What was your first exposure to homosexuals? [Archive]

Tenbatsuzen

11-08-2008, 05:06 PM

This is actually a serious thread. I was thinking about it today, and I was wondering when and how people found out that other people play for "the other team".

I had kind of a sheltered life growing up. There was the standard insults of "gay" and "fag" that I heard in school, but I didn't actually get what it meant.

When we got cable, I started watching "Kids In The Hall" and I saw Scott Thompson doing a bit where he's lying on his stomach on a bed with his legs up in the air and doing a monologue to the camera about smoking pot and dating.

My brother walked into the room and asked why I was watching the gay guy. I had to ask him what that meant. He was disgusted.

BlackSpider

11-08-2008, 05:07 PM

ronfez.net...

TheGameHHH

11-08-2008, 05:10 PM

wait bro......in high school you didnt understand what gay meant?

Tenbatsuzen

11-08-2008, 05:12 PM

wait bro......in high school you didnt understand what gay meant?

Freshman year. Dude, I was 14.

razorboy

11-08-2008, 05:14 PM

My great aunts were lesbians. Obviously I knew them since I could remember, but from the time I was about six on I would spend a couple of weeks each summer with them in Houston so I could go to Astros games. My neighbors across the street were a gay couple. I had my first close experience with AIDS as one of them died from it when I was about seven. Someone's sexuality really was never an issue for me or my family from a very young age on.

TheGameHHH

11-08-2008, 05:18 PM

Freshman year. Dude, I was 14.

it just seemed odd to me, i guess you're right. you were a little sheltered.

all you had to do was call PSE&G, they would have told you.

MacVittie

11-08-2008, 05:20 PM

It's hard to say. In second grade there was a kid named Eric that we all knew was a boy that was like a girl... he played with the girls, he talked like girls, his friends were girls. Now he's a gay man. None of us really called it gay, but we knew that it was that. I grew up in a place where it was very common to see same-sex couples holding hands, so I really don't know when I learned that it was called "gay" or that some people didn't like the "gay."

underdog

11-08-2008, 05:36 PM

douggrasso

I quit the Boy Scouts because I thought my troop leader was wicked gay. I don't remember what age that was or if I thought he was homosexual or just "gaaay", but I just remember thinking he was wicked gay.

underdog

11-08-2008, 05:38 PM

My uncle Paul when I was 5.

underdog

11-08-2008, 05:39 PM

Mike Gundy.

He just kept yelling, "I'M A MAN" while it happened.

underdog

11-08-2008, 05:39 PM

Birth.

underdog

11-08-2008, 05:42 PM

This guy :

http://www.hotchickswithdouchebags.com/uploaded_images/Fung2-791132.jpg

TheGameHHH

11-08-2008, 05:43 PM

This guy :

http://www.hotchickswithdouchebags.com/uploaded_images/Fung2-791132.jpg

i honestly cant tell what that thing is. is it a dude? is it a chick? what is that?!?!?!

underdog

11-08-2008, 05:46 PM

i honestly cant tell what that thing is. is it a dude? is it a chick? what is that?!?!?!

He's my first exposure to homosexuality, that's who!

http://www.hotchickswithdouchebags.com/uploaded_images/DB9109-790478.jpg

epo

11-08-2008, 05:54 PM

When I was a kid, early on I figured out that I had an uncle who is gay. Nobody cared and why should I?

Dude!

11-08-2008, 06:02 PM

What was your first exposure to homosexuals?

when you blew me

EddieMoscone

11-08-2008, 06:35 PM

When I worked in retail. Gays run shit in the retail world.

sailor

11-08-2008, 06:41 PM

Gays run shit...

new code for anal?

AnnoyedGrunt

11-08-2008, 07:08 PM

I've been thinking about it for the past few minutes and I honestly can't remember what it could be. The earliest memory I have on the subject was a girl writing a short story about homosexuality in grade 7 English class. I remember thinking it was edgy considering how young we were but not shocking to the point where it would be a new concept.

WhistlePig

11-08-2008, 07:10 PM

I had a boyfriend in 7th grade that everyone kept calling gay and I'd defend him fiercely, though he did have pretty long blond hair and wore kind of girlish clothes. When we went on our first "date" to a movie he didn't try to hold my hand and I kind of knew something was up. We eventually broke up without ever doing anything but stayed good friends and around 10th grade he started hanging around theater people and, well, it turns out he was gay.

CofyCrakCocaine

11-08-2008, 07:13 PM

While I was heading over to the Tower Records in Picadilly Circus, two guys with earrings and nose hoops suddenly swooped into each other's arms and did that wide open seabass-fishmouth style kissing. I think that's also the only time I've ever been exposed to gayness on such an overt level.

