Are there more or less

[Tahuyaman]

I'm assuming you are referring to common slang. The same can be said for other slang terms. "$#@!" is a good example...

I'm not talking about the use of slang.


When one expresses a view which is contrary to the views of those who claim to be tolerant of the homosexual lifestyle, they often accuse that person of being a "latent homosexual" or a self hating homosexual.

[Tahuyaman]

4.5% in the U.S. identified. Not exactly a tiny percentage when you put it into context. Either way I would assume that if 4-6% is the average in the States that would be the average worldwide.

That is a very small percentage. And that is probably inaccurate. It's actually probably half that.

[Private Pickle]

I'm not talking about the use of slang.


When one expresses a view which is contrary to the views of those who claim to be tolerant of the homosexual lifestyle, they often accuse that person of being a "latent homosexual" or a self hating homosexual.

While not slang it is no different than using the same slang words (often used by those contrary to the "views who claim to be tolerant" as an insult) used to denigrate an individual.

[Tahuyaman]

While not slang it is no different that using the same slang words (often used by those contrary to the "views who claim to be tolerant" as an insult) used to denigrate an individual.

I know now what you are saying. I wasn't referring to that in my initial comment, but it does support my view.

[Private Pickle]

That is a very small percentage. And that is probably inaccurate. It's actually probably half that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_d..._United_States

That equates to roughly 15,750,000 people. Bigger than NYC and L.A. combined by 3+ million people.

[jimmyz]

I used to think gays were a problem of one kind or another until I didn't. If you believe that homosexuality is NOT a learned trait then the numbers of gays should not fluctuate much IMO. We perceive a larger gay society because the topic is not taboo any longer in Western society

[Tahuyaman]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_d..._United_States

That equates to roughly 15,750,000 people. Bigger than NYC and L.A. combined by 3+ million people.

Wikipedia is not a credible source.

[Standing Wolf]

Homosexuality is more open today, but I'm not sure that they are perceived much differently than they have been in the past. People who claim to be open minded and tolerant of all alternative lifestyles still often use the accusation of homosexually as an insult or accusation directed at others when you disagree.

A thought-provoking observation. However I know exactly what you mean by your second sentence, and I'm not sure I would equate someone's occasional use of such an accusation as an insult with intolerance, per se. I think one really has to take context into account.

As a society, America has become tremendously more tolerant of same-sex relationships and tendencies. A majority of Americans, two in three, support same-sex marriage; as recently as the '70s, most people would have laughed at you for even asking the question. There used to be laws that prohibited a gay person from being a teacher, let alone a service member or a law enforcement officer. As recently as the 1960s, you could be jailed in New York City for holding hands, dancing or sharing a hotel room with another man. If a whole lot of people's attitudes had not changed, neither would those situations have changed.

Do people - even people who do not consciously disapprove of or disrespect gay people - sometimes slip and use the "accusation" as an insult? Sure, of course. In terms of the popular culture, the tendency to denigrate that group is literally as old as mankind, and that may never change. When we get mad, a lot of times the old lizard brain takes charge and causes us to say things that are not in conformity with our more intellectually enlightened views.

As for the question posed in the OP, I'm with everyone else who has contributed to the thread. No, it isn't something in the water these days; gay people seem more in evidence these days because they are considerably freer to be so.

[Private Pickle]

Wikipedia is not a credible source.

Sigh....

Wikipedia is citing a Gallop Poll...

Also cited here:

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-...gallup-n877486

And here:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/just-h...cans-are-there

The common myth is that Wikipedia is simply making up numbers as it goes. Wikipedia is an internet encyclopedia that relies on studies and information available on the topic...

If you're saying they are selective on which studies and information they utilize then you are welcome to provide contrary sources to support your argument.

[Tahuyaman]

A thought-provoking observation. However I know exactly what you mean by your second sentence, and I'm not sure I would equate someone's occasional use of such an accusation as an insult with intolerance, per se. I think one really has to take context into account.

As a society, America has become tremendously more tolerant of same-sex relationships and tendencies. A majority of Americans, two in three, support same-sex marriage; as recently as the '70s, most people would have laughed at you for even asking the question. There used to be laws that prohibited a gay person from being a teacher, let alone a service member or a law enforcement officer. As recently as the 1960s, you could be jailed in New York City for holding hands, dancing or sharing a hotel room with another man. If a whole lot of people's attitudes had not changed, neither would those situations have changed.

Do people - even people who do not consciously disapprove of or disrespect gay people - sometimes slip and use the "accusation" as an insult? Sure, of course. In terms of the popular culture, the tendency to denigrate that group is literally as old as mankind, and that may never change. When we get mad, a lot of times the old lizard brain takes charge and causes us to say things that are not in conformity with our more intellectually enlightened views.

As for the question posed in the OP, I'm with everyone else who has contributed to the thread. No, it isn't something in the water these days; gay people seem more in evidence these days because they are considerably freer to be so.

Are we becoming more tolerant or are people just simply giving up continually fighting those on the extremes? Are most people just getting on with their own lives and trying to ignore the extremes?