Bisexuality and Racial Issues

[JohnnyV]

Hey all,

Has anyone here found that different racial groups approach these sexual issues differently? Anybody found that they get more support from a different racial group, because their own community isn't as tolerant of bisexuality?

I've noticed that among blacks and Latinos, for instance, there are more men who consider themselves bisexual, even though their bisexuality may at times mean keeping a female partner and secretly having male-male sex. It's less common for blacks and Latinos to decide, after a few encounters with the same sex, that they are "gay" and to live that lifestyle.

On the other hand, I've usually noticed that whites are more likely to call themselves "gay" after a few encounters with the same sex.

But I may be totally off and looking at a slanted group of statistics. If anyone can offer any insights, I'd love it. I know almost everyone on this list is white, so please, don't feel like you have to be a minority to answer.

Best,
J

[SweetBlackAngel]

Hey all,

Has anyone here found that different racial groups approach these sexual issues differently? Anybody found that they get more support from a different racial group, because their own community isn't as tolerant of bisexuality?

I've noticed that among blacks and Latinos, for instance, there are more men who consider themselves bisexual, even though their bisexuality may at times mean keeping a female partner and secretly having male-male sex. It's less common for blacks and Latinos to decide, after a few encounters with the same sex, that they are "gay" and to live that lifestyle.

On the other hand, I've usually noticed that whites are more likely to call themselves "gay" after a few encounters with the same sex.

But I may be totally off and looking at a slanted group of statistics. If anyone can offer any insights, I'd love it. I know almost everyone on this list is white, so please, don't feel like you have to be a minority to answer.

Best,
J

Well, I don't know any other bisexual folks of color, so I can't really speak to that. My brother, however, is gay and I think he was pretty sure about it even before he ever had sex with anyone. :flag4: :three:

[APMountianMan]

Being black is not a matter of color but of culture. This is the first thing that must be understood. I don't like rap and I hate slang. I like melodies and hate tunes (note I don't say music) that are purely based of heightened drums and driving bass lines. I am a well-read, well-spoken, educated, black male that has been told that I am not black by the black community because of these attributes.

Non-blacks think the being black is a matter of skin color. For the black community it is not. Take all that I have said above and add queerness and you are so far out of community that you are dead.

It is no wonder why many blacks would rather do the "down low" that to come out of the closet.

For me, it is just another form of slavery. Shame on a community that has been denied its identity and then denies its members the freedom to express their individuality.


:cool:

[Long Duck Dong]

lol I am a white celtic scottish male who loves the native american indian music and way of life, and have spanish, columbian, perusian and south african friends, neighbours and close * friends * :P

I have noticed that the ones that are coloured ( tho in our group of friends, we rarely use the term * black *, we occasionally use the term * coloured * but most of the time we refer to them by culture ) are more open and comfortable about their sexuality then most of the *white * people I have met

we do have differences in sexuality but its not skin tone defined in our group... if anything its mainly societies reactions to the knowledge of their sexuality that is actually the key


one fact I have noticed that is thrown around a lot, is that the dark coloured people are responsible for aids cos of their sexually practisies
well in NZ for a start......87% of the aids sufferers are WHITE skin tone people

and to be dead honest, I have found in my personal life, that south africans, abboriginals and columbians ( all darker skin toned people of the cultures ) are, IMO, the best, most sexual ( inside the bedroom or outside ) passionate and loving partners and also the people that spend the least time, waving their sexuality around like a banner or a flag

[APMountianMan]

lol I am a white celtic scottish male who loves the native american indian music and way of life, and have spanish, columbian, perusian and south african friends, neighbours and close * friends * :P

I have noticed that the ones that are coloured ( tho in our group of friends, we rarely use the term * black *, we occasionally use the term * coloured * but most of the time we refer to them by culture ) are more open and comfortable about their sexuality then most of the *white * people I have met

we do have differences in sexuality but its not skin tone defined in our group... if anything its mainly societies reactions to the knowledge of their sexuality that is actually the key


one fact I have noticed that is thrown around a lot, is that the dark coloured people are responsible for aids cos of their sexually practisies
well in NZ for a start......87% of the aids sufferers are WHITE skin tone people

and to be dead honest, I have found in my personal life, that south africans, abboriginals and columbians ( all darker skin toned people of the cultures ) are, IMO, the best, most sexual ( inside the bedroom or outside ) passionate and loving partners and also the people that spend the least time, waving their sexuality around like a banner or a flag

Johnny, of this you don't know of what you speak. Check the stats world wide. You are living in a dream world and don't have a clue of what it is like to be of color.

