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Most Americans now say learning their child is gay wouldn’t upset them – Pew Research Center

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Most Americans now say learning their child is gay wouldn’t upset them – Pew Research Center

The Supreme Court decision last week legalizing gay marriage nationwide came with growing public support over the past decade. But the support for gays and lesbians to wed legally is a reminder of how Americans’ acceptance of homosexuality has also grown dramatically.

Changing Reactions to a Gay Child Three decades ago, most Americans felt it would be troubling to have a child tell them he or she was gay: In a 1985 Los Angeles Times survey, nine-in-ten American adults (89%) said they would be upset if this happened, and just 9% said they would not be.

But views of homosexuality have shifted over time, and today nearly six-in-ten (57%) say they would not be upset if they had a child come out as gay or lesbian, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in May.

The change in attitudes toward having a gay child reflects broader shifts in views of homosexuality. More than six-in-ten Americans (63%) now say homosexuality should be accepted by society, compared with 46% in July 1994, according to the same May poll. In 1994, 49% of the public said society should discourage homosexuality.

Millennials are the least likely to say they would be upset (29%) if their child told them he or she was gay or lesbian. But the older the respondents, the more likely they are to say the moment would be a difficult one: 36% of Gen Xers say they would be upset, as would 47% of Boomers and 55% of Silents.

The question on learning a child is gay or lesbian is largely hypothetical (it was asked of adults with children and without), and this is especially true for Millennials. The oldest Millennial today is 34 years old, and our 2013 survey of LGBT Americans found that the median age for coming out to a family member or close friend was 20.

An important milestone for many gay men and lesbians is telling their parents about their sexual orientation, our 2013 survey showed. Overall, gay adults are more likely to have shared this information with their mothers (70% in the case of gay men, 67% in the case of lesbians) than with their fathers (53% gay men, 45% lesbians).

Coming Out to Parents Difficult for Gay Men and LesbiansThe majority of gay adults who did end up telling their parents said it was hard to do. Among those who told their mothers, 64% of gay men and 65% of lesbians said it was difficult; and among those who told their fathers, 74% of gay men and 63% of lesbians said it was difficult.

LGBT respondents who said in our 2013 survey that they had not told their parents about their sexual orientation or gender identity were asked in an open-ended question, “Why not?” Two main reasons emerged: 1) Some felt it was not important to tell their parent, or the subject never came up; and 2) some assumed their parent would not be accepting or understanding of this, or they worried about how it would affect their relationship with their parent.

Most gay men and lesbians who told their parents about their sexual orientation, however, said their relationship with that parent either grew stronger afterward or stayed the same, while very few said their relationship weakened.

Read more about LGBT Americans’ coming out experience, in their own words.

George Gao  is a former associate digital producer at Pew Research Center.

How an Army veteran designed the iconic symbol of the gay rights movement – Task & Purpose

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How an Army veteran designed the iconic symbol of the gay rights movement – Task & Purpose

Every year in June, cities around the world honor the gay community with events celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. While today, the symbol of the gay community — the rainbow flag — is universally recognizable, it would not have existed without one Army veteran, Gilbert Baker, who found himself stationed in San Francisco at the beginning of the gay rights movement in 1970.

Baker, a Kansas-native who was drafted to serve as a surgical nurse, was honorably discharged from the Army in 1972 and decided to stay in San Francisco. In a documentary called “The Gay Betsy Ross,” Baker says he bought his first sewing machine and taught himself how to sew so he could make his own clothes, in the style of his fashion icon, David Bowie.

In 1974, Baker met gay civil rights activist and politician, Harvey Milk, and the two developed a close friendship, according to a San Francisco Travel article. Milk challenged Baker to come up with a symbol that would represent the gay pride community instead of the pink triangle, which was once a symbol used by Nazis to identify and persecute homosexuals.

Thanks to his sewing skills, Baker was able to stitch together eight pieces of fabric that he dyed himself with help from volunteers. Each color represented the values held by the gay community: pink stood for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for the human spirit.

Nine years after the Stonewall riots in New York City that launched the gay rights movement, and eight years after the first gay pride march, the LGBT community finally had its colors. The rainbow flag flew in the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade on June 25, 1978.

In the article for San Francisco Travel, Baker says watching the flag fly for the first time was the most thrilling moment of his life. “Because I knew right then that this was the most important thing I would ever do,” he said, “that my whole life was going to be about the Rainbow Flag.”

Gilbert went on to design flags for other organizations and public figures including the 1984 Democratic National Convention, the 1985 Super Bowl, and the decorations for the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day parades from 1979 through 1993, according to San Francisco Travel. In 1994, he moved to New York City and created the world’s longest flag on the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Nearly a mile long and carried by 5,000 people, the flag broke the Guinness world record for the largest flag.

In a recent interview published this month in Inside Out, the Museum of Modern Art’s blog, Baker said he was inspired to create a flag because flags are unique from other art forms.

“It’s not a painting, it’s not just cloth,” Baker said. “It functions in so many different ways. I thought that we needed that kind of symbol, that we needed as a people something that everyone instantly understands.”

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Meet Gay Bob, The ‘World’s First Gay Doll’ (NSFW) – Huffington Post

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Note: The following images may not be safe for work or other sensitive environments.

Earlier this week I was introduced to Gay Bob when a co-worker dropped him onto my desk and revealed that his sister had given him the 13-inch anatomically correct plastic figure nearly 40 years ago as a gag gift.

But Gay Bob wasn’t meant as a gag (and I’m guessing, if asked, he’d probably say he doesn’t even have a gag reflex). Released in 1977, he was the brainchild of inventor Harvey Rosenberg, who reportedly did not identify as gay. GAY BOB has been described as “the world’s first gay doll.”

gaybob

In an article published in 1978, the Associated Press quotes Rosenberg as describing Gay Bob as “a cross between Paul Newman and Robert Redford.” Aside from his large plastic penis, Gay Bob also had an earring, a fashionable leather man bag and a cardboard closet to come out of again and again. His packaging also included a “doll clothing fashion catalogue,” complete with a manifesto of sorts that reads in part:

“Hi Boys, Girls, and Grownups… I’m Gay Bob the world’s first gay doll. I bet you are wondering why I come packed in a closet. “Coming out of the closet” is an expression which means that you admit the truth about yourself, and are no longer ashamed of what you are. Gay people use the expression “coming out of the closet” to explain they are no longer afraid, or ashamed, of being gay, and no longer hide the fact.”

