Homo as a prefix actually means "same" so homosexual means "same sexual", i.e. sexually interested in people of the same sex. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. G.I.Joe! (sorry, couldn't help myself there.)Xbowhyena said:
Homosexual Representation
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Please, read something other than your bible from time to time. Or, if you insist upon only reading it, at least stop cherry-picking it. Believe it all or believe none of it. Let me help you a bit. I know the passage you're using for your "sin" argument is Leviticus 20:13 which reads "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them."D Y N A S T Y said:
Ok, but let's look deeper at the bible, still staying in Leviticus cuz it has some great stuff. How about Leviticus 20:9 which tells us we should kill unruly children? "For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him."
Then there's Leviticus 20:18 that tells us to ostracize anyone who engages in intercourse during a woman's menstrual period. "If a man lies with a woman during her sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has discovered her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from her people."
Leviticus 22:44-45 says we can own immigrants as slaves..."Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property."
Leviticus 19:27 says you can't ever get a hair cut or shave your beard..."Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard."
Leviticus 19:19 says we can't wear clothing made of two fibers or plant two crops on one parcel of land..."...do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. Do not wear material woven of two kinds of material."
Leviticus 11:10-12 says we can't eat mussels, arthropods(lobsters and crabs) or shellfish..."But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you. They (shellfish) shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination. Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales; that shall be an abomination to you."
You get the point yet? And, no I didn't make any of these up, grab your bible and take a look. Like I said, either stop selectively believing in the bullshit that book says or believe in ALL the bullshit it says. After all, it is the word of god, is it not? That means that it just HAS to be as relevant now as it was when it was written, am I right?
You are made of win, my friend. How many people just looked down at their polycotton-blends and felt a little piece of themselves wither and die?Retoru said:
Alright, more to the point of the original flavor of this discussion. I think it's pretty obvious from the tone of my previous posts I think there should be more positive, open portrayals of homosexuality in ALL forms of media. We've come a long way, but there's more work to be done. And I'm not talking about the lesbian fanservice that crops up in games from time to time.
I recall reading an article saying Mass Effect 2 was going to include more homosexual characters and, like Fable and the Sims, the freedom of the player character to pursue a relationship with either sex. Personally, I've never been big into relationships or sex in video games, be it straight or gay, but for some people it can be a selling point. More to the point, Mass Effect is an RPG and including homosexuality options gives players the flexibility to play as they see fit, without pigeon-holing their sexuality. This is a step forward.
Other forms of media have taken big steps in including non-traditional (read non-stereotyped) gay characters recently. Look at Brothers & Sisters on ABC. Very positive portrayals of several gay individuals on that show. BBC's Torchwood is also leading the front in positive gay figures in western media. I think video games follow suit. Whether you are gay or not, you should recognize that homosexuality is around. It doesn't cease to exist whether you're uncomfortable with it or not. And perhaps you're uncomfortable with it out of insecurity or unfamiliarity. In which case, maybe seeing some positive examples of well-adjusted homosexual couples and individuals could do some good. I don't see how it would do any harm. And for an industry striving for realism lately, including diversity in terms of sexual orientation is only a good thing.
A lot of the shows that come over here from England are very open with their sexual relationships. Torchwood & Dr. Who (to a lesser extent) are some of the better ones in my opinion, but I think it's just that Captain Jack is just that smooth guy everyone knows who is always picking up the chicks, but instead this time is always picking up the chicks/guys/alien invaders. It's quite funny but still completely in character. Probably the best example of an Omni-Sexual if I've ever seen one.
Does GTA4 count? Because nearly everyone is pretty much a huge stereotype in GTA4. I think that's kind of the point. I actually got the feeling that sometimes Bernie played it up to annoy Niko. Which was hilarious.
In a video game, though, I don't care whether a character's straight or gay. Because they're pixellated.
In a video game, though, I don't care whether a character's straight or gay. Because they're pixellated.
