in the shadow of the rainbow...

[justthesamea]

:flag3:
hello everyone.. quick.. note on an article i was reading for class...
"In the shadow of the Rainbow:...
Rainbow = peace, calm, and possibility...
and is also a symbol of pride, and freedome for LGBT community..... the rainbow then suggests unity, integrity of difference, and beliefe in a place where "the clouds are far behind us".... however the article discusses how lots of people are forced to hide.. or deny their identify and sexual orientation.... the individual consequences of living as an openly gay person can be profound--rejection by family and friends, physical violence, and verbal abuse, insensitive health and social services, loss of jobs or housing and lack of protection under th law. on the broader scale the rainbow's shadow hides physical, mental and social health disparities...."

also.. frequently missing from our national health statistics and therfore often left out of the nationwide attention to eliminating health disparities.. are people who identify as TGBL... "
what do you guys gals think...
I was definatly taken back by the article.. and never really thought about it this way before..
also the article outlines research.. on .. the stats that are available.. on the health issues..
-young lesbians.. younger than 35 are less likey to receive papa tests .... wow..
if someone wants to read the article.. I could sent it to you..

anyway.. just a thought.. if youhave thoughts to add no prob.. i just wanted to share this.. it is in pdf format.. so if anywone would like it let me know..

talk to you all soon,

[smokey]

The rainbow should represent all of us, black/white/red/yellow straight/gay/bisexual/male/female/rich/poor all of us. I really resent the gay pride movement with abscounding with what should be a universal symbol.

[justthesamea]

I know.. I just learned this year about the rainbow... and wow... I didn't think it was just for gay pride.. I only thought it was like said... for everyone.. all ... people.. but.. I guess.. I was told different..

we also had a speaker come to class from a gay pride organization in town and addressed the TGBL population as QUEER... ok.. I HATE that word to be used... I don't get it...
also.. I wear.. berkenstoks and someone tole me that is a label that I am a lesbian.. OMG.. I DONT get people and their lables.. symbols.. and all such...

Weird week.. anyway.. but has triggered lots of conversations...
:rolleyes:

[smokey]

I know.. I just learned this year about the rainbow... and wow... I didn't think it was just for gay pride.. I only thought it was like said... for everyone.. all ... people.. but.. I guess.. I was told different..

we also had a speaker come to class from a gay pride organization in town and addressed the TGBL population as QUEER... ok.. I HATE that word to be used... I don't get it...
also.. I wear.. berkenstoks and someone tole me that is a label that I am a lesbian.. OMG.. I DONT get people and their lables.. symbols.. and all such...

Weird week.. anyway.. but has triggered lots of conversations...
:rolleyes:


It is exactly things like you just mentioned that turn me off about the Gay scene.

The flag is one thing the rainbow should speak for all of us but I just covered that in the above posting.

Queer...I may be bi and like sex with men now and again but I ain't no queer fag or any such crap...I am a human being and identifying yourself as a queer/fag/dyke etc is just bullshit. I will be damned if I will be proud of the insults and derogatory names I was called as a teen. I am a human being damn it...respect me as that period.

So I wear berkenstoks and draw strings and clothes like that so does that make me a lesbian with a dick? I wear them because I find them comfortable and they suit my personality...back off with your streotypes.

Speaking of sterotypes...the gay scene these days seems to think that it doesn't matter how divant and fucked up you are its alright love yourself (unless of course you are bi) I have seen some pretty twisted stuff embraced under the moniker of gay pride.

If you are not young and well off and beautiful you are over the hill.

The gay scene has embraced shallowness and the majority of gay men I know, you couldn't gt your big toe wet in their depths.

Back in the 70's and well into the 80's the gay/lesbian scene was extremely politicized (especially lesbian) and adopted alot of attitudes that if they really thought long and hard about them, they would realize hurts their cause more than helps them.

I am not saying go back into the closet but you can not try and get middle america to accept you as normal and then have drag queens flaunting their stuff on gay pride day and not turn the very people you want to accept you off.

