Forum queers: Have you ever been openly discriminated against in public?

[HagridOfTheDeep]

Yes, I had my arm around my boyfriend on the bus and an aggressive looking guy kept giving us death glares and shaking his head.

Generally my boyfriend tries to avoid public displays of affection precisely because of this, which I kind of hate. I understand why he's afraid, especially because he's so tiny, but I think it says something pretty disgusting about society in general that something as innocent as holding hands has to necessarily become an issue of discussion or reconsideration.

Especially when we have ers like CountryClass telling everybody we're "flaunting it" by doing what every single straight couple would do.

My boyfriend tries to avoid PDA as well, though I think that's because he came out relatively recently (around a year ago.) I'd probably have felt the same way if I got a boyfriend less than a year after coming out, so I don't blame him.

Anyway, no. Randoms/casual acquaintances just assume I'm straight usually.

The first person "irl" to ever know about my sexuality was my boyfriend. Last September. So I don't think it's the same for me haha. I'd be all over him all over the place if I could be.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I've witnessed plenty of it, and I at one point in my life held some pretty bigoted feelings towards gay people. Fortunately enough, I was too cowardly (not that it is "brave" to do so either) to ever say anything hurtful to the face of a gay person.

Thankfully, I began attending a gay friendly Southern Baptist church (yes, these churches exist), and God changed my heart. I'm actually ashamed to have once posted on this forum that I opposed the right of gay Americans to marry who they love.

[tik 🪀✨]

Good on you Sanchez.

[RR1997]

I wonder what percentage of posters here are LGBT...

My guess would be around 50%

It's 30% IIRC

btw, my answer is yes

No, BK conducted a poll on this last year. 41.1% of Atlas posters are LGBT.

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?;topic=198579.0

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Openly, in public? No. That's why I choose to live in New England and Los Angeles.

[Mr. Illini]

I am not LGBT, so it is less likely that I am going to witness it.

That said, I can say that I never have witnessed it. I do remember when I was younger in grade school kids were always kind of eerie of the classmates that identified as gay. That changed in HS as kids became better educated.

The Chicago suburbs are quite a socially liberal place and so is the University of Illinois, so I've been in areas that are ahead of the times for essentially my whole life. As a result, I can confidently say I have never witnessed open discrimination.

[retromike22]

Good on you Sanchez.

[Ban my account ffs!]

I've witnessed plenty of it, and I at one point in my life held some pretty bigoted feelings towards gay people. Fortunately enough, I was too cowardly (not that it is "brave" to do so either) to ever say anything hurtful to the face of a gay person.

Thankfully, I began attending a gay friendly Southern Baptist church (yes, these churches exist), and God changed my heart. I'm actually ashamed to have once posted on this forum that I opposed the right of gay Americans to marry who they love.

That is just about the sweetest thing ever.  You win the thread.

[Holmes]

Openly, in public? No. That's why I choose to live in New England and Los Angeles.

Oh, so where you live is a choice, but being gay isn't? Smh.

[ElectionsGuy]

I've never seen anybody bullied because their gay, but I have seen people talk about it negatively and people saying 'that's so gay' and the like.

[ilikeverin]

I was harassed for it before I'd even come out to myself. Ah, year 7, how I do not miss thee.

Me too, but people have been much calmer (or maybe less open) with time; I haven't really gotten anything since undergrad.  My boyfriend and I sometimes hold hands in public or lean on each other on the Metro, and we haven't gotten any pushback.

[RosettaStoned]

  No; I am straight "acting."

[Thunderbird is the word]

I'm not queer but I was called a fag on a regular basis in high school just for crossing one leg over another, I really ing hate that macho homophobic bullsh**t.