Are there any gay-FRIENDLY political message boards on the Internet?

[Solon]

It seems rather obvious that this isn't one.

[Bluebear]

1. Lighten up! Get over it! You won't ruin this for the rest of us!

I read all the above in the last five minutes.

[racaulk]

10. Seriously!

How dismissive can these people be?

[IndianaJones]

2. newsflash...America is not gay friendly. nt.

[yardwork]

3. It's a vocal minority of bullies, actually.

The vast majority of DUers are not homophobic. Some are. I could list them for you off the top of my head but that's against the rules. I'll give you a hint. Every one of them has posted in the past hour and every one of them is telling us to get over it.

[Solon]

5. True, but its a minority that sticks around FOREVER...

when the fuck are they ever going to get their, uhm, pizza delivery? ;)

[QC]

9. For some reason, a few people have been allowed to carry on like sociopaths here for years.

It's nothing new.

[cali]

40. yeah, I'm a bigot in your book. and you're

well, nevermind that. If you label people like me who support marriage equality and have put their time and money where their mouth is, bigots, you're fucking clueless. And sorry, nothing I've ever said about GLBT rights is anything that will ever get me a pizza.

[blueclown]

34. Fucking bullshit.

You are not homophobic if you think having Warren offer the invocation is not a big deal.

I'm as pro gay marriage as they come. How dare you call me homophobic. How dare you.

[Sex Pistol]

42. Since Obama is actually against gay marriage, they probably think he is homoshobic too.

Still, you've gotta wonder why there is such a blistering reaction to this choice.

[Shakespeare]

46. If you don't understand why it's a big deal, you may not be homophobic, but...

...you are most certainly ignorant and insensitive.

Yes, I dare.

[Neshanic]

4. This one just happens to be populated with "my best friend is a fag" types at times.

[Solon]

7. Hell, my best friend is a lesbian, but you don't see me using that as an excuse...

for this bullshit. People only need to use that excuse when they are about to say something bigoted and insensitive anyways.

[Uzybone]

6. use your Google

I don't think this board is not gay-friendly as a whole.

[QC]

8. This is not a political discussion board anymore. It's a fansite.

And DU has never been particularly gay-friendly, though things have been much worse since the primaries.

[rug]

28. I, for one, enjoy discussing Michelle Obama's dress.

[QC]

32. And the puppy! Let's not forget the puppy!

The only thing better is those bathing beauty shots of him! Yum!

They're, like, you know, like, so awesome!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

11. I wouldn't worry about it. The site's fine it's just that every family has their douche bags. nt

[Bucky]

12. We're still gay friendly. It just seems some of us are Obama friendlier

I'm among the straight DUers who's really really pissed at my president right now. I've gone along with all of his picks for the cabinet & executive staff here. I judge a politician by his accomplishments, not the ideological purity of his appointees. I certainly want a president who's inclusive and tries to heal the political rancor (and isolate the unremitting hatemongers) in the country.

But selecting the pastor who offers the invocation at the peoples' inauguration is entirely a symbolic act. There's no substance to it; unlike secretary of transportation or defense, there's no substance behind the face of who you pick. By picking a leading voice against full civil rights for gays to bring God's blessings onto the day's ceremonies, Obama is giving tacit approval to that voice and that message. I know Obama is against civil discrimination, but for the symbolic moment, he's giving honors to a man who stands against civil equality.

It's wrong and he should know better. I'm angry. This hurts me only because I'm sympathetic to gay rights; until today I assumed the president was of the same mind--what hurts my brother damn well better bother me a little, too. This hurts gay Americans directly; it honors a man who hates them. I don't see how Obama thinks he can heal a country's wounds by adding a few more cuts to the faces of an already abused group of Americans. It's a shitty thing to do.

[Solon]

14. Hell, it honors a man who helped DESTROY the civil rights of millions of Americans...

in California. This is one of those issues that just tells you who the true GLBT allies are.

[dipsydoodle]

13. Come mid January,

as a far as I'm aware GD Presidential will disappear. So why use it now ? Why not just use normal GD as before ?

[Solon]

16. Inbetween elections, its known as GD:Politics...

Which I'm assuming it will turn into after Obama's inauguration. Besides, even the GLBT forum here on DU is no safe haven. We get floods of assholes that populate this board over there all the time.

[dipsydoodle]

18. I'd overlooked that

Thanks.

[Renew Deal]

23. That wouldn't solve the "problem."

It would just move people around.

[Ian David]

15. Two things:

1) You need to borrow my ignore list, and then DU will be appear to be a much more gay-friendly place.

2) Even the "gay-friendly" message boards will have:
a) The token anti-gay dude they keep around for shits and giggles
b) Drive-by anti-gay spam-bigots
c) Gays who are unfriendly

[Solon]

17. The token anti-gay dude, I have no problem with...

but this board tolerates far too much homophobia, we have a guy who supports DADT, another poster who compared homosexuality to alcoholism, and many others that are just as offensive. Yet the mods don't do anything about them.

[Ian David]

19. I don't think they should repeal DADT until gay people get the right to marry.

The military has no right to shed the blood of gay Americans on the battlefield until they give them equal Human Rights.

I take it that was NOT the attitude of the person in question?


I suggest:

1) Call them on their bigotry, without calling them a bigot.
2) Use the alert button.
3) Email more than one moderator directly with it.
4) Document a HISTORY of REPEATED anti-gay bigotry from that person, and then email your evidence directly to Skinner and a couple other Mods.