Later in the manifesto, it states:

“…Gay people are no different than straight people… if everyone came “out of their closets” there wouldn’t be so many angry, frustrated, frightened people… People who are not ashamed of what they are, are more lovable, kind and understanding.. It’s not easy to be honest about what you are — in fact it takes a great deal of courage… But remember if Gay Bob has the courage to come out his closet, so can you…”

With so much queer visibility currently coursing through mainstream culture,] it may be difficult for some people to understand what’s so shocking about a gay doll. But in 1977, same-sex marriage was not legal in a single U.S. state and many queer people, especially those in small towns and rural areas, remained in the closet. In fact, Gay Bob was so controversial, he even earned several mentions in Ann Landers’ popular advice column. After incredulously telling a reader that she’d “believe it when [she saw it],” she later admitted in a follow-up column that she’d received 112 letters about Gay Bob’s existence and admitted “that crunching sound you hear is me eating my words.”

In the years following Gay Bob’s debut, other (both openly and PREsumedly) queer dolls appeared on the mass market including, Rhogit-Rhogit, Zhdrick & Tiimky, Billy, Carlos & Tyson, and Earring Magic Ken. But despite these other toys muscling in on his territory, Gay Bob continues to live on in the hearts — and basements — of those who were lucky enough to have met him four decades ago. For the rest of us, these photos below will have to suffice (or, if you really want to welcome Gay Bob into your life, snag your own on eBay).

  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post

Source Article from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/26/gay-bob-doll_n_7117120.html
Meet Gay Bob, The ‘World’s First Gay Doll’ (NSFW) – Huffington Post
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Meet Gay Bob, The ‘World’s First Gay Doll’ (NSFW) – Huffington Post

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Note: The following images may not be safe for work or other sensitive environments.

Earlier this week I was introduced to Gay Bob when a co-worker dropped him onto my desk and revealed that his sister had given him the 13-inch anatomically correct plastic figure nearly 40 years ago as a gag gift.

But Gay Bob wasn’t meant as a gag (and I’m guessing, if asked, he’d probably say he doesn’t even have a gag reflex). Released in 1977, he was the brainchild of inventor Harvey Rosenberg, who reportedly did not identify as gay. GAY BOB has been described as “the world’s first gay doll.”

gaybob

In an article published in 1978, the Associated Press quotes Rosenberg as describing Gay Bob as “a cross between Paul Newman and Robert Redford.” Aside from his large plastic penis, Gay Bob also had an earring, a fashionable leather man bag and a cardboard closet to come out of again and again. His packaging also included a “doll clothing fashion catalogue,” complete with a manifesto of sorts that reads in part:

“Hi Boys, Girls, and Grownups… I’m Gay Bob the world’s first gay doll. I bet you are wondering why I come packed in a closet. “Coming out of the closet” is an expression which means that you admit the truth about yourself, and are no longer ashamed of what you are. Gay people use the expression “coming out of the closet” to explain they are no longer afraid, or ashamed, of being gay, and no longer hide the fact.”

Later in the manifesto, it states:

“…Gay people are no different than straight people… if everyone came “out of their closets” there wouldn’t be so many angry, frustrated, frightened people… People who are not ashamed of what they are, are more lovable, kind and understanding.. It’s not easy to be honest about what you are — in fact it takes a great deal of courage… But remember if Gay Bob has the courage to come out his closet, so can you…”

With so much queer visibility currently coursing through mainstream culture,] it may be difficult for some people to understand what’s so shocking about a gay doll. But in 1977, same-sex marriage was not legal in a single U.S. state and many queer people, especially those in small towns and rural areas, remained in the closet. In fact, Gay Bob was so controversial, he even earned several mentions in Ann Landers’ popular advice column. After incredulously telling a reader that she’d “believe it when [she saw it],” she later admitted in a follow-up column that she’d received 112 letters about Gay Bob’s existence and admitted “that crunching sound you hear is me eating my words.”

In the years following Gay Bob’s debut, other (both openly and PREsumedly) queer dolls appeared on the mass market including, Rhogit-Rhogit, Zhdrick & Tiimky, Billy, Carlos & Tyson, and Earring Magic Ken. But despite these other toys muscling in on his territory, Gay Bob continues to live on in the hearts — and basements — of those who were lucky enough to have met him four decades ago. For the rest of us, these photos below will have to suffice (or, if you really want to welcome Gay Bob into your life, snag your own on eBay).

  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post
  • Christy Havranek/Huffington Post

Source Article from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/26/gay-bob-doll_n_7117120.html
Meet Gay Bob, The ‘World’s First Gay Doll’ (NSFW) – Huffington Post
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Planet Fitness bars woman after transgender complaint – CNN

Kim Martel
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Planet Fitness bars woman after transgender complaint – CNN

Story highlights

Woman loses gym membership after complaining about transgender woman in locker room

Planet Fitness said manner in which she expressed concerns was “inappropriate”

Yvette Cormier: “This is all new to me”

(CNN) —  

A Michigan woman lost her Planet Fitness membership over the “inappropriate” manner in which she complained about a transgender woman in the locker room, a gym spokeswoman said.

Yvette Cormier’s membership was not canceled for simply raising the issue, “as we welcome all feedback from our members,” said McCall Gosselin, director of public relations at Planet Fitness Corporate.

Rather, it was the manner in which she expressed her concerns that club management felt was inappropriate, resulting in the cancellation, Gosselin said.

Cormier stands by her actions in a case that has drawn attention to transgender rights.

“This is all new to me. I didn’t go out to specifically bash a transgender person that day. I was taken aback by the situation,” Cormier told CNN. “This is about me and how I felt unsafe. I should feel safe in there.”

The mother of two says she was acting out of concern for her safety and the privacy of other female gym members when she raised the issue on Saturday, February 28.

She went to the front desk after someone who looked like a “man” entered the women’s locker room while she was changing.

“I wanted to know why there was a man in the women’s locker room,” she told CNN. “He looked like a man, and that’s what stopped me in my tracks.”

She said the front desk employee told her about Planet Fitness’ “no-judgment” policy, which allows people to use changing room based on “their sincere, self-reported gender identity.”