:cool:

[CountryLover]

Well honey, you and I are reading/observing the same statistics.

[Mimi]

I have noticed that the ones that are coloured ( tho in our group of friends, we rarely use the term * black *, we occasionally use the term * coloured * but most of the time we refer to them by culture ) are more open and comfortable about their sexuality then most of the *white * people I have met

*cringe* the term "colored" is an outdated term in the united states and is rather offensive if you ask me (an asian american woman). "people of color" is the phrase of choice here.


one fact I have noticed that is thrown around a lot, is that the dark coloured people are responsible for aids cos of their sexually practisies
well in NZ for a start......87% of the aids sufferers are WHITE skin tone people

wow, be careful what you are implying. if you're talking about the AIDS cases in Africa, then there is some truth to that, but it is not because of their skin color, but rather to lack of education and health care. HIV/AIDS does not discriminate based on a person's skin color or their sexual orientation. it is passed through bodily fluids which is done through risky sexual practices, breastfeeding, and needles.

but back to the original topic that johnny posted (which, bi-theway is a very good one), i think that ethnicity and culture play a big part in how someone thinks of their sexuality. i have found it easier to come out in a white crowd (barring radical-right groups) than it is to come out in a black, latino, or asian crowd. sometimes LGBT people of color are unfairly forced to "choose" between their communities because the LGBT community is mostly white and their own ethnic community is mostly straight.

mimi :flag1:

[Long Duck Dong]

mimi please don't mis quote me or jump to conclusions

I belong to a small group of people in new zealand of difference races and culture and as I posted, I am culturely diverse
now I was talking about the terms used amongst MY friends... so we don't bother being PC ( politically correct ) cos we are friends and we understand that we use the way coloured in a non racist sense...and I never posted it in a racist or degrading sense

as for the fact, I was refering to, THAT I HEAR PEOPLE SAY AROUND ME....its this * coloured people created aids cos they get it on with monkeys *... I considered stating the actual remark, too offensive for the forum, as in my eyes its just a way of attacking a group of people in a nasty, degrading and totally offensive way

[rod4fun]

*cringe* the term "colored" is an outdated term in the united states and is rather offensive if you ask me (an asian american woman). "people of color" is the phrase of choice here.
Has it ever ocurred to you how illiberal and dictatorial such lockstep attacks are? Notwithstanding demonstrations of lack of ability to understand that the languange and culturally accepted terms of another country, the willingness to damn those who dare to think differently ... and oh my ... not be up on the acceptable lexicon of the moment reeks ... geeze it's enough to make me want to go str8

[julie]

Has it ever ocurred to you how illiberal and dictatorial such lockstep attacks are? Notwithstanding demonstrations of lack of ability to understand that the languange and culturally accepted terms of another country, the willingness to damn those who dare to think differently ... and oh my ... not be up on the acceptable lexicon of the moment reeks ... geeze it's enough to make me want to go str8

I second that Rod...

I come to this site for many reasons and have always valued the support, challenge and diversity of the forums... lately though they have felt a less safe place for folk to express their diversity unless they can back it up with intellectual argument ....

Oh please?! Cant we just celebrate passion for its own sake rather than creating class, culture and educational barriers?... If just one person feels discriminated against on here because they cant articulate themselves sufficiently to please the politically correct nicities that seems to be required of late ... then i feel deeply saddened at such oppressive undercurrents on a site especially created for a bisexual diverse bisexual community...:confused:

I recognise i am able to articulate myself and know that this is a privilege NOT a right for most people... i also really value hearing folk speak from the heart with raw passion uncluttered with the latest fashionable views from the chattering classes...

