Why Should We have to hide?

[57lambertr]

we don't have to hide anything and the less we do the less people will expect us to. be gay, be proud, be yourself, but be sure to be a human,

[Puck]

I used to hide who I am because of America's love affair with Bibles and God dictating every aspect of their lives.

I don't anymore because its pointless to do so as far as I'm concerned. You're wasting energy and invoking negative feeling towards yourself based on what a group of ignorant morons think. There's always going to be people who dislike us, so why give them the power to make us feel unworthy? Once I learned that, it was much easier for me to go about my life and not give a flying f*** what others think of me. If they're that judgemental of me to begin with over something so insignificant as to who I sleep with, then they're not worth my time and energy to dwell upon.

[kai1211]

I hope I'm in the right place to be starting this thread, but I'll go ahead and ask my question. Why should we hide our homosexuality? For the bums? For those who don't approve? Honestly, I don't care what people think, so why am I constantly hearing from friends and family to "tone it down." I'm GAY! I want to be who I am. If people don't like it, I don't care! Why should we hide our actions, personality, feelings, or homosexuality? Can someone please explain this to me?

If you are happy let it all come out. We should not have to hide who we are. I love you're addutude!

[princealbertofb]

JTNK, I don't think you are really looking for reasons to hide.... lol. Therefore your question is purely rhetorical.... You're not looking for reasonable answers, are you really?
But I know where your anger and impatience are coming from and I guess you're entitled to those feelings; we've all been entitled to these feelings as we get that impression of being treated unfairly.

Discrimination is never a pleasant feeling, which is why some progress has been made in many areas already, be it for women's rights or for coloured people's rights or even LGBT rights.

What your question does suggest, however, is the question of balance.

How much gayness can you display without it becoming over the top, or becoming a hazardous attitude/activity for your own safety and maybe that of the people who support you? What's the level of gayness that is acceptable in your particular part of the world, how can you push the envelope to have the ''space'' you need to grow and thrive "unfettered" by society's normative standards (which, are mostly straight sexuality based, for the moment)?

I'm sure you'll find that answers to your question depend a lot on your family circumstances, your social circumstances, your financial circumstances (which can buy you a certain amount of freedom-s and opportunities to just say "Fuck off!"), your historical circumstances etc... People in San Francisco probably don't have to put up with as much negative feedback as you do living where you live.

Keep the attitude, continue to question the attitudes around you if they are translated by discrimination and injustice, and join the combat of many of your younger and older peers for more equality. Your vote has to have some weight in the end.

[speakingout]

My venting may be related. I come from a religiously conservative family and it sickens me when my family looks down on me for being gay. I want to speak back saying that the men in my family were not "man enough" to train me up in the way that I should go or what they think that I should act. Hell, I was more feminine when I was a child than I am now. What made me so upset is that my grandad had the audacity to bring up going to a lake of fire when I am close to 30 years old rather than when I was a pre teen/teenager when all of the signs that I was going to be gay were already there. Really? What fucking hypocrits!!

[sonolibero]

Be yourself, try to be authentic and believe in your feelings!