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[Odinson]

There are so many good discussions in this thread. Here's my two cents. I find myself as I get older to care less and less about what people think. When I was younger and was first learning of the gay world I would use the straight acting term to describe myself. It seemed that more people were attracted to that then someone who was fem. Though I find myself to not be effeminate or overly masculine, I'm just me. I would blame media, ignorance and fear for hate crimes before I would an effeminate person. I say this because when you see a gay person on tv or in the movies it's always the effeminate, wise cracking, short short wearing stereotypes. I know that person exists in the real world too but this is what the world thinks of gays. This portrayal only solidifies in the mind of an ignorant person that this is what all gay people are like. They fear what they don't understand. If you don't take the time to get to know someone before writing them off because they're different then you, then your doing yourself a disservice. The mindset of some are always going to see a man as being masculine and anything that doesn't fit that mold is wrong or not normal. The same goes for women. It's a shame that racism and exclusion are rampant in our own community. There is a divide here as much as in the black community. Homophobia isn't going away anytime soon, just as racism still exist today. But we will progress and changes will happen.