As Drew makes very clear in forum guidelines.. to the point of already closing one forum..

PLEASE lets just get back to inflaming the idea.. NOT the person

Yes, of course race issues will allways evoke passion, as do sexuality issues... maybe we can at least offer the same level of tolerance and acceptance here whilst we explore our own communities understanding .....that we ourselves strive for in the outside world?

Not that much to ask for... is it?

Julie :2cents:


:three:

[Driver 8]

Has it ever ocurred to you how illiberal and dictatorial such lockstep attacks are?
"Attack" seems a little strong for what seems, to me, to be an attempt to point out that the word has a strong meaning on this side of the pond.

[Michael623]

Thank you Julie. I am one that is not good with words. Thank you for saying exactly how I have felt about bisexual.com of late.

Hugs,
Michael

[allbimyself]

"Attack" seems a little strong

Agreed. However, it was more than a little condescending.

[Long Duck Dong]

within the forum, we have heteros, gays, lesbians, bi's, trans, of different race, cultures and sexuality... I do my best to respect and consider all of them and respect them, and tho at times I may disagree or feel that a term they use, is offensive, based on culture, sexuality or race,...in my country....I bear in mind this is a net forum... a forum based on diversity......

the word condom can be called eraser in spain....condom in new zealand....rubber in england ......now in nz, a eraser and a rubber are the same thing.... they are used to remove pencil markings

so who is using the correct term ????? and is it truely a issue if we all display our diversity... or is it gonna become required for us all to conform to one way of communication

[julie]

Thank you Julie. I am one that is not good with words. Thank you for saying exactly how I have felt about bisexual.com of late.

Hugs,
Michael

well, hey Michael - 'united we stand'.. n all that..

:three:

Julie xx

[APMountianMan]

Agreed. However, it was more than a little condescending.

The problem with the written word is that you cannot hear the inflections of the speaker. It is easy for one to read an attack or condescension into the writer’s words. I am not one for the hourly changes of political correctness. I believe in the end it does more to separate than to promote understanding.

That being said there is more than enough offense to go around. As I have always noted, people have a right to be offended, but the question is: are they right to be offended?

Cultural diversity does mean acceptance of others cultural experiences, but it goes both ways. I am not sure that all the comments labeled as inflammatory were designed as such.

I think a little more acceptance is needed by all.


:cool:

[Lisa (va)]

Thanks for the input Moutain man. I love that phrase 'black is not a color it's a culture'. I have a gay black friend from work, I don't see him as black, nor do I see him as gay, I simply see him as Josh.

A person is a person, regardless of the skin tone or gender, there are good and bad in any race, culture (or any label for that matter). I like to think I see a person as an individual.

Lisa
hugs n kisses

[allbimyself]

AP, you raise some interesting points


The problem with the written word is that you cannot hear the inflections of the speaker. It is easy for one to read an attack or condescension into the writer’s words.This has been a common complaint with the internet. The problem is that written communication has been in existence for a bit of time now and I would think we've learned how to communicate that way. The poster in question is a doctoral candidate and shouldn't be having problems communicating what she means.

Furthermore, she stated the word "is rather offensive if you ask me (an asian american woman)." That quite clearly states, that her opinion, even putting it into a context of her culture while not taking into account the cultural context of the other person, is of paramount importance. That IS the definition of condescending. If Mimi had merely stated that in the US the word "colored" is considered derogatory and asked for a clarification, then the whole point would be moot.

Since, as you point out, "you cannot hear the inflections of the speaker" the reader only has the written word to go by. That places the responsibility upon the writer to be clear and unambiguous. By discounting the ability to understand the writer's meaning at all without non-verbal cues totally relegates written communication to uselessness.


I am not one for the hourly changes of political correctness. I believe in the end it does more to separate than to promote understanding.
Agreed. However, I have no idea how that supports the claims you made in the first part of the paragraph. Perhpas you could elaborate.


That being said there is more than enough offense to go around. As I have always noted, people have a right to be offended, but the question is: are they right to be offended?Again, agreed. So was Mimi right to be offended? It isn't a questoin of whether she was, she stated so.


