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Jim
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Being gay OK, but being hud
about it limits others’ views
VANCE is a senior physical
and health education mqjor
and a Daily Nebraskan
columnist,
Here’s something pretty sick for you
to hear. I like to have sex with large dogs,
preferably boxers. I like to have sex with
little girls, not over the age of 10.1 also
enjoy doing it with elderiy, female
amputees in wheel chairs.
Two things are guaranteed. The first
is that none of those are true. The sec
ond is that you found the sexual acts I
mentioned gross, repulsive and irrele
vant information, unless you are really
messed up and liked it
So why did these statements gross
you out? Quite simply because they are
not deemed by society as normal, and
all those with young daughters, large
dogs and handicapped grandmas would
be a bit scared wife me around.
But if I did choose to engage in
these acts, it would be my choice. I may
feel I have a natural drive to perform
these acts, but I could just not do them,
in order to be accepted in this society. I
could make a decision as to what is
more important—my sexual drives and
desires, or my societal acceptance. Or I
could engage in these acts, and not go
telling everyone.
Sounds logical doesn’t it? Now why don’t
we apply this logic to homosexuality?
Homosexuals choose to follow their
sexual desires. Then they expect to get
social acceptance after telling the
whole world about their sexual desires,
drives and acts.
Here’s the big flaw none of the gays
seem to understand: With your action
of coming out, you’re just defining
yourselves by your sexuality. Of all foe
key elements I expect people to know
of me, my sexuality isn’t one of them.
Do we call priests and nuns “nonsex
uals”? No, because their sex life isn't too
damn important So why is your sexual
behavior so important that I need to be
aware of it? If it is so important that it
affects who you are, then why are you
surprised when people act differently
toward you? The more you define your
selves by it foe more you limit my
thoughts and expectations of you.
I want to say I am not prejudiced
against homosexuals. I really don’t care
if a gay couple gets married, as they
have the right to choose who drey want
to be with. They have just as much right
to that as they do choosing anything in
life. That’s what this country is about. I
am, however, sick of everyone coming
out of the closet Not only do you all
come out of the closet kicking and
yelling, you stand in front of my televi
sion, in my living room, telling the
world about your sexuality. Next time
you come out of the closet, make sure
it’s on your way out the door.
I really don’t care about your sexual
behavior. Do you want to hear more
stories about amputees, dogs and litde
girls? Then why tell me about your
desires and acts?
This has nothing to do with homopho
bia, or blocking out the gay population. It
has to do with relevant information
Granted I have shared my sexual behaviors
in previous articles, but they were relevant
to important points the majority of society
faces, gay or straight
Telling me you are a gay male
simply tells me that ifby chance _ _
you rmd me attractive, you
would like to bend me ove
I think I could have gone
without knovving that
I understand not
all gays find every
one attractive, but with a
self-ranking of 7, the odds are
better than not that at least
one gay male would find
me possibly delicious.
I am not a very
religious person, and
I haven’t quoted any
Bible scriptures or verse
so I can be more soundly
represented in my view
point. Just take
an analytical
look at this, 4m
and maybe flmjrm
you can 4 ^
understand
why if you are gay,
you should just be
gay and be
quiet!!!
. , Anthony V Y ^
COLMAN
Sex scares
v -'V ' " .«
because of own insecurities
COLMAN is a sophomore
general studies major and a
Daily Nebraskan columnist.
Why are straight people so
obsessed with gay sex?
A lot of homophobic straight people
seem to miss die point entirely when
faced with issues concerning gay rights
and identities. All they seem to think
about is what gay people do in bed.
Many people seem to think that
people are gay because of the kind of
sex they have. Not true. Some religious
groups say that it’s OKfor a person to
be homosexual and to have homosexual
thoughts, as long as they don’t act on
those feelings and have sex with some
one of their own gender. There are no
laws against being gay, but there are
quite a few laws that deal with specific
same-sex sex acts.
When the subject of gay sex does
come up, many heterosexuals profess
their aversion to the very notion of it,
declaring it unnatural or just plain
gross, as if any sex is very tidy. A lot of
heterosexuals may so insistently portray
their solid straightness in an effort to
mask insecurity about their sexuality.
Let’s iust face it.
B While we’re more sexually
v aroused when our psychological
W preferences in partners are met, on a
purely biological level, the human
animal responds
\ 1 to lubricated
fm | \ \ friction.
It really doesn’t matter whether this
lubricated friction is applied by a man
or a woman, a machine, or even a well
trained animal; human sexual response
on the biological level is automatic.
It’s also true that humans can feel
affection, even love, for members of their
own gender. Emotions aren’t all that tidy.
Affection can dip into mental, emotional,
physical, sensual and sexual levels of
awareness and expression, in spite of
what one believes they ought to feel.
When a person first realizes that
they’re capable of some kind of sex or
emotional response with another mem
ber of the same sex, panic ensues.
Bigots unquestioningly accept the
notion that homosexuality is bad. One
of the worst pejorative names little boys
can think to call each other is “faggot”
Later, when they become aware of their
own sexuality and find, even for a heart
beat that it flashes in the direction of
the same sex, then there’s trouble.
At this point, one has the choice to
either confront one of the greatest and
most pervasive taboos in our culture, or
to deny the inner reaction by supporting
the taboo. Almost invariably, people
choose the latter. It’s an old psychological
truism: the more you want to taste the
forbidden fruit, the more you condemn it
Shakespeare was aware of this concept,
and assumed his audience understood it ,
so well that he made it a joke:
“The lady doth protest too much,
methinks.”
That line has been met with the laugh
ter of recognition for almost 400 years.
By soundly condemning homosexual
ity outwardly, one avoids facing the possi
bility that one might be capable of
responding sexually or romantically to a
member of onels own sex.
When it comes right down to it,
most people are afraid of homosexuali
ty because they don’t want to think that
they might be gay. That doesn’t mean
that all homophobic men are really gay,
although a surprising number of them
are. But it’s possible that many het
erosexuals are averse to the sugges
tion of same-sex coupling so they can
mask the fact that they’re secretly sort
of intrigued by the idea.
So what it comes down to is this:
because of ignorance, sexual insecurity
and unwillingness to simply deal open
ly with one’s own feelings, we have to
put up with rampant homophobia and
gay-bashing.
Homophobia doesn’t hurt just gay
people. Ultimately such attitudes demean
us all. It’s similar to a well-known point
Frederick Douglass made about slavery:
ultimately the society of slave-holders
were hurting themselves, compromising
their own morality and humanity by such
vicious oppression of fellow humans. By
harassing gay people and preaching hatred
and intolerance, homophobes perpetuate
oppression, degrade our societal standards
and limit us by preventing people from
interacting freely with one another.
Ultarlal Fancy
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