Why so many gays ?

well reading your posts I see a several gays telling their stories. I'm a bit surprised with all these gays, maybe they're many more we think. I just wnated to ask you : in your states gay people are free to live and to walk around the street as etero , or they've to hide their personality ?
I ask you this to understand ... I live in a country where they usually have to hide and are discriminated at work.

Being "Gay" in any country has problems. Being "Straight" in any country has problems. All civilizations have people who do not display their sexuality. All civilizations have people who openly display their sexuality.

It all depends on the personality of the person. Some are introverts and some are extroverts.

No problem, it just depends on the type person you are. I have no problem with individuals of any community - gay or straight.

it was just a curiosity , I'm etero !! ;)

Sheva, to answer your question, this site is probably not representative of the States as a whole. This is a gay-friendly site, for the most part, as it was begun and is largely supported by gay men. As much as I would love to report that our country is a place where all men and women are free to live their lives as they see fit, I am afraid it is simply not the case. Not yet. I am hopeful for the future. Come in and add your views, you are most welcome!

I agree that being openly gay has its down side, but it is much easier than most of those who've rarely peeked out of the closet realise. I'm not trying to criticise those who must, for some reason or other, stay in the closet; I realise that there are situations where that is necessitated. It's a shame, though. I hope they get a taste of freedom at some point.

As for why there are so many gay members here: I don't think that it's all due to gay preoccupation with size, as some might suggest. That may well contribute to why many gay men have a look at LPSG to begin with. But we quickly come to realise that here we're allowed to be open about our sexuality without a fear of being slammed for it. It may the only taste of that freedom that some experience.

Great posts, Zora and DMW!!

No, the tolerance here on the LPSG is not fully representative of the US at large, but it's one of the most refreshing things about this site.

Steve (straight but not narrow)

VladtheImpaler: Homosexuality is becoming more acceptable all the time in the US. I expect that gay marriage will be legal in every state in a few years. TV and movies are quite sympathetic to homosexuals. All of this is a happy trend in my opinion. I'm not gay, but I don't think the government should be involved in people's sex lives, and I think that homosexuality is as "normal" as heterosexuality.

I can say on a personal level that in my life I've worked with three gay men at different times; all were pretty openly gay, and were treated completely fairly by fellow co-workers (no harrassment that I know of, anyway). And I live in a rural part of New Jersey. I'm sure that in the cities the atmosphere is even more tolerant. That's not to say there aren't bigoted jerks here in the US also (we have our fair share, sadly), but it's not socially acceptable anymore to be openly anti-gay.

Reading this thread, I think of Margaret Cho's impersonations of her mother:

"Dadddddddyyyy... he had a fuhrennn (friend) who was a-gay... and Dadddy and his fuhrennn, they went on a pickunick (picnic) ... wha, wha is with gay men going out in cuntreee (country) and going on pickunick. So Daddddy'su-gay-fuhrennnn tell him one dayyy, he say, 'I.. looooove you!' ...and Daddy pawnccch heeeem (punched him) in faaace.

So... murah (moral) of storeeee (story), if you have a friend who is'a-gayyyy, and he tell you he loooove you, don't pawncch heeem!"

Yeah, this site is gay-friendly. Remember, GodHatesFags.com's also based in the States. Ultimately, it varies from country to country: In South Africa, the ANC's new, non-racial constitution bans some anti-gay discrimination, mainly because the white South Africans who supported them were mostly homosexuals. However, neighboring Zimbabwe takes a much different view, saying that homosexuality was invented by the white man. What's ironic is, in both cases, colonizers were the ones who put the first sodomy laws in place.

So, Sheva, what country are you from?

I'm gonna go way out on a limb and guess that gay men are more likely to seek out websites where the main topic is big dicks.

BRMSTN69: Not if Bush gets his way :angry:

And don't forget John Ashcroft. He needs to be replaced.

Ok

I'm italian

In my country gays have often to hide , most in smaller cities , where mentality is still very old.

anyway I don't like gays in the sense that I wouldn't approve their marriage , but nothing against them

BRMSTN69: Italian, I always thought Europians were more open minded than us Yanks

I don't know , maybe northern european .

In southern europe catholic religion is strong.

But in Spain the new goverment plans to allow gay marriage.

Anywyay my point of view is that maybe there are many more gays we think ... cause they sometimes fear to show their nature.