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sixlessthansixty β It does not matter
Published: 2011-04-16 18:28:42 +0000 UTC; Views: 2133; Favourites: 90; Downloads: 23
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I hope I put this in the right category. Please let me know if I did not.A bunch of teenagers committed suicide because of bullying. They were bullied because of their sexual orientation. While I do not think they should be made martyrs, or given a "prevent suicide day" aside from TWLOHA, I do think that the matter of bullying someone because of their orientation is one that needs to be addressed.
Someone's sexual orientation does not matter. The only time it should come up in conversation is when you want to have sex with that person--and really that conversation ought to be between you and the one you want to have sex with. I don't use someone's sexuality as a descriptive term when talking about them. I don't feel like it's anyone's business what they do with their genitals. If they want to make that public, then let them. It isn't YOUR place to say it for them.
"Oh my friend Joe* was doing such and such and we went to Cook Out and--"
"Sorry, I haven't met Joe. Who is he?"
"OH. JOE IS GAY."
No. That is not how you describe someone. I don't care if you're LGBT or not, if you do that then you are part of the problem. Joe is Joe, it doesn't matter who he has sex with. Would you say that if he was straight? No, you wouldn't. So don't do it just because he isn't.
*Joe is just a random name, not an actual person.
I don't care if you like boys, girls, both, or neither. I don't care if you're FTM or MTF. To me, you're just another person.
TL;DR? WE ARE ALL PEOPLE. SEXUALITY DOES NOT MATTER.
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Comments: 76
It's called being proud
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Ugh, thank you! Sometimes I get really invasive questions about my orientations?? Like, pal, if I want to tell you, I'll tell you, but only on my own terms. Just chill out, holy hell. There are so many other things you could ask about. Jeez.
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Weeeellll... a person's sexuality should also matter when you want to hook them up with a friend of yours. Otherwise you might be sending someone into the blind date from hell.
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Bravo!!!
It's up to us to save the world from stupidity. It's not going to happen tomorrow. It will take time. But we will definitely make it! It's a fact, my friend!
The thing is... we CANNOT give up and we CANNOT hide!
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That is so beautiful. And hilarious.
I think that is a great way to put it.
I'm going to tell people this when people are being bullied for that reason. I absolutely love this picture.
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Thank you 
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Anti-gay beliefs don't even make sense from a christian perspective. They are totally self-contradictory..
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Could you please elaborate?
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Lots of Christians are pro LGBTQ+
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Basically, the contradictions are that the bible also says that god loves everybody, Jesus said 'love thy neighbor as thy self", which would both suggest that gay hate is against the Bible's teachings. The bible has been rewritten many times, and changed to fit personal beliefs. There is no specific evidence that the leviticus thing was added later on, but it is possible. Also, when you compare the passage to a ton of other things in leviticus, (for example leviticus states that it is a sin to eat pork), it seems quite irrelevant. Here's a link about that. [link]
I hoped that helped a bit.
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I always wondered about that. My grandfather (who is very much anti-anything that isn't white, heterosexual + his brand of Christian) always tries to say "Oh, well such and such was just a metaphor (ie: giving away your belongings to charity) but this stuff here is literal (Leviticus 18:22, virgin birth, world made in 6 days)." I always wondered how the hell people could just pick and choose what's "literal" and what's "metaphor" because, to me, they seem to have it backwards. I'll never understand that mindset though. 
Thank you for the article--it's definitely an interesting read.
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I'll never quite understand either.. But you're welcome.
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If only more people believed this. The world would make a lot more sense.
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And, hopefully, a lot less violent.
But unfortunately, a lot of people would rather live in a nonsensical, violent, theistic state. Apparently.
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You're absolutely right. If only the judgmental homophobes could realize this, and learn to mind their own business. Well, maybe one day...
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What I don't understand is how it affects them. I mean, if Joe and Dave get married or Annie and Lauren get married it's not going to affect their marriage. Or rather, it shouldn't. If it does then maybe it was them who should not have gotten married, rather than the gay couples.
How is it that if you have something it's a "right" but if someone else wants it, it becomes a "privilege"? Honestly, homophobes act like getting married is something that should be earned, or something that is exclusive--but then when you turn it around on them suddenly marriage is suddenly a human right.
Sorry if that was a bit convoluted.
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I agree completely. And if you're not going to let them marry, then damn well let them get a partnership with the same legal protection at the very least. Every single anti-gay marriage argument I ever heard was unintelligent and downright harmful, like
"If we allow gays to marry, the pedos are next."
