gays, straights, perceptions, and...Alaska

[The Straight Story]

So anyway I got a nice magazine from online about taking tours in Alaska. All kinds of cool adverts in the mag, and some neat articles. I generally read it while in the bathroom I might add :)

So I am thumbing through it the other day (while, uh...shaving) and I see this guy and his wife (Hmmm.....) in a canoe out on some nice water. Then a guy and a lady and some kids camping.

Then I see two women with their bikes laying on the ground and they are sitting on the grass and looking at a lake and some mountains.

My first thought was - a couple of friends out for a bike ride.

And then I wondered...well why do I think of them as just friends?

If I saw a pic in that mag of my best friend and his BF I would think "Glad James and Todd are having a good time together in Alaska."

Point is - we are so conditioned in this society that if we see a man and a woman together in an ad we assume they are married or dating, but if we see same sex people we see them as just friends out having a good time while their significant others are off playing golf or something (ok, not all of us of course).

And THAT, my friends - to me, is a big hurdle that I hope more of our society can overcome.

We just assume that a man and a woman together are 'mates/bf-gf/etc' (hell, they could be siblings, best friends, etc) and think nothing of it.

Kind of odd - and must be a lonely feeling for those who are gay that so many still see same sex people together in ads and it slides right by them that they may be just as in love as the opposite sex people we see in ads.

I might be slow myself, but I don't have my parking brake on. Just takes me a little bit more time to get to where some of you already are :)

You got friends out here in straight land, and while you may not understand all I am going through with the hell in my life, and I may not understand all your hell - at least we are holding the hose together to put out the flames. Now if we can just get the RW to stop pouring gas on it all....

[Toasterlad]

1. Thanks, SS, But Don't Feel Bad on My Account.

If I saw two men pictured together outside an obvious gay context, I'd probably assume they were just mates too. Most people ARE straight...we get that. Assuming heterosexual status doesn't necessarily make one a homophobe.

There was an interesting debate here a few weeks back about heterosexism vs. homophobia. While some of my brothers and sisters don't see much difference between the two, I think most of us are tolerant of the former, but intolerant of the latter.

Heh heh. You said "holding the hose". Heh heh.

[The Straight Story]

3. :)

I like holding my hose!

I get that the majority are a certain way, and even understand why I thought as I did - which was odd to me as most the people I have been friends with are gay.

But I think the mindset is such that we just don't recognize people sometimes outside of relationships - I can say the same about seeing a man and woman and assuming they are 'together' - Hell, I could be camping with my sister and have someone take a pic of us and if they used it an advert they might think...Oh hell, the thought of it makes me cringe! :rofl:

I wonder what my first thought would be if I saw a priest and woman in a canoe...

Just some introspection on my part :)

[mitchtv]

2. Well , there's plenty of non ambiguous gay couples

in the copious gay magazines that my neighbors bring home regularly, thank god. LOGO even has some tv ads. Believe me we enjoy them, and are inclined to support the advertiers. After taking a Gay cruise a few years back, I am disinclined to travel any other company

[Glorfindel]

4. Thank you - sincerely for "getting it"

Of course it's a mostly straight world, and that's OK (otherwise, how would I get new nieces & nephews to spoil rotten?), but it's nice to know that we do have friends in straight land. I'll hold the hose with you anytime, anyplace!
:pals:

[The Straight Story]

6. Well, if ya wanna hold the hose with me

Ya are gonna need two hands :rofl:

And here is someone ya can spoil:

[Richard Steele]

5. That's a very thoughtful, insightful, important-question-raising post, TSS...

K&R