GAY MARRIAGE: Why always the men?

[punistation]

Yet another pro-gay marriage article...






... yet another image of two MEN, sure to disgust and otherwise strike fear into the hearts and bumholes of all right-wingers, conservatives and bible belters.

My question being: where are all the sexy chicky-babes at?






The idea is simple, relying on two key points:

1. BIG SMILES is the most common instant response by men given the idea of two girls doing the horizontal chicken dance.

2. A CLENCHED BUMHOLE followed by winced eyes is the most common instant response by men upon seeing two middle-age men (moustache encouraged but optional) holding hands.






So, if the idea is to *promote* gay marriage to all the right-wingers as something other than horrifying, why not always show the WOMEN swapping spit after their wedding vows?

Isn't it a dirty, yet openly dirty mind trick? Assuming a man's erection influences any and all decision, doesn't it make sense to accompany E.V.E.R.Y single mention of gay marriage with a pic of two hot blondes who OH SO VERY BADLY wanna marry?






FREEPER: "I are totally against it.... but me vote yes anyway cause u hot!!!!!!11111!!!111one111!!!"


It's just playing the odds, right? The majority of men would be swayed by this, rather than images of two old men (with a bit of Black-on-White thrown in for good measure)... right?

Right or Left, it's hardwired in your brains... right?


Kisses XXOOXX
Jen

[porphyrian]

1. Men like the idea of the "lipstick lesbian" myth...

...not the "tube sock lesbian" reality. Unless you intend to get porn stars or lesbian celebrities for your photos, your campaign idea probably wouldn't float. Pretty damn funny, though.

[Caution]

4. Two of my best friends

prove the reality of the "myth" There are plenty of "attractive" lesbians, and plenty of couples where both of the women fit the standard for "beautiful" we just don't really notice them and assume they are straight. When we see two "butch" looking women together we automatically assume they are lesbians, but when we see two "attractive" women together we assume they are shopping.

[porphyrian]

5. Oh, sure, use exceptions to negate my generalizations... -n/t

[Caution]

11. any time :)

[punistation]

6. Yeah, I know (funny, yet serious. Kinda)

^_^

Yeah, I know the Barbie Twins thing has no basis in reality (...mostly. if you're an exception, all the best!), but then, neither is the whole idea of men considering lesbians entertaining. So hey, why not?

It's completely unreal, but since when has that stopped a *successful* PR campaign? ^_^

(er... keep in mind I'm an Aussie, so maybe my ideas of what Aussie men think is slightly irrelevant to what American men think. Might be a cultural thing?)


Kisses XXOOXX
Jen

[porphyrian]

10. Aussies and Americans are fairly similar.

We're both nations formed from colonies of criminals, entrepeneurs and undesirables, we both produce irritating infomercial hosts, the British feel superior to both of us, even though either of us could beat their ass, and we've both got significant populations of right-wing assholes. See? We're practically the same. However, our respective toilet water does swirl in opposite directions when flushed.

[Blue-Jay]

14. That's not really a myth.

One of my good friends refers to herself as a "lipstick lesbian". It's even part of her email address.

[xocolatl]

43. I was recently reminded of my own internalized bigotry

... well, maybe not bigotry, but stereotyping.

About six months ago I started doing some volunteer work at a social service organization. My bosses are two women, one of whom I assumed was a lesbian because she fits the "tube-sock lesbian" stereotype, the other who I assumed was straight because she's pretty, wears makeup, etc. Turns out the reverse is true: the "tube-sock lesbian" is married to a man, the other one has a female partner.

Just goes to show you.

[comradebillyboy]

2. kind of a double standard

most straight men (imho) find lesbian sex exciting, but male on male not so. my evidence-all of the woman on woman sex in porno movies oriented to straight men. if i might borrow from the vulgar pig-boy, "i am a lesbian trapped in the body of a man"

so female homosexuality is ok if its done for the viewing pleasure of men

[AntiCoup2K4]

3. Uh... Isn't that last pic the Olsen twins?

That would be an incestuous marriage, and so that would only appeal to the minority of Freepers.

Then of course, there's the LAMBLA crowd (man-sheep love association) which would make up a BIG portion of Freeperville.

[punistation]

8. Yup.

Heh-heh... Sorry 'bout that. I was being funny. Those two crack me up. SO easy to make fun of. ^_^


Still, the question is a good one. If you have to write a pro-gay article, and you have to include an image of two gays getting married... why do you always choose two men over two women?

Why try to convince anyone while at the same time knowing your image will turn away those you're trying to convince?


Seems pointless to me. Honestly, I swear it does.

