General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Did you hate, fear or dislike gay people at one time? [View all]bemildred
(90,061 posts)You are supposed to like girls, right, but I didn't have any inculcated attitude about gays at all, I don't think anybody ever tried to talk to me about it, it was taboo, they were worried I'd be jerking off and get hair on my palms and everybody would know.
But I knew it was taboo, from the conversation of my peers who were much taken with the subject and would use it as a pejorative (I'm sure you know what I mean.) But it was also clear they had no idea what they were talking about, the ones that were talking.
What started me on the road to reform was a friend I had back then who was straight but had a gay friend, who (Gasp!) he allowed to ride behind him on his motorcycle. And a gay salesman who gave me a ride at 3:00 AM in Oxnard when i was 18 and wanted to get friendly but took my "I'm sorry, I don't feel that way" kindly and took me home anyway. And a gay lawyer with a butch boyfriend who was a neighbor and a real mensch, a great guy. And then I read some gay authors like Rechy, he particularly affected me. And then after a while it sinks in and you realize it's just irrelevant to the question of whether you should hang out with people or like them.
But I think the changes in social attitudes that emanated from the 60s has a lot to do with it too, it's a lot safer these days to have opinions about gender, and not just for LGBT people. So I don't take a lot of credit for it.