Advertisement

[eumelia]

About a week ago, I posted this at queer_rage, and I told my sister about the incident and she asked me why is being gay or bi a big deal.
I tried to explain, not very well, since I did not manage to put my point across, why the need for queer visibility was needed and that a hetero-normative society was not a positive thing.

So now I would like to know, is gay/bi visibility that important?
Why do we feel the need for advertising ourselves?
Is it for the "agenda", to make a statement?
Or are we (I) merely an attention whore?

I would like to believe that I am not doing this merely because I feel a need to put my self "out there" and that it does have a positive reason.

My sister, to whom I am able to listen to without putting forth the prickly defenses Mummy does, agrees that one shouldn't advertise ones self when it comes to sexuality , religion etc.

*scratches head* Some deep thinking ahead.

I'd like to know what you all think.

Comments

[aesiron.livejournal.com]

Does your sister wear a wedding band? She's advertising her sexuality.

Late night digging

[schniff.livejournal.com]

is gay/bi visibility that important?
Important to who? It may be important to you. I think it's only natural that if you feel like part of a community or movement, you'd want to be recognized by other members of it.

Now here comes the part that it's too late to translate in my head:
הבעיה שלי עם "פרסום" כזה היא 1. הוא עלול להוות סיכון פשוט כי הוא יכול להיתפס כהתרסה אצל אנשים מטומטמים. ואנשים מטומטמים הם בדיוק אלה שצריך להיזהר מהם.
2. הוא מדגיש את העובדה שהומוסקסואליות היא לא נורמטיבית, דבר שיכול להרתיע אנשים שנוטים לכיוון, אבל עדיין מחפשים את הנורמה.
3. אני בטוחה שישנם כאלה שבאמת עושים את זה, אבל גם כאשר זו לא הכוונה, ניתנת התחושה שאנשים מגדירים את עצמם באמצעות תכונה אחת - נטיה מינית.

Also, what's a positive reason? And why is the need to put yourself "out there" not one?

Re: Late night digging

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

תשובות לפי סדר:
1. תלוי איזה פרסום: כפתור, תג, תליון, חולצה? נכון, ישנם דרכים בהם הפרסום הוא קצת בוטה מדי (למשל חולצה במקום שהוא אינו קווירי טיפוסי) אבל כפתור אחד? *shrug* אני באמת שלא חושבת שזה סיבה להתרסה.

2. כל הנקודה היא שהומוסקסואליות היא אינה נורמטיבית, זוהי התפיסה הכללית, אם אין "פרסום" אז הומוסקסואליות נעשית בלתי נראית ושוב אנחנו תקועים אם הטרו-נורמטיביות דבר שאינו הכלל.

3. יש אנשים שגם מגדירים את עצמם על פי דת ותו לא, על פי צבע עורם, על פי עדתם וכו'. גם זהו דבר שהוא לא חיובי במיוחד אבל אף אחד לא אומר לאותם אנשים שהזהות שלהם אינה לגיטימת.

Also, point taken.

כמעט שכחתי

[schniff.livejournal.com]

לציין שאני לא נגד בשום אופן. כל הבעיות האלה הן באמת כלום לעומת הבעיה שיצרה את הצורך בויזיביליות...

[kynn.livejournal.com]

In my opinion, visibility (for a lot of things) is important because it contributes in a small way to removing the stigma of whatever is kept hidden.

[ex-yellowsna67.livejournal.com]

My sister thinks I'm too "out there" and says that what I do is like her running around screaming "I love men! I love men!" Which is total bs. It's not like that, and I don't even do that.

It is important. it's very important. as long as people keep on assuming I'm straight...things will never get better. when one sexual orientation is more valid than others...something is very, very wrong.

[hagar-972.livejournal.com]

Pro advertising. If only for the simple reason that there are people who think it shouldn't be done. So, yeah: why not?

Idealogy aside for a moment, it's practical: het are still the majority. That cute girl I just flirted with? 9:1 she's straight. So visibility helps in that department, too.

It's like - the scarf debate they have over in France. If they're muslim and they want to wear scarfs or - heck, Jewish man wearing kipa - why should non-straights wearing a button be any different?

Hello, pluralism here? If it doesn't hurt anybody, it's okay. And if the only hurt involved is making someone's obsolete sensitivities suffer, it's a mitzva.

><

[ophenix.livejournal.com]

well... being diffrent from everone is basicaly being special isnt it? if you are forced into hetrosexuality, and are rebelling with homosexuality, then... well its not much of a rebellion is it? who knows about it? you? your partner? at the best case your immidiate familly and some friends.
not a rebellion, not to the very least.
so we show it, we sprout it! we guess who is in our secret underground and who is not...
we play little games and giggle with ourselves when ppl say things like "cant live with em... cant live without em"... well up yours! i live without them! /emote evil scientist laugh! buwahahaha!

so, why is it importent? becos we are scared. we are afreid to be swallowed in the crowd, in this mass of 4 billion ppl and we want to show that we are special. and nothing makes you send out as much as swiming upstream... we feel like wed dome some special effort to reach this status and we deserve, by god!, the attention, no we DEMAND it!

we are scared, we are stared at, sneered at, our selfproclamed titles are used for mockary by ppl unaware of us. so we flaunt our shame making it into a flag, hoping it will one day be a banner. a simbol of tryamph.

well, mel, i hope i have answered your quarry, i sure have tried.
love and type-O's, kal.

Re: ><

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Hey! It's you!

Kali!

*hugs, kisses and groping!*