The Rainbow Connection [LGBTS Club]

[Ineffable~]

Originally Posted by Toujours

I kind of thought you guys would...appreciate it. I thought it was a good idea at least. Nevermind then.

D: Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like I didn't like the idea! I think it's pretty cool and really actually should be done; I was just giving additional commentary I guess.

[Shining Raichu]

Now look what y'all did. You have saddened the Toujours.

Is it really true that teachers can still get fired for their sexual orientation at your college? In 2011? How is that not unlawful? :/

*is sheltered in American laws*

[Toujours]

It's alright I'm over it. xD

And yeah I think it's because it's a private college. They reserve the right to fire people for whatever they want except for the things in their discrimination clause, but they don't have sexual orientation in there despite overwhelming support for it so yeahhh.

[Ineffable~]

Originally Posted by Toujours

It's alright I'm over it. xD

And yeah I think it's because it's a private college. They reserve the right to fire people for whatever they want except for the things in their discrimination clause, but they don't have sexual orientation in there despite overwhelming support for it so yeahhh.

Obviously sexual orientation should be put on the list, but don't you think that would be symbolic if anything? I mean employment is between the employer and the employee so if the homophobic people in your school really wanted to fire someone for being gay, wouldn't they just fire the person and pretend it's some other reason?

Let me be extra clear that I think sexual orientation and gender identity should be on every anti-discrimination policy, I just don't think that alone would actually make the discrimination stop. :(

Too many italics.

[Scarf]

Originally Posted by Ineffable~

Obviously sexual orientation should be put on the list, but don't you think that would be symbolic if anything? I mean employment is between the employer and the employee so if the homophobic people in your school really wanted to fire someone for being gay, wouldn't they just fire the person and pretend it's some other reason?

Let me be extra clear that I think sexual orientation and gender identity should be on every anti-discrimination policy, I just don't think that alone would actually make the discrimination stop. :(

Too many italics.

They could try to fire someone and say it was for some other reason, but unless they actually have another reason it's going to look really suspicious and give them bad publicity. Not that I think it would be good publicity if they did fire a gay teacher even though their rules say they can, but if they tried to say "Oh we're all cool with having gay teachers" and then fired one it would be extra bad PR.

And yeah. Your school is a far cry from the one I went to. My university has a college system and the college I was associated with was the de facto queer college. We even put on queer fashion shows every year. I guess I assumed that colleges were, if not the same, then similar in attitude. I mean, it's college after all.

[magma_wolf]

im gay but only a few friends know it. i just dont know how to tell my parents

[Ineffable~]

Originally Posted by Scarf

And yeah. Your school is a far cry from the one I went to. My university has a college system and the college I was associated with was the de facto queer college. We even put on queer fashion shows every year. I guess I assumed that colleges were, if not the same, then similar in attitude. I mean, it's college after all.

-Totally wants to go to that kind of college-

Originally Posted by magma_wolf

im gay but only a few friends know it. i just dont know how to tell my parents

I'm assuming that means you want to join, so welcome to the club Magma Wolf! :) Andy (Shining Raichu) will come over and add you to the club once he's done polishing his nails or lining his eyes or whatever doing manly things.
Umm coming out is a sensitive issue that depends on a lot of different factors so I don't know what to say straight out, but we've all got some sort of strange advice if you explain your situation to us. :)

[Game Over1375]

<.< >.>

What's up everyone? I've been seeing this around. Just never thought to actually click on it and see what it was about until now. Wished I did sooner. XD

I would like to join this club as an ally. I am heterosexual now...kinda. Well, I use to be bisexual you see, until recently. I still have an appreciation for the male form I guess, so I guess I could be marked as bicurious? Not sure how to go about that. ANYWAYS! Some people might say that I'm a little too honest with some things, but every now and then, someone needs to be frank. I guess I'll be that person, if I'm accepted. ^o^

[Pikapal642]

Originally Posted by magma_wolf

im gay but only a few friends know it. i just dont know how to tell my parents

Originally Posted by Game Over1375

<.< >.>

What's up everyone? I've been seeing this around. Just never thought to actually click on it and see what it was about until now. Wished I did sooner. XD

I would like to join this club as an ally. I am heterosexual now...kinda. Well, I use to be bisexual you see, until recently. I still have an appreciation for the male form I guess, so I guess I could be marked as bicurious? Not sure how to go about that. ANYWAYS! Some people might say that I'm a little too honest with some things, but every now and then, someone needs to be frank. I guess I'll be that person, if I'm accepted. ^o^

Welcome to the both of you! Everyone is always welcome here, haha. ^__^

And yes honestly is good. ^__^ I don't think it will be too much of a problem. xD

[Scarf]

Originally Posted by magma_wolf

im gay but only a few friends know it. i just dont know how to tell my parents

Well, before figuring out how, do you think it would be safe to tell your parents? That's the most important thing to ask before you decide if you should. I'm probably sounding overly cautious, but you never know.

If you're going to tell them then you could do it in person or by some other means if you don't feel you can tell them directly (like by calling them or something). I would think it would be better to tell them in person though unless you really don't think you could. You can also think about telling one of them before the other, or another family member first. If you have anyone else you might think would be more sympathetic (and could maybe stand by you when you tell your parents) that could be a big help. You'd have someone to support you and you'd already have gone through the coming out process with someone in your family/someone you're close to.

But yeah, it's not something that we can really advice on without knowing your situation. We wouldn't want to give you bad advice on accident.

[Shining Raichu]

Welcome to magma_wolf and Game Over1375!! Adding yo names to the list now.

Originally Posted by magma_wolf

im gay but only a few friends know it. i just dont know how to tell my parents

I pretty much agree entirely with what Scarf said, we'd need to know a bit more about your situation before we start being all "yeah just come out!" because sometimes it's really not as easy as that. What I will say though is that you've done the right thing telling your friends first - it definitely helps because then if telling your parents goes badly (which hopefully it won't) then you'd have a place to go. I don't mean to scare you by saying that, a lot of the time it does turn out just fine, but there are some parents who aren't quite as OK with the whole thing as they should be.

Originally Posted by Ineffable~

I'm assuming that means you want to join, so welcome to the club Magma Wolf! Andy (Shining Raichu) will come over and add you to the club once he's done polishing his nails or lining his eyes or whatever doing manly things.

I lol'd. A lot.

Originally Posted by Game Over1375

Some people might say that I'm a little too honest with some things, but every now and then, someone needs to be frank. I guess I'll be that person, if I'm accepted. ^o^

Honesty is kinda what we're all about here

[Game Over1375]

Thank you for adding me Shining Raichu. Now then *cracks knuckles* I've been meaning to ask a certain question.

Are you a Christian (be you Catholic, Baptist, etc) who is either Gay, Lesibian, Bi, Asexual, etc? Or are you a Christian who supports those who are?

This might seem a little...personal, I know, but I'm curious to these sort of things. My answer? I am a Christian who not only supports LGBTQIAA, but is also a former bisexual (still kinda am, just not as much I guess).

[Pikapal642]

Originally Posted by Game Over1375

Thank you for adding me Shining Raichu. Now then *cracks knuckles* I've been meaning to ask a certain question.

Are you a Christian (be you Catholic, Baptist, etc) who is either Gay, Lesibian, Bi, Asexual, etc? Or are you a Christian who supports those who are?

Aha, a question I can answer. :P

Yes, I am a Christian who is gay. To be more specific, I am a Lutheran. I attend church semi regularly (I wish it could be more regularly, but sometimes life prevents that. xP) and I am a member of the Church Council. Unfortunately, no one at church know I am gay, yet. :\ But fortunately, I don't think it'll be TOO big of a deal. :P And my family is also composed of Lutherans who support gay rights.

[Shining Raichu]

Originally Posted by Game Over1375

Thank you for adding me Shining Raichu. Now then *cracks knuckles* I've been meaning to ask a certain question.

Are you a Christian (be you Catholic, Baptist, etc) who is either Gay, Lesibian, Bi, Asexual, etc? Or are you a Christian who supports those who are?

You're very welcome!

In answer to your question, no. I'm an atheist and I'm not a fan of religion at all for its overall views on LGBT issues. The fact that this question was even asked is proof that being a Christian and in support of the LGBT community is still seen as an oddity, or going against the grain.

My general view on being gay and religious is that I personally can't see why anyone would do it. It does not change my opinion of that person at all (and I can't stress that enough) however I do think that they're making their life as a gay person so much harder than it really needs to be. That said, I do understand that being gay does not mean that people stop believing in God (since I was an atheist before I knew I was gay and therefore my atheism is separate from my sexuality), but it does trouble me a little that people are subscribing to institutions that discriminate against them.

Even if their particular religious community is down with the gays, it is in the Bible - the fabric of the religion itself - that gay is not OK. I could never get past that and I have a bit of trouble seeing how any gay person could.

As to my notions on religion itself, I will tolerate it only to the point where it begins to hurt other people outside of the religion. Sadly in my experiences, that has not been very far at all.

[Pikapal642]

Originally Posted by Shining Raichu

You're very welcome!

In answer to your question, no. I'm an atheist and I'm not a fan of religion at all for its overall views on LGBT issues. The fact that this question was even asked is proof that being a Christian and in support of the LGBT community is still seen as an oddity, or going against the grain.

My general view on being gay and religious is that I personally can't see why anyone would do it. It does not change my opinion of that person at all (and I can't stress that enough) however I do think that they're making their life as a gay person so much harder than it really needs to be. That said, I do understand that being gay does not mean that people stop believing in God (since I was an atheist before I knew I was gay and therefore my atheism is separate from my sexuality), but it does trouble me a little that people are subscribing to institutions that discriminate against them.