Show a girly pic and the freepers go "HEY, I should *read* this!"


Kisses XXOOXX
Jen

[jukes]

26. AntiCoup2k

hhhhmmm...
an incestuous gay marriage wd produce no natural progeny; hence, no inbreeding. which is the basis for this particular taboo.


a hetero incestuous marriage where procreation is excluded (& modern medicine can cope w/this problem, wd produce no inbred child.

my point: maybe we shd start rethinking ALL taboos; or, better, quit legislating morality.

[Atman]

7. I am attending a "tube sock" lesbian wedding this weekend

My cousin and her partner have been living together for over twenty years, and can finally get married. I just can't see why anyone else gives a rat's butt. And I agree...it isn't really about women. Teenage girls hold hands and hug all the time, women kiss and hug all the time...we're used to that, as a culture. The thing most seem to be against is the idea of "manly men" becoming Nancies. It's a threat to their own masculinity.

[Warpy]

9. It's got to be some sort of "ick factor" in the mass media

After all, a majority of couples lining up to get married are long term lesbian couples. I guess the reality of what's happening isn't titillating enough, that a couple of old gals in their 50s getting married just doesn't make sexy copy.

The greatest argument for extending the marriage contract to all adults nuts enough to want to enter into it is that gays have been getting married for months, and the sky aint fallen yet. Civil disobedience has done what the law couldn't, convince scared people that it really isn't a big deal.

[Misunderestimator]

12. Very simple. They are trying to appeal to gay men who have more money...

than gay women (no different than overall the man/woman diff). So if they use two gay women, it would be in a lesbian targeted magazine, or it would be a secondary couple next to the men. It's just marketing.

Stinks though... cause I would MUCH prefer to see two WOMEN together. :bounce:

[foreigncorrespondent]

13. I really do...

...find this thread extremely insulting.

Number one: Lesbians are NOT here on earth to be entertainment for the straight male.

Number two: Not all lesbians are of the lipstick variety.

Number three, I would gladly stand up and be a cover model for gay marriage, only problem is, everyone apart from the lesbian's themselves want lipstick lesbians. And yes, I do happen to take pride in my looks. I do wear make up, and will get dressed up. I am not your average looking lesbian, and I am certainly not a toy for the straight males to get off over. So I haven't been asked to be a cover model for gay marriages.

But funny thing is I remember the first photo's of couples coming out of San Francisco were of the elderly lesbian couple who had been together for 50 years. Why don't you remember that? Is it because you want to remember the beautiful people only?

[Misunderestimator]

15. I don't think the original poster intended to offend....

But it was also my first thought that the most obvious picture to compare would be one of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon:



Not to say that they wouldn't use straight men in ads to appeal to gay men. It really is just marketing. They ALREADY use pictures of swimsuit models together in suggestive poses to sell products to straight men. It's a moot question.

[Bettie]

16. I remember that picture

I remember looking at those two women and thinking that they looked so happy and wondering why some people would object to them being married.

I am a heterosexual married woman and I just don't get why people choose to get their undies in a wad over this particular topic.

No one has ever been able to give me an answer as to how extending normal rights to a group of people who should never have been denied them benefits society.

None of my RW relatives have ever given me any convincing argument as to how "gay marriage will harm the institution of marriage". They just parrot that phrase over and over.

I get why you are offended by this topic; I found myself wondering where the poster was coming from too.

[jukes]

24. hi, Bettie!

welcome to DU!


:hi:

[foreigncorrespondent]

29. Hi, Bette!

Welcome to DU.

The reason you won't get a proper answer from any right wing and/or fundamentalist Christian person opposed to two people of the same sex marrying one another is simply because there is no proper answer to give.

Gay marriage has been happening for quite a number of years now, in different parts of the world, and the sun still rises in the morning. The birds still sing. People still go about their daily lives. Straight couples are still getting married each day around the world. Straight couples are divorcing each day around the world, and their divorce is usually caused by either money problems, fallen out of love, spouses cheating, etc. Yet no one has stood up in a divorce court yet and said their marriage has fallen apart because the gay/lesbian couple down the road got married yesterday.

People like to control others. In order to control they need someone on the bottom of the shit pile. Unfortunately foe the LGBT community though, it is us on the bottom of the shit pile, and until people realize that we have actually been robbed of the birth right to marry the person WE LOVE, then nothing will change.

[porphyrian]

17. Defensive much? - n/t

[foreigncorrespondent]

28. Only...

... when I see threads I find insulting to my community. Why? Do you have a problem with someone being proud of who they are and proud of the community they belong to?

