Hello and welcome to the conference.  As is standard, this item (#1) is the
introduction item.  Say hi, introduce yourself, and such.  This conference
is for open-minded discussion of issues relevant to the gay/lesbian/bi
community, as well as the transsexual/gender/vestite community.  Everybody
is welcome to post, but we're not here to bash or flame, and if you don't want
me to queen at you, you'll behave yourself.  *curtsey*  Hmmmm...that's all
that comes to mind right now, but I might add stuff later.  Void, anything
to add?

406 responses total.

   i think you pretty much said it all, brighn. ;)

   i'm void. i'm a lesbian, and i've been out for almost 14 years. i live in
the ann arbor/ypsi area and drive a cab for a living. i'm also an ordained
pagan minister and something of a shade-tree mechanic, and i have other
interests too numerous to name.

   welcome to the conference, everybody!

i'm brighn, i'm bisexual (male), and i've been out for about two years. i live
in the lansing area right now, but hopefully not long... i'm an ordained pagan
minister too, gee. =}

something i did forget:  while Grex doesn't have an anonymous function, one
way to get around this is to generate a handle that you use only for this
conference, if you wish to be anonymous (that is to say, run !newuser again,
leave all the personal information blank, and don't tell anyone you don't
trust who you are).

i do encourage people to post under their "regular" handles, but some people
might not wish to do so, thus, my suggestion... 

I'm John Remmers, straight, a professor of computer science at
EMU, with side interests in music (I play classical and ragtime
piano) and, of course, computer conferencing, which (although
it may seem otherwise at times) I believe has great potential
for correcting stereotypes and breaking down destructive social
barriers. 

Case in point: I used to be something of a homophobe until
I started reading the gay conference on M-Net years ago and
thanks to the enlightened and enlightening conversations there
became, uh, straighted out on the issue. Everyone was welcome
at the monthly Gay Conference Get Get-Togethers, and I met a
lot of neat people and made some new friends by attending
those.

Here's hoping that Grex's GLB conference can be the same kind
of constructive social force in the 1990's (and beyond) that
M-Net's Gay Conference was in the 1980's.

My name is Bruin the Bare Bear.  I am 45 years old, and although I am involved
in a monogamous, heterosexual relationship, I am extremely gay/lesbian/bi
friendly.  In fact, many of my best friends are lesbians.

Good luck with this conference, y'all!

Hello. I'm Selena Anne Barwens. I've been bisexual all my sexual life, but
my first fem/fem experience came (literaly *chuckle*) at 14.

Greetings, I'm Erinn Streeter. (;  The smilie points out that I'm a leftie
(which can be interesting in a sexual situation *giggle*), and other
notablepoints about me are that I'm a voice major at Interlochen Arts Academy
(aka: the Insane Artists' Asylum), I like good books and interesting
conversation, and many of my friends are bi/gay (as one is prome to have when
working in a field where gayness is rampant (; ).  

I'm Jenna... ;} I go to a school where straight
men are hardto find (and that's high school), but
anyway, well, I don't feel like going into it. ;}

My name is Valerie Hartzer, i'm thirty married to Brighn right now but i'm
deffinately bi and have been all my life or at least i had sexual feeling s
for my berst female friend whe we were eitght or nine and selpt together
during sleep overs at her house but the feelings never seemed reciprocated
so i never pushed. As far as i know i've been bi ever since I just never
really labeled myself until a few years ago.

Hallo.  My name is Jessica Moore (Most people call me Jess or Jessi).  I
graduate from IAA, where Erinn is, in June and now I am at teh conservitave
haven of the South, Vanderbilt Univ.  (I'm in the school of music, and I know
one guy who is out.  *(sigh*)  I'm a double bass player, and my other
interests are wild and varied.  I have quite a few g/l/b friends... and...
yeah....(I've run out of things to say, really...)

Void, your combination of interests is always highly amusing.  Pagan
minister and auto mechanic, eh?  Springs to mind:  A Booth cartoon, with
the grubby and slighly insane-appearing mechanice telling the customer,
"We think there is an evil spirit in your carburetor."

Hi, everyone.  No one really cares what my sexual preferences are, do they?

