Gay life in Pittsburgh (York: work, health, title)

[fleetiebelle]

As you know, many straight men who DO find two men together to be repulsive, have no such qualm when it comes to two women.

That always cracks me up. Two men together is disgusting, but two women? Hottt. Especially if they're twins. I'm not a big fan of the PDA, but I always try to give gay couples a "right on" look when I see them holding hands or being affectionate in public. It's no more "rubbing it in" than when heteros do it.

On the gay life in Pittsburgh front--My gays (as Kathy Griffin would call them) and I were just lamenting the demise of the Holiday. We used to go there after work all the time, and it was so nice and chill.

[guylocke]

I'm not a big fan of the PDA, but I always try to give gay couples a "right on" look when I see them holding hands or being affectionate in public. It's no more "rubbing it in" than when heteros do it.

LOL. Hey fleetiebelle, I just got one of those "spread the love first" for trying to give you positive feedback!!

[Agbor]

Was in NYC (Chelsea)...quite a few guys and gals holding hands with each other, lying in the sun etc..I said "Oh PDAs" my friend said "What's that" I explained to him what it was
at that point he started holding hands walking down the street...he said this is normal here..no one will bother us..

There is a big phobia in this culture about male-male contact..in the West..In places like
India and Africa men hold hands or walk arm-in-arm all the time,hold each other,sit on laps...A friend's cousins came from the Middle East and they went to the gay section in NYC and they saw guys holding hands and assumed that ALL American guys do that too!

I used to have trouble explaining this "gay" concept to non-western friends when they came over here at first..They couldn't understand why if 2 guys were friends why they
could not hold hands in public..

[guylocke]

Was in NYC (Chelsea)...quite a few guys and gals holding hands with each other, lying in the sun etc..I said "Oh PDAs" my friend said "What's that" I explained to him what it was
at that point he started holding hands walking down the street...he said this is normal here..no one will bother us..

Well it was Chelsea, I would expect nothing less. :P

[Agbor]

Well, coming from Pittsburgh and being in Chelsea for the first time..it took a bit getting used to, holding hands in the OPEN daylight...Here, on dates..I used to didn't hold hands until we got in the bar..it wasn't seeing same-sex PDAs..I was used to that in gay bars,
(the Pittsburgh bars with no windows or cover-up windows)...but not out in the open
daylight in public..that was the difference..

[guylocke]

daylight in public..that was the difference..

NYC is quite a place. You could do the same thing in The Village and Upper East Side, too. Probably most of Manhattan, actually.

[ScranBarre]

Living in a socially-conservative city like Scranton, this is something that irritates me to no end. People don't raise any eyebrows if a frat boy and sorority chick are making out passionately on the sidewalk, but if my boyfriend and I so much as look at each other the wrong way or blow each other a romantic kiss we'll get all sorts of hell for it. Why the double-standard? If you're going to permit heterosexual couples to practically mount one another in public (I even had the misfortune here on campus of seeing a guy dry-humping his girlfriend), then don't say a word if my boyfriend and I start making out. You can't have it both ways. Either speak up and stop heterosexual couples from engaging in PDAs or permit them to do so AND adhere to standards of CIVIL EQUALITY by permitting same-sex couples the same opportunities.

I've also noticed locally with a lot of the rednecks that they have that same "Adam + Steve = ICKY but Mandy + Candy = HOT" mindset. I just don't understand the hypocrisy amongst so many Pennsylvanians. There's a REASON why NY and NJ continue to pass us on by; they're much more socially-progressive and willing to embrace change than the Keystone State. It's sad that I know ahead of time that I'll be mounting an uphill battle when I run for political office locally as an openly-gay male with a partner because so many who run pride themselves on "family values" (as if same-sex couples are incapable of being socially-responsible human beings).

My entire life I've been forced to tolerate uneducated people, but after so many years of just letting the comments drift off my shoulders I'm getting tired of being subjected to such social ignorance. If you don't support same-sex relationships, then don't engage in one!

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

I've also noticed locally with a lot of the rednecks that they have that same "Adam + Steve = ICKY but Mandy + Candy = HOT" mindset. I just don't understand the hypocrisy amongst so many Pennsylvanians.

Uh -- that's not a PA thing -- that's a guy thing. Because in a guy's mindset, the girls are just getting warmed up till a real man gets in there to care of business.

Guys are goofy.

[Agbor]

or the guy can be with both girls...its a Western/American male hang-up...as I said there
is male contact in India,Africa,Mid East...and to a degree in Southern European cultures
guys can dance,kiss,hold hands,sit on laps...and "gay" dosen't even cross their mind..and
if something sexual does happen so what?...they are still very masculine...I think the
Puritians did a job on this culture...in most non-western cultures.."gay"=feminine,"
"straight"=masculine regardless of who sleeps with who...

[Agbor]

In North America...I think lots of insecure 'straight guys' have a phobia of being percieved as "gay" to the point of obsession...especially the hyper-macho types,

thus in their mind.."gay" =feminine.."straight"=masculine...if you really look at this,
it is more of a gender issue..(masculine vs. feminine)...when you watch kids play
ball and a kid drops it, he gets called "sissy" or the F word...no one asks the question
how does dropping a ball in sports relate to romantic relations between the same gender?
why is that connected? or precieved to be?

Also,watch these people who are always calling Adam+Steve "Icky" they may be on Down-Low and using that to throw people off...you would be suprised..