Like you said, I simply haven't seen evidence enough to make any sort of conclusion.

MY best friend of 10+ years is gay. He came out about 4 years ago. To be honest, it didn't really change anything in my relationship with him or the way I viewed him. I think that he thought me and our other friends were going to freak out or somehting when he came out, but no one was like that - my friends are all pretty open minded. I'm still friend with him today, still hang out with him a lot, go drinking with him, etc. His boyfriend is also a really cool guy. The only time it's the least bit awkward is when they're making out or something inches away from me - but then again, it's always awkward when someone's making out inches away from me, gay or not.

Edit:

And to omment on the whole "what causes gayness" thing, I think the theories that it's some kind of disease or hereditary trait are ludicrous. Who you are sexually is really just part of your personality. Everyone has different variations on what get's them randy - that's why there's so many kinds of porn out there ;). What's wierd to one person can be totally titillating to another (i.e. I'd never let a girl come at me with chains and a whip - but to each his own). So I think that being gay is just another variation of sexual desire. I'm not a psychologyst or anthropologyst, but that's my layman's take on the whole thing.

Being gay is not a choice, people who are gay often have feelings that they are different as a child, but don't understand them. Being gay is nothing more than a sexual preferance.

I think that anti-gay people often cling for life to " being gay is a choice" because if it were proven that is wasn't, being anti gay would be just as bad as being racist.

I know gay people, they know that whether or not they chose to be gay wouldn't matter to me at all, I would still be friends with him, and they have told me that it is not a choice. They have no reason to lie to me.

Hooooooooooly ****. I didn't know people could be so damn ignorant. HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids, vaginal or semen in the case of people who get HIV via sex. The only reason HIV became associated with gays is because they never used to use condoms because there was no chance of pregnancy. Therefore, in the '70s there were a lot more gay people with AIDS than straight people with AIDS.
Now everyone knows about HIV, so more people are using protection, and the statistics are evening out.

Unsafe sex is unsafe sex, no matter who you do it with, or where you stick it in.

Yeah KOP.. thats the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

I fully advocate scientific research to identify the causes of and cure homosexuality.

It's a shame that idiocy such as much of the above banter has prevented us from even really looking into it scientifically; it is such a hot-button political issue that everyone stays away.

Using science to force people into one ideology through subterfuge, that cannot be good.

Some dictionary fun

----

pref·er·ence (prĕf'ər-əns, prĕf'rəns)
n.

1c. Someone or something so chosen. See synonyms at choice.

----

choice (chois)
n.

SYNONYMS choice, alternative, option, preference, selection, election.

--------
EDIT: I'm not making any particular points or arguments in this post, I'm just pointing out that yours didn't seem to follow through in what you were trying to say, due to inherent contradictions. Honestly, I can't make sense of that first paragraph.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH

YOU GOT DICTIONARY'D!!!

Prove it. But before you do, go here and have a good read.

Now let me explain myself more thoroughly. I did not say gay people are vastly more likely to contract it, but they are more likely. When hetero people get the disease from norman vaginal sex, the friction causes a small, tiny amount of bleeding that you cannot see, but its there, and a blood transfer will take place. It is more likely to occur when gay people have sex, because like I said before, there is more blood transfer in anal sex. I did not say you are a million times more likely with anal, but you are, in fact, more likely. I dont know the exact numbers.

Now before calling me ignorant and stupid next time, go look up and confirm what you think you know. I learned this in school. I'm not just spouting crap to fire you up.

Catholic school?

Ok, now that's the wierdest thing I'm going to see today, and it's not even nine o'clock.

*Shudder*

I've got loads of gay friends, they're no different from straight people and shouldn't be treated in the least bit differently. Our nieghbour at uni has exactly the same issues about his relationships tht we do - stressing about introducing people to his boyfriends, deciding what to wear when he's meeting new people, just normal things.

Frankly I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if a religion condemns homosexuality (and I'm aware of the subtlelty of condemning the act, not the attraction), that religion is bigoted. It is treating one sexual preference preferentially, and taking a detrimental attitude towards another, completely arbitrarily. That is the essence of bigotry, and is a bad thing. That teaches people that bigotry is ok, so long as someone is telling you to be that way.

Actually, African American Gay males hold the spot for "most with HIV."


My cousin was gay, and he died of aids, almost a year ago.

Basically, most gay guys don't seen the need for condoms, even though there is the threat of aids. It takes so long to even detect.



Seriously though, homosexuality is something that occurs naturally. There are lions that have gay sex, and plenty of dolphins that have gay sex too. As well as a bajillion other animals. Last time I checked, people were animals too.



Marriage is supposed to be about love, none of us have any place to tell someone what love is.

Mm, lesbians.

The only aspect of the subject to care about. Mm.

Alot of the Lesbians you watch in porn flicks aren't really lesbians, and are porn actresses being paid to portray lesbians.

I didn't talk about them.

Just about real lesbians.

Mm!