Friday

11-08-2008, 09:54 PM

actually... i had feelings for girls early on and i kind of figured i would be able to be attracted to either sex from the get go. of course, i had no idea what the real-life effects would be until at least high school. so i mainly stayed in the realm of men because it was safe.

but once in college, and away from the catholic school system, i was able to see real life same-sex relationships and it made me happy. to be perfectly honest, some of my male gay friends in couples seem to be more healthy and functional than my straight friends in couples.

and their houses look nicer.

BlackSpider

11-08-2008, 10:00 PM

PapaBear

11-08-2008, 10:07 PM

I can't really say for sure when I first knew for a fact that I met a gay person. There was a guy in high school who was VERY obviously gay. He never said he was gay, but he definitely never did anything to make people think he wasn't. He's a very successful hair stylist, now.

When I went to art school, I lived in a school run apartment building. One of my roommates was obsessed with Hitler, and constantly ranted about how he hated gays and blacks. There was another student at the school who was the stereotypical 80's flamboyant total flaming gay guy. Skinny little black guy who always dressed in bicycle racing shorts and shirt (though he didn't ride a bike), calling everyone "girlfriend" kind of guy. He was the real life version of the guy from Revenge of the Nerds. I called my old school buddies a few months after I transferred to a different school, and they said that the Nazi was now in a committed gay relationship with bicycle shorts guy.

A.J.

11-08-2008, 10:14 PM

The Catholic Church.

TheGameHHH

11-08-2008, 10:21 PM

if you were alive in the 1980's and you had to deal with the cultural shock of HIV and AIDS, you started to understand what gay meant.

BlackSpider

11-08-2008, 10:23 PM

if you were alive in the 1980's and you had to deal with the cultural shock of HIV and AIDS, you started to understand what gay meant.

I thought you were gonna say culture club...

IMSlacker

11-08-2008, 10:27 PM

Watching Three's Company. Even though Jack Tripper was only pretending to be a homosexual.

cougarjake13

11-09-2008, 04:46 AM

a kid in my high school freshman year came out

prior to that i never knew that people would play for the same team

it was inconceivable

Farmer Dave

11-09-2008, 05:06 AM

The guy in our tiny little town who owns the clothing store. In high school, when we went to get our tuxes for prom, we always went in pairs. Nice guy but we didn't want as raped.

Tallman388

11-09-2008, 05:57 AM

I knew what gay meant for a very long time, but I guess the true meaning didn't really hit me until college. A buddy of mine was on a college visit and got matched up with the head of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance (a bit of a surprise for a straight laced 18 year old), then my cousin came out of the closet while eulogizing his father. That's when it dawned on me that homosexuality wasn't just deviant behavior isolated to New York, Miami and San Francisco.

WampusCrandle

11-09-2008, 07:14 AM

When we got cable, I started watching "Kids In The Hall" and I saw Scott Thompson doing a bit where he's lying on his stomach on a bed with his legs up in the air and doing a monologue to the camera about smoking pot and dating.

My brother walked into the room and asked why I was watching the gay guy. I had to ask him what that meant. He was disgusted.

now that i think about it, i remember, around 7th grade, a bunch of friends and i talking about what gay actually was in the back of the bus; i got the jist of it, but not the whole concept. and then i watched "Kids In The Hall" and saw Scott Thompson talking about dating french men in the Quebec area - his character was a gay bar owner and fucking hilarious. i didnt really care though, simple because Scott was funny, as were 30 Helen's.

....there needs to be a Kids In the Hall Appreciation Thread fast

hydee

11-09-2008, 07:25 AM

I grew up knowing about gays because my aunt and uncle were gay. They were older and very well into their lives when I was born. I didn't really think anything of it and I was happy that they were happy.

Then in college, I was doing DJ training and the course director caught my eye. We ended up dating for about a year until she told me she was pregnant. big sigh.

It's all good now thought. After the college girlfriend I met a guy, and we fell in love. 14 years later we are still together.

I don't really get why people care about gayness to be honest. I grew up in a pretty diverse family and was taught not to dwell on people's differences but to embrace them.

SatCam

11-09-2008, 07:26 AM

The guy in our tiny little town who owns the clothing store. In high school, when we went to get our tuxes for prom, we always went in pairs. Nice guy but we didn't want as raped.

probably wasnt his first exposure to homophobia

LaBoob

11-09-2008, 07:32 AM

I remember using the word "gay" from about 7, specifically describing the New Kids on the Block. I also cracked an AIDS joke when I was in 4th grade, about a kid who'd been out sick a lot, and I got in big trouble for that. I had to sew a patch on an AIDS quilt as punishment. My mom also had a lot of dykey lesbian friends she hung around with back when she was a pipe-fitter in a chemical plant... it wasn't actually said until I was way older, but there was never any doubt in my mind that these women were lesbians.