Even if their particular religious community is down with the gays, it is in the Bible - the fabric of the religion itself - that gay is not OK. I could never get past that and I have a bit of trouble seeing how any gay person could.

As to my notions on religion itself, I will tolerate it only to the point where it begins to hurt other people outside of the religion. Sadly in my experiences, that has not been very far at all.

Well, I can speak for at least my family when I say that the Bible, as Holy as it is, was also written by humans. It is completely possible that a human, at some point in time, mistranslated something, left something out, or even possibly snuck something in there as a "take that" to someone they knew at the time.

This thinking is partially why Lutherans are real big on "personal interpretation." The bible was written ages ago (years and times elude me. >__>) for a period and culture vastly different from our own. Who is to say, God didn't say that because he figured a majority of people wouldn't like it, so just say "Don't do it" and that eliminates some strife. At the time, at least. I often wonder, if God came down to Earth now and said "Yo, dawg, I think that old bible is cool and all, but I gotta say, this new bible I wrote just now is the best bible of all time. OF ALL TIME" what kind of stuff would be in it. Like, law and commandment-wise. xD

Of course, this is all based on a lot of thought and talk amongst family and religious leaders, and this interpretation could be ENTIRELY wrong, and I acknowledge that. But it is how my heart feels is right, and I choose to live my life as such. I just figured, I'll share what I think so you can see how I feel as a gay Christian. A lot of people, especially some other Christians would probably claim I am a heretic for saying that, but eh. Their opinion. xD

EDIT: Also, I should note that not all Lutherans feel this way. There are two branches of Lutheranism that I know of, a more liberal one, the Sierra Pacific Synod, and the more conservative one, the Missouri Synod. My church is part of the SPS that voted to allow gay people to become ministers. Just thought that might be necessary, as I just claimed Lutherans as a whole, up there. >__>

[-ty-]

Originally Posted by Pikapal642

Well, I can speak for at least my family when I say that the Bible, as Holy as it is, was also written by humans. It is completely possible that a human, at some point in time, mistranslated something, left something out, or even possibly snuck something in there as a "take that" to someone they knew at the time.

This thinking is partially why Lutherans are real big on "personal interpretation." The bible was written ages ago (years and times elude me. >__>) for a period and culture vastly different from our own. Who is to say, God didn't say that because he figured a majority of people wouldn't like it, so just say "Don't do it" and that eliminates some strife. At the time, at least. I often wonder, if God came down to Earth now and said "Yo, dawg, I think that old bible is cool and all, but I gotta say, this new bible I wrote just now is the best bible of all time. OF ALL TIME" what kind of stuff would be in it. Like, law and commandment-wise. xD

Of course, this is all based on a lot of thought and talk amongst family and religious leaders, and this interpretation could be ENTIRELY wrong, and I acknowledge that. But it is how my heart feels is right, and I choose to live my life as such. I just figured, I'll share what I think so you can see how I feel as a gay Christian. A lot of people, especially some other Christians would probably claim I am a heretic for saying that, but eh. Their opinion. xD

EDIT: Also, I should note that not all Lutherans feel this way. There are two branches of Lutheranism that I know of, a more liberal one, the Sierra Pacific Synod, and the more conservative one, the Missouri Synod. My church is part of the SPS that voted to allow gay people to become ministers. Just thought that might be necessary, as I just claimed Lutherans as a whole, up there. >__>

The word translated into "homosexual" is also translated in different passages as "perverts"; The "pervert" interpretation is used more frequently than "homosexual". Essentially, who ever interpreted the bible at some point in time
subjectively believed that the two terms were synonymous; obviously they are not. So I would agree that human error is overlooked.

[Jubilation]

Are you a Christian (be you Catholic, Baptist, etc) who is either Gay, Lesibian, Bi, Asexual, etc? Or are you a Christian who supports those who are?
While I'm Athiest, my best friend in the entire world and at times playful lover (we're not actually romantic, it's a girl : P) is Anglican and supports gay rights and her father is actually an Angelican Priest (or whatever is the name given to religious figures in various religions) and he totally supports the gay community as their oldest daughter (my biffle's older sister) is bisexual and they frequently attend rallies for gay rights.

[Ineffable~]

Originally Posted by Game Over1375

Are you a Christian (be you Catholic, Baptist, etc) who is either Gay, Lesibian, Bi, Asexual, etc? Or are you a Christian who supports those who are?

This might seem a little...personal, I know, but I'm curious to these sort of things. My answer? I am a Christian who not only supports LGBTQIAA, but is also a former bisexual (still kinda am, just not as much I guess).