"It destroys the moral fiber of america/whichever country we are in."
Dumb as shit.
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Exactly. If they're getting their panties in a wad about terminology then by all means, call it something else. I'm pretty sure that they don't even want to be married in your church/mosque/synagog/whatever. It's up to the churches' discretion whether or not to allow a same sex wedding ceremony (because that's all a wedding is, you can have the big party and rings and still not be married) but it is NOT the churches' decision to disallow them to have the same legal partnership that a heterosexual couple has.
I don't understand how people can make those kinds of leaps. They're consenting adults for chrissakes. No one is going to be able to seriously argue against the age of consent--unless it's arguing for increasing that age.
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It's all so alien to me. This kind of backwards hatred and bigotry is so... shocking, really. My country allows gays to marry in church. That they are so mistreated elsewhere in the world based on prejudice confounds and sickens me.
Those who make those leaps do it out of ignorance and intolerance. They don't think, they just hate.
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I didn't know that Sweden recognized same-sex marriage (or, as I like to call it, "marriage"). It's nice to know that other countries are more accepting than my own. I live in a hotbed of hatred and intolerance (aka: the American South) and I hear this constantly. It's right up there with racism and whether or not birth control should be offered on college campuses (no, I'm not joking). It disgusts me.
I don't understand why we can't achieve equality or why everyone is so afraid of a secular government.
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Sweden is probably as accepting as it gets. The swedish church ruled a few years back that they would allow gay marriage, within churches, which is probably because religion has a very weak hold over my country.
The american south... I always wonder whether it is an exaggerated stereotype or just as bad as they say.
Lack of equality- because people are idiots.
Fear of secularism- intentional demonization of atheism and general ignorance.
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That's so awesome (I wish I could come up with a better word right now). If only everyone else could follow that example.
Eh... it depends on where you are. Some places are more accepting and some places are worse than the exaggerated stereotype.
It astounds me at how people demonize atheists (and basically anyone else who isn't Christian). I once tried to explain to someone that the "under God" part of the pledge of allegiance was added in the 50's but they looked at me as if I had sprouted three heads, called me a liar and said I was going to burn in hell.
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It is awesome. Ever since I became an atheist, and more aware of religious influence in the world, I have become increasingly grateful that I live here.
I kind of figured. No smoke without fire, eh?
Religion is pack mentality at its worst extreme. It creates an Us And Them, which creates unity and cause within the group, and hate and intolerance to anybody outside the group.
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I'm personally an agnostic. After I took a World Religions class in my sophomore year of college my eyes were really opened to other ways of life around the world and religions so much older than Christianity. It kind of affirmed my own beliefs. I'm curious as to how religion influences the rest of the world, but with my current course load and lack of substantial free time, I've no idea how to really research that (aside from the obvious influence of Christianity in America and the two divisions of Islam in the middle east).
That's almost exactly how my World Religions professor described it. "We are the REAL people, they aren't. This [belief] makes us special and right and everyone else is wrong!" It's actually really sad, because I feel like they ought to use their teachings to inspire love in their own hearts, rather than hate.
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There is some amateur research that can be done, such as watching debates between leading atheists and theists. I recommend to you Stephen Fry and Christopher Hitchens versus catholicism in Intelligence Squared, for one.
And this... is instinctual. It's yet another time where we must be greater than our genes.
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Speaking of gay teen suicides, here's a song by Rise Against that's aaaaall about that ---> [link] (LITERALLY, it's what the song is about. September's Children....)
Great song....makes me cry
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Suicides are tragedies, no matter who the victims are.
Thanks for linking the song 
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What god would damn a heart? What god drove us apart? What god could...... Make it stop, let this end, 18 years pushed to the ledge. It's come to this, a weightless step, on the way down singing.....
You're welcome...
Also, one of the top comments is genius! (copy+pasting it)
"@loveless3138 Ah a deist. But the fact is people do extremely hellish thing in the name of god. God as an idea kills many people, causes hate, division, murder, hypocrisy etc. Toο»Ώ say you believe in a higher deity is an inane thing to say. You cannot make gnostic claims about it, you cannot say that it even cares of our existence, you cannot say it even wants to be worshiped. A god with unknown properties is a worthless concept. "
THANK YOU.
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I actually disagree with that comment.
