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Gay pride

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Participants march at the Pride Parade in Tokyo on Saturday. The march was held to aim at making Japanese society more understanding toward the country's gay, lesbian and transsexual communities.

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Wow! All gay, lesbian and transsexual people dress like this??

I don' see how dressing badly will make society "more understanding". I don't care if they're gay or straight or whatever, they look STUPID.

I haven't watched TV in a long time, but when I did, there were LOADS of gay people on there.

I'm sure that if there was a "Pride Parade" for straight people there would be outcry!

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Weird.

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yuk

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aim at making Japanese society more understanding toward the country’s gay, lesbian and transsexual communities.

Ha, ha! Have a look at the expression (or lack of it) on the two oldies standing at the lights. More understanding??? They haven't even noticed the cocks in frocks.

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Why parade, flaunt, or shove it in peoples' faces? Oops. Just answered my own question.

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Every human being deserving of respect.

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yuck is right.

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They want to be accepted just like everyone else, but how can they when they do such weird stuff and look so freaky? Yuck! Who would want to be like that??

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Psssss.... excuse me... I think you two forgot to shave under the pits...

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colorful. freaky. but thats the point innit

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It is only relatively recently that homosexuality has been derided.

Nothing wrong with this, if they want to do it.

I see more ridiculous outfits in Harajuku on a Sunday.

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Pride Parade is the same the world over. This could be in Germany or the USA. It is interesting that regardless of cultural orientation, sexual orientation wins out. Well we are what we are more than where we are.

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So when is the 1st annual "Look at me, I have sex with members of the opposite sex" Parade ???

Vegeterians, Canadians, Gays- all the same ! They just "have" to tell you they're different. I've found the only thing that makes any of these people different is their need to tell you so... an uncontrollable need !

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Wait I'm confused. Do a lot of the transexuals in Japan try to look American?

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"The march was held to aim at making Japanese society more understanding toward the country’s gay, lesbian and transsexual communities. "

I thought Japanese were very understanding and receptive to fairies... every time you turn on the TV some she-male is giving a make-up or cooking lesson...

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Oh they are gay and transexuals. So what. They still dress horrible.

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I thought Japanese were very understanding and receptive to fairies... every time you turn on the TV some she-male is giving a make-up or cooking lesson...

Ah yes, but that's different. They're on TV and therefore 'talents'. That's acceptable and, I would imagine, this isn't. Let's face it, tolerance is in very short supply in Japan.

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I'm pretty sure Japan is like, the one country who doesn't need this. You see Gays and Transsexuals on any given day. No one even pays them any attention because it seems like a norm (it was strange to me when I first went, not that I have anything against Gays/transsexuals, but over the fact they were so open about it; it was refreshing). But good for them anyway.

So when is the 1st annual "Look at me, I have sex with members of the opposite sex" Parade ??? Vegeterians, Canadians, Gays- all the same ! They just "have" to tell you they're different. I've found the only thing that makes any of these people different is their need to tell you so... an uncontrollable need !

I laughed

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Just me but instead of Gay "pride" how about Gay "Celebration" parade. I dunno but last I checked pride wasn't a good thing, it comes before the FALL!

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I think its kind of nice they're willing to stand up and be open about what is usually kept hiden. I think it says a lot about how they trust there fellow Japanese citizens to be this open.

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I'd say the timing is great, since August is kind of right before the fall ... rimshot

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Japan should be called a nation of Gay idiots. What happen to Japanese Pride!!! I think it went into a melt down and turned into a gay society where men date only men and women date only women. Maybe that is why there is a population problem in Japan. Not many people in Japan are into the opposite sex anymore. So sad...

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Let's face it, tolerance is in very short supply in Japan.

If you ask me, tolerance is in very short supply on this forum.

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Japan is hardly a nation of gay idiots, and trust me that the gay population is in no way an extreme enough problem to destroy Japanese society, they've been doing that on their own anyways which is why the birth rate is so low in the first place. Gay/lesbians (I'm talking about those who are absolutely not bi-sexual) make up only about 1-2% of the population. Teach the hetero boys and girls to stop having continuous abortions and random sex with strangers, mistresses, prostitues, etc. and start raising families and the birth rate may increase.