[porphyrian]

34. Not at all.

I just don't like to see all that militant energy wasted. Frankly, I don't give a shit if you're defensive or offended.

[foreigncorrespondent]

40. What militant energy?

And how is it being wasted? Just because you are on the left on the political fence doesn't mean you can't offend someone with in the LGBT community!

And it is so nice to see you take a totally active role in a thread you posted. You don't give a shit if you offend someone from the community you are posting about? Why then did you do this thread? Was it for the purpose of baiting someone?

[Misinformed01]

18. I thought that older couple WAS tbe "Beautiful People!"

They were to me anyway!

It's time to allow ALL people to get married. Period. Any other opinion than that is just ignorant.

And yes, I read what I wrote, and no, I don't care if someone has a different opinion.

[porphyrian]

19. Amen.

They really look like they're in love, don't they?

[Misinformed01]

20. I hope so, after 50 years!

Sweet-

This issue really frosts me. My marriage to Michael can never be fully appreciated in my opinion until everyone in the US has the opportunity to have the same option we did.

Stephanie

[foreigncorrespondent]

27. Well to me...

...they were beautiful as well. It is obvious though that is some eyes they weren't.

To me, every single person is beautiful. What makes a person ugly is the ugliness they house for others on the in side.

[noiretextatique]

32. they are real, unlike porno lesbians

their love and commitment is genuine...nothing like a sex act they are getting paid to perform.
porno fantasy lesbians are one thing, but some men aren't so aroused by the idea of two women together when they are REALLY excluded. a friend's uncle shot and killed his former wife and her female lover.
another friend's ex-husband still thinks he has a chance with her...this after she came out and divorced him 20 years ago. another friend's ex-husband got custody of their kids because of her "lifestyle" choice.
another friend is currently going through a divorce with a man so obsessed with her (and the "place" he feels she should occupy because she is a woman) she may have to leave the area to get him out her life. the only good thing about that marriage for her: she figured out she's a lesbian.
sometimes after the titilation ends, the resentment begins...of course this is real life i'm talking about, not porno films.

[porphyrian]

35. So, by your own rationale...

...you cease being beautiful when someone makes you extremely offended?

[noiretextatique]

36. hypothetical...extending your logic

if she kicked you ass after you offended her, would you still think she was beautiful? (of course assuming that you thought so before offending her).

[porphyrian]

37. I'm sure she wouldn't resort to such a base male tactic.

Or is it sexist to automatically assume an action, violent or no, is male? I guess I'll just have to stop talking about anything anyone might find offensive or else someone might hypothetically kick my ass.

[noiretextatique]

30. fantasy lesbians only exist in porno films

i agree with you...this is insulting, though i know it's an attempt at humor.

[MissMillie]

21. The Hilton sisters and the Olsen twins.....

are lesbians?

[jukes]

22. punistation

LOVE your fotos/cartoon, except for the whacko richbitch that bought herself a celebrity/career. don't get me wrong; paris is cute enough, & i have no problem w/ skinny girls. like to play faux-necro, actually.


what i object to is she's a brainless, no talented twit that gets way too much air time.


relative to your question: i'm a middle-aged hetero guy that passes as white. raised in the '50s/60's. 'course, i cd be wrong about the hetero, but i've been hit on by gay men; the right prince charming has yet to prance into my life, though.

i did experience culture shock when i hit Saigon & saw young males walking down the street holding hands. found out later in my tour that they weren't gay, the culture just has more liberal views of male friendship & less homophobia.

as i matured, i saw many gay male & female couples engaged in acceptable public intimacy (i think ANY couple that engages in public tonguing or petting is gross, inappropriate, and trying too hard to send a msg) neither gay male or female couples engaged in appropriate public intimacy interests me in the slightest. doesn't repulse me, doesn't turn me on.


i think guys that brag of their erections whilst viewing female/female porn are protesting too much, &/or misogynistically objectifying lesbians. what they are watching are models or actresses playing a part. Real lesbians wd be repulsed by the voyeuristic intrusion of a male in their intimate moments, & i wd never insert myself in such a situ, nor wd it turn me on. i find such guy-binding talk annoying.

i once engaged in a 3-way, by invitation, w/2 bisexual females. a good time was had by all, but it was a bit humbling; they were better w/ea other than i was w/either. it wasn't a "watching" experience, except for rest breaks, all 3 of us were engaged continuously (NOT bragging here, just find the story germaine to this discussion.)

i've only seen 1 example of male gay pornography, the scene in "caligula" where the centurion is going down on his bud. the bi-curious (& EVERY1 has that aspect of their personalities, albeit most often denied or buried) side of me found it attractive & slightly arousing.


all of this to underscore my point: gay-intolerance is NOT hardwired in us. humans are capable of education and altering perceptions unless their own fear or societal pressure prevents it.

such a shame that males (& many females) are so weak-willed & threatened that they can't open their minds & leave others alone.

to DU gays of all persuasions: marriage is an over-rated institution, but i hope someday ALL of you can rejoice in your commitments!

