"Catching the gay"

[FarelyKnuts]

This is slightly Fred about a Fred but also about general usage of the term.

While I realise it is all a bit tongue in cheek to reply to the many many posters who ask about their DS' wanting nailpolish/hairclips/pink/barbies/kitchens/dolls etc that its fine and they won't "catch the gay" by having and/or playing with traditionally girl gendered things..

AIBU to still feel a teenchy bit narked as a gay person that that would be seen as a problem (even if it were possible). Why is it still seen as such a negative to have a gay child/ be gay?

I know it's do ludicrous, there are do many problems with it I hardly know where to start,
Except you because your a bird but what about her girlfriend? What about the rest of the female gay population or a they not exempt because you haven't met them and realised they are normal humans.

Gay son straight with too much football, that's hysterical.

On so many levels

My sis is desperate for my eldest to be gay as she has 5 (soon to become 6) nephews and wants someone to take shopping. That said, when my DS insisted he wanted Barbie & Ken for his 3rd birthday (because he'd recently seen the short before Toy Story 3 where they fall into the snow), my dad was a bit In fact DS left Barbie at my parents' last week and altho Dad and I work in the same office, he dropped it round as he didn't want to take it into work. Muppet.

I was chatting to a gay friend the other day about my DH being crap with my boys and never playing football with them. He mused "I wish he was my dad". He is from a traditional, northern, football playing, bitter drinking, pie eating town.
I'm not sure how his dad feels about him smoking a pipe (in a camp fashion) while wearing a silky dressing gown and drinking gin and orange.

And the showers

I think we can turn this into a satirical tabloid article.

New research shows that straight sex causes homosexuality.

Scientists announced today that almost every gay person alive today had straight parents. This has sent shockwaves through some faiths. Avril Twerp,(pictured right ) a keen churchgoer of one very niche group, told reporters she felt very let down by the news. "My mad cleric, no that's his job title, don't be silly, he's not actually mad. Anyway, he told me my sons had chosen to be gay. I've spent hundreds of pounds sending them letters, asking them to turn straight. That's not cheap, you know. Sixty pence a letter. And it was all a waste of money. It's my fault for having sex, not theirs. I could have had my teeth done with that money".

Jessie, you are missing your vocation. Unless you are a journalist. That was BRILLIANT!

I only ever hear 'catching the gay' used satirically by a gay colleague at work.

He has also used 'look, I forgot to take my gay pills today, OK? That's why I look like shit.' when we took the piss out of him for turning up to work massively hungover & looking dreadful.

But yes, I can see that it could come across negatively. Hmmm.

Herrena whatever are you implying.

Group nudity among young, fit muscular men is utterly innocent, and purely about helping each other reach very difficult to reach places!

I don't think the OP on the other thread actually said that the reason her H didn't want her son to wear nail polish was because he was worried it might make him gay though, did she? It's a bit of a jump to label him a homophobe because of nail polish.

It's not a homophobia problem that people have, it's just common sense that many qualities that are seen as 'male' are necessary for success, many qualities that are seen as 'female' are a barrier to success.

I couldn't be a journalist. I'd be fired after a week for failing deadlines due to chronic writers' block.

YANBU. Saying it's fine to break gender stereotypes with children's toys is a good thing. But why not just leave it at that? No need for a sarcastic reassuring comment about not catching something.

Turn it into "It's fine, you won't turn into someone of another race" or "It's fine, it won't turn you into a person with a disability" and I can see why "It's fine, it won't make you gay" would be similarly offensive - we're just more used to hearing it in this context, sadly.

There's a point thermalsinapril, would we say "don't worry in won't turn you black/disabled/insert minority group here" as a sarcastic joke against the stereotype?

FarelyKnuts

I can imagine some minoroties would make that joke. In fact I am pretty surenI have heard people say it in relation to disability or race.

Thisnseems to boil,down to your comfort and understanding oof sarcasm as comedic tool.

Sarcasm does rely on a kind of shared understanding the view being expressed is patently ridiculous.

Bad ipad typing, sorry.

I myself am bery comfortable with sarcasm.

That would be if you were the minority though wouldn't it? ie: its ok for me to slag off my mother but don't you even think about having a go? (for example :o )

But you wouldn't be slagging off your mother though, that's the whole point.

I beg to differ on the catching disabilities thing, I have had to reassure people that what my dd has is not contagious, you can only be born with it

I have also corrected people about catching autism

Herrera

Then we are agreeing. A comedian might choose to address the ridiculous idea that you can catch autism ( or the ridiculous idea that you can catch homosexuality ) using sarcasm.

Herrera

Just realised - were you differing with me or the OP?

I've only ever viewed the phrase as a put-down to people who think that being gay is somehow wrong. You can't catch gay, you can't catch straight, you can't catch bi.

It's not a phrase I have used, but my gay friends have.

With thermals, I believe you said essentially the same but I didn't see that