Really this amuses me, how can you take the old testament (under the law or "under the blood") and relate it to the age of grace, or the church age? As a non christian I guess you would assume laws meant for the jewish people in the old testament (under the law) era as relevent to those under the age of grace. So I can see how you would make the mistake, but really for those times those laws had a purpose. the not eating shellfish was because they aren't always clean or if you don't cook them right you can get sick for example. There is also laws saying free debts every 7 years or not planting every 7th year. These where based on reason, IE if you plant wheat every year forever in the same field you deplete it of nutrients etc. Or to stop you from holding slaves forever.Retoru said:
All those laws you mention have a reason even if it doesn't make sense to us(in unregenerate state). Yes under the law was a harsh time but you can't take that in some attempt to make a religion something its not, and say it applies to us in the age of grace.
Million dollar question right here.Guitarmasterx7 said:
They're a minority, folks. We get under/misrepresented all the time. It's nothing new.
And yet you're saying that the whole homosexuality deal is still relevant even though it can be thrown in the exact same category as all those rules you suggest we ignore.sneakypenguin said:
So shellfish was risky then but not now... thats cool.
Sodomy was very likely an unhygenic practice back then, now, if the proper precautions are taken (as with anything) this isn't a problem.
See the problem? The problem is you're ignoring details, and I'm sorry to say you're probably doing so for the simple reason that you find homosexuals "icky" which is an incredibly ignorant attitude to take.
I dont think putting "normal" gay people in TV will help people accept them better, because there are no "normal" gay people. There are just gay people. They are just people with a brain defect. There is something wrong in their brains, they cant choose to not be gay, they are just born that way.
I say let them have every right that a "normal" couple has. They havent done anything wrong and shouldnt be punished for being born that way. But things like that require "rational" thought, which is something alot of people in power lack.
I say let them have every right that a "normal" couple has. They havent done anything wrong and shouldnt be punished for being born that way. But things like that require "rational" thought, which is something alot of people in power lack.
Homosexuality is not a form of mental retardation. In the 80's people where INCORRECTLY put in mental insitutions, but this has been completly revoked. Being gay is in no way like having autisim. I beg you, please research both before you make increadbly incorrect statments such as this one.BARADOK said:
From what I can gather with being in uni and having a few friends who are gay, the wider community is slowly becoming more tolerant towards homosexuality in general. Of course there is always going to be pockets who are vehemently against it, but in general they seem to be more accepting which is fantastic to see. Both of my gayfriends have boyfriends and really, its no different to any heterosexual relationship at all, they have the same doubts and fears and joys. I'm still at a loss to explain how people can be so against the idea, because personally there is nothing wrong with it.
The thing is that when you try to represent ANYONE besides the social majority in media without a good reason to do so (so unless it is actually relevent to what is going on in a film or game) then it will feel forced and will often fall short of the intended message and just fortify the stereotype (unless it's a significant point and distinctive then most people will just settle for face value and stereotypes because that makes things easier for us).
For example, it is hard to think of a reason why a character's sexuality would be of any importance in a game so stating that the protaganist is also gay but 'normal' wouldn't carry much weight (it would just feel like yet another piece of arbitrary plot development, like one of those city history lessons the loading screen of Oblivion gave you), it also would seem out of place as well (does it really matter if my character likes men or women? he can still fire a gun/swing a sword right?).
It must also be said that if you choose to widely advertise yourself and your sexuality and try to get as much attention to it as possible then you can't be overly suprised when someone comes along and undermines that, if you want to avoid having negetive stereotypes in the media, then simply don't make yourself an easy target and stay out of the media spotlight.
For example, it is hard to think of a reason why a character's sexuality would be of any importance in a game so stating that the protaganist is also gay but 'normal' wouldn't carry much weight (it would just feel like yet another piece of arbitrary plot development, like one of those city history lessons the loading screen of Oblivion gave you), it also would seem out of place as well (does it really matter if my character likes men or women? he can still fire a gun/swing a sword right?).
It must also be said that if you choose to widely advertise yourself and your sexuality and try to get as much attention to it as possible then you can't be overly suprised when someone comes along and undