, the shock of hearing your kid is gay doesn't only happen to conservatives.)

I know plenty of gay people in the Midwest who have no desire to live in a place like San Francisco. They aren't comfortable with the lifestyle there, just like I wouldn't be comfortable living in some of the more liberal, predominantly heterosexual places. They would rather deal with the Midwest and its gradual movement toward acceptance. Yeah, believe it or not, there are conservative gay people!

You ask whether I sat down and told my parents I was heterosexual. Frankly, I do not discuss that aspect of my life with my parents, and never have. Most of my friends would say the same. Therefore I don't find it as horrific as you do that some people have never told their parents they like to have gay sex.

Your response to me suggests that you haven't really made much progress toward understanding how the rest of the country thinks. You want to believe San Francisco is Heaven on earth, and that's all there is to it. That's your right, it's a pretty closed-minded position for someone who pretends to want to actually learn something about other people.

SKL, not ONCE did Roger talk about gay people sitting down with their parents and telling them they like gay sex. I'm not going to say that you're a bigot, but it is certainly characteristic of a bigot to reduce everything about homosexuality to the sexual aspect of it.

After coming out to my father at 17, I asked him 2 years later why we never talked about it and he replied that it was just something that didn't need to be discussed - mind you, I have a brother who would get to discuss things in his life like who he was dating and interested in. I accepted it because being gay wasn't all of who I am. BUT, the fact that I am gay will dictate pretty much everything about my future relationships. Please note the fact I didn't say future hook-ups, or future one night stands, but future relationships.

So 20 years after my coming out, the father who couldn't talk about anything about me being gay found himself on the outskirts of my life, barely looking in... because now, being gay meant I had someone in my life full-time who he would have to relate to just as does with my brother's wife. Since he's unable to do that, and despite frequent invitations into our life, he continues to live outside of my life, my husband's life, and the lives of his grandchildren, of his own choosing. THIS is what happens when you reduce our lives to just sex. I've read many of your other posts - I wonder if you'll ever truly understand that.

Read anything but the Bible lately, Einstein? There is much documented proof of animals / primates that DO engage in homosexual sex...primates down to insects. A subscription to National Geographic would do you good:) Unless your one of those that doesn't believe science...only the wiggle of a nose, huh?
How about giving some respect to both the Bible and Science...they both can go hand in hand.
Talk about an abomination...you sadly are!

Wow...you're all a bunch of idiots. I don't base my beliefs off anything but the bible and that works fine for me. Science and the bible don't always go hand in hand.

@BrentChilers
Leviticus 18:22 - "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable

Leviticus 20:13 - "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

AMEN, You Go Girl ! I agree all the way.

LS, when you read your child Cinderella, do you believe that this is a story that discusses sex and sexuality? When your child is the ring bearer at your sister's wedding, do you think that this merits a talk about sex? When your child visits a friend's house and observes that that friend has two parents - or only one, even - do you think that means he has discovered sex?

No?

Then why do you think it matters if Cinderella is a boy, if your sister marries a girl, or if anybody's classmates have any configuration of parents?

Who in the world is talking about teaching Kindergartner's the facts of life? Where do you live that they have an abundance of Joe & Larry are lovers books for 5 year olds??

Seriously, these stories about people and politicians just lurking around school yards trying to convert kids into homosexuals with these little books is becoming an urban legend...

Let's face it...if you can't teach homosexuals (and many of you have tried) to be straight then you certainly can't teach hetero's to be gay!