tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78737160896215573392024-03-12T21:37:05.987-07:00Tybra's PageTybrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113078488054140199noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873716089621557339.post-10625512483213663012010-01-10T12:17:00.001-08:002010-01-10T12:17:37.864-08:00In Defense of Robin HoodTybrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113078488054140199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873716089621557339.post-85695656070188577172009-12-26T08:31:00.000-08:002009-12-26T08:33:19.174-08:00Why the Nature vs. Nurture Debate Doesn't MatterI once had a debate with a psychologist about the “nature vs. nurture” argument. I told her that my mother smothered me and my father wanted nothing to do with me. She asked me how I could be sure that my parents didn't sense that there was something “off” about me, and that my father kept his distance because of it, while my mother tried to protect me. She believed that homosexuality was probably the result of both genetic and environmental factors. They say the same thing about mental illness and alcoholism. Some are more genetically prone to these things than others, but whether or not they manifest depends on many factors.<br /><br />In August, the American Psychological Association released a statement encouraging psychologists to steer their patients away from “ex-gay therapy,” without discounting their religious beliefs. In other words, being gay is not a psychological disorder that can be overcome, but if your religion forbids it's expression, and your religion is more important to you than sexuality, therapists are now encouraged to help you cope with whatever you decide is best for you.<br /><br />This made a lot of people on both sides of the debate very happy. It's not every day that Pat Robertson and I support the same statement on homosexuality. Which is why some people on both sides of the debate are unhappy. With them it's all or nothing. It's a cop out that panders to both sides. I disagree. You can't win an argument unless you are willing to meet people half way. We all criticize politicians for making compromises, but in a free country, both sides of any debate have to be satisfied. That's democracy.<br /><br />The “nature vs. nurture” debate will never be settled until there is indisputable scientific evidence to back it up. Maybe not even then. Many Creationists insist that dinosaurs were created only a few thousand years ago to fit their belief that the Earth is not 4.5 billion years old, as scientists have estimated. People believe what they want to believe and fit the facts to suit them.<br /><br />So, just for fun, let's give the Christian Right it's argument that being LGBT is unnatural. Let's assume for a moment that homosexuality is created by one's experiences, and that one chooses to express it. Why does that suddenly negate the struggle for Gay Rights? If I choose a lifestyle that is incompatible with someone else's religion, does that mean I should be fired from my job? kicked out of my apartment? kicked out of the military? No, because we are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in this country.<br /><br />The stickiest subject is of course marriage. Many argue that it is a religious institution. God blessing the union of a man and a woman. Nobody is denying the right of churches to decide which unions to bless. But everyone who gets married in a church, also has their union recognized by the state. They file joint tax returns, they cover each other on insurance policies, they can visit each other in the emergency room and they inherit each others property upon death. That's all the LGBT community wants. Two women, together for twenty years in a state that doesn't recognize gay marriage, has none of those rights, while a man and a woman, who met in Vegas a week ago and got married on a whim, enjoys all of the privileges offered by the state.<br /><br />I could go on, but the point is that the gay community cannot compete with thousands of years of religious teachings simply by arguing that they were “born that way.” Better to stick with the argument that church and state are separate institutions and can remain that way. You can't tell religious leaders what to preach, if you don't want them imposing their beliefs on lawmakers.Tybrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113078488054140199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873716089621557339.post-12607092633058090992009-12-25T08:26:00.000-08:002009-12-26T08:42:13.677-08:00Can't We All Just Get AlongI'm writing this on December 25<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span></span> and I feel a little <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">wierd</span> about it. I truly believe it is in the spirit of Christmas to write an article about religious <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">tolerance</span>, but because I'm defending all religious beliefs, I will probably be accused of trying to sway people away from faith in Jesus on his holiday. Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus himself said to "judge not, lest ye be judged." [Matthew 7:1]<br /><br />The subject of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">separation</span> of church and state comes up every Christmas when Liberals complain about the placing of Nativities on Government property, while Conservatives complain about retail stores wanting their money but refusing to promote their faith. Non-Christian faiths, Agnostics and Atheists argue that Americans are supposed to have the freedom to believe what they choose, and that Church and State are separate. Christians are afraid that if we allow ourselves to move away from promoting Christianity, it will be the downfall of Western <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Civilization</span>.