Cultural diversity does mean acceptance of others cultural experiences, but it goes both ways. I am not sure that all the comments labeled as inflammatory were designed as such.Then why was Duck taken to task for his use of the word "colored"? When I first read his post, I "cringed" as Mimi put it. Then I quickly realized that the poster was from NZ and that the cultural meaning of the word was probably quite different. A simple question to clarify that would have sufficed. Unfortunately, that's not what happened. What happened was a post that implied that the Duck should comply with the cultural perculiarities of the US. Again, if that was not the intent, the responsibility is with the writer to be clear.


I think a little more acceptance is needed by all.Is that why you told Duck he didn't know what he was talking about? Was that acceptence? In fact, I would imagine he knows more about the culture of "people of color" in NZ than you do.

[OralBradley]

Thanks for the input Moutain man. I love that phrase 'black is not a color it's a culture'. I have a gay black friend from work, I don't see him as black, nor do I see him as gay, I simply see him as Josh.

A person is a person, regardless of the skin tone or gender, there are good and bad in any race, culture (or any label for that matter). I like to think I see a person as an individual.

Lisa
hugs n kisses

Thank's Lisa for your comments. A person is a person first, and I will like or dislike them on the basis of our interactions regardless of their sex, orientation, religion, or ethincity. If we become sexually involved, it is because we like each other and turn each other on, not because of race, etc.

[rod4fun]

OK I stand corrected. Let's replace "attack" with, say, " taken to task " ... is that better?

Still no matter what you call it or how nicely you put it ... it is really a shame that we have become so sensitized (read: brainwashed w pc bullsh*t) that we must guard our every word and thought ... yes I am well trained in such matters (having spent many years in academe) and do actually cringe too .. but cringing in print is so permanent and so easily shined with the light of scrutiny and history ...

I am afraid history makes us all look silly sooner or later ... I have some great pix of me on campus with wide bell bottoms and a big bow tie. :2cents:

[OralBradley]

Quite right Rod. Attempting to remain PC is a lot of BS at times. I know that I sometimes find myself more aware of a person's differences from me when I am angry at something that they have done and have to refocus on the real reasons for my anger.

[Mimi]

mimi please don't mis quote me or jump to conclusions

let me explain. i only meant to point out that the term you used is offensive and outdated here in the united states, which is what is pointed out in my post. i'm aware that you live in a different culture where different words are used. i apologize for not making myself more clear. i realize that i barely know you (and many others) on the other side of the screen, and so i was not trying to attack your character (and i don't think that i did). i merely meant to express the feelings that arose in me upon seeing the words that you used, and stated cleary my point of reference. i apologize if it came across as antagonistic.


as for the fact, I was refering to, THAT I HEAR PEOPLE SAY AROUND ME....its this * coloured people created aids cos they get it on with monkeys *... I considered stating the actual remark, too offensive for the forum, as in my eyes its just a way of attacking a group of people in a nasty, degrading and totally offensive way

thank for clearing that up. i believe i misread that and my humblest apologies for misquoting you.

as for others who have expressed opinions that being "PC" is horrible and that we've somehow been "brainwashed," i completely disagree with you. being sensitive about the very long history of discrimination and being aware about the political dynamics of race, sex, gender identity, religion, and sexual orientation is only one step in achieving civil rights equality FOR EVERYONE. words have political meanings and carry emotional weight. i believe that all of us here have also been on the receiving end of that. so please extend that empathy to those that are ethnically underrepresented and disenfranchised.

mimi

[Driver 8]

OK I stand corrected. Let's replace "attack" with, say, " taken to task " ... is that better?
Yes, and thanks.

It seems to me like lately, on this forum, there've been a number of posts where people responded to something they didn't like by cranking up the heat and writing something far, far stronger than what they responded to. I'm by no means suggesting we all just pretend to agree; but I do think that escalation tends to either shut conversation down, or turn disagreements into arguments.