Unsatisfied, she said she called Planet Fitness’ corporate headquarters and heard the same thing.

“That should be something they pointed out when I signed up,” she said.

“If you have male parts you don’t need to be in the women’s locker room. I don’t care what you are; I don’t care if you’re gay lesbian, transgender or transvestite. I am uncomfortable with you as a male in my locker room, in my restroom.”

She returned to the gym Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday “to get the word out” to other women that they “let men in the women’s locker room,” she said.

“Every day I said ‘just so you know, there’s a man they allow in this locker room and they don’t tell you that when you sign up,’ ” she said.

The next day, she found out that her membership had been canceled.

Cormier said Planet Fitness needs to do a better job of informing members of its policy allowing members to use whichever locker room corresponds with their gender identity, which refers to a person’s psychological identification as a man, woman or another gender.

“The manner in which this member expressed her concerns about the policy exhibited behavior that management at the Midland club deemed inappropriate and disruptive to other members, which is a violation of the membership agreement and as a result her membership was canceled,” Gosselin said in a statement on behalf of Planet Fitness.

“Planet Fitness is committed to creating a nonintimidating, welcoming environment for our members. Our gender identity nondiscrimination policy states that members and guests may use all gym facilities based on their sincere self-reported gender identity.”

LGBT advocates applauded the Planet Fitness policy, saying it was necessary to ensuring the safety and privacy of transgender individuals.

Planet Fitness has the right to allow members to use whichever locker room corresponds with their gender identity, Alison Gill, senior legislative council for the Human Rights Campaign, told MLive.

Even though gender identity is not a protected class under Michigan anti-discrimination laws, transgender individuals still have the right to use whichever bathroom they feel comfortable using, attorney Jay Kaplan with the ACLU of Michigan’s LGBT Project told MLive.

“A transgender woman would be much more at risk for her safety if she had to use the men’s bathroom,” he said.

Cormier does not see it that way. But she agrees with LGBT advocates on one potential solution: unisex, single-stall bathrooms.

The Daily Fix: Fitness Chain Lives Up to ‘No Critics’ Slogan With LGBT Advocacy – TakePart

Kim Martel
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The Daily Fix: Fitness Chain Lives Up to ‘No Critics’ Slogan With LGBT Advocacy – TakePart

A national chain of budget gyms is being hailed as an LGBT ally after one of its fitness centers took a stand against transgender intolerance.

Planet Fitness in Midland, Michigan, revoked Yvette Cormier’s membership after she filed a complaint about a transgender woman using the women’s locker room. “He totally looked like a man. He was not dressed like a woman at all,” Cormier told local news station WNEM. “They told me the same thing, that he was allowed in there because that’s the sex he wants to be.”

Representatives of the gym say the way in which Cormier complained was disruptive and violated the membership agreement, which includes a gender identity nondiscrimination clause. “Planet Fitness is committed to creating a non-intimidating, welcoming environment for our members,” McCall Gosselin, director of public relations at Planet Fitness Corporate, said in a statement. “Our gender identity non-discrimination policy states that members and guests may use all gym facilities based on self-reported gender identity.”

The policy was defended by members of the Human Rights Campaign and the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan’s LGBT Project.

Founded in 1992, Planet Fitness aims to be a gym where members of all shapes, sizes, and genders can work out, sans pressure or intimidation. Its low membership fees attract a sizable membership, and its antidiscriminatory policies will likely keep those members coming back.

In other news…

Obama Encourages Transparency: On Saturday, President Obama said he was glad that Hillary Clinton asked to release certain emails from her tenure as secretary of state. “The policy of my administration is to encourage transparency, which is why my emails, the BlackBerry I carry around, all those records are available and archived,” Obama said. (via CBS News)

Teenager Was Unarmed When Killed by Police: Tony Robinson, the black teenager whose death spurred protests in Madison, Wisconsin, over the weekend, was unarmed when police opened fire. (via CNN)

Selma Commemoration Continues: The 50th anniversary commemoration of Bloody Sunday continued in Selma, Alabama. (via The Associated Press)

Peace Corps Suspends Program: The U.S. Peace Corps is temporarily suspending its program in Jordan due to the country’s “regional environment,” including its battle against Islamic State militants. ISIS controls large parts of Jordan’s neighboring countries, including Syria and Iraq. All 37 Peace Corps volunteers working in Jordan have since left the country temporarily. (via The Associated Press)

The Daily Fix is your chance to act today to change tomorrow’s headlines by taking action on the latest stories. Look for links to petitions, pledges, and other social actions embedded throughout these news items.

Americans are still divided on why people are gay – Pew Research Center

Kim Martel
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Americans are still divided on why people are gay – Pew Research Center

Potential Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson made news earlier this week when he said that being gay is a “choice,” but when it comes to public opinion, polls show that Americans remain divided over whether “nature” or “nurture” is ultimately responsible for sexual orientation.

Four-in-ten Americans (42%) said that being gay or lesbian is “just the way some choose to live,” while a similar share (41%) said that “people are born gay or lesbian,” according to the most recent Pew Research Center poll on the issue, conducted in 2013.

Fewer U.S. adults (8%) said that people are gay or lesbian due to their upbringing, while another one-in-ten (9%) said they didn’t know or declined to give a response.

Americans With College Degrees More Likely to Say Gays, Lesbians Born That WayPeople with the most education are the most likely to say that gays and lesbians were born that way. Indeed, 58% of Americans with a postgraduate degree say that people are born gay or lesbian, compared with just 35% of those with a high school diploma or less.

The percentage of all Americans who believe that people are born gay or lesbian has roughly doubled (from 20% to 41%) since 1985, when the question was asked in a Los Angeles Times survey.

More than three decades of Gallup polls also show a considerable rise in the view that being gay or lesbian is a product of “nature” rather than “nurture.” But the most recent survey, in 2014, still finds that the nation remains split in its feelings on the origins of sexual orientation.

Americans Split on Origins of Homosexuality

The 2014 Gallup poll found that 42% of respondents said gay people are born that way, while 37% said people are gay due to “factors such as their upbringing and environment.” Gallup’s surveys ask the question somewhat differently than do Pew Research surveys; Gallup does not offer respondents the option to say that homosexuality is a choice.