King Hippos Bandaid

11-09-2008, 07:33 AM

no homosexual has ever exposed himself to me

GreatAmericanZero

11-09-2008, 08:00 AM

probably from tv

Farmer Dave

11-09-2008, 08:20 AM

probably wasnt his first exposure to homophobia
I'm sure you're right, but he's always been a very well like member of the community. As far as I know he's never been harassed by anyone locally. We may be hayseeds, but for the most part we leave people alone to live their lives.

Marc with a c

11-09-2008, 08:24 AM

my mom wouldn't let me watch married with children because marcy darcy was a lesbian in real life.

epo

11-09-2008, 08:24 AM

no homosexual has ever exposed himself to me

I'm sure this disappoints you greatly.

underdog

11-09-2008, 08:26 AM

Franklin.

lleeder

11-09-2008, 08:51 AM

west milly Tom

11-09-2008, 09:04 AM

When.I was 14 I had a boss at little Cesars who was an effeminate gay. He was the first person I ever knew was truly queer. He once grabbed my ass, I was too shocked to do anything. I froze. Very uncomfortable.

mongothetrucker

11-09-2008, 09:09 AM

What was your first exposure to homosexuals?

I met Gaz at the R&F Xmas party last year. :D :D :D

Seriously, my best friend's Dad was gay. I met him when I was 12.

Judge Smails

11-09-2008, 09:49 AM

I don't remember for sure when I found out but I remember my first exposure to the gay culture.

We were in about the 6th grade and a bunch of us hopped on the PATH train to head into Chinatown to buy fireworks for the 4th of July. We heard some music coming up the street and we thought "Oh great! A parade!". Sure enough, it turned out to be the Gay Pride Parade. I remember that we all knew what "gay" meant but we were still not prepared.

We saw a convertible full of these drag queens and my one friend was getting really excited until I told him that I was pretty sure that they weren't women.

Then, as we stood there gawking I saw these two guys kissing. I grabbed my friends and pulled them away. Once we got halfway up the block my one friend asked why. When I told him he demanded that we go back so he could see it with his own eyes.

So, we went back and found the two guys again. We stood like five feet from them and just waited. They must have noticed us because soon they just started to go at it complete with tounges, groping and grinding. We just started screaming at the top of our lungs and just scattered in all directions. Good times, good times.

jauble

11-09-2008, 09:58 AM

I had a couple of friends growing up that we all knew where gay and later they came out so no big shocker there. Most of them waited till they left for college, but we all were aware. My housemate last year at school came out to me and the rest of they guys we lived with about week two, but once again we all knew. He did wait until after graduation to tell his family. What strikes me as odd now is how odd of a concept of being gay was presented to me when I was growing up and now how many people I know directly or brothers or sisters of friends I have that are gay. My eyes really opened up about gay rights and things of that nature in the last 6-7 years.

damainer

11-09-2008, 10:08 AM

.....reading this thread

Schitzilla

11-09-2008, 10:12 AM

When I was a young tot, I saw to flaming asians on the ferry ride to alcatraz. One of them had a huge sunflower iron on patch directly on his ass part of his corduroys and walked bull legged. I'm pretty sure he was a dumpster diver.

eeroomnhoj

11-09-2008, 12:19 PM

I had two Aunts growing up that live together after they met in World War II. It never came up and I didn't find out until my Mother made a snide comment a few years ago after they were both dead. She was quite astonished I didn't figure it out. I guess my Aunts were the original lesbians.

drusilla

11-09-2008, 12:23 PM

When I was a kid, early on I figured out that I had an uncle who is gay. Nobody cared and why should I?

same for me.

plus boy george was my favorite singer when i was a kid.

smiler grogan

11-09-2008, 12:36 PM

Looking back on my youff in elemantry school there was a kid named Kevin G. that was always called gay even though we were way to young to understand the concept. Skinamax and random porn was where I first saw two woman having sex.

RhinoinMN

11-09-2008, 12:45 PM

I went to school with a kid who's dad had a sex-change operation. For a while he was a pre-op tranny and would go to the store in women's clothing, makeup etc. I asked my parents what it was all about and they said he was gay and liked being a woman not kissing women. I was about 10 or so. I'm sure they could have explained it more, but I don't think they were really prepared for it.

