Have you seen this?

kaesha

What an awful bridal store! Hell, what an awful human being!

Clicky

Tanq&Tonic

Just WOW.  Ignorance and bigotry saddens me so much.  It also makes me exceedingly thankful to have been exposed to enough to at least be aware of why I have some of the opinions I hold.  It's pretty sad that her opinions are so ... narrow & outdated, and yet even sadder that there are so many more just like her as well.

kaesha

It makes me sad that homophobia is such an accepted form of bigotry. Just think of how often people use the phrase "that's so gay" when they mean "that's really stupid". Nothing makes me angrier in my classroom than to hear comments like that. Can you imagine anyone saying "I don't serve ~insert ethnic/religious group here" in this day and age? (Although, I'm sure there are some a-holes who do.) So why is it acceptable to bully based on sexual orientation?

Seriously, the poor bride. The manager physically makes me nauseous.

breaness

That really breaks my heart. What a horrible person. Though, I loved the article. Summed up my feelings well.

breaness

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_hawaii_seen-this?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:73Discussion:4af8cfd8-810d-4515-ae63-0e4f03ac0e91Post:4106fd9b-ba09-4143-bc02-e1471852c3aa">Re: Have you seen this?</a>:
[QUOTE]<strong>It makes me sad that homophobia is such an accepted form of bigotry.</strong> Just think of how often people use the phrase "that's so gay" when they mean "that's really stupid". Nothing makes me angrier in my classroom than to hear comments like that. Can you imagine anyone saying "I don't serve ~insert ethnic/religious group here" in this day and age? (Although, I'm sure there are some a-holes who do.) So why is it acceptable to bully based on sexual orientation? Seriously, the poor bride. The manager physically makes me nauseous.
Posted by kaesha[/QUOTE]

<div>Maybe I'm wrong in this but I really sense it's getting better-- at least here it is.</div>

kaesha

Is it better than the 1960's or '80s? Absolutely. And hopefully nothing like what happened to Matthew Sheppard in '98 will ever happen again... But, I think we still have a long way to go before it's accepted.

Sexuality is the number one way kids in school are bullied. And, because I teach drama, well, I run into a lot of the victims. When I started at my school, I can't tell you the number of times I would hear slurs when I walked down the hallway. It never happens when I'm in earshot now, because the kids know better to say it in front of me... but that doesn't mean that they don't say it when I'm not around.

I don't know if you're familiar with the "www.itgetsbetter.org/" target="_blank">It Gets Better Project", which began after a spate of suicides by gay teens, but just the need for it shows how isolating and bullied many of these youth feel. And... after watching and listening to the vitriolic comments when we had a gay candidate run for mayor last year, I don't exactly feel heartened.

And, like, seriously. I live in downtown Toronto. We have the largest pride weeks in the world. Our current (and incredibly biogeted) mayor refused to attend. When we have adults like that as role models, I get really depressed.

Sorry, that turned into a much longer response than I'd anticipated. I'm really involved in our board's gay-straight alliance, so it's hard for me not to get passionate about it.

Tanq&Tonic

Alyson - I think it's wonderful that you are so passionate about it.  People like yourself, who can make the point articulately and without 'preaching', are exactly how the change will come about.  Unfortuantely, being extreme in the approach seems to turn everyone off and results in closed ears and minds.

kaesha

I'm ironically intolerant of intolerance.

lindska

Amen, Alyson! I've been a straight ally for as long as I can remember, and this article is just so disgusting!!! GRRR makes my blood boil!