In any case, the question is not settled for Americans or in the scientific community, where the ongoing search for a “gay gene” has yielded intriguing results that continue to be debated. Meanwhile, the American Psychological Association says that while there is no scientific consensus on the origins of sexual orientation, “most people experience little or no sense of choice” about it.

David Masci  is a former senior writer/editor focusing on religion at Pew Research Center.

‘Brotherhood of Bears’ Offers Intimate Peek Into Underrepresented Gay Male … – Huffington Post

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In gay culture, “bears” are a subset of males who pride themselves on their large stature and rugged masculinity — conveyed through traits like hairiness and accentuated testosterone. Although the subculture is far from underground, it may still remains unknown to some unfamiliar with the LGBT community.

dude

Photographer Alan Charlesworth began questioning his sexuality growing up as a teenager in Philadelphia during the 1990s. Yet he had trouble identifying with (or lusting after) the stereotyped portrayals of gay men in mainstream pop culture, on television shows like “Will & Grace.” In his series “Brotherhood of Bears,” Charlesworth provides visibility to a community of gay men who diverge from the prevailing image.

“It’s not perfect body, gym-toned, and no facial hair,” Charlesworth told The New York Times last year. “That’s what society deems as being a normal, stereotypical gay male. That’s not what I identify with.”

“The ‘Brotherhood of Bears’ series had an unintentional beginning,” Charlesworth explained to The Huffington Post. “While studying photography at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), I presented my class with some photographs taken at a bar event in Upstate New York called ‘Bear Albany.’ The event was a bi-monthly gathering for large, hirsute, masculine gay men and took place in a local bar called the Phoenix. My partner at the time was one of the hosts and it was my job to document the event for their website. On a fluke, I decided to print the images and bring them into a photography critique. My classmates were taken aback by the subculture and had no idea that bears existed. I knew then that I had something that needed to be documented with a fine art approach.”

men

“Eventually I began photographing my friends in the bear community using large format cameras which helped in the interaction and ultimately broke down any apprehension that the ‘sitter’ may have. Digital photography tends to put people on edge and personally, it feels very informal. So many people click the shutter several hundred to get that ‘on shot.’ I prefer to be more analytical and intentional with one single click of the shutter.”

Charlesworth’s photos depict everything from bedroom decor to nude men to massive bear gatherings, in locales ranging from Dallas to Provincetown to San Francisco. The images range from innocuous to explicit, all painting an intimate portrait of a community that remains at least partially removed from public view.

“In the past ten years, bears have been fairly well represented in media,” Charlesworth continued. “The subculture has been referenced in the news and even animated shows like ‘The Cleveland Show’ and ‘Brickleberry.’ To say that the bears are still a hidden gay subculture would be untrue, however, many people today are still oblivious to it. Often times, unless you are looking for it, the subject may pass you by. Naturally, I hope that this body of work gains exposure for those who may otherwise be unaware of gay subcultures.”

The series doesn’t only capture a gay subculture that strays from societal norms, but also the diverse and still-expanding range of men represented within the lifestyle. Additionally, “Brotherhood of Bears” holds particular significance for Charlesworth himself. “The project acts as an affirmation of my inclusion in the bear culture through the ability to analyze, interpret, and understand these men and their sexual identities.”

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Science Says Women Prefer Gay Guy Porn (And Lesbian Porn, Duh) to All Other … – SheWired

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Ah, the great mysteries of the universe: the confounding behavior of the electron, the elusive blips of radiation left over from the Big Bang, the undiscovered deep sea creatures in the thermal vents of the world’s oceans….and the tendency of women to prefer gay male pornography.  

“What, Katie, did you just say?” you may ask.  “Women like gay guy porn??”  Yes, friends, this is true.  I have been privy to this little-known phenomenon for years, but now science and statistics have given us definitive proof once and for all.  

The site PornHub tracked user behavior according to gender and found that next to “lesbian porn,” “gay porn” was the most prevalent type of xxx rated content viewed by females.  Now THIS is something!  First of all, the study doesn’t sub divide into lesbian, straight, and bi women, so there’s really no way of knowing who is watching what. But the fact that the top two most-watched porn by women are both–gasp–homosexual in content, as it were, is profoundly interesting.  

In light of this information, I conducted a very scientific study of my own that was essentially me asking all of my women friends, gay, bi, and straight, what kind of porn they’re into these days.  Findings?  The straight and bi-curious girls (who had never really experimented with girls before) told me that they love watching lesbian porn. The lesbians and bi girls who had dated/slept with girls, on the other hand, overwhelmingly hate lesbian porn and a lot of them said that they prefer gay male porn to straight porn or any other type.  

You guys remember that scene from The Kids Are All Right when Julianne Moore’s son confronts her and Annette Bening about the gay dude porn that he found in their bedroom?  Julianne Moore answers with her own version of what I and every lesbian I know seems to think about lesbian porn: that it’s a highly inauthentic load of crap with two straight girls who don’t know what they’re doing.  She says something along the lines of, “though it may seem counterintuitive, lesbians like gay male porn because it’s visual and erotic and feels real, unlike the lesbian porn that is out there.” On a different-yet-related note, it’s already been proven that straight women are turned on by literally everything, guys, girls, straight, gay (including monkey sex, as it were).  No one has done a definitive arousal study on only lesbians, HOWEVER, this is only a portion of the answer.  

I made a short documentary about lesbians and porn a few years ago which I am remaking as a feature-length film this year (get excited!) and in conducting these interviews, when I asked the women what they would like to see instead of the lesbian porn that’s out there (after they roundly dismissed it), a huge percentage of them–nearly half–responded that they actually like gay guy porn (the others said straight porn or a mix of both).  

My theory is this: women need authenticity in their porn in order for it to turn them on, and both gay and lesbian porn feel authentic to gay, bi, and straight women for different yet equally valid reasons.  In the case of pornography, my guess is that “authenticity” is akin to “people appearing to have actual orgasms and feel good” as well as “the performers appear to be into what they are doing.”

It breaks down like this:

1) Lesbians would like lesbian porn if it felt even remotely authentic to them; but it doesn’t, so they hate it.

Self-explanatory.

2) Lesbian women like gay male porn because it’s the exact opposite of lesbian porn in terms of authenticity, and is hot in a way that lesbians have trouble describing, but they still think it’s hot.  Guys can’t fake erections, or ejaculation for that matter.  Lesbians in mainstream porn moan for days when, for all intents and purposes, nothing really that phenomenal is happening to them.  *Yawn*  Maybe lesbians like projecting themselves into the guys onscreen and vicariously doing all this aggressive fucking?  Sort of a complete inversion of the male gaze: women as controlling visual spectators, men as submissive performers.  Maybe lesbians like watching guys be all hot and animalistic with each other? Maybe lesbians like seeing porn where the two performers are on equal ground from a gender perspective (so there’s no objectification of women happening).    

3) Straight girls like lesbian porn because it feels sexy and safe to them, while still feeling authentic. For one, I think it’s safe to say that much of the world agrees that two girls together is hot.  Really hot.  And for someone who has maybe never actually had lesbian sex, the mainstream stuff that is out there might be pretty palatable for her–it’s usually two femme girls kind of half-assedly licking and kissing each other (you never see finger-fucking or anything really resembling lesbian sex, something I could rant about for days).  So maybe for a girl who hasn’t experimented yet, this is a tantalizing first step into the world of women. A lot of girls who I talked to also watch it with their boyfriends–so they are both happy since he doesn’t have to watch a guy and she is into the girl/girl thing anyway. 

4) Bisexual girls like certain porn over others based on personal preference and experience.  The bi girls I talked to who had done a lot of experimenting with women or had dated women tended to agree on the fact that lesbian porn is horseshit.  But some still liked it.  And some liked gay guy porn. And straight porn. I really don’t want to enrage a bunch of bisexual women today–like I said I asked maybe fifteen bi girls total–but regardless of where they stand on the various types of porn, they all cited authenticity as their rationale for picking one over another.

5) I do not know why straight women would like gay male porn (my straight friends don’t watch it), except that it’s hot in ways women can’t explain, and straight women are turned on by everything (as proven by science).  My armchair guess would be that it’s the same answer as the others: they can sense the authenticity in it and it turns them on.  

Now I’ll turn it over to the women I spoke with:

 

From a straight girl: “I wouldn’t want to watch porn with my boyfriend.  I feel like he’d be thinking too much about the woman or women and I’m pretty sure he’d refuse to watch gay porn.  Alone, it isn’t really my thing, but I think something softer would be better.  Gay porn wouldn’t do it.  Straight porn creeps me out.  I’d go with lesbian porn, but only if it seems legit.  It’s the sensuality not the banging that’s a turn on.”

From a bi girl: “I like lesbian porn, the female body is prettier, and women are just better at touching women. It’s a slower progression and not the jack rabbit pounding. But I know the girls aren’t gay because of their nails.”

From a lesbian: “I like watching domination. Usually male/female, but there’s an added level of taboo when a male is being feminized by another male.”

From a straight girl: “I have no desire to ever watch gay male porn, because you can’t relate to it as a woman, it’s too aggressive or in your face. Lesbian porn is a turn on but it kind of feels like the PG-13 version of porn because it doesn’t seem like sex. It feels like foreplay as opposed to intercourse, it’s like a tease and it’s sexy, but it’s not as fulfilling.”

From a lesbian: “I like [gay guy porn] because it’s more forbidden. I think it’s brave of them to follow their true feelings too, which adds an emotional element…it’s also dangerous.  Kinda like having sex when someone’s home.”

From a bi girl: “I am turned on by gay male porn and straight porn.  I even like lesbian porn sometimes but I know it’s not nearly as rough as lesbian sex can be.”

From a lesbian: “As a lesbian/woman [gay male porn] is non-threatening; there isn’t this feeling that someone is being forced to do this.  Whereas watching straight porn, even though I prefer it to lesbian porn, I’m always looking at the woman going “she’s a good actress. Letting him think she is enjoying it.  And lesbian porn has men written all over it; it just seems like the actresses don’t want to be doing what they are doing.”

From a lesbian: “There’s no passion in lesbian porn.  It’s like watching someone try to eat a pie with a toothpick or something.  There’s no progress being made and someone’s gonne get their eye poked out (naaaaillls, heyyy).  I just wanna see em take a real bite, stuff their face in, enjoy it! I prefer straight or gay male porn because there’s a much higher chance I’ll see someone actually enjoy themselves.”

From a straight girl: “You’re talking about lesbian porn that’s geared towards men, right?  Not like, real lesbian porn.  Does that even exist?

Well!  This is a lot to think about. What this tells me is that someone needs to do a more thorough breakdown of women’s porn searches that doesn’t just include gender. Sexuality, intent of use (with a boyfriend? on your own?) and other factors need to be considered before we can get an accurate breakdown of the age old question of what women want. So now that I’ve proven nothing and everything rather effectively, I’ll turn it over to you ladies.  What porn, if any, do you like and why?  Is there decent lesbian porn out there on the interwebs? Do you like the gay guy stuff too? Speak on it, girl.

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Source Article from http://www.shewired.com/need-know/2014/10/02/science-says-women-prefer-gay-guy-porn-and-lesbian-porn-duh-all-other-types
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The Evolving World of Gay Travel – New York Times

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The Evolving World of Gay Travel – New York Times

In Key West, where Mr. Moses is based, he notes that things are changing. “In just the last two years at least four gay guesthouses have gone ‘all welcome,’” Mr. Moses said, referring to the practice of allowing anyone to check in. “The gay guesthouse, they’re disappearing,” he said.

Even so, it seems the need for L.G.B.T. tours and services is not.

“We’re mixing more and more, but there is always going to be a need for people to be with their friends and family and community,” said Mr. Tuthill of Passport magazine. “There are issues you encounter that other people don’t deal with.”

One of those issues is safety, even in places considered gay-friendly — Provincetown, Mass., Boston, Seattle, Palm Springs, Calif., Mexico, Canada, England, Spain, France. 

Mr. Paisley of Community Marketing recalled walking in San Francisco not too long ago and having someone roll down a car window and yell a gay slur at him. This month, he said a gay friend of his was harassed on the New York City subway.

“This kind of stuff happens to gay people all the time,” he said, “and because of that, safety is really important.” 