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.... but have to add, they do look ridiculous. Even if they want to dress like women, it could be done with more class, no need to look like prostitutes.

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It is only relatively recently that homosexuality has been derided.

It is because they dress in this way.

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The clothing they wear is ridiculous, does nothing for what they're trying to achieve.

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They are having fun. That's all that matters. They are hurting anybody. < :-)

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They're hurting my eyes! J/K xD. As I've mentioned before my experience with my old roomies is that only about 2 of them went crazy with make up and flamboyant looks. The other 3 you couldn't tell they were gay unless they told you or were with their bfs. These folks in the picture are more into attracting attention. I've noticed that I really haven't seen any lesbians dressing up to stand out during these events like the men do.

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First, of course, most of the participants probably "look" terribly "normal" (like me). That won't sell pictures (especially if it is me). It is the photographer who searches out the most flamboyant looking ones for their photos. That gets comments! They do the same thing when reporting the San Francisco or NY gay pride parages.

I see Lady GAGA is in this year! She is our latest gay hero, of course, for those of you who don't know (and really, I don't think she is a boy). Go to any 2-chome bar and you can see the Lady on the TV.

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If straight people went around dressing like that the sentence would have been...making Japanese society more understanding toward the country’s straight communities.

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"If you ask me, tolerance is in very short supply on this forum."

rizaric--so true.

And pick any group, too.

I saw "Pricilla, Queen of the Desert" The first time I saw the movie I thought, "you have got to be kidding". But it was really funny. Saw it again and thought "this is part of the sense of humor, and style."

I got over it.

"They are having fun. That's all that matters. They are hurting anybody. < :-)"

adaydream, I think it's safe to assume you meant "they aren't hurting anybody"

and I agree...

To be honest, I don't understand not shaving under the arms, but maybe that's just me. I'll get over that, too.

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which is better? be accepted and integrate into society or turn heads and antagonise? these 2 beasts (for their fashion sense not sexuality) are marching for the wrong reason.

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She is our latest gay hero, of course, for those of you who don't know (and really, I don't think she is a boy). Go to any 2-chome bar and you can see the Lady on the TV.

yeah, Madonna got old and Bette Midler, oye vey!

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Vegeterians, Canadians, Gays- all the same ! They just "have" to tell you they're different. I've found the only thing that makes any of these people different is their need to tell you so... an uncontrollable need !

hahaha

The old guy's face is priceless

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Unshaved armpits ruin it all.

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Of course they don't dress this way in "real life" and are looking for attention. If this was Halloween some of you would be laughing instead of making ignorant comments about pedaphiles and "yuck" etc.

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I'm genuinely shocked at many of the unpleasant posts on this forum. Who still reacts like this to homosexuality?

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Anyone can demonstrate anyway they want, but, I bet,if you asked these guys to put on suits/dresses and visit the Japanese parliament to ask for gay rights, I doubt they'd do it. It's way easier to dress like clowns and parade around, reinforcing the public's prejudices.

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"I'm genuinely shocked at many of the unpleasant posts on this forum. Who still reacts like this to homosexuality?"

well the target audience country for this website is...

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And allso I can see one dress with American flag

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Homosexuality is not under attack here..it's simply the stupid way some knuckle heads have decided to celebrate it on behalf on an entire group of people...if I was gay, the last thing I'd want if a bunch of characters like these parading on my behalf and totally "uneducating" the public about me...

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"Vegeterians, Canadians, Gays- all the same ! They just "have" to tell you they're different."

Ok, I buy that.

They respect me enough to want to let me know that they are different. That I would value that somehow...

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They would be more believable if they shaved their armpits.

