Our BetterMost Community > Chez Tremblay

I am angered right now

(1/5) > >>

bbm_stitchbuffyfan:
Okay, I don't want my true, dumbass colors to shine through or anything and find out that I'm wrong about this but I'm so not giving into this that easily. It seems like bullshit to me.

I went out to eat the other day with two people, one of which is a friend of mine and the other a friend of her's. The topic of homosexuality came up in discussion and they both said that "homosexuality is an abnormality of the brain." I responded with "What?" in obvious disbelief. They both said "Yeah, they've proven that. That's a fact." I'm thinking, "okay, whatever..."

So then, aloud, I ask "Yeah, are these the same people who think homosexuality is sodomy?" They have no idea what I'm talking about, I assume, since they don't respond. I continue, "You know, the people who run around with their Bibles and say--" They're both rather quick to say "Oh, no, not at all."

Then my friend says to me, "You've never heard that before?" I say, "No, I haven't."

All right. You have to be coming out of a long-term, memory-altering coma to not know that the world is littered with homophobes. But I have never heard of this before and I was wondering if any of you have any insight into these so-called "scientifically-proven facts."

What especially pissed me off about this, aside from the fact that it seems to be information bred by closet-case homophobes (awkward pun) is how my acquaintances stated this as fact -- using the word 'abnormality.'

Regardless, I'm pissed right now... What do you guys think/know?

gattaca:
First - I'd let it roll off your shoulder like water. Don't let it rile you. You will find that people hold all kinds of ignorant misinformation about all kinds of things.

Hatred and ignorance is usually an outward manifestation of fears that we can't articulate. These people sound like they are merely parroting what they have heard. They probably didn't even realize they were using the word 'abnormality' in a context you would find offensive.
I have been gay for as long as I can remember, and I don't think there's anything wrong with my brain (that I'll admit to), but I also did not consciously decide to be homosexual.

You say in your post that, "They both said 'Yeah, they've proven that. That's a fact.' ". You might reply with something like, "It's proven? Where? Show me the report/study/analysis that proves what you're saying." They can't, of course.

bbm_stitchbuffyfan:
You're right. With time, I'll be able to just brush it off but at the time, I was just so irritated. I felt like asking them where they had heard this but I didn't think about it for some reason...

And one of them, my friend, isn't even homophobic. (Unless there's something we all don't know about her.) But she has a number of gay friends... But I suppose even that isn't enough to prevent someone from making ignorant comments.

vkm91941:
Here are just a few links with pages and pages of the kinds of misinformation some people swallow as "fact".  Sounds like your friends are not malicious they just need educating.


http://home.netcom.com/~masonc/homosexuality.html

http://www.uncommonforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=16659&start=45

http://www.e-thepeople.org/article/43294/view?viewtype=

Brown Eyes:
I'm no expert on the subject of clinical or psychological studies on homosexuality, but I'm quite sure the opposite has happened from what your friends said.  No respected psychiatrist would claim homosexuality as an "abnormality" anymore.  Quack psychiatrists used to think it was a disorder or could be cured, but boards on the regulation of psychiatry as a practice officially discredited those claims long ago (sorry I don't have the year at my finger tips).

It's hard to say "don't let it get you down" when it was your friends who said these things.  I can imagine it would be very frustrating.  It's good that you can come here and let off some steam.  Do you have other "real life" friends that you can talk to about this?  It will probably help to talk it all out.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page