Places like Russia, Egypt and India are now considered too dangerous, Ms. Johns said. Mr. Adams of Passport magazine strives to share with his readers, each of whom travels on average 11 times a year, places that are culturally compelling yet safe. “We’re not going to Brunei anytime soon,” he said, referring to the Southeast Asian country that recently introduced antigay laws.

To be considered L.G.B.T.-friendly, a destination usually has a local gay community with which visitors can connect, businesses with nondiscrimination polices and diversity training, and an overall welcoming feel.

Mental Health Experts Applaud ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’ Bans – Healthline

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Mental Health Experts Applaud ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’ Bans – Healthline

New Jersey and California have enacted bans on a controversial type of therapy to turn gay children straight.

Earlier this week, New Jersey became the second state to ban a controversial type of therapy that is designed to turn gay children straight.

The ban, signed by Gov. Chris Christie, specifically states that mental health professionals “shall not engage in sexual orientation change efforts with a person under 18 years of age.” California enacted a similar ban last year, after mental health professionals agreed that the therapy not only didn’t work, but could also inflict harm on young patients.

The New Jersey ban comes on the heels of a fraud lawsuit brought by four clients of a conversion therapy center in New Jersey. They claim that the center charged thousands of dollars for practices that allegedly included blaming parents for a child’s sexuality and engaging “in violent role play exercises where they beat effigies of their mothers,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In his years of practice, Rob Dobrenski, a psychologist in New York City and author of Crazy: Notes On and Off the Couch, has never had anyone approach him to perform gay conversion therapy on a minor. If they had, he said, they’d be turned away.

The professional aversion to this type of therapy goes all the way back to Sigmund Freud. Freud was famously approached by parents curious over whether they could convert their gay children to heterosexuality. He, and many others, believed that homosexuality is not a mental illness and shouldn’t be “cured.”

“’Cured’ means that there is some sort of disorder. Homosexuality is not a disorder. It should be celebrated,” Dobrenski said. “Anyone who tells you otherwise is misguided by ignorance and/or hate.”

A new Pew survey shows that 41 percent of Americans believe homosexuality is something with people are born with, yet 35 percent still believe gays can change their sexual orientation.

Challengers of the conversion therapy bans, predominantly conservative-minded law organizations, claim that the bans are too broadly worded. Mathew D. Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, argues that it is a First Amendment issue for therapists and may prevent parents from seeking counseling if their son or daughter develops “unwanted same-sex attractions after being molested by the likes of Jerry Sandusky,” according to the New Republic.

Dobrenski said that he doesn’t believe any law prohibits discussing sexuality with minors.

“Depending on age, you may need to fill the parents in on the generalities of those conversations, but it’s usually not a problem,” he said.

While there’s some concern regarding what psychiatrists can and cannot talk about with clients, Dobrenski said the state bans on conversion therapy are a step in the right direction.

“Any form of control can have its pitfalls, but this is not one of those situations,” he said. “Simply having a degree and a license doesn’t give you the right to practice any form of ‘treatment’ you believe is in someone else’s best interests.”

In 1952, the first edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) classified homosexuality as a mental illness, and conversion therapy was regarded as a legitimate practice. Homosexuality was removed from the DSM in 1987.

Conversion therapy has been used in strange and inhumane ways over the years, ranging from transplanting the testicles of a heterosexual into a gay man to drilling holes in a person’s skull.

Eventually, in the latter part of the 20th Century, major medical and psychological associations abandoned the use of the technique, saying that it is ineffective, puts patients at risk of further psychological harm, and violates the Hippocratic oath “first, do no harm.”

Vacation spots prime for gay travel boom – NBCNews.com

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Vacation spots prime for gay travel boom – NBCNews.com

Gay travel is surging — and not just for Gay Pride Weekend. This week’s marriage equality ruling is expected to fuel a gay honeymoon boom. Savvy travel operators are already figuring out how they can court the so-called pink dollar without turning away straight business.

“Obviously, there’s more camaraderie with fellow guests” at a gay-friendly accommodation, said Ed Jones, a gay traveler and New York accountant. But it’s more than that. “I’ve stayed at straight-owned B&Bs,” said Jones, “and it’s definitely not something that’s always welcomed. When two guys check in, there’s that surprise that clearly registers on people’s faces.”

Travel spots that have a reputation for not being gay-friendly risk missing out. One in four gay men and one in five lesbians say that an LGBT-friendly reputation is important in choosing a travel destination.

As the travel industry climbs out of the recession, gay travel is seen as a bright spot. Last year, gay men took an average of 4.7 leisure trips per year, and lesbians took an average of 4 trips, according to the 17th Annual LGBT Travel Survey by the market research firm CMI. That’s a one trip increase for both groups. Meanwhile, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical American traveler takes only 1.62 leisure trips per year.

“The gay traveler is quite savvy and won’t simply patronize a hotel that slaps on a rainbow sticker on their door or website,” said John Clifford, a San Diego-based travel agent who specializes in LGBT travel. “It’s important that there be a level of respect, sensitivity understanding, training and a sincere welcome environment.” Cliffords steers his gay clients not towards specifically gay hotels or resorts but towards 4 and 5 star boutique and design hotel accommodations.

And the LGBT community isn’t one size fits all either. “Men are going to go ‘where the boys are’,” said Merryn Johns, editor-in-chief of the lesbian magazine Curve. Lesbians prioritize safety. “We’re women, and we travel as women first,” said Johns.

Within days of the decision, some hotels had already unveiled new packages and promotion designed to celebrate the ruling, while also being inclusive to same-sex couples. The US Grant hotel in San Diego launched a $145 per person “At Last” wedding reception package designed to celebrate the Supreme Court’s ruling, but available to both same and opposite sex partners.

In partnership with Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBT equal rights advocacy organization, W Hotels made its “HRC Pride 365” package available across all its locations in the US and Canada. Besides the room, it includes triple starpoints, a one-year membership to the HRC, and a $10 donation to the HRC.

Even international destinations got in on the marketing peg. The Qualia Resort on Hamilton Island off the coast of Australia introduced a new seven night couples retreat package with one night free, “to celebrate the landmark Supreme Court decision.”

The Marriott hotel chain went even further than marketing packages, filing amicus briefs in the the Supreme Court marriage equality cases demonstrating how DOMA hurts their business.

After all, pink or green, a dollar is a dollar.

