Don, your words were quite clear and I do not consider you to be any type of homophobe etc. What made me a little sad is that several of the people on this thread don't seem to understand that having a "voice", i.e. female vocalist ala Holly Near, etc., is so important to any group which has been subjugated in society as a whole; any group that has felt silenced for so long.

Also, just as a simple matter of marketing, it is much easier to sell things when they are categorised. Imagine if one had to go to the store to buy a size ten dress and one had to dig through all of the dresses to find that size?

Bulldog has sent me a message in which he said things seemed to be a lot less violent when people kept their sexual preferences to themselves. I would like to answer him here in this thread. It may seem that there was less violence then, but I believe it is just because people were not comforatble enough or encouraged to report the violence...it was also in the closet. Women have always suffered from sexual violence and were either discouraged from reporting it or so humiliated by the process that they just didn't; now, after a lot of education, protests, demands, and enlightenment, society sees rape as a serious crime that no woman should have to suffer nor be condemned for. The same should hold true for crimes against gays/lesbians/bisexuals. Going back in the closet, NOT being out in the mainstream as themselves, will NOT decrease the violence towards lesbigay people; it would only put them back in the status of second class citizens unable to live their lives to the fullest as any other person should be able to do without harm to others.

I feel the only real way to combat any kind of violence is through education and discussion.

Lion: I am sorry I didn't answer your posting earlier. It made me smile and you're right...wimmin rule! I feel a little facetious in that for the past twenty years I have lived the life of a married bisexual with children. I have not suffered much at all from this status, either way. But, I have participated and rallied with and for my lesbian/gay sisters and brothers and experienced firsthand some of the violence and oppression they live with on a daily basis. Thank you for your kind words and yours, too MICK!

Don, I wasn't trying to permanently categorise any of the songs, just showing my ignorance and wanting to learn a little more. Calling something Irish or Gospel or Blues doesn't, in my mind, permanently banish any of those genres to some narrow island of pc musicland.:-)

Finally, it is typical of the patriarchal age, which began its exit when the Age of Aquarius came upon us in the sixties, to be upset and thrash about when the 2,000 yr old status quo is upset by rabblerousers. When I can rise above the sadness and anger, the judgementalness and obstinance, I remember that it is not comfortable for anyone to see things change so over the years, and I remember to try to empathise with those who may feel attacked or threatened by those who aren't going back into the closet, ever again. Humankind is supposed to be on a spiral of consciousness, growing upward into enlightenment of whatever belief system you adhere to or not. It is my belief that by challenging the "old ways", as women and others of a minority status have done, we are helping to open minds and hearts towards an all-inclusive society which truly is evolved.

Now, I am going to go find all of the songs you've all mentioned so that I know what you're all talking about!

katlaughing