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i have no bad feelings against people based only on if they are genuinely homosexual. i have no bad feelings against people based only on if they are genuinely heterosexual - but i do have many problems with whoring.. straight or not. The gay and straight sex clubs are just not healthy places for anyone, and these people who dress so bizarre to seek attention and stand OUT from society make absolutely no sense at all when they then turn around and scream that they need to be accepted. If you wish to be accepted in a society then become PART of society. That should have nothing to do with your sexuality at all - it is about public decency. Keep your sex habits in your bedroom or trapeze and out of the streets please?

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Wow! I can't believe how many close-minded homophobes there are commenting here. shinjukuboy is right: I went to the parade and there were actually not that many people dressed up so flamboyantly. Actually it was pretty tame compared to other pride parades. Drag queens are not necessarily gay either, loveusa. Some men just like getting all dolled up. What's wrong with that?

mikanojo: Genuinely homosexual? So you do have bad feeling against people who aren't genuinely homosexual? Whoring? There was no whoring at the parade; just people having fun. Clubs aren't healthy? What the heck do you are you talking about? Pride parade is really a celebration of diversity. Not all people fit into your little boxes of 'acceptable for society'. Sexuality is not black and white. Keep your sex habits in the bedroom? I guess I missed the two guys having anal sex in the trapeze. Must have been great! Please do tell!!

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dolphingirl is right. nothing wrong with homosexuality. still back to the topic of this photo...for these 2 it is more important to be prancing around and pointed at than supporting same sex marriage. they aren't helping anybody. that's ok. gays can be selfish idiots as much as anybody else.

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Dolphingirl said: 'Drag queens are not necessarily gay either' - you summed up mai point, dolphingirl. When i wrote of genuinely gay people, i meant just that - NOT the extreme flaming drag queens that show up so often in gay pride parades and in photos like this one. I am a lesbian, and there is no shame in saying that for me at all.

What I think IS shameful is how some people use gay pride parades to make idiots of themselves for attention. They give homosexuality a horrible false appearance to those who do not understand, they only fuel the fears and anger of people who are anti-gay and actually hurt gay people as a whole by cross-dressing and parading around like some perverse peacock. I am lesbian, rezu, kai awase (mai favorite term) but you will never see me dressing to mock other gay people like the people in the photos are doing.

It is not really a matter of pride for genuinely gay people - it simply is how we came to be. And it makes no more sense to have a gay 'pride' parade than it does to have a straight 'pride' parade.. like the Klan has done in the past in America.

These people who dress like they just stumbled out of some kinky sex club, looking like some exotic transsexual creature do nothing to help gays be accepted in the community at all. All they are doing is furthering a FALSE stereotype and yes dolphingirl i DO have bad feeling against that.

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Mikanojo: I see your point. Does pride parade actually do more harm than good in terms of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals being accepted in society. But I think the bigger point is why should these people have to hide who they really are in order to be accepted? They shouldn't. Isn't that the whole purpose of the parade? To show all the wonderful diversity that exists. I don't think anyone there was mocking gay people. Most were supportive and perhaps some were just curious. Putting sexuality in the closet is the problem. Why can't we all just openly express our sexuality? Why can't we flaunt it once a year if we want to?

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Mikanojo, If they are so unrepresentative, why do they do it then? This is tame compared to the Sydney parade.

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Well....you.re doing the same talk as always... We (gay people) had many problems (and actually we still have) to be accepted in the society, i had many problems working at Tower Records (japanese say they accept it but they don.t do, of course there is exceptions). I don.t hate people who use make up and put clothes as a woman if they feel good like that, they choose it, and if they feel good and free in that shape, they should to do, is it wrong? But i understand your point, you.re not saying "don.t do that" you.re saying "ok you can do it, but fight for your rights!!!" and i.m with you. I don.t like when people do The Gay Parade as a carnival. That.s not a carnival is a day to say everyone "hey, we.re gay but we.re human, respect us!" Actually, i would love to get married with my bf which i.ve been dating for more than 2 years but that government don.t still accept that right so i must to do my best, be patient but i want to do something to get it faster... But the problem in japan is japanese don.t fight for anything...they think all is ok, and the people who don.t like any law..etc they don.t fight or only do their best to go to another countries. So much people of you say "why you guys must to say "i.m gay, i.m lesbian" i will say why! Because you can meet someone, become his/her best friend and when you feel like you can say or you can talk about it that people say "i.m sorry i don.t like gay people" and it hurts so much, so from the first time i say "i.m gay" so if that person don.t accept me i don.t need to put my effort to become his/her friend, only that.