I don't see how this is personal. :P

I'm not a Christian per se; I am spiritual in the sense that I believe in general that there's a higher power, however this higher power may look or act, or whether this higher power pays attention to the world or even intended to create it in the first place. I just don't feel any particular reason to pick any religion over another, however I'm very interested in the individual religions and learning about them, so I think it would be cool to participate in some of the ceremonies or practices of several religions and hope to do that some day. I don't feel any conflict between going to a church and going to a mosque.

I've honestly never once felt the apparent hostility in religion. I've mentioned this before but I've had two basic church experiences: one where I was completely accepted and there was no issue at all; and another where it was a little awkward but I think mostly because I already knew the people.

Originally Posted by dango989

Noob to this, and want to join, mostly cause I'm gay, don't expect activeness though. :P

Welcome to the club! :D

[QuilavaKing]

Originally Posted by Ineffable~

I don't see how this is personal.

I'm not a Christian per se; I am spiritual in the sense that I believe in general that there's a higher power, however this higher power may look or act, or whether this higher power pays attention to the world or even intended to create it in the first place. I just don't feel any particular reason to pick any religion over another, however I'm very interested in the individual religions and learning about them, so I think it would be cool to participate in some of the ceremonies or practices of several religions and hope to do that some day. I don't feel any conflict between going to a church and going to a mosque.

I've honestly never once felt the apparent hostility in religion. I've mentioned this before but I've had two basic church experiences: one where I was completely accepted and there was no issue at all; and another where it was a little awkward but I think mostly because I already knew the people.


Welcome to the club! :D

OMG, you have NO idea how insanely confused I've been for the past 5 minutes, because of your avatar.

Y U NO SEE PAST DISGUISE EYES?!?



Anyway, I'm bi and a Christian. I don't really have any justification for this, I just can't give up either side, so I opted to stop giving a crap one way or the other. Worked pretty well.

[Ineffable~]

Originally Posted by QuilavaKing

OMG, you have NO idea how insanely confused I've been for the past 5 minutes, because of your avatar.

Y U NO SEE PAST DISGUISE EYES?!?

Muahahahahahahaha! :P
The only difference is the size that's what she said
I totally could have taken over the entire club and you wouldn't even have noticed! :D


-Scrambles for a way to make this on topic-
Um.

Originally Posted by Shining Raichu

The fact that this question was even asked is proof that being a Christian and in support of the LGBT community is still seen as an oddity, or going against the grain.

I feel this is more of a stereotype than anything. I've literally never actually known any genuinely religious homophobic person. All of the homophobes and transphobes I have known have been people to whom religion is mostly irrelevant. Even then the only "religious homophobes" I see online are just people who one day found out they can use religion as an excuse to hate people for no good reason and then so became "serious" about being a "Christian". That's not real religion at all, so I think you're really mistaking actual religion for, you know, the thing I just mentioned. Trust me, real good religious people exist. I know many of them.

[Scarf]

Are you a Christian (be you Catholic, Baptist, etc) who is either Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Asexual, etc? Or are you a Christian who supports those who are?

I'm not Christian, nor a follower of any other religion, and never have been. I know there are a lot of gay Christians and supporters in my area (the San Francisco area, of course), but the only Christians I personally know who are supportive are creaters (Christmas and Easter Christians) and not all that big on church stuff as much as they are generally believers.

Originally Posted by Ineffable~

I feel this is more of a stereotype than anything. I've literally never actually known any genuinely religious homophobic person. All of the homophobes and transphobes I have known have been people to whom religion is mostly irrelevant. Even then the only "religious homophobes" I see online are just people who one day found out they can use religion as an excuse to hate people for no good reason and then so became "serious" about being a "Christian". That's not real religion at all, so I think you're really mistaking actual religion for, you know, the thing I just mentioned. Trust me, real good religious people exist. I know many of them.

This is my experience, too. Like in high school there were more than a few who'd say something about how a trans or gay person is wrong "in the eyes of God" or something like that while that same person did plenty of things that I don't think God's eyes would be too pleased to watch, if you know what I mean. They're the kind of people who never question or reflect on their beliefs one way or the other so their understanding/religious conviction is only skin deep and more a tool than anything.

[FreakyLocz14]

Are you a Christian (be you Catholic, Baptist, etc) who is either Gay, Lesibian, Bi, Asexual, etc? Or are you a Christian who supports those who are?

I think I talked about how my priest said at mass that same-sex marriage is one of four things that are always wrong when we go vote.

[Jubilation]

If possible, I'd like to ask a new question.

Where do you think homophobia stems from?

[FreakyLocz14]

Where do you think homophobia stems from?

Humans have a natural fear of things that are different and that they don't understand.

[TheWeirdBadger]

I'd love to join this thread!!
I'm gay (I am also Christian and live in the American South)
I came out during the summer of 2010.
I'd be more than happy to be a shoulder to lean on or an ear that will listen for anyone out there that needs help