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From: gerber@mit-amt.MIT.EDU (Andrew S. Gerber)
Newsgroups: net.motss
Subject: Gays and stereotypes. (A relativly young perspective)
Message-ID: <83@mit-amt.MIT.EDU>
Date: Wed, 12-Feb-86 19:16:07 EST
Article-I.D.: mit-amt.83
Posted: Wed Feb 12 19:16:07 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Feb-86 06:27:26 EST
Reply-To: gerber@mit-amt.UUCP
Followup-To: net.motss
Organization: MIT Media Lab
Lines: 58


	I've been reading with some interest the lastest postings on
gays and sterotypes.  I think a lot of things in the gay community are
changing now like they have never changed before.  The changes I am
thinking of are not changes becasue of AIDS, but becasue of the
tolerence of gays that has started in the last 15 years.

	Here at MIT we have an on-campus gay student group called
GAMIT, for Gays at MIT.  Although I am not currently as active in the
group as I once was, I have been exposed to many students from various
colleges around the country, and heard much about gay student groups
around the country.

	None of these gay student groups were around 20 years ago.
GAMIT started as the "Student Homophile League" about 15 years ago.
That was relativly early, compared to other school's student groups,
many which have only been around for the last five or so years.

	What I am trying to get to get to here is the early acceptance
of homosexuality.  Yes, there are plenty of effeminate people around
the Boston college groups.  But there are plenty of completly normal
acting ones.  It's amazing when new people show up at a gay stuednt
group - many of them ALREADY act effemiate before they 'come out'.
Many others never act effeminate.  A few latch onto the 'dishing'
etc., and grow more effeminate as time goes on.

	I sincerly believe that as homosexuality is more accepted, and
the traditional sterotypes melt away, so will the effeminate gay men.
Of the many young gay men I know (17-23 yrs old), only about 1/4 of
them would I say "act gay".  Not that there's anything wrong with
acting gay.  Some people use it as a personal identity - for others,
they fall in with a bunch of gay friends who all act effeminate and
will follw suit.

	When I first came out, I was amazed by the number of guys who
I met were effemniate.  My gut reaction always was "I'm gay becasue I
like men -- not men who act like women".

	Unfortunatly, it's the straight acting homosexual who is never
counted - the news programs miss him, he finds a lover, and vanishes
somewhere in the suburbs. (See the New York Times, 2/11/86, front
page, second section) 

	I'd like to go twenty years in the future and see what
people's stereotype of a homosexual is.  AIDS will change things,
promescuity is out.  Friends are in.  Safe sex is in.  I never thought
I'd have my father asking me if I was using condoms.....

	What do you think the future holds?  Of your friends, how many
are effemniate?  How many act straight?  

				Andy
-- 
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|  Andrew S. Gerber    MIT '87    Systems Manager,  Visible Language Workshop |
|  gerber@mit-amt.MIT.EDU, gerber@mit-mc.lcs.mit.edu			      |
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