I'll admit... I'm a hetero man, been seriously accused (and abused) as being gay, discriminated against due to sexual orientation, but all this still leaves me a bit muddled...

First, the personal details... White, hetero male. Next, I unfortunately can see almost all of the sides going on here. Commuting heavily between LA and San Francisco, and with the friends and social activities I have, I have MANY friends and associates who are gay, bi, or whatever else they feel they need to be.

To Shambles and Co., I've seen some of what you speak of. Some of my more... 'militant' friends live in a very tightly knit and isolationist community. I believe that this is some of what Shambles speaks of as unhealthy, and I fully concur. They refuse to have almost any contact with the outside world, instead keeping to their own circuit of bars and friends. Any suggestion to go anywhere else (including other 'family' friendly locations) is met with derision and abuse. Sadly, I have friends of several orientations that fit this category... racial, sexual, professional orientation doesn't seem to matter. It's still an unhealthy lifestyle that stunts their interpersonal relationship.

To Kat, Rose and the rest... I also have seen what you speak of. I lived for a year in the heart of the local 'gay ghetto', as a guest of some gay friends of mine. I've been subjected to abuse as a gay man, even while being completely hetero. I can say that it was a rare occurence, even when discussed amongst my friends... I'd personally say that I see the 'discrimination tolerance' towards gay as decreasing, but still needing to be worked on by the world at large.

I will share one thing worth noting. I'm part of a large organized entertainment event. We end up camped out in a large cluster (1500 or so people) on weekends for about 5 months a year. A large number of different races and orientations perform. One of the things that gives me hope for this world is the fact that we all mingle, people are mostly free to express whatever they feel for whoever they wish, and the general feeling is 'live and let live'. The only discrimination I've ever seen is towards bigots of all stripes. It's just not tolerated, but has ceased to be an issue amongst us.

One small part of the world down, the rest to go.

M