Simon! I'm sorry I think there has been a huge misunderstanding somewhere. and honestly I'm really sorry if you think my comments about Actigal's homophobic posts were directed at you. I usually have huge respect for you and your posts. The specific posts I was suggesting were homophobic were by Actigal UR and especially the reference to "being attracted to the digestive tract".
I did state that I felt that you missed the point of my reference to the tv shows. That's not in any way calling you names or even remotely suggesting that you are homophobic. The reason I felt you misunderstood my reference to the tv shows is because you made the following statement:
"No, you get to chose the channel you watch so the "in my face" isn't quite the same but if it's in real life (i.e. not your choice) then I think it's inappropriate and I find such behavior repulsive whoever is doing it"
And the blame for this is with me (not you) for not explaining my train of thought very well. I don't make a habit of watching these shows (I did see one which had a Jehovah's Witness family but that's another story) but the tv channels advertise these shows when they are running a series. And you can guarantee the trailers will show the most excessive or shocking bits. So I would say the behaviour on these shows is being shoved in my face when I am watching a channel and the trailer comes on. The difference is, I do not think to myself "those straights! I hate their lifestyle being shoved in my face!" If those shows featured the same excesses but by gay people, I have the feeling there would be some people who would claim that the tv channel was shoving "the gay lifestyle" in their face even if they didn't watch those shows themselves.
You did open your post with the following comment:
"Just because someone says they don't want the lifestyle pushed in their face doesn't make them homophobic or closet gay."
And I'm sorry, but I absolutely do not agree that the kind of statements you are referring to are acceptable for any race, orientation or other groups that are subject to discrimination. If someone says that they do not likely the lifestyle (in this context "the gay lifestyle") being shoved in their face, that is a homophobic comment and is just as ridiculous as me saying "I do not like the lifestyle being shoved in my face" if I was referring to "straight people" based on the behaviour on the kinds of tv shows I was referring to. Especially as I know there are many gay people who behave exactly the same way. Likewise there are many straight people who behave just as excessively as some gay people. but it has nothing to do with the lifestyle of "straight people" in general or "gay people" in general.
To answer your questions:
Why the hell do you think you have the right to go round calling people names? Are you so unreasonable that you think everyone that isn't gay is therefore automatically a homophobe if they don't express 100% adulation for all things gay?
I don't know why you thought I was calling you names. But I think that's your misunderstanding. And no, I do't think everyone who isn't gay is therefore automatically a homophobe. Almost all of my friends and definitely my closest friends are straight. And they are definitely not homophobic. They are like family to me.
I don't expect people to have any adulation for anything gay. I'm hardly the most militant person - I never go on marches or make complaints or feel the need to "assert gay rights". I live a quiet but social life and, in fact, this thread is probably the most militant I have ever been. But I do stand by my right to call out someone (in this case Actigall UR, not you Simon) if I think they are making homophobic remarks. I would like to think I would call out someone if they were making similar remarks about any other minority group, gay or not.
So in conclusion I apologise if you thought my comments about Actigall's posts were directed at you. They were not. If I misunderstood your thinking behind your comment about the tv shows I apologise too. I do not make any retraction of my comments about homophobia because none of them were directed at you and I stand by what I said about it.