[Long Duck Dong]

mmm..I better explain life in nz so that its easier to see why the nzers use the term * coloured * in the sense we do

in nz we have the nz maori culture and people... and they have a treaty of waitangi from 150 years ago, between the maori race and the european ( as representives of the queen )

now the maori people claim their maori identity using the simple factor of they are connected to maori by blood SOMEWHERE in the family line

so a person that is 1/ 128 maori... is claiming the same rights and maori identity as a person that is 1/2 maori ( there are no full blooded maori in nz or in the world.... that simply means that a person totally european in looks.. is claiming the same rights as a maori of dark skin tones

now in NZ you will get called a racist if you refer to the maori as people of colour, coloured, dark skinned etc etc etc....cos their skin tone is from totally european white.. thru to polynesian toned... and you must address the race as maori....

mimi...one last thing :grouphug:

[julie]

Born of far right wing, white working class parents i grew up in a an environment of fear and ingnorance towards the diverse racial mix of folk moving into Britain during the 1960's and 1970's....

This fear and ignorance extended to any different/minority group but the oppression and fear was more overt with the black and asian communities because of their visibility...

The large Irish immigrant community were also targeted... signs in guest house windows 'no Blacks no Irish' were commonplace before race discrimination laws made them illegal... the Irish community were invisible, of course, until they opened their mouths and their accents betrayed their 'difference'..

I believe the point i raise about racism and the oppression experienced by Irish folk, particularly at this historical time is poignantly relevent to us as a bisexual community... especially in regards to other minority groups such as people living with disability, alternate sexuality, special educational needs etc..

Our bisexual community frequently laments how our very existance is denied.. especially by our seemingly closest minority relatives.. the gay and lesbian community...and yet maybe, we also overlook the minority groups within our own community?...

DISABILITY.. we have disabled folk on site who may refer to their disability in their profile ....yet..... with the exception of a couple of posts referring to issues surrounding deafness... i dont recall ever reading a thread than has made reference to the difficulties in expressing sexuality needs and desires when the person is also living with disability.

This, i realise, is a subject for another thread.. although i want to flag up that sometimes seeming to be invisible can evoke equal, yet very different forms of oppression to those it applies to..

people of colour or/and with an overt disabilty are 'outed' without choice, and so belong in both visible and 'relatively' invisible minority groups when wishing to explore/express their bisexuality..

people living with a more 'covert' difference such as deafness, use of a prosthesis/stoma, social class etc etc etc are also in two minority groups both only made visible by choice

i dont believe there is any hierarchy here.. just difference

hey, its bed time for me.. i hope this makes sense, if only as yet another perpective on difference..

night all ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz Julie xx


:three: :bibounce: :three:

[Nara_lovely]

Reading the initial responses, and how it turned into a right vs wrong way to describe the situation...I wasn't surprised by the 'raw nerves' from others around the world. I'm an Aussie (Australian) and I tend to glean over the terms and look at the heart of the topic. That's just me.

So later, reading the clarifications from all of you, oh that was a good read! Heartwarming for me to know that with a few posts back and forth, and timely input from others, the tone and understanding came through brilliantly.

Awesome people!!!!!!!

[morenito]

Hi JhonnyV and all. I want to thank Jhonny first of all for starting this topic of discussion.
I am a Latino male living in the US. I like to think that because I was born in a Latin American country, and have lived here for almost 16 years, I'm now both American and Latino. But that's beside the point. I do believe there are remarked differences in the way each ethnic group or race approaches sexuality. I for one have struggled dealing with my bisexuality. I have close Latino friends who have embraced me despite the that. And contrary to what you might think, I believe it has been harder for me to explain why I call myself bisexual to people. I have been asked whether it's just a phase I'm going through, or simply confused.
I have embraced my sexuality, and feel somewhat proud of it (i know i'm going to regret saying this, but it's the truth).
I think Black and Latinos do share many family values that make it harder to come to terms with our sexuality. Also, in the Latino community, religion plays a huge role. As most people identify with the Catholic church, and coming out as anything other than hetereosexual is outside the norm, and it's considered as disgraceful to you and your family.
I personally joined this site because of the lack of Latino bisexual support networks available. To my surprise, the one time I attended a gay support group for Latino men, they too made me feel like I was just going through a phase. Needles to say that I was dissapointed.
Well, these are my two cents...
Thank you all for sharing