<br /><br />Somehow, a debate on Atheism got started on my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Facebook</span></span> page this Christmas season, and I made the mistake of siding with Religious Freedom. I wasn't siding against Christianity, or even for Atheism, but suddenly I'm a closed-minded, ignorant <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">bigot</span> that people feel sorry for. It seems that when you ask people to tolerate you, they call you intolerant of them. I guess the old adage that you don't discuss religion and politics applies, but I disagree. When a small minority is afraid to debate it's viewpoint, it can't overcome the prejudice against it.<br /><br />One point I made was that Atheists are the most distrusted minority in America. I backed it up with a 2006 study by the University of Minnesota. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Americans</span></span> trust Muslims more than Atheists. I've since looked up another study showing that the percentage of Atheists in prison is much smaller than in the general population. In fact, of the eight largest industrial nations, Japan has the most Atheists and the lowest murder rate, while America has the fewest Atheists and the highest murder rate. Does that mean if we were all Atheists, there would be less violence in the world? No. It simply supports the position that Atheists are not immoral people who can't be trusted. Show me some evidence that Atheism hurts anyone.<br /><br />Of course, I already know what a Christian would say to that. Atheists will not go to Heaven and anyone they "convert" will not go there either. But, God gave us free will, and that includes the ability to doubt Him. It's the same argument people use against homosexuality. If it's accepted, it will spread, and society will crumble. In fact, I've been debating the issue of Atheism entirely with gays and I've come to the conclusion that it's a sore subject because of the misconception that gays are Godless. I think I also pushed a button when I suggested that Atheists faced more "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">discrimination</span></span>" than gays. I apologize for that one. A better word would be "prejudice." I believe they face more prejudice than gays.<br /><br />It's the same way that African <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Americans</span></span> don't want their "civil rights struggle" compared to that of homosexuals. They are discriminated against for the color of their skin, and gays for their lifestyle. In a way, that's correct. It's not exactly the same, unless you believe that being gay is 100% genetic. Most gays do, while only 34% of the general population does. But, in another way, everyone simply wants the right to equal treatment, whether you are discriminated against for your appearance or your beliefs.<br /><br />If you removed everyone from the country that wasn't a white Christian heterosexual male, you would be left with something like 25% of the population. Exact figures are of course impossible, but if everyone, that was part of a minority in some way, banded together and demanded equal treatment for <strong>all</strong> Americans, we could stop fighting amongst ourselves and start worrying about more important things like war, poverty and disease.<br /><br />But it all starts with yourself. You can't force other people to respect you and your beliefs, but you can treat others and their beliefs with respect. The best way to lead is by example. The best way to affect change is to by talking about our differences and showing each other that we are not all that different.Tybrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113078488054140199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873716089621557339.post-58758043342677574202009-07-12T07:14:00.000-07:002009-07-12T08:03:30.227-07:00In defense of Robin HoodI used to work in a gas station and swear to you that one out of five people who opened their wallets to pay for stuff had a bridge card (food stamps) sticking out of one of the pockets. What struck me is that 90% of them were wearing better clothes than I could afford. Now I was clearing $800 a month, paying $500 rent and $150 in utilities, not counting phone, and I qualified for about $20 a month in help from DHS (welfare.) Granted I lived in a nice apartment, but I was over 30 and damnit I wasn't gonna live in a shithole. I turned down the $20 because I could have lived cheaper had I chose to and $20 wasn't going to make much difference. What I wanted to know was, why are young, pretty, well groomed people in nice clothes living off the government? So, I know that welfare is abused. In a perfect world, we wouldn't need it.<br /><br />But we do need it and I'm tired of the blame being put on the wrong people. Everyone wants to blame jobless people for being lazy. Nobody wants their tax dollars spent on helping people that won't help themselves, but who is really at fault here? I'm not going to tell you that capitolism is evil, because it works beautifully (in theory.) Nor will I tell you we need to be more socialist, because frankly, every system of government this planet has seen has been abused by a small percentage of people who control the wealth. Do you really think that in a socialist society the wealth would be spread equally among every person?<br /><br />So, we've got an imperfect system. A small number of people are making millions of dollars every year, while the rest of us complain about our taxes going to help the people they have laid off in order to keep their standard of living. Now we're looking at our healthcare system and people are complaining about higher taxes and socialized medecine. Put the blame where it belongs, though. On the rich.<br /><br />Why are people rich? Is it because they are smarter and harder working than the rest of us. Well, sort of. But how did they get that way? Almost all of them were born into wealth and had educational and other advantages that the rest of us didn't. Very few people born without advantages rise to the top through hard work and perceverance. That's a myth. When it happens, it's on the 6:00 news and everyone hears about it and talks about it and dreams about doing it, but it just doesn't happen much. It's like turning on the news and saying "what a crappy world we live in. Look at all the murder and chaos." That's what people want to see but it doesn't describe 99.9% of America. It's the exception, not the rule. A disadvantaged person striking it rich is also not the rule, it's a headline.