You see thats the thing.

There are WAY MORE ugly people in the world than pretty people.

There are also way more unattractive, quasi manly, non-shaving anything, lesbians.

Though, I'm not gonna knock you if girls with forrests in various places on their body is your thing.

What! You must be joking.

Gay sex roles pay the most.











Sorta unrelated, but funny none the less..

Duh.



Duh.



I only like the forest in my ***, thankyouverymuch.

But still. It's not my concern if someone is homosexual. I don't see anything wrong with it, except that I don't get money out of it.

Zing!

How should I start off? I'll start by addressing the original post. I am the gay friend. Not UltimatePotato's friend, but I am my friends' gay friend. They'll all tell you that my being gay is not important at all to them. The love me for who I am, and being gay is not who I am, its part of who I am.

They stand up for me, they protect me, and they support me. I am the luckiest guy in the world to have the friends that I do.


Woah, slow down. Who's picking sides? What sides? This is your best friend, man he's always on your side and you should always be on his! He didn't choose this. (And no straight person should ever tell a gay person they that this a choice).

Here, I got a little bit of news for you. All this time you've been friends, he's been gay. He's been struggling with it, by the sounds of it, he's been trying to deny it. That's not healthy. How has anything changed? Besides you being insecure, nothing has changed. He's being honest with you, that's it. You should be honored that he trusts you like that. You must mean a lot to him.

Listen, I speak from expirience here, coming out to a friend is one of the most stressful and scary things I've done in my life. You need to be there, support him, and stand up for him. He's put a lot of trust into telling you, you need to show him that you care about him and that this doesn't really matter. Think about it, because it doesn't.

Are you afriad he'll hit on you? Well if he respects you, he won't. Really what are your concerns?


This isn't about how you feel, its abotu him. For you, you don't look at guys like that, right? Do you sit there and choose not to see guys sexually? No. He doesn't choose to see them that way. Its the way it is. He might have brown hair too, so what? Its the way it is.


You ever stop to think maybe that's a struggle for him? Most likely he didn't choose his religion, he was raised into it. That's going to probably be a hurtle for him. He should have his friends, especially his best friend, to stick by him no matter what. Also, again, you say it like he chose that.

One more thing...He's your best friend. Way to stick with your best friend buddy.


Like I said, I am the gay friend. But I'll tell you that when I came out to my best friends, it was scary. I needed their support. I still do. I still need my best friend to say "Terry, I love you no matter what. I support you in everything you do. I am very proud of you." Sometimes. I've had friends tell me that I am their hero because they don't think they could handle being gay and having do deal with it. The say I'm brave and couragous.


I'm very proud of who I am too (my sig says "In Pride," that's exactly what that means)

I need my friends. Your friend needs you.



Well I'm disappointed in you. You are just as big a bigot you started as. Your best friend reached out and put a lot of trust and confidence in your friendship and probably did one of the hardest things he's ever had to do. And you are disapointed? I hope you grow up and learn to be supportive of him. He really doesn't deserve a friend like that, and you don't deserve a friend that obviously cares a lot about you.

Sorry, I'm a little upset...Its an emotional spot with me. But that burns me up...disappointed. You should be PROUD of him. He's very brave and courageous and he deserves to have his best friend stand right next to him and support him.

In conclusion, your friend is a brave and courages young man. I'm proud of him, you should be too.

hinch1 wins the thread.

WIN!



DOUBLE WIN!

"I'd cry, but I'd have to put a condom on my eyes."

Hey, there's nothing wrong with it. Its just how they're born anyway. I have a gay friend, and we have lots of good times hanging out. The Catholic Religion in my opinion shouldn't be so biased to that certain group of people. When I'm hanging out with my friend, it doesn't matter, we just hang, all of us, the gang. So I wouldn't worry in the slightest about it, people are people.

I've always though this was an issue I'd eventually develop a strong opinion on, but here we are 19 years down the line and nope. I guess I just don't feel strongly on the whole subject, i'm a big proponent of the ideal that one can do whatever the hell one pleases as long as one doesn't hurt anyone. That is pretty broad, but what right do any of use have to judge. Anyways, I have a gay friend, he's a normal guy, except that he'll try to get to me with jokes (pretty much desentizied to it by now lol). However I don't think any of less of him as a person. There are more important issues in the world at stake than homosexuality and the various aspects of it.

I personally don't care one way or another. It's your own face you have to look at in the mirror every morning, not anyone elses, so it's your own sense of integrity you have to live up to.
I don't ask anyone to live the way I do, and I don't expect anyone to be pushing their opinions on me.

I feel obligated to state my opinion that the Catholic Church isn't "biased" against gays. A sin is seen in the Catholic religion as something that isn't real, and the acceptance of a lie that can never make one happy.
Catholic schools don't teach gay-bashing.

And KOP wasn't calling HIV/AIDS the gay disease or anything, I think he was just stating a statistical fact. As for why it's a statistical fact, those are all just theories.