[APMountianMan]

allbimyself,

I think you are misunderstanding my comments. I am a person of color. I can understand that in NZ there is a cultural difference than that in the USA. I never said that anyone was right to be offended in this thread. I said that everyone has the right to be offended, but asked if they were right to be offended. A careful reading of what I wrote will prove that my intent was to mend and not to cause more cause for division. As for the statement that because Mimi is a doctoral candidate it means that communication mistakes cannot happen, I believe if you really search your heart you would retract that argument. Indeed, it is far easier to comunicate in fiction by the written word than to communicate as we are on topics that touch our lives. If we were to discuss this in a textbook format, then of course, our words and meaning would be clear. Here we are speaking of things that are passionate to us. My comment is that we should give each other some slack. When writing of things close to us, we do make statements that when seen in review we wish we had chosen better words.

That's my point.

:cool:

[Sparks]

Wow, what a good thread, with well thought out responses.

At my age, I really don't give a diddly squat what shade of origin you may be. We come together as like minded people first and foremost, and this what I enjoy about my life and my circle of friends. Race, religious overtones, sexuality. . . all terms to cubby hole people, with the potential to attack.

So, my :2cents: is to look inside yourself first. May you find peace and joy when you look into the mirror. For everthing on the outside is just a shell. It's my heartfelt wish for each of you, that you find peace and joy in your life.

Fred

[julie]

I hear what you say AP...

these forums sometimes touch on deep issues close to our hearts... so arousing passionate responses which, on reflection, may not pass university exams for well considered arguments...

as this is a community website though, not a university seminar group... i second that we do need to cut folk some slack as very diverse ideas and beliefs get thrashed out here..

but not to the extremes of condoning personal attacks on the poster rather than the idea presented..

julie

[jedinudist]

I have lived all over the United States, but for the last 10 years, I have lived in Memphis- a racially charged area of the "South".

I have seen "people of color", "colored people", "blacks", "african-americans", "mexicans", "latinos", "asians", "asian-americans", "whites", and every other race, hyphenation, and slang term. I have seen those who have been shunned by their own race and those who revel in glorifying the stereotype associated with their race.

We could endlessly pick at each other, our races, and our cultures, but...

We are all human beings. We are all on this rock, slowly travelling through a cold and lonely universe- together.

I think a rather intelligent man put it this way:

"I believe in the kingdom come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one"

I'm just happy that I have found a place where my sexual orientation is accepted and I am starting to make friends.

[OralBradley]

"Has anyone here found that different racial groups approach these sexual issues differently? Anybody found that they get more support from a different racial group, because their own community isn't as tolerant of bisexuality?"

While there are certainly different cultural attitudes toward sexuality, when looked at more closely all cultures seem to have the entire Kinsey spectrum of personal attitudes and activies. Even the evangelical religious groups have their share of gay people.

[MikeW]

I find it curious that of 2 pages worth of posts not one is from a Canadian.

[jedinudist]

I find it curious that of 2 pages worth of posts not one is from a Canadian.


Yours is ;)

[JohnnyV]

Hi all,

Sorry, once again, to have disappeared and be jumping on at the last minute....

I wanted to just give a few notes of support to folks:

--AP Mountain Man, I agree with you that it's culture, not color. I think that's why race is such a hard word, but then ethnicity and other terms are also hard.

--Morenito and Mimi, I'm sorry that the Asian and Latino groups to which you turned did not support you. I support you. BIG HUG!!!!

--To everyone else, thankx for the comments. Go easy on the outrage over political correctness or people's desire to use one term over another. We all grapple with different levels of painful history. The US has one of the hardest racial pasts. What seems like a small deal might be a bigger deal to others.

--Mimi, thanks for the statistics too.

All my love to everyone! It was an interesting discussion to read, even if several weeks after the fact.

[JohnnyV]

.

As Drew makes very clear in forum guidelines.. to the point of already closing one forum..

PLEASE lets just get back to inflaming the idea.. NOT the person



This is interesting.... which forum did Drew close? Did it get really juicy and nasty?