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There is a difference between homosexuality, gender confusion, perversion, and attention seeking. I have met many gay and lesbian people, and NONE of them cross-dress, and especially none of them exaggerate and mock the opposite sex like these men in the picture are doing. If a man truly wishes to cross-dress, then take the time to do it completely - shave under your arms, shave your legs and bikini area, learn to properly apply makeup with a brush instead of a shovel, and dress with some sense of femininity instead of like a parade float. Seeing that these men did exactly the opposite here, tells me that they are only 'gay for the day' and those extreme outfits really are mocking the reality of people who actually ARE gay / lesbian. Most cross-dressers are not gay.. they cross-dress for shock value or for fetish thrills, for entertainment in clubs.. but only for the 'show'. Most gays / lesbians do NOT cross-dress.. because homosexuality is rarely a matter of gender confusion, it is simply a matter of sexual attraction to the same sex, or in mai own situation, i simply fell in love with another girl. I did not suddenly wish to be a man, or suddenly stop shaving mai legs.. or in any way stop being a woman.. i just fell in love with someone wonderful who loves me and that person just happened to also be a woman. Nothing to hold a parade about - it happens every day to someone some where in the world ne? All i am saying is that the men in the picture do not appear to be gay at all - instead they appear to be mocking cross-dressing performers, who did not even care enough about their appearance to shave under their arms..their makeup is applied to shock, as are their silly costumes.. they are cosplaying as lolitas.. all for their own fun and only to mock real gay men who still dress as men and who still ARE men. If you want to see examples of real gay / lesbian people then go look in your own mirrors.. because they look just like you do.. not like parade floats.

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<The march was held to aim at making Japanese society more understanding toward the country’s gay, lesbian and transsexual communities. >

It's such a ridiculous march. by looking the picture, I could tell you that gay is sick and disgusting people.

I also had very bad experience with gay people on crowded train. could you imagine that he molested me by touching my butt ? he even tried to rub his private part to my butt.

I suggest gay people leave this country for good.

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@Kaz4r6-I agree with you that the march looks ridiculous, however, suggesting that gay people leave this country is a little overboard. Take it, an opinion is an opinion is an opinion, but be fair in your opinions. As for me, I too don't want anything to do with gays, but I do respect thier rights. Humans are humans.

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Mikanojo: I understand what you are saying but first of all there were hardly any drag queens in the parade and not that many people were dressed flamboyantly either. As you say, most of the people there looked like anyone else. So if anything, blame the media for misrepresenting the event. Of course they are only going to show the scenes that will get people talking. But anyway, at least people are talking.

Second, I still believe that no one was there to mock gay or lesbians. Besides, the parade is really for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals, queers and anyone else for that matter. Cross dressers, I suppose, would fit into the queer category (if I have to categorize) so to say that they don't belong is just like straight people who don't accept gay people. Don't you think?

Kaz: Well, now you know how thousand of girls and women feel when they are groped on a train by a straight man.

'I too don't want anything to do with gays, but I do respect thier rights'--Wow! You have an amazing talent. You can hate a certain kind of people and respect that group of people at the same time!! Very impressive.

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I once had a conversation with 3 middle age Japanese ladies. They were the private students of my very gay American friend who lived with his Japanese partner (a man, of course). These women quite categorically denied that Japanese people could be gay at all, and that the Japanese man living with this guy did so because he 'felt sorry for' the American chap. They refused to acknowledge that Japan had ANY gay scene whatsoever, and concluded that it was simply impossible for Japanese people to be homosexual, due to genetics. It was one of the most bizarre conversations I have had in my life. Good luck to the guys in the photo. Gay people are almost always great folk. More power to them.