<br /><br />I could go on, but I think I've made my point. We all hate the welfare system and paying higher taxes to support people who are lazy, uneducated and lack self esteem, but let's spread the blame around more. Make them take responsibility, but put some responsibility on all Americans, including yourself. It's an imperfect system, because it's an imperfect world. If you want to be a capitolist, and I assume you do, if you live in America, then you've got to accept the need for some aspects of socialism to balance it out.Tybrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113078488054140199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873716089621557339.post-55358857654675459652009-06-24T07:15:00.000-07:002009-12-15T09:04:37.131-08:00Prejudice in the Gay CommunityI'm not sure why I'm writing this. My only qualification to speak on the issue of prejudice in the gay community is the fact that I get it from both sides. I've been accused of racism repeatedly because I'm not outgoing and friendly to non-whites. It has nothing to do with skin color. I'm not outgoing and friendly to anyone. Everyone thinks I dislike them. So, I tend to get defensive when people charge racism. I appologize. On the flipside, I feel that people are prejudice because I live with an older man and don't work. Some of my feelings of persecution are justified. People talk about me when I'm in the same room, thinking I can't hear. But sometimes it gets to the point where I blame my relationship for every person that doesn't warm up to me and its just not always the reason. I'm hard to warm up to. So I also see myself overreacting.<br /><br />My best friend in college used to complain about racism in the gay community and I couldn't see it. I thought he was blaming the color of his skin for everything. I never accused him of that, but I thought it. He used to say that people told him things like "I don't date black men." I didn't see that as racist at the time, just honest. Now people are saying similar things in the gay group I belong to, and I'm starting to feel guilty for thinking that it was okay. I should have been more supportive of my friend. I've twice been told by someone that they couldn't hang out with me because I was gay. They thought I wanted to date them. It's like saying "I don't have gay friends." I guess that's as close as I can come to understanding how it feels to hear things like my friend heard, though it's still not the same.<br /><br />So now I've been informed that the gay group I belong to is racist. That it's a group for old, white, gay men. I agree that I don't see many women or young people. I never thought about racism. I guess I assumed that there aren't any out black people in the area because (in my observation) black people tend to be extremely against homosexuality. That's a very racist thing for me to think. I spoke on a panel in college, where a latino woman stood up and started a question with "we don't have gay people in the latino community..." I'm not justifying my assumptions about non-whites, just trying to understand why I have them. I'm probably saying a lot of racist things in this article, but I don't believe you can overcome prejudice if you aren't honost about your feelings.<br /><br />I've never personally heard racist comments at our group. The prejudice I've noticed most in our group is toward transgender people and bisexuals. I've actually heard some stupid comments about them. I've been very prejudiced in these areas in the past. I didn't know a transgender person when my current best friend announced she was marrying a transgender male. Upon meeting him, I can't think of him as ever having been female. Maybe I should say having <em>tried</em> to be female. As for bisexuality, my first gay friend was a woman. When I found out she had married a guy, I felt like she was a traitor. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that we are all <em>different</em>. I can't (or should I say haven't yet) fallen for a woman, nor do I dislike having a penis. But I've since realized that we're not all the same. I don't have to understand someone to accept them. People don't understand me very often, either. I've been accused of not really being gay. I've been accused of wanting to be supported by anyone willing.<br /><br />The thing about transgender people is they kept coming back to our group. We only have three, and there are many who don't come to meetings, but those three didn't give up. It's easy to put everything on the shoulders of non-whites and tell them to keep trying to penetrate our group but how can we change if they don't come. Maybe others are like me and think that non-whites are more homophobic. That's an assumption not a fact and assumptions are the basis for all prejudice.<br /><br />I'm trying very hard not to say that I've dated as many non-whites as whites or that two of the best friends I ever had were black, but I have to, because the fact is that despite these facts, I'm <em>still</em> racist. I think of these people as the exception and not the rule. That's pretty terrible of me. I used to live in D.C. and work retail. I was one of 4 white people out of 30 where I worked. I've been the only white person at a party. If, despite this, I'm still racist, maybe its an incurable disease. We can aspire to overcome it, but it's a lifelong battle that never ends.