[Donkeyboy75]

23. I have seen many articles that highlight two females marrying.

I don't think the media is only showcasing gay male marriage.

[noiretextatique]

31. yeah, but were those women hot chicks?

of the kind that straight men like? if not...they are doing a disservice to the cause :eyes:

[Donkeyboy75]

33. Funny.

And no, they weren't. I guess life isn't like a porno flick after all, huh?

[jukes]

25. punistation

you've too many posts to still be considered a newbie, but i haven't bumpt into you till now, so:


hi! & welcome to DU! :hi:

[Nikia]

38. I think that men are actually scared of lesbians marrying

Maybe even more so than gay men marrying. Even though they may find female/female sex attractive and male/male sex repulsive, marriage makes things different. Marriage tends to be indentified with exclusivity. If guys are marrying publically agreeing to be exclusive with each other, perhaps they will be less likely to hit on other men. If women are marrying each other, that means that they will not be available for men. In a way, they are publically stating that they do not need men for intamacy or to build a family and home. Neither partner is subjugating herself to a man, not that all heterosexual marriages are like that. Men want bisexual women who will have sex with not who will marry another woman instead.

[porphyrian]

39. I think there's something to your hypothesis.

While I'm not personally affected by lesbian marriage, at least two people I know were left by women who found their sexuality mid-hetero-relationship, and both of those guys have been fucked up ever since.

[xocolatl]

44. Anecdote

I live in Massachusetts. In the period just before the courts threw out the challenges to gay marriage, one of our legislators was addressing a group of people (Rotarians I think) who were generally opposed to gay marriage. His question to the group:

"What is it about gay marriage that you don't like? Is it all the gay sex that is going to happen? Well, most of you are married guys, most of you have been married for a long time. You all know that there's no sex after marriage. The best way to prevent gay sex is to allow gays to marry!"

[punistation]

41. Gay marriage: The NADER effect.

Oh dear, I fear THE NADER EFFECT has creeped into the militant supporters of gay marriage.

Apparently, if a vote on gay Marriage was held tomorrow, they would rather lose than win if winning meant sneaky PR.

From what I've read, they (those militants who have posted) would rather show men and grannies as poster children for gay marriage, KNOWING it would turn freepers and conservatives away, instead of plastering up the Barbie twins, knowing it would win them votes.



Sadly, this is indicative of the Bush campaign. Does anyone *really* think that Bush's politico "consultants" honestly believe he is a warrior president? No, they don't. But they know that to win, they must dress him up in US army gear and have him land on an aircraft carrier and repeat "warrior president" as often as possible.

Because that gets him votes. Because that's what makes people believe on a subconscious level, both right-wing and center. Because it works.



Now you have the militants refusing to do the same. They find it insulting to consider the idea of putting the Barbie Twins up as poster kids for gay marriage, because it's not the common reality.

If a vote for Gay Marriage was held tomorrow, these militants would rather have a million freepers vote No, than have just one vote Yes under a misguided assumption. They would stand outside of voting booths and yell at the freeper voters "NO, don't vote Yes! Lesbians are not all Barbie Twins! Gay marriage means pot-bellied middle age men with moustaches and grannies! Look at the photos! LOOK~! Stop dry heaving and understand what you're voting for! This is the REALITY, dammit!"



Amazing. They would gladly lose if it meant parading gay marriage as anything other than what it is. They'd rather have a million freepers vote No, than have even one erect freeper vote Yes.

It's the NADER effect. "I don't care that Bush won. If I knew he would win, I'd STILL vote for Nader. This is about principle."

Yeah, the top post was more humor than serious, but at least the responses drew fresh insight. Bartcop was right. Liberals don't want to win.


Kisses XXOOXX
Jen

[Fescue4u]

42. Actually I've seen FAR more women gay marriage photos

than that of men.

Frankly however, the women I've seen in these photos are not exactly Paris and Nicole clones.

[Cheswick2.0]

45. oh for God's sake...just shoot me now

I can't even begin to tell you on how many levels your post offends me.

Who are you? Are you gay? Are you a woman? Do you have a single feminist bone in your body?

To quote Mrs Landingham: "hell Jen, I don't even want to know you".