“Equality tends to foster a sense of prosperity,” said Johns. So among vacation spots and hotels that are still behind when it comes to accommodating the gay traveler, “Who really wants to be the holdout?”

NBA: Pacers’ Hibbert fined for anti-gay remarks – Cebu Daily News

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rings

Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert reacts during the first half of Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference basketball finals against the Miami Heat in Indianapolis, Saturday, June 1, 2013. AP

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana— The NBA slapped Indiana center Roy Hibbert with a $75,000 fine Sunday for his post-game tirade after the Pacers’ game-six playoff victory over the Miami Heat.

Hibbert was disciplined for “inappropriate language” after he used a gay slur in one answer and swore in another during a press conference following the Pacers’ 91-77 win over defending champions Miami on Saturday night.

Asked about his defense on Miami superstar LeBron James, Hibbert ended his response with the phrase “no homo”.

Hibbert apologized, but league commissioner David Stern wasn’t going to let him off that easy.

“While Roy has issued an apology, which is no doubt sincere, a fine is necessary to reinforce that such offensive comments will not be tolerated by the NBA,” Stern said.

The issue of homophobia in pro sports team locker rooms has been at the fore in recent weeks, with veteran NBA center Jason Collins going public with the fact that he’s gay in April to become the first active player in a major US men’s pro league to do so.

Collins, a free agent after playing with the Washington Wizards last season, hasn’t played since sharing his sexuality publicly, but former US national team footballer Robbie Rogers, who announced he was gay and retired from football in February, this month returned to the game playing for Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Galaxy.

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Guidelines needed for gay sports pioneers – Minneapolis Star Tribune (blog)

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Patrick Reusse has been covering sports in the Twin Cities since 1968. He has been a Star Tribune sports columnist since 1988. His sportswriting credo is twofold: 1. God will provide an angle; 2. The smaller the ball, the better the writing.

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Guidelines needed for gay sports pioneers

Posted by: Patrick Reusse

Updated: May 30, 2013 – 10:47 PM

 

 

 

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Jallen Messersmith is a basketball player at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan. He’s also gay. He made that announcement on Wednesday on outsports.com, a Website that covers gay issues in men’s sports.

 

Messersmith’s announcement earned him five thick paragraphs in the “Briefly” section on Page 2C of Wednesday’s Star Tribune. Next to Mike Rand’s mug shot, “Briefly” could be the most-prominent portion of the pithy and informative daily effort on Page 2C, so getting five graphs makes it a fairly big deal in the view of our decision-makers.

 

For sure, if Messersmith had scored 50 points to lead Benedictine to a semifinal victory in the NAIA basketball tournament, he would have been lucky to get a sentence in “Briefly,” but this is coming out time in male sports and there are a lot of fellows competing to be considered gay pioneers.

 

According to Associated Press, Messersmith “is believed to be the first openly gay player in U.S. men’s basketball.”

 

I get confused here. The guy who was smooching with his 60-year-old boyfriend in a press box a few months ago … that was football, JUCO football, right?

 

And then we have Jason Collins, the NBA free agent, who started this media extravaganza by announcing he was gay, which allowed to the Prez himself, Mr. Obama, to step away from the scandals for a few minutes to offer his heartiest congratulations.

 

Collins was advertised as the first openly gay male athlete in a major American professional team sport, even though he may never play a game in the full spotlight of his gayness, since he’s old and not very effective and doesn’t have a contract for the 2013-14 season.

 

No matter. Collins’ revelation was such big news that Minnesota’s own Carolyn Moos, Jason’s female companion for a number of years, plans to write a book. As they say in Canada, “Eh?”

 

Collins was followed to the “I’m gay” podium by a soccer player I’ve never heard of, who was rushed into the lineup of some MLS team, so that he could be first the openly gay male athlete to actually participate in a major American professional team sport, even if it is “major” in title only.

 

Listen.

 

I’m all for gay rights. I’m all for gay marriage — both as a right of two human beings and as a boost to the economy. If the guys and gals do it right later this summer, the dinner the night before the wedding, the flowers, the reception … that should run to 30 grand per nuptial, multiplied by maybe 2,000 weddings.

 

This could be the extra boost to the economy we need to pay off the public share of the Taj Ma Zygi, the new Vikings’ palace.

 

Plus, I think there’s a dang good chance I could sell my little house in Golden Valley to a gay couple if they have chosen not to be burdened with children.

 

Yes, sir, Marry up. I’m all for you.

 

The deal is, I don’t give a hoot if Jallen Messersmith is gay. I didn’t really give a hoot that Jason Collins is gay, or if Carolyn Moos is now puzzled as to her eight-year relationship with the big man. And the soccer guy … Ricky, Ronnie, Riley, something like that, last name Rogers, the odds of me watching him play remain the same, gay or not.

 

I think what we need here is a summit with ESPN, a committee of the nation’s sports editors and an organization with the power to speak for gay America. And what this summit would be asked to determine is when we have a sports pioneer in the area of male gayness, and when we don’t.

 

Right now, the media is running amok, so determined to be on the cutting edge that an NAIA basketball player gets himself seven graphs of precious space because he tells a Website that he’s gay.

 

If there aren’t some firm guidelines, this “first openly gay male athlete in [fill in the blank]” is going to get completely out of control. If Jallen Messersmith from an NAIA school qualifies, what happens when we get the first male basketball player in Division III, then Division II, and then Division I, and then in the NCAA tournament, and then in the Sweet Sixteen, and then in the Elite Eight, then in the Final Four, and then, my goodness, break out the huge headlines … in the National Championship Game.

 

And then the NFL … do you think if we don’t get some control of this, that Outside the Lines is going to settle for merely the first openly gay player in the biggest, baddest league in the history of American sports. Heck, no, it’s not.

 

We’ll have the first gay player. And then we’ll have the first quarterback, and then the first receiver, and then the first running back, and then the first left tackle, the first slot cornerback — on and on, until we get to this:

 

“Barkevious Blutarsky of the Green Bay Packers announced today that he is gay, making him the first openly gay long snapper to hike in the National Football League.”