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this is really giving the public wrong impression of gay people. i have a couple of friends who happen to be gay and they are very decent people and dress decent, too.. because of demonstration like this, people get wrong impression when they encounter gay people.

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@ dolphingirl: i DO blame the media for focusing so often on only the 'flamboyant' cross-dressing attention seekers in parades like this - and i also blame the cross-dressers for using the parade as an excuse to publicly expose their own kink. This picture in the article is like so many others from gay 'pride' parades all over the world, even though as you yourself said there were only a few cross-dressers in the parade at all. It is a fetish, call it exhibitionism. "Queer" is still one of those labels that equates with homosexual and as you and i both know.. most cross-dressers are not gay.

I disagree with you about the parade being for all of the categories that you mentioned - some of those are sexual orientations, some of those are fetishes. Was it a fetish diversity parade or was it a gay pride parade? That brings me back to mai 1st comment on this thread - the people in the picture are expressing a sexual fetish.. not homosexuality. And i do think that exhibiting your sexual fetishes in public is honestly insensitive to the public in general and inappropriate at best. At worst it borders on lewd conduct and public indecency.

@ Kaz4r6: What you met sadly was not a 'gay' sir.. what you met was a perverted groper who also happened to be gay. Gay / homosexual is a sexual orientation, groping is a criminal act.. please do not assume that 1 automatically equals the other sir?

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Gurukun said: "I too don't want anything to do with gays, but I do respect their rights."

I think i understand what you are saying sir.. you are not gay and you do not wish to be involved with gay people, but that you still respect that they are people and that they have rights. If that is what you meant then i can completely agree with you. You have every right to be 'straight' and to not have someone else's sexual orientation shoved in your face or made a public spectacle. You have every right to not involve yourself with people who are gay, for what ever reason. Because i am lesbian i would fall into the category then of someone you would not wish to associate with, but that is absolutely your right sir. Personally i do not see the real point in having gay 'pride' parades at all - if homosexuals as a group wish to be fully accepted by society as a whole then the 1st thing they need to do is stop forcing their orientation on others with public spectacles like parades. The whole point of a parade is to celebrate something special, some thing that is different or important and honestly, nobody's sexual orientation is more important than anyone else's. The gay parades (as we see in the article photo) are just abused by people with fetishes and as you, Gurukun pointed out.. it looks ridiculous - which is taken from the word ridicule, which is another word for 'mock' which is exactly what i think the cross-dressing attention seekers are doing in this picture - mocking homosexuality, as well as adding to the confusion of what being gay even means.

Kaz4r6 said: "It's such a ridiculous march. by looking the picture, I could tell you that gay is sick and disgusting people."

I agree with you sir, the march was ridiculous, and indeed i also agree that the men shown in the photo look disgusting to me too. But please understand sir that those men are cross-dressers / transvestites - NOT necessarily homosexual at all. Please do not let such people as attention seekers and a groper on the train make you hate homosexuals.. honestly sir those are 3 different kinds of people. GAY does NOT equal pervert, it is only the perverts that the media wishes to focus on.

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@Mikanojo- Thanks for the input. What I was referring to was that I respect the rights of people that are gay, however. I wouldn't want to be 'picked up' by a gay, marry a gay, etc. I have no problem having normal conversations with a person that is gay, or even going out and having a few beers with one. Just don't want to get involved with anything more than that.

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If this was cosplay, I bet there wouldn't be all this hate on this forum.

Branded:

So when is the 1st annual "Look at me, I have sex with members of the opposite sex" Parade ???

Whenever there comes a day when heterosexuals are targeted because of their sexual orientation and denied basic rights, not allowed to marry whoever they choose, are fired from their jobs, bullied, verbally abused or are executed in certain countries just because they're straight (yes, that's right!), then go ahead, organize your own parade.

Until then, think for a second instead of spewing all that hate. There are some (straight and gay) who may not like to look at these cross-dressers, but there's a basic reason for these parades. More intelligent people will realize that not all gay men act or look like Razor Ramon HD (who is actually straight) or Madonna.

kaz4r6:

I suggest gay people leave this country for good.