I'm Richard, 33, straight, devotee of beat poetry, politics, and pints of
Guiness Stout.  I take my login name from Jack Kerouac, the most famous of
beat poets.  Kerouac always admitted that he owed much of his eventual
success and the creation of his style to the influence of two gay men who
were his best friends:  AllenGinsberg and William S. Burroughs.  Kerouac
was a homophobe in his youth but learned that there is something wrong
with a soceity that says it is wrong to show your feelings or be attracted
to half of the human race.   This sort of thinking leads to so many people
being in denial of their feelings.  Sex is really a small part of any
relationship anyway, its about relating to and loving another person.
Kerouac's best known work, "On the Road" was specifically about his
platonic attraction to a real-life life bi-sexual friend of his named Neal
Cassady.   Kerouac was writing of a time in his life when he met Cassady
and finalylearned to open up and experience and share.  It is no
conicidence that the book starts after his divorce from his first wife,
details his travels with Cassady, and ends with him d finally going back
to New York and finally finding the desire within to get into another
relationship.  The implication being that opening yourself up and
experiencing are the only ways to prove yourself capable of loving.  

Doors shouldnt be closed and people shouldnt be afraid to express
themselves or admit attractions to any human being.   I know several gay
couples and some of them are more well-adjusted marriages than most
straight married people that I know.   In fact  am friends with one gay
couple that are not only two men, but is also bi-racial (one black, one
white), yet ifyou saw them you'd see they are the most normal people you'd
ever want to meet.  Its plainly obvious that they should be together.
I dont know of two people more meant to be together than them.  
I think if more people could witness the normal healthy gay relationships
that go on, and not simply base their views on stereotypes, the world
would be a better place.

i'm katy, i go to huron high school in ann arbor (btw, it's hell), i'm 
straight, and like a lot of people i have a lot of gay/lesbian/bi friends.
the issues of "gay rights" and such have interested me since middle school,
i was always the one sticking up for people when someone would say "that's
gay, this is gay, he's gay," etc etc etc...  I dunno, it's just kind of beyond
me why some people think that they should treat people badly because of their
sexual preference..

Hello hello hello!  My name is Sarah O'Connor, I'm a sophomore/junior in
college, and I'm still not sure.  =)  Right now, I'd say I'm "straight but
open".  Amanda says I just haven't found the right female yet.  <laughing>
Anyways, I have a *ton* of gay/les/bi friends and believe that gay marriages
should be allowed.  Clinton lost my vote over that issue.  I hate
stereotypes of any kind, which leads to my open mind.

I'm glad to see there is finally a cf devoted to this!
<birdy says a silent prayer to keep the hateful away>

Hi!  I'm Misti Tucker.  I'm bi and have been out for just short of
20 years.  I'm married (in a monogamous hetero relationship) to
a fellow bisexual.

(Well, if it's a hetero relationship, then I guess he *must* be
a fellow...)

<laugh> Good point, John.

i once got a grant that properly should have gone to another man
it was a fellow fellow's fellow
*Wanders off*

I am Katie. I am straight, and I have many gay friends, of both genders.
My best friend is a gay fellow, and we are fairly inseparable. We confuse
people, I guess, as we do seem to be joined at the hip. We spend most of
our free time together, vacation together, and all. We have matching tee
shirts that say "We're Not Dating," which we have fun with. Last Valentines
Day we went out for a nice romantic dinner, wearing our shirts, and our
waitress asked us, tentatively, "So..are you guys...like...dating?" "Oh,
no!" exclaims David, "We're not dating!" "So, are those shirts just for
Valentines Day?" "Oh, no," says David, "We've felt this way for quite
some time."

I used to host two MNet GCGTs every year, then they sort of fell by the
wayside.

I feel sheepish...I suggseted they start this thing and then I go and don't
check it out for two months...I'm 17, and not yet sure of my sexual
preference...

How cute...  A wolf feeling sheepish.  ;-)
<birdy grins and munches on a worm>

Wolves have feelings too you know BIRDY...maybe I'll munch on you...

re #18 <grins>

Silly boy -- it was a pun referring to a wolf in sheep's clothing.  
Never mind.  =)  Go ahead and munch...I need to lose weight.

I'm sorry...I didn't mean to get you all huffy...

Me?  Huffy?  Naaahhhhh...  Don't worry 'bout it.  

Hi, it's me, Brighn, under a new handle.
Just thought I'd explain that bit.

 My name is Sara, I guess Im straight..Im not really sure yet.  But I belive
that gay/lesbian/bi relationships are perfectly alright..and Just the other
day in school one of my teachers said that it was toatly wrong with
relationships with taht and another person said what were they suppose to tell
there children when they see two men kissing or something. I dont understand
why the world has such a problem with it,its really none of other peoples
bussiness and if they dont like to face the real world they need to stay
inside or something. Becuz It makes me mad when people have such a problem
with others that are differnt.  I think it borhters me becuase Im wierd and
have my very own opinion and am way differnt so, I know what it feels like
when people make fun of me becuz of the way my opinioons are on life.....but
why are people so scared of gays, lesbians and bi;s???

