Right, just in case people were starting to think I only checked this thread for a chance to have something smartarsery to say (and to distract people from any further Slash discussion!), here's my little "gay" story.
I went through my "bi" phase in my early 20's. Not going to divulge any details because that's my personal story and I actually am a fairly private person.
I grew up, not to hate homosexuals, far from it, it just never meant anything to me and given that I grew up (and still live in) a rural area, there wasn't much of "it" around.
When I first found my way onto the internet I discovered chat rooms, became quite addicted actually, anyway, I made a few friends. The website I chatted on had a nifty little feature where you could search for your friends and find what room they're in. So one day I went looking for one of my friends and found her in the Bi-Sex chat room, I went in under a different alias to lurk and timed it right for her to proudly declare to the whole room that she likes girls as well as boys.
That little revelation hit me good and it opened my eyes and set me on the course for my own little "sexual exploration".
I remember taking a trip to Sydney and going for a wander around the city. I wandered down this one little street, found a nice little adult shop, wandered in for a look around, they had the booths at the back with movies and stuff so I went in just to see what it was all about, when I came out there were a bunch of guys lined up along the wall looking me up and down. I left and kept walking and all these guys kept checking me out.
Turns out I was walking down the main gay street of Sydney. Didn't discover that until a few years later. Explains the looks I got!
I have one gay cousin, though I think I may have two. I have a cousin i've never actually met but last I heard she was a lesbian.
The guy who retired at the end of last year and who's job I took over was also gay. He's in his late 50's and experienced all the anti-homosexuality mentality in his younger days living in Sydney. When he moved up here after a big split from his then boyfriend (after retiring he moved back down south with his old bf) he took to wearing a wedding band so that people would assume he was married and two other reasons 1 - so people would stop trying to set him up with women and 2 - he didn't want people to know he was gay. As I said, he experienced the bigotry in his younger days and that left a lasting impression on him. He often said he didn't want people to know he was gay because he feared the small town mentality.
Which is in direct contrast to the gay guy who plays sax in our community band. He's 19 now but i've known him since he was about 15, I suspected he was gay (mannerisms, the way he talked) but never gave it much thought. That was his business not mine. But we got talking one day (it was bordering on a D & M actually) and he insinuated his sexuality, thinking he might have been bi I asked straight out if he was gay, and he said yes. So I asked him if many other teenagers his age knew which they did and while he's experienced SOME negativity towards it the bulk of people in town haven't given a toss.
So I look at John who lived his life unable to really be himself out of fear, and I look at Pete who can be who he wants to be and is, for the most part, widely "accepted" (don't like using that term but you get the idea) and I think it's great much society has changed over the years. There's a long way to go yet but it's most certaintly a good sign.
im taking her out for dinner. we practically live together now lol
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