But you're okay with female molesters or male molesters who target girls, right? Next, you're going to say all paedophiles are gay, and never target girls.

Gurukun:

however. I wouldn't want to be 'picked up' by a gay, marry a gay, etc. I have no problem having normal conversations with a person that is gay, or even going out and having a few beers with one. Just don't want to get involved with anything more than that.

Yes, of course. Sounds like the old white guy who has a few black friends but wouldn't want any of them to marry his daughter.

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@Pukey2-What are tambling on about? I said nothing of my children doing anything. If my kids want be involved with different races, colors, creeds, or whatever, it's their chice, and I'll respect that. My reference was about me. Your reply sounds like the old white guy that has few friends, that think all parents push thier beliefs on thier children.

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Gay , you can say what ever you want ...but homosexuality is a disorder...if you think that's normal, that's fine,It's your rights... but don't make other think that's fine....by implying your rights you just want to force us to believe that this is normal..

Pukey : when did I say I am okay with molesters who target girls ? gay,lesbian, molester and pedophiles are same type.we are all disgusted by molester and pedophiles.

If you choose that lifestyle it's just something you're going to have to accept.Plumbers choose a career that deals with septic wastes. They can't complain about it. It's gonna stink. Just like you gay and lesbian can't complain when people are disgusted by you.

the homosexual act will ALWAYS be wrong. God did not intend for 2 people of the same gender to enter into intimate relationships that were intended for man and wife. Japan will suffer for such immorality, no matter how much the so-called trend seems to be accepted. I don't care if your country has suffered for such immorality, but please don't bring it to this country.

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I said nothing of my children doing anything. . . My reference was about me. Your reply sounds like the old white guy that has few friends, that think all parents push thier beliefs on thier children.

Pukey2 made a comparison and you seem to confirm it was an apt one with this.

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Howz that, when I never said anything about a daughter. So what's the comparison?

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Grurukun does not seem anti-gay to me at all. He only seems to be straight. And he has EVERY right to be straight, for several reasons or for no reasons. To the hate-makers in this thread, never forget that Gurukun has all of the rights that you feel you should have too. Attacking him for admitting he is straight and not interested in more than being friends with someone who is gay is PERFECTLY NORMAL and i applaud him for being honest enough to speak out over the top of the PC-correctness BS and just plainly say that he is straight. He has every right to feel just as 'proud' of that as you might feel 'proud' of being gay. Do not be so 'open-minded' that your brain falls out.

@ Kaz4r6: I am sorry sir but homosexual is not really a 'lifestyle' either - that is just another media-driven stereotype and it IS a sick stereotype. The so-called gay / lesbian 'lifestyle' is an endless string of one-night stands of whoring with strangers, with the men all swishing about and lisping, the women all dressed in plaid flannel and boots, hating men - all of that extremist stereotyping is just not what being gay / lesbian is about. That is the 'lifestyle' of a whore - just as bad as the many straight people who wander from singles bar to singles bar each night doing the EXACT same act just with the opposite sex - it is just as wrong either way.

Being gay / lesbian truly begins and ends with sexual orientation. Everything beyond that is a mixture of media hype and social expectations and i speak from personal experience. I also must cope with people who believe in the stereotype. i meet so many men who automatically assume that if i am lesbian then i must hate men for some reason. When they find out that i do NOT hate men, or wish to be a man, that the only thing that makes me lesbian is the fact that i am in love with another woman, THEN suddenly they think i am bisexual ~>_0~

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Pukey2: Thanks for putting in an intelligent post!

Mikanokjo: After hearing your attitude towards cross-dressers and others who are not 'genuinely homosexual' as you put it, I'm honestly shocked that you are a lesbian. Cross-dressers are not 'adding to the confusion' of anything. People who are closed-minded and bigoted are the problem. Gay people are not 'forcing their orientation on others'. The parade is not just for gay people; it is for anyone who isn't straight and anyone who supports diversity.