<br /><br />So what do I do about my prejudices? Well, I suppose recognizing them is half the battle. I've always hated the idea of trying <em>harder</em> to be nice to someone <em>because </em>of their minority status, because I want to treat people all the same. But I've realized that when someone is extra nice to me because I'm gay, I don't feel like I'm being treated different. I feel put at ease. Where I'm concerned I could be nicer to everyone. I always put it on other people's shoulders to make me feel comfortable. Perhaps it's time for me to start taking some responsibility for putting others at ease.Tybrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113078488054140199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873716089621557339.post-57368350495429009262009-06-10T09:15:00.000-07:002009-06-10T09:49:39.699-07:00Living in the PastHere's another piece on how things have changed since I was young. Stop groaning and read it. When I came out to my mother way back in 1991, it was because I had decided to spend Christmas with my boyfriend's family. I knew he couldn't spend Christmas with us. There were tears, we decided my father could never know, etc. When my mother finally did tell my father five years later, he said: "I know." In fact, he knew before she did. Last year I told my mom that my best friend's husband was born with a vagina and she didn't even blink. When people find out I'm gay now, their reaction is "oh, that explains it." Nobody came out in high school when I was young. I was out in college but only to friends, although one of my male friends carried a purse, for no reason other than to make straight people uncomfortable. He was threatened with a baseball bat once, but it didn't deter him. I quickly learned that I could hang out with people that were outwardly gay because I didn't want to be the type of person who was ashamed of my friends. But I was still too ashamed of myself to do anything to draw attention to my own sexuality. I'm still a little that way. I'll defend my gay friends to the end but I won't defend myself. Anyway, these days being gay just isn't that big a deal. Young males are still homophobic and the whole religion debate is still around, but I sometimes feel like I'm living in the past. I still act like it's 1991 and I have to keep a low profile, when the truth is, nobody cares anymore. Oh you still have to be cautious. When you're alone in a Battlecreek train station and some rough looking people are discussing how JCPenny promotes "faggotism" by marketing pink shirts to guys, you might want to keep a low profile. But it's 2009 now, and I should be living my life without fear of what everyone else thinks. I need to catch up.Tybrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113078488054140199noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873716089621557339.post-83513851988478012212009-05-01T22:13:00.000-07:002009-05-02T09:53:32.457-07:00The Oppressed MajorityThis whole Miss California thing has got me rankled and I can't figure out why it bothers me so much. If somebody asks you your opinion of gay marriage and you answer it <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">honestly</span>, you have a right to your opinion. If the opinion is politically incorrect, it may reflect badly upon you. You may even lose the outdated popularity contest in which you are competing. But, guess what. That's America. You don't go off and become the posterchild for the oppressed Christian <em>majority</em>. I hate to break it to you, but you can't <em>be</em> oppressed by a minority. Americans don't pass laws to help minorities because the majority is oppressed. They do it because it's fair. I guess the latest thing that's bugging me is people saying that she was always friendly to gay people. I think we all want to believe that gay rights opponenents don't know us, and maybe that used to be true, but not anymore. Gay rights opponents may be surrounded by like-thinking "yes men" but you don't become famous or wealthy or powerful in this country unless you've met all kinds of people. The whole gay issue is more akin to men oppressing women than to whites oppressing racial minorities. Men can't say they've never met a girl. The truth is that they just want to keep it a "boys only" club. I think straight people want to keep things boy/girl like they've always been because it's simple and easy. I saw an interviewer once ask a "man on the street" about the issue and he said that when he tells people that he's married, he doesn't want to have to add "to a woman." Well, when you put it like that, what was I thinking trying to make his life so <em>difficult</em>? It's not about religion. Religion is a tool used to justify whatever you want it to. It's about maintaining the illusion that we're all like the majority. It's about thinking we can force everyone to conform. It's about not wanting to be asked to dance by someone of your own sex at the school prom or the church social. Whether you're straight or male or white, you want to keep things the way they are because it's comfortable.Tybrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113078488054140199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873716089621557339.post-6573063874740515392009-04-26T10:01:00.000-07:002009-04-26T11:04:20.067-07:00Early Gays on TV<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wcPFWWoibeI/SfSg7KlCR3I/AAAAAAAAAFg/RpUNEI2xKIg/s1600-h/remote.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329061197398558578" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_wcPFWWoibeI/SfSg7KlCR3I/AAAAAAAAAFg/RpUNEI2xKIg/s200/remote.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>There's a brief comment on your right about the passing of "Golden Girls" Bea Arthur, and how an episode about Dorothy's <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Lebanese</span>--I mean Lesbian--friend affected me. It's got me thinking about gays on TV when I was growing up. Like most gay men over 35, I loved Jack Tripper on "Three's Company." Although he only pretended to be gay, he didn't do it with a limp wrist or by pretending to like men, he was just a normal guy who let the landlord think he was gay, so he could live with women. It was Mr. Roper and Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Furley</span> who provided the laughs at his <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">expense</span>. Then there was "Soap." I was 6 when that show started, and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">although</span> I knew it was an insult to be called a "fag," I never equated Billy Crystal's character with that word. He was the most normal person on the show, after all. It was the same with