 

The American sports media has to get its ducks in a row on gay male team sports pioneers. I don’t want five graphs of my morning “Briefly” devoted to the future Jallen Messersmiths.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SKorea’s gay film maker in news over wedding plans – Sacramento Bee

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SEOUL, South Korea — The first time a South Korean celebrity announced he was gay, in 2000, the reaction was quick and without empathy. Popular actor and entertainer Hong Suk-chon was banished from television and radio programs for three years, and he said in a talk-show interview this year that he regrets coming out.

In a legal sense, not much has changed since then for gays and lesbians in this deeply conservative country. They can’t marry or enter into civil unions, and the law cannot effectively protect them from discrimination. But another celebrity’s recent wedding announcement suggests they may be slowly winning the fight for public acceptance.

Movie director Kim Jho Gwangsoo surprised many last month by announcing he will symbolically tie the knot with his longtime male partner Sept. 7 in what would be the highest-profile ceremony of its kind in South Korea. He and Dave Kim envision a massive public event in Seoul with guests honoring their relations by donating money to build a center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Later they will try to get their marriage registered, and if they are rejected, as is expected, they intend to file a constitutional appeal.

“Doesn’t the constitution stipulate that everybody is equal before it?” Kim Jho said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “We want (South Korea) to enter the stage of starting discussions on” same-sex marriage.

Online news outlets carried photos of the boyish-looking 48-year-old kissing his curly-haired, 28-year-old partner, and their names were among the most popular search words in portal sites for much of the day. Some conservative newspapers ignored the announcement, but there was little criticism of the couple in the media.

Kim Jho said he and his partner have not encountered anyone insulting them with anti-gay slurs, and there have been people on the street who encouraged them. “It’s a delightful response,” Kim Jho said.

“There was a time when we worried about our wishes to marry being revealed. But we ourselves feel now that times have changed,” Kim Jho said.

On Saturday, the couple took center stage at Seoul’s annual Korea Queer Festival. As they clasped hands, the crowd showered them with cheers and applause.

Analysts say the couple’s announcement is the latest sign of a slow yet substantial change in how South Koreans view sexual minorities.

Several gay-themed movies and TV dramas have become hits and some male-to-female transgender entertainers have risen to stardom. More than 100 gay bars and nightclubs are now openly operating in downtown Seoul, according to a gay rights organization.

“The social exclusion level (on sex minorities) has declined a lot compared with when Hong Suk-chon came out … so chances for our society to embrace them have increased a lot,” said Cho Hee-Yeon, a sociology professor at Seoul’s Sungkonghoe University. “But South Korea still has a long way to go.”

Anti-gay sentiments run deep through South Korean society amid a complex mix of several elements that include a large, vocal conservative Christian community; a deep-rooted Confucian heritage that has long put strains on open talks on sex-related topics; and rapid economic developments under past military-backed dictatorships that ignored the voices of minority groups.

A casebook published by activist groups and a lawyers’ organization in 2011 showed dozens of reported cases of anti-gay discrimination, bullying and hate crimes in South Korean schools. In one case, a lesbian student jumped to her death after students poured hot soup on her head. In another, a teacher was accused of saying gays and lesbians should be stoned to death. The casebook also mentioned a questionnaire handed out by a school that was intended to sort out gay and lesbian students.

In April, two lawmakers were forced to withdraw two separate proposed comprehensive legislative bills aimed at preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation, race, gender and other factors after Christians and conservative activists launched vehement protests. South Korea currently has a broad human rights law that ostensibly protects gays and lesbians, but it has no mechanism to punish those who discriminate.

And while 14 countries and 12 U.S. states allow same-sex marriages, in South Korea that appears to be a distant dream for gay couples.

An April public survey by Gallup Korea showed that only one-fourth of South Koreans support same-sex marriage and 67 percent oppose it. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

“We absolutely oppose a same-sex marriage. … The Bible describes it as a curse,” said the Rev. Hong Jae Chul, president of the Seoul-based Christian Council of Korea, an alliance of conservative churches. “Homosexuality runs counter to the order of the creation.”

Gill Wonpyong, a university physics professor who also works for the Seoul-based Coalition for Moral Sexuality, said homosexuality is “abnormal” and raised worries the anti-discrimination laws could allow schools to teach students that homosexual relations are normal and that criticizing them is wrong.

Anti-gay activists and conservative Christian groups said they have no plans to obstruct Kim Jho’s September ceremony.

When the anti-discrimination laws were submitted, gay-rights opponent held street rallies, made hundreds of protest phone calls daily to lawmakers’ offices and bombarded the website of the National Assembly with about 100,000 anti-legislation messages.

Last week, an alliance of anti-legislation civic groups placed a full-page ad in major newspapers announcing a boycott of the MBC television network over a program the group says supports homosexuality and anti-discrimination laws.

Hong, the formerly blacklisted actor, said in his interview in February that he still regrets coming out because other men are reluctant to get into relationships with him, thinking that they would be outing themselves by appearing in public with him.

A broad anti-discrimination law is a goal of the conservative government of new President Park Geun-hye. Park’s Justice Ministry said in emailed answers to questions posed by the AP that it is reviewing such legislation and hasn’t determined whether the legislation will include sexual orientation.

Kim Jho and Dave Kim stepped into that political sea with tuxedoes on at their May 15 news conference. It was the first time that Dave Kim, CEO of film company Rainbow Factory, had appeared publicly as Kim Jho’s partner, though they’ve been together for nearly nine years.

“The most important reason why I stood here is because of my infinite love and trust toward director Kim Jho, who was always with me when I had good things and sad things and when I came out over the past nine years. I feel a bit shy to say this,” Kim said at the news conference, smiling.

Kim Jho has directed several gay-oriented films that were favorably reviewed though not commercially successful, and more than 10 mainstream movies, including a few box-office hits.

He said that although he realized he was gay when he was 15, it took him another 15 years to accept it. He dated women, went to church and joined a weightlifting club and even a gang, all to try to feel heterosexual, but nothing worked. He considered killing himself many times.

“I told myself, ‘You are dirty. You cannot carve your way, you cannot live a normal life and you cannot achieve your dream.'”

Eventually, he met another gay man and learned how to accept himself. His wedding day is intended to make it easier for others to travel the same road.

“I think people with positive views can change the world, not those with negative views,” he said.

• Read more articles by HYUNG-JIN KIM

Source Article from http://www.sacbee.com/2013/05/31/5462916/skoreas-gay-film-maker-in-news.html

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