Gurukun: You obviously have a prejudice toward gay people since you wouldn't want to do more than have a beer with 'one'. At least own up to it!

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@ dolphingirl.. how do you think that a lesbian becomes a lesbian or how do you think a lesbian SHOULD think? I do not support gay-bashing OR straight-bashing, which is what you are doing to Gurukun.. it is not enough that he is willing to have a drink with someone who is gay.. you feel that he needs to be willing to do what else with them instead?

"Openmindedness" should not ever be an excuse - to blindly accept unhealthy deviant behavior, or to excuse public indecency, or to simply swallow what ever silly philosophy that comes to you. EVERYONE makes choices in their lives every day about what they are willing to accept in their lives and what they will NOT accept. I am not lesbian because of any of the stereotypical reasons that you see on terebi shows - i was not molested by men or abused by mai otousan, i was not ever confused about if i was a boy trapped in a girl's body.. i was in every way a typical girl i think, and i had dreams of growing up and getting married.. i had the 'man of mai dreams' and boyfriends and crushes.. it was not about some perverted lust or some traumatic incident or gender confusion at all! What made ME a lesbian was falling in love with someone who also fell in love with me.. and that beautiful loving person just also happens to be another girl. I was always taught that sex was meant to be an act of intimate love GIVEN to someone you love.. not an act of selfish lust that you TAKE from someone else, or an act of abuse and domination, like rape or bdsm. So i never was part of the whoring scene, never was part of the naitokurabu scene, i was too busy learning how to cook well and make a clean attractive house and a clean attractive ME for mai future aruji.. who knew that he would actually be a she? ~^_^~

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@ dolphingirl: i do not really think it is a matter of supporting 'diversity' at all. It is really the question of supporting or allowing others to have their freedoms to live and act as they do - and speaking for mai self - those freedoms and rights end where the laws begin. Some laws have not been written yet.. that is why homosexual marriage is not allowed every where yet. Those changes ARE coming. But public indecency laws have not really changed so much. Those 2 men in the picture with their exaggerated flamboyant costumes and intentionally unkempt appearance, their unshaven armpits and makeup applied like they were circus clowns - they are NOT really very realistic representations of gay people now are they? NO.. they are just attention seekers dressed to shock people. I see those 2 men and i feel insulted. Imagine an ethnic pride parade.. where all of the Nihonjin people were marching.. and then you see 2 gaijin, wearing silly samurai costumes, with wigs on, and painted faces in caricature, with slanted eyebrows and big front teeth - that would be exactly the kind of mocking that i see in the photo. So please do not confuse them with homosexuals? Please do not confuse homosexuality with a fetish or with a lifestyle choice? They are not the same things at all.

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Mikanojo: You're right! These cross-dressers are not realistic representations of gay people. As you stated yourself, they may not even be gay so in fact they are not representing gay people at all. They are being themselves just as you are being yourself.

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Regarding this photo, I don't think it was ever meant to represent any one people/group. It may not be the most attractive but there is no constructive point to belittling someone brave enough to do it. Most folks spend their lives cowering. To quote Havamal:

The generous and the bold live the best lives

and seldom harbor sorrow

But the timid shrink back from life

and the greedy cling to spare change.

I think the folks that know and like these men should be very proud of them. Armpits and all.

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Oh, and love the white boots.

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@ dolphingirl.. now that you recognize that the 2 transvestites in the photo are most likely NOT gay, and agree with me that they are NOT realistic representations of gay people.. then can you not also see that they are only adding to the confusion that straight people often have about gays / lesbians? And the media is equally at fault for focusing so often on these clowns - it sells magazines and makes spectacles for the news program.. but they are NOT what being gay is.. not at all. Let them act like that in the transvestite parade or the fetish follies ne? They really do not help the gay / lesbian people in the community at all with those stupid displays that only confuse the ignorant and spread a FALSE stereotype.