[Reprob8]

We need some type of symbol to represent us when we stand together as a group, Use the symbols when you need to or don't use them but to say that that they do the LGBT community harm is false. Apathy is our biggest problem, less than 30 percent of the people in this country vote, if every legal aged LGBT person voted we would damn near have the majority at that rate. The Rainbow FLag has nothing to do with someone getting tested or not, if anything communtiy pride goes a long way towwards empowering people to get tested and take charge of their lives. People do not get tested because they are afraid of the results or the treatment they will get from relatives, medical proffesionals and society. We need more pride, validation and support not less.


The flag does represent all of us when we choose to stand together as a diverse group. Within the LGBT community some groups decided the Rainbow Flag did not completely represent us so we made our own symbols. There is nothing stopping anyone from flying both flags or wearing both symbols, the Bears have their own flag, along with bi's. There are many symbols for Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Bisexual, Bears BDSM, etc..... The many symbols weaken us as a group when they are not recognized so fly both or any variation. If something negative or positive happens to a group within our community then fly their symbols in support.

My brother and I while driving through Tacoma a while back spotted an equality symbol on a car and we both recognized it, my wife had no clue what it meant untill we told her, a rainbow symbol close to it would have given her a clue as to its meaning.

By all means fly all of them that apply to you.

[justthesamea]

Queer...I may be bi and like sex with men now and again but I ain't no queer fag or any such crap...I am a human being and identifying yourself as a queer/fag/dyke etc is just bullshit. I will be damned if I will be proud of the insults and derogatory names I was called as a teen. I am a human being damn it...respect me as that period.

So I wear berkenstoks and draw strings and clothes like that so does that make me a lesbian with a dick? I wear them because I find them comfortable and they suit my personality...back off with your streotypes.

Speaking of sterotypes...the gay scene these days seems to think that it doesn't matter how divant and fucked up you are its alright love yourself (unless of course you are bi) I have seen some pretty twisted stuff embraced under the moniker of gay pride.

Hey, Smokey...
First -I am sorry if this offended u.. I was not trying to..
This was a speaker who came to our class from a pride central represenative from our school ..
He referred to the umbrella above the terms of LGBT... as queer
actually.. I felt like crying when he got up and talked like this to the group... I didnt understand why he used the STUPID word in the first place.. it is offensive.. and just such an awful word... That I never thought was used especially from someone in the group himself.. it was refered to as a proud word..

second.. I am not stereotyping.. this is other people stereotyping... I love berks.. I wear them all the time.... I just have never been exposed to such stereotyping.....

We are all humans.. and each of us are individual in our ways of living, dressing... yes.. love yourself the way you are...
I always tell people.. "iether love the way I am or leave me the way I am"
:)

[shameless agitator]

The reason GLBT activists frequently use words like queer, fag, dyke etc is the same reason you hear black people call each other nigga, mexicans refer to themselves and each other as spics, etc. If we get used to hearing these terms from each other in a non hateful way, then they lose their power.

[smokey]

Hey, Smokey...
First -I am sorry if this offended u.. I was not trying to..
This was a speaker who came to our class from a pride central represenative from our school ..
He referred to the umbrella above the terms of LGBT... as queer
actually.. I felt like crying when he got up and talked like this to the group... I didnt understand why he used the STUPID word in the first place.. it is offensive.. and just such an awful word... That I never thought was used especially from someone in the group himself.. it was refered to as a proud word..

second.. I am not stereotyping.. this is other people stereotyping... I love berks.. I wear them all the time.... I just have never been exposed to such stereotyping.....

We are all humans.. and each of us are individual in our ways of living, dressing... yes.. love yourself the way you are...
I always tell people.. "iether love the way I am or leave me the way I am"
:)



Oh you didn't offend me, I knew you were describing what you had witnessed, the attitude of the speaker is what I find offensive. Also i didn't think you were stereotyping, I understood what you were and are saying. Sorry about any confusion.

[justthesamea]

No prob smokey.. it's all good.. I just didn't want to hurt anyone.. with it..
yes.. I felt the same way you did.. about the speaker..
:cool:

[Avocado]

So because the Speaker used the word Queer he/she is now offensive? Looks like alot of posters on this forum are offensive then. You know, for a group of people which is supposed to object to gays claiming a monopoly on being...not straight, we could do alot to make ourselves more tolerant of others, and learn ourselves to not act like we have a monopoly on not being straight.