Quote Originally Posted by pbmax View Post
Well, I am wise enough not to expect the Mardi Gras celebration to be a perfect reflection of life in New Orleans. Many writers have noted that the parades are double-edged swords (there you go). There are always people willing to be publicly confrontational in groups, that is not unique to homosexuals.

And I think that if we tally the efforts to ignore, marginalize, suppress or deny homosexuals and balance it against more recent efforts working toward tolerance and acceptance, the balance sheet is still tilted in favor of suppression. Pray away the Gay is simply the silliest effort on that front (the commercial version, no problem with anyone praying for help, guidance or providence).
The point being that homosexuality is defined by the specific type of sexual behavior, as the name suggests. I'm not reducing homos to their sexuality, but that is their defined uniqueness. I'm not sure what is strange about that.

As far as your balance sheet goes, I'm struggling to think of even a collection of "anti-gay" efforts that would counter just one episode of Glee as far as influence on popular culture and opinion, not to mention the 402 other television shows that paint homos in a sympathetic, victimized, or otherwise protagonist role (whereas conservatives who would be their antagonist are usually painted as comically ignorant, backwards and square) the Bravo network, a vast majority of outspoken celebrity, academia, and political support, and the Rose Parade, among others. I think you're being more than a little disingenuous on that account.

Anyway, the original point being that pressuring a gay athlete to come out to fulfill the goals of a sociopolitical movement that has more than enough other spokespeople, champions, and pop culture influence seems wrong and degrading.