People do terrible, awful, evil things in the name of a God (or gods) this is true. However, that is not because the idea of a supreme deity (or deities) is inane, but because the people are flawed and so is their book. A hateful person will use anything and everything he can think of to back up his personal vendetta and some religions promote a flock-like behavior--which makes it easy for twisted people to recruit and indoctrinate people to his school of thought. It's the person and the religious leaders that lead to violence.
I say this as an agnostic: God isn't worthless, if you believe in God and use your faith to feel comforted in this world and to spread love (like religion claims to want to do) then there's nothing wrong with that. It's when hate and bigotry twist things into a message of hate and intolerance that atrocities happen. Religion can be beautiful or it can be ugly, it is the human element that determines which it is.
Tolerance needs to go both ways. I say live and let live, as long as it's not bringing harm (emotional, psychological, physical, etc) to anyone else.
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Agreed :]
I also hate when there's some sort of tension and/or reluctance call a person of the same sex attractive (if you're straight.)
I once said to my friends, while looking at a magazine, "That girl is hot."
One of them replied, "You know, sometimes I wonder about you."
Idk. Just a pet peeve of mine, I guess.
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Yeah, I don't know why people get so squicked/weirded out by that. Anyone can appreciate the human form--it doesn't mean they're necessarily attracted to it.
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;-; You have NO IDEA how much it annoys me when people make it sound like their stupid sexuality is so important.
"I am gay, it's who I am!"
No, it's NOT! Like GEEZ! I don't know how many times I've had to introduce the whole concept of "sexual orientation is an extremely small, almost insignificant PART of you, NOT who you are" and they act like this is a whole new stinkin' concept. Like REALLY, people?! There's more to LIFE, and to YOU, then Love, Sex, and Romance!
I'm against gay marriage... but I don't hate homosexual people. Just some of the stuff that homosexual activists preach. >->
...sorry, this sounded like a rant... but yes, I AGREE with the message...
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I'm glad that people do. I get so annoyed and just want to say "No, you're gay--that's who you sleep with." Being gay shouldn't define you as a person, just like being straight doesn't define me as a person.
I'm pro-gay marriage, if only because I don't care what two consenting adults do in their bedroom 
Nah, that's fine
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Precisely!
I don't think people need a slip of paper saying they're married in order to "do stuff" together in their bedroom. :/ But I think I get what you're saying.
Hey, thanks! It's quite refreshing, though - usually I get swarmed with haters, but the past three encounters with the "other side" (aka, the pro-gay) it's been truly enlightening, or at least enjoyable.
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Well, they really just want the same legal rights that married couples get. It has to do with taxes, adoption, medical things... it's kind of complicated, to me, so I don't get too into the legal aspects of it. I guess I never thought about it, since it's not something I'll ever have to fight for, yanno?
Being hateful (on either side) is no way to get a point across, in my opinion.
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I've tried to figure it all out, but never could get it all correct. The only thing I've heard about is the whole hospital visitation dealio, and they want the ability for the lover to make important medical decisions. I think, though, it'd be better to just change the laws so that even good friends can do that - because some people trust a friend more than they trust their parents, and in some cases, even their spouse.
Exactly! ^^
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Here's an excerpt from a site explaining the SSM and DOMA and what kinds of rights straight couples get, but gay ones don't:
"On the order of 1,400 legal rights are conferred upon married couples in the U.S. Typically these are composed of about 400 state benefits and over 1,000 federal benefits. Among them are the rights to:
Most of these legal and economic benefits cannot be privately arranged or contracted for. For example, absent a legal (or civil) marriage, there is no guaranteed joint responsibility to the partner and to third parties (including children) in such areas as child support, debts to creditors, taxes, etc. In addition, private employers and institutions often give other economic privileges and other benefits (special rates or memberships) only to married couples. And, of course, when people cannot marry, they are denied all the emotional and social benefits and responsibilities of marriage as well. " Source: [link]
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A lot of that would be just as efficient if friends could have those rights with friends, but I think I see what you mean.
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Yeah 
I can see why religious people get ruffled at "marriage" since it's got a religious connotation--but they don't need to have a church wedding. They can have it in a court room or rent a ballroom or w/e. You don't need a priest to join two people together.
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I don't believe marriage is even a right. It's a societal institution - the state is interested in the next generation, because without it, there IS no state, and since homosexual couples cannot provide any sort of reproduction, and are proven to not be as efficient in raising children as heterosexual couples, there is no reason to give them the same status as heterosexual couples.
That's the very "short version" of the story, anyway. But I'm not in the mood for much more of a discussion.
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Well said! It is a shame that when somebody says they're gay, that suddenly defines who they are.
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