[Solon]

20. Actually, that's part of the problem, a lot of them are too smart to repeat their mistakes...

the two posters in question are an example of that, and I actually alerted on that thread, a lot of people did, that poster had a unanimous verdict against him, as far as responses go. The thread wasn't even locked. Skinner actually justified this by saying that the poster was getting his ass handed back to him, so he thought it was appropriate to keep the thread active.

Of course, the poster wasn't tombstoned, which is actually shocking, but homophobia isn't enforced with the same standards as racism here.

[Ian David]

21. So set a trap. Draw the poster into a discussion of race.

Usually, people who are bigoted against gay people are bigoted against other groups as well.

Do some probing and draw them into a discussion of something else that will get them tombstoned.

[dipsydoodle]

25. What/which alert button ?

I've noticed that mentioned in the past and never figured what it was.

[Solon]

26. Look below the avatars in posts, there's a little link called "alert"...

Its small, on the same line as all the other links for reply and whatnot, but over on the left side.

[dipsydoodle]

33. Oh !

Do you know - I've never noticed that.

Mind you you I've never really figured bookmarks either despite the fact I know where that button is. Thanks :hi:

[northofdenali]

37. Oh, whatever you do, don't post a rant! n/t

[Renew Deal]

22. Stop it

That's absolute bullshit and you know it.

[Solon]

24. Is it really bullshit? Pretty much anytime we have a controversy of this sort...

we get a bunch of people coming in and telling GLBT people and their allies to STFU. Yet nothing happens to THEM, nothing.

[JohnnieGordon]

30. Not if they have a high enough post count..

Being consistently hostile to gays isn't enough to get them tombstoned.

[Thickasabrick]

27. This is one and fuck the people who are making light of the Warren

thing. I'm pissed as shit and I'm not gay.

[Midlodemocrat]

29. There used to be one. It was fantastic.

:(

[QC]

35. Yes, I remember that board, too. It was a really cool place.

I miss it.

[MadBadger]

31. How bout you just get over it...just you. Everybody else has the right to be pissed, just not you.

I mean, its not like Obama has lost your trust or anything, since youve already admitted to never trusting him.

[Name removed]

38. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[northofdenali]

36. Yep. I'm straight (what a RIDICULOUS term that is) but!

http://www.glee.com/home/

Solon, things heat up and cool down here. Warren is an issue; it will soon become another non-issue meme like so many others.

Stick around. I'd miss you. Lots.

[Danger Mouse]

39. Bullshit.

[Solon]

41. There has been outright hostility towards gays on this board...

over the past year or so. Don't tell me you never saw it, and most of it from long time posters as well.

[Danger Mouse]

44. That doesn't make the board hostile towards gays.

And yes, I have seen it, and I am mystified that those posters are still here.
But there are plenty of people who I am mystified are still here, for other reasons. I'm not sure why certain horribly obnoxious people get free passes.

[Solon]

47. Its does when Skinner himself weighs in and makes an ass out of himself...

which he did in the GLBT forum a few months ago. And then he had to correct himself, to make himself out to be less of an ass. It was actually amusing.

[Danger Mouse]

49. What happened?

[Solon]

51. Here's the links...

First thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=221&topic_id=74840

Second thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=221&topic_id=75173

There was a huge spat over the fact that DU's rules weren't enforced consistently, in other words, its seemed like the Mods and Admins were giving preferential treatment to other groups, but not GLBTers.

[JohnnieGordon]

52. I thought DU is supposed to be a haven from reich-wing views

Oh but not for gays, without a doubt one of the groups that could most use a haven from bigotry. Homophobia is spewed all over the net, people don't think they have to hide their hatred of gays, especially when posting from the safety of their computers. But for gays DU is supposed to be all about teaching straights not to hate us. And so what if someone shows up in every single gay rights thread acting hostile to gays, they can still be taught! Screw that haven crap, some 1,000+ posts person deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt yet again, and again, and over and over endlessly.

[mwei924]

43. The internet is not a friendly place in general.

Trying to find a friendly forum is like trying to find the fountain of youth.

[Stinky The Clown]

45. Let's make THIS internet message board the one that meets that criterion

Put unbearable pressure on the haters

[last_texas_dem]

48. DU is generally pretty gay-friendly, IMHO

It's just that we have a vocal minority of folks who essentially equate any criticism of Obama with being some sort of a traitor. They appear to have placed supporting Obama (right or wrong) above defending any liberal principles that they may hold (or once held.) They are operating on the same level that FReepers once did re: Bush.

[Chulanowa]

50. Damn, you're onto us

All those years of DU'ers supporting GLBT causes?
The solidarity expressed with the GLBT community by thousands of people who's only connection is DU, whenever some piece of bigot legislation comes up?
The entire community's outrage over proposition 8 and its inbred cousins, and continued support and funding for it's repeal?

It's all been a sham. You caught us. we were trtying to lull all you gay folks into a false sense of security, so that when you were finally comfortable with us and our hetero ways, we would spring it on you that Rick Warren conducting the inaugural invocation isn't the apocalypse!

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

...Well, c'mon, we're Democrats, lesser of two evils, and all. We were just going to start poking you a lot like your little brother always did on long car rides, but we were afraid that might be too much evil.

But hey, don't let me stop you and Our Sisters of Perpetual Outrage from calling every single poster on DU a slobbering homophobe for supporting obama. In fact I can't wait to see what next week's cause for you bunch of hateful freaks to use as an excuse to call us all some variety of bigots for the crime of posting on DU.