Steven on "Dynasty," my memories of him were that he was the nicest person on a show full of underhanded people. I couldn't understand what Blake was so upset about. I watched these shows with my mother, who has never said an unkind word about anyone. As for the men in my family, who were a little paranoid about me not liking sports, I had nothing in common with them and didn't care too much what they thought. I'm not saying I didn't hide my homosexual tendencies during my teens and that it was easy to accept myself after, but I do credit these shows for helping me not to hate who I was or hate others who were like me. I grew up respecting gay people, yet thinking I could choose not to act on my "sexual" feelings and would someday marry and raise a family, not because gay was bad but because I wanted a family and wanted to be like most other people. Thank you mom and TV for raising me to be tolerant of people's differences.</div>Tybrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113078488054140199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873716089621557339.post-72437697350112393262009-04-24T09:16:00.000-07:002009-06-24T09:54:02.960-07:00Violence in America<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wcPFWWoibeI/SfIEjgBtSEI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/O8LCoTs1_1Y/s1600-h/cartoon.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328326317071747138" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 195px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wcPFWWoibeI/SfIEjgBtSEI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/O8LCoTs1_1Y/s200/cartoon.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I was reading the other day about the guy who beat a transgender woman to death with a fire extinguisher. His lawyer argued "how can any of us know what we would do if we were put in a situation like his?" That will be my defense if I ever meet the lawyer and there is a fire extinguisher handy. That and I ate too much junk food. The latter was the defense of Dan White who shot Harvey Milk and the Mayor of San Fransisco. The good news is that unlike Dan, who was out in five years, the fire extinguisher guy got life plus three years with no parole. So, things are improving. I realize a lawyer has to be pretty creative to defend a murderer, but I can't stop thinking about the story. And what's with America and violence, anyway? We shoot up schools, churches and post offices more than any other country. Why do so many of us "snap?" I realize there are wars in other countries, but the people fighting them are trained to hate one another. This is different. My theory is that we are trained to believe we can achieve anything we want in life (a lie) and when we can't, we snap. But it's deeper than that. I believe that nature and nurture both play a part in everything. This country needs a good shrink. We need to stop teaching our children to be threatened by our differences and teach them that all opinions are equal. Yes, even bigots have a right to their opinions, as long as they don't pass laws to force their views on others. Free speech and all that. One problem with America is competition. Being payed for a job well done is one thing but when we're so competitive that we'll do or say anything to become wealthy, we go to far. When two political entities o<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ppose</span> each other, they will, again, do or say anything until we are terrified of opposing views. Then there's religion. America is one country where you are not forced to support a specific religion, but you <em>are</em> forced to support<em> a</em> religion. "In God We Trust," "One Nation Under God," etc. Need to stop drinking? Go to AA and find out how God can help. Need a psychiatrist. The first thing they tell you is to go to church. Religion <em>does </em>help the soul, but you have to <em>want </em>to find it. Ever tell someone you're gay and they start talking about how important religion is. How insulting. Loving a man does not make me Godless. Being <em>told</em> I was Godless made me Godless for 17 years. And then there's the whole macho thing. As if my wearing a dress somehow reflects upon the entire male gender. I've got news for men: most women are stronger than you. Maybe not physically, but they can handle childbirth and they don't as often snap and commit murder. And it takes more strength to talk about your feelings then to lash out violently because of them. I took a test that says I have a female brain. What a compliment.</div>Tybrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113078488054140199noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7873716089621557339.post-48646406391156309132009-04-16T21:38:00.000-07:002009-04-19T10:22:14.188-07:00The Times They Are A Changin'I attended a drag show put on by the Gay Straight Alliance at my old University tonight. There were eight hundred people there and they had many professionals from around the state. Young gay people are much more visible and organized these days. Things have changed a lot in ten years. When I was in school in the early ninties we had a gay group too. About 15 people, all gay, several of whom were non-traditional students. In fact, the visible gay community at the time was so small that practically everyone had dated each other. When I attended the GSA two years ago, there were over 30 people there, all young students, and I assume, not all gay. But while gays have made great strides among young people, and I applaud them, I wouldn't trade my own experiences for anything. I guess it's like people who prefer the intamacy of small towns to big cities. It was nice being part of a small, tight knit group of outcasts. I sound like an elderly person who says that everything was better in the past, but the truth is that everyone thinks like that as they age. I'm only 37, but I constantly find myself in conversations with people about how much modern music, movies and television stink. Everyone likes the culture they grew up in best.Tybrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10113078488054140199noreply@blogger.com0