If the LGBTQ+ community want to be taken seriously...

If the LGBTQ+ community want to be taken seriously... May 13, 2019 7:45:57 GMT

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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2019 7:45:57 GMT

May 11, 2019 9:09:29 GMT Toasted Cheese said:

May 10, 2019 1:06:40 GMT rachelcarson1953 said:

Back in the 1990's, in the USA, it was a separate, and secretive community, because there was discrimination, and during the AIDS crisis there was fear. I was fortunate to be one of the few heteros to be trusted, so I saw an amazing community of support. I know you live in Australia; perhaps you have never seen the HBO movie "And the Band Played On" - it depicts the conflict during that time fairly accurately. Since that issue has passed and most intelligent people understand that HIV doesn't care about gender, the stigma has lifted. According to the scientists who studied the 'outbreak', it actually gained it's foothold in the IV drug using community first, but those folks weren't a cohesive group demanding that the Government take action along with the medial community.

It's been a long time since I have been a part of those tight-knit support groups; the world has changed and my world is that of a small, rural community. Anyone in my town who is 'different' has fled to the nearby large metropolitan city. So I've had little interaction with anyone who isn't a white, straight, church-going farmer. Only when I am in the medical community do I have contact with any diversity, including race. Back in the day, some of my closest friends were gays and lesbians. It was a different time. I spend most of my time now with retired "crazy cat ladies" in the cat rescue group I volunteer with.

But thank you for updating me on the current vocabulary. To me, we are all just human beings.

I have seen And The Band Played On several times Rachel. It got a cinema release where I was living. Excellent film!

There have always been gay hang outs, bars etc, but it is only perceived as secretive if you don't know where they are. Once you do, it is no longer a secret. People wouldn't have been actively seeking them out, unless they wanted too. Just as people don't actively seek out any other type of hang out or bar, which may pander to certain demographics, unless by chance or they have an intention too.

Exactly but as a Lesbian I would say it is nowhere near as secretive as it used to be and young homosexual males and females have it a lot easier finding partners of the same sex than we did when I was younger. I mostly only dated guys when I was a teenager 'cause it was so much easier and I had a lot of guys that wanted to be with me but if people had been as open about their sexuality as they are now back then I wouldn't have dated men cause I was never attracted to them and always wanted to be with a woman but the only Lesbians and Bisexual women I knew were a lot older than me at the time and most of them were already in relationships. I know far more Lesbians and Bisexual now than I did before and one of my friends came out later and I found out one of my co-workers is having an affair with her boyfriend's Mum.

My Wifey and I went to a Lesbian bar last year 'cause one of our friends was meeting somebody there and didn't want to go alone and I was surprised by the large number of women that were there and I got hit on multiple times and my Wifey was very jealous and it is usually her that gets hit on the most when we go out but it is by men and I get hit on by more women now than I ever have and a woman who lives in the street behind us flirting with me when I was taking our dogs for a walk one day and while I would never cheat on my Wifey 'cause I have loved her for as long as I can remember and we have been through hell together I like being hit on by women and it is different than being hit on by guys.