Other icons solidified it for me like, Elton John, Freddie Mercury..

Westley

11-09-2008, 03:00 PM

when dave kiss earl

DonInNC

11-09-2008, 04:19 PM

When I was eight, I used the word gay as an adjective for happy, and my mother decided that it was in my best interest if she set me straight on the more modern definition. During the course of her explanation, she said something about a lot of musicians being gay. When I asked who, she named the Village People, Queen, and my piano teacher. I was floored.

jauble

11-09-2008, 04:24 PM

when dave kiss earl

http://svana.org/sjh/images/various/knuth_don_has_a_grammar.jpg

sigh...

sheepy's board character sucks.

sr71blackbird

11-09-2008, 04:31 PM

We had these neighbors across the street, 2 men living together in the same house. I remember not really thinking about it as being unusual until I was 11 or so. I remember one of them died and then the house went up for sale real quick and I never saw the other one again. I went to Catholic school and there was this guy I became friends with named Julian and he was effeminate in retrospect. I went to his house once and we went to his basement and I remember he pulled down his pants and started jacking off (this was a while before I knew what it was) and all these alarm bells went off in my head and I ran out of there and went home and never hung out with him again. After that point I was then aware that there are different kinds of people and inclinations. Both of these cases I was around 10 or 11 when I "found out" about people being gay

TooLowBrow

11-09-2008, 04:40 PM

ahhdurr

11-11-2008, 11:27 AM

This guy :

http://www.hotchickswithdouchebags.com/uploaded_images/Fung2-791132.jpg

holy crap you just got gay permanently all over my computer screen.

KingGeno

11-11-2008, 11:31 AM

I was on old AOL 2.0 member chat rooms way back when I was a young lad. I was talking to a "lesbian" chick, cuz I thought it was hot. "She" sent me a picture that I can remember was like lemonparty. I almost vomited.

That was the beginning of the desensitization of Geno the IV.

ahhdurr

11-11-2008, 11:31 AM

Good question - now I wonder if there was one particular incident. It seems to have developed as an understanding over time.

I know the first time I saw gay porno was in college while living with some pretty freaky chick (like a suicide girl) who thought it was pretty funny to pop it in the VCR and lounge about watching. Riveting stuff.

Furtherman

11-11-2008, 12:34 PM

http://blog.camera.org/archives/1978466971_1999998627_180605_337x253_ahmadinejad.j pe

Gays? Hee Hee Hee... they're are no gaaaaaaysssss!!!

JPMNICK

11-11-2008, 12:38 PM

i might have been 8 and my 3 year old cousin his brother a fag, my aunt yelled at him, and then i asked what it meant and she explained it to me. my cousin learned the word from our crazy uncle.

Badinia

11-11-2008, 12:55 PM

if you were alive in the 1980's and you had to deal with the cultural shock of HIV and AIDS, you started to understand what gay meant.
I thought you were gonna say culture club...
plus boy george was my favorite singer when i was a kid.

Culture Club was my first FAVORITE band when I was 10 or 11.

I had a poster that I would kiss before bed, and Boy George's mouth got all clear and greasy from my lipgloss and my Dad told me, "You know Boy George is queer as a three dollar bill, right?" and I said,

"I don't care what you say about him, I love him and we're getting married."

I didn't get it yet, but that was the first time I thought about it. I liked Boy because he was pretty and a good singer, and also very witty and tough and smart.

Mullenax

11-11-2008, 01:55 PM

One of my chick friends was explaining what "jacking off" is to me in middle school recess, and followed it up with "you know, the village people jack each other off all the time". Her Mom probably told her that at the bar (back when you could take your kids to the bar she'd take us if it was a slumber party).

BlackSpider

11-11-2008, 03:30 PM

Culture Club was my first FAVORITE band when I was 10 or 11.

I had a poster that I would kiss before bed, and Boy George's mouth got all clear and greasy from my lipgloss and my Dad told me, "You know Boy George is queer as a three dollar bill, right?" and I said,

"I don't care what you say about him, I love him and we're getting married."

I didn't get it yet, but that was the first time I thought about it. I liked Boy because he was pretty and a good singer, and also very witty and tough and smart.

Don't feel bad. there's nothing a little girl loves more than a gay man in a band.
(from New kids on the block to the Jonas Brothers)

Badinia

11-11-2008, 03:36 PM

Don't feel bad. there's nothing a little girl loves more than a gay man in a band.
(from New kids on the block to the Jonas Brothers)

Har! It's true. I don't feel bad, I just grew up to be a giant fag-hag.

Obey Fez!