@ Dewashita.. no they are not brave. They are hiding behind costumes and makeup and false pretense, just playing gay for the day to shock and get attention. When those idiotic costumes come off they can always claim it was only a joke and it seems obvious to me that it IS only a joke for them. Consider how brave the others are.. the ones who show you their own faces.

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Mikanojo: I think we will have to agree to disagree. You seem to have no problem with stereotyping cross-dressers yet you don't want other people to stereotypes gays and lesbians. You seem to think that the pride parade is only for gay and lesbian people. Also, you seem to be okay with people who are different from the norm living in such a way as to not upset people who are ignorant and bigoted.

I believe that we should make every effort to leave stereotypes behind, live our lives honestly no matter what anyone else thinks and I believe that the parade is for EVERYONE who doesn't want to be put it a box. Nuf said.

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@ dolphingirl: what i have a problem with is how so often it seems that these transvestites in the gay pride parades BECOME the stereotype for the public perception of what a gay person is like. They make a spectacle of themselves and get the media attention - and spread a misconception.

What i believe is that the best way to put stereotypes behind us as a society is to REMOVE them. All i am saying is that fetishes like cross-dressing are NOT the same as the sexual orientation of homosexuality and that if the fetishists and cross-dressing entertainers want their own parade then good luck to them!

I would not crash their parade.. i am lesbian, not a cross-dresser - so i would not belong there.

As far as being labeled and 'put in a box'... by choosing to hold public parades you are drawing attention to your sexuality and MAKING it a label, MAKING it a public issue, and CREATING that box that the public lets you PUT YOURSELF in.

I have no shame in letting people know that i am lesbian, but that is only 1 small part of the whole of me. Being lesbian is nothing to have a 'diversity' parade about. It is just a matter of who i am sleeping with and whose business is that to anyone else? Of all the things that a person would wish to be known for, i honestly just do not see 'sleeps with another woman' as being a parade-worthy thing.

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@ dolphingirl: you said "you seem to be okay with people who are different from the norm living in such a way as to not upset people who are ignorant and bigoted."

If the alternative is living in such a way as to intentionally upset people who are ignorant and bigoted - then no.. i would rather NOT upset and anger them. What good does it do to intentionally create needless controversy about what in truth is a very simple, basic human trait?

Homosexuality would not BE an issue if there was not so many homosexual people busy MAKING it an issue.

I am not saying to hide yourself or feel ashamed, i am saying that your sexuality SHOULD NOT be an issue for ANYONE else except YOU and the person you LOVE. Why make a public display of it? Why create that label and create that box and then put yourself in it - if in fact that is what you are trying NOT to do?

Just be you. Just live an honest life and be honest to yourself and your loved ones and do not worry about what the other people think. If you are too far off of what society finds appropriate then you will be in prison - beyond that fair warning, just live your life as a life and not as a public spectacle to frighten and confuse and anger others.

Show the truth and harmlessness and beauty of who you are and how you live by BEING true and harmless and beautiful - not by attacking people whose only crime is ignorance and fear of the unknown - we ALL suffer from some form of that.

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dolphingirl, I do not get to agree with you too often but I do like what you have said. Thanks.

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you feel that he needs to be willing to do what else with them instead?

I'm sayin!! What else are you implying I do with a gay person, dolphin girl? How am I prejudiced? As a matter of fact, I showed a friend of mine who is gay my post, and your post, and he aksed the same question. How am I prejediced and what else am I supposed to do with a gay person? Are you implying that I should become gay too?

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@Dolphingirl

'I too don't want anything to do with gays, but I do respect thier rights'--Wow! You have an amazing talent. You can hate a certain kind of people and respect that group of people at the same time!! Very impressive.

How is this an amazing talent? And who said that I hate gays? Is there something wrong with not wanting to be a part of the gay scene, but at the same time respecting thier rights? Is there something wrong with ignoring a gay man trying to pick up on me at a club, but going out and having a beer with my gay friend? Or are you implying that if I go out and have a beer with my gay friend, that I must turn gay too? A night of normal conversation over a couple of beers should end up in the bedroom?

I'm sorry, but I don't see how I'm predudiced, as you state.

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