CD's and Homophobia

[sandra-leigh]

Other than people you want to have sex with, or close friends, why does it matter if some people assume you're gay?

I gather, reading of other people's experiences, that there are still large portions of the USA where homosexuals are openly discriminated against, and there is no cost-effective recourse. Especially in the "at-will" states, where I gather it is 100% legal to fire someone for any reason. (I have never lived or worked in the USA and so do not know how the "at-will" laws interact with the Civil Rights Act.)

[Samantha Girl]

Hey I've been labeled my whole life, so I'm kinda tired of labels. My whole life I've been very shy, very artistic, and therefore too complicated for the neanderthals to think of me as anything except gay. The first time I told my best friend I'm a cross dresser what was his first question? You guessed it! Are you gay? Strange thing is his next statement was about his secret of enjoying butt play. I did not ask if he was gay! Was he trying to say something else?

Anyways, I can't stand labels, or the boxes people try to put you in. I do agree that the LBGT community have helped us girls tremendously with their wonderful activism and fight for equal rights I get really tired of people who are racist, prejudiced or homophobic, we're all just people man.

For me sexuality is better interpreted using the Kinsey scale, it just makes more sense to me. No one's just gay or bi or hetero, it's all mixed up really. I'm a male to female crossdresser who loves women, but I'm not completely hetero either. I have fantasies that would be considered gay, so what? What am I, a third gay?! Half? Please tell me how gay I am?

[Ballerina]

For me, being immediatly called gay just because I crossdress is actually very disheartening to me, and it does hurt. It's kind of like being called a jock just because I played a sport, or being called a nerd just because I'm great at math and science. Being immediately labeled something just because of my surroundings hurts.. And it also makes me want to just reach out and help that person understand. As crossdressers, we have been immediately subjected to a label when that label isn't true. All because we're more femenine than the average guy.

Also, I think this label affects gays, also. Just because a gay is "flaming", the label is put on him that he is femenine and is probably a DQ.. My own brother is a great example of this. Just because he is gay and has hung out with DQs, he was labeled as a DQ himself and stopped being around with that group.

This instant jump to assumptions and stereotypes is damaging to everyone, no matter who or what you are. It is something that cannot be just accepted or ignored, it really truly has to stop because it hurts others because it makes others feel like people do not, and are unwilling, to understand.