J

[julie]

This is interesting.... which forum did Drew close? Did it get really juicy and nasty?

J

JohnnyV
:eek2: ... it was one about circumcision.. just got way too personal.. very sad IMHO but there you go...

[Sgtbraddy]

undefinedundefinedundefined
Halo Amigo's ? My namo es Sgt Braddy,I'm both biseual and a person of color;
I'm Asian,African/American and Native/American.I feel that we ae all born Bisexual,I mean even GOD says that we should love him,wash his feet,drink his blood,I don't/can't see it nowhere in the Bible,that man isn't suposed to be a biseual. I mean in the bible different races begot togather Adam had beggotten his sister or his brother.Its all over the bible. ;) ;)

[12voltman59]

Scienitific evidence proves that there is only one race-the human one--our differences are really cultural or ethinc in nature. The differences people point to are really about "whether we are from the same tribe or not."

Skin color and differences in other physical characteristics are easy things to point to as being the differences among and between people but those are really only "skin deep."

It is kind of like with dogs--there are thousands of breeds in appearances and characteristics, but deep down inside the animal whether the dog is a tiny Chihuahua or a Great Dane--they are both really just wolves.

The same is true with human beings.

There are differences in external appearances and some diseases or medical conditions affect certain groups of people like those of African descent who are prone to Sickle Cell Anemia or elderly Jewish who men get a particular and rare form of often fatal skin cancer (gay men later were found to get this cancer as well--I forgot the name of it)--for whatever reason such things developed in specific populations of people and those genetic traits got passed on from one generation to the next because people tend to mate with those in relatively close geograhic proximity to each other or because "they are like me."

I say thank goodness for the differences in people--thanks to those differences we have interesting foods, art, music, dancing, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera!!!!

Life would have been mighty dull if we all were the same---I like Macaroni and Cheese--but a great gumbo or jambalaya is much more interesting and fun!!!

It may be just a dream--but I really do wish that the human race could learn to embrace, cherish and honor our differences--that from those differences --it makes us all better.

With dogs--a purebreed has some desirable characteristics as set up by committee--but breeding to a set and narrow standard eventually leads to a bad end. A Heinz 57 mixed variety mutt is a much healthier and happier dog.

Vive la difference!!!!!!!

[Solomon]

This is just my opinion, but I believe that the laws surrounding discrimination and segregation actually creates an environment for discrimination and segregation as well as victim mentallity.

The extremely sad part about this is that it's the legal system that is giving these twisted groups like the infamous KKK a legitimate bitch!

I'm just a white guy, and if I were to make a joke on stage anywhere about blacks (which quite frankly i've witnessed on many occassions first hand that they do that alot amongst themselves) I would be harrassed, sued, possibly imprisoned.

Black guys go on stage and make white guy jokes, and do the name calling whitey, and this and that all the time and nobody seems to give a shit.

Employers are actually demanded to employ blacks over whites in certain areas.

Social Security is absolutely biased as well.

I've never owned any slaves, have black friends, and I've done nothing that I'm aware of to be overly offensive to anyone let alone discriminatory.

Why the hell am I expected to tolerate this clear double standard? Because it's been determined somewhere legally that I'm supposed to compensate for the actions taken of those who are now dead.

The law fails everyone in this. The law creates and perpetuates discrimination. Only now it's doing it against the white guys.

The law gives these stupid hate groups a legitimate bitch.

Thanx for letting me express my opinion of the matter without the fear of being sued.

[welickit]

Being bisexual isn't about race. If you see it as a questionable area then you are racist. Anyone who has attended a Pride Festival will tell you the same thing. Pride Festivals are GLBT, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgendered. Each accepting of the others and color blind.

[DiamondDog]

Being bisexual isn't about race. If you see it as a questionable area then you are racist. Anyone who has attended a Pride Festival will tell you the same thing. Pride Festivals are GLBT, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgendered. Each accepting of the others and color blind.
That's how it should be in the LGBT "community" but it's not that way, and yes there are racist people who are GLBT.

[Fresia]

Bump it up!