Sara, there are many reasons why people are frightened by gays and lesbians.
Part of it is that people are always frightened by what they don't
understand, and the three major western religions have forced homosexuals
to hide for so long that the majority of people who are frightened
don't realize that they probably already know several homosexuals -
may even <gasp> be related to them!  Because they think of homosexuality
as 'other", they are uncomfortable.  Because religion has for
centuries, said that homosexuality is "bad", they, whether they profess
a religion or not, are uncomfortable.

It's sad.  It's horrfiying when that discomfort results in cruelty,
discrimination or violence.

As to what one can say to their children when they see men kissing ...
how but what I said to my kids when our friends were affectionate
in front of us ... "Well, some people love men, and some people love
women, and some people love both men and women.  That's true of both
men and women, and love is a wonderous thing that makes the world a 
better place.  I just wish everyone could find someone to love and
be loved by so that everyone could be comfortable and happy."

        I don't know, traditional Islamic children seem to be pretty much
OK with the numbers of women who walk around without chadors;  European
children on a topless beach and children in any tropical tribal situation
seem to get by with partial or total nudity without any significant
trauma.  I figure, without any help from parents and society, that children
are open-minded enough to accept - maybe laugh or stare, as children do -
gay and lez couples. :)

        The idea that homosexuality is wrong has to be introduced.

well, just for the record my kids also asked about hetero couples kissing in
public.  They were insatiablly curious, my tots.  (Maybe 'cause I was a single
parent?)

   not only have western religions told us that homosexuality is bad, they
have also taught us that *any* form of being different is either bad or
questionable.

        I think that's in the nature of the meme, though - take Islam, for
one.  Muhammed himself had a very progressive attitude - though still a
restrictive one by today's standards - towards equality of the sexes, but it
is the letter of Muhammed's law, and not the spirit, that most Islamic nations
embrace.

        It's because change in a existing religion means risking the death of
that religion.

I have trimmed my .cflist down to this conference. This is in protest of the
vote and resultant political problems in Co-op. I wanted to post publicly that
I have no intention of "clean slate"-ing this conference (as Selena did with
Sex II, and which Jenna may do with Poetry, in the latter case because of the
nearly 1000 items). Since as far as I can tell, Void is on the other side of
the issue in Co-op, she's not likely to do anything rash here either. So y'all
can continue posting without fear.
  
Since there is continued discussion on how anonymous reading from the Web will
take place, it might behoove any ofyou who are concerned about the content
of their own posts here to go to Co-op to voice their opinions, regardless
of what those may be. =}

FW out.
(in ore ways than one =} )

well hi,
I'm a 20 year old male growing up in the northwoods of redneck hunters ;)
not the best place to be when sexuality is in question.
I have always been know as a bit of an ecenttric, and been one for not
following the leader. agian an open mind here is discourages by the general
population.
I must admit i have a bit of a femminine "air" about me, not by far a 'queen'
but i have had rumors about me being gay since before i knew what it was.
i grew up really not htinking period about where i wuold end up.
and the thought never crossed my mind till recently.
my best friend outed himself to me years ago, he thought it would end our
friendship. instead 4 months ago we hooked up.
we had always thought it odd, he always had a harem of girls and no intereest.
 and i havea large male following (with no interest)
wel, tahnks to this new "relationship" the friendship went to ca-ca.
and I'm left dateless, wondering wich tree to climb.
damn near all my friends fit into one acronym or another ;)
so that is a great area of support, but in the end i beleive my biggest
problem is the whole relationship/commitiment/sex thing.. scared the
heckaronies out of me.
i have always been known as a great gentleman, and many peole m&f beleive me
to be handsome in their eyes.
i have a problem becomming more than freinds with most women, and a problem
getting close to males, except for my core friends.
well i shall be around-
        till later then.

Fascinating...  Welcome to the cf, cougar.  You sound like a very nice,
friendly, outgoing person who knows how to use words to express feelings.
<hug>

well, tahnk you birdlady,I'd like to think so <g>
words i am good with (at times) feelings.......

I'm not quite sure I understand your situation fully
based on what you just said (possibly because where I'm
coming from if you're not cuddly, emotional, and bisexual
at the very least, you're pretty weird.) But welcome anyway ;}

cuddly, oh yes, but only with person i trust big time, emotional, sometimes
overly so, bisexual, well not one for labels, but when i fall in love with
a person that oh.. just happens to be mal :) I'll go fer it.
never said i wasn't confusing, then again normal is boring..be weird!

        "Go for the bazaar!"
        
        -Tales of the Arabian nights video games

        "I already do, sheesh."

        -Stock response

- Backtalk version 1.3.30 - Copyright 1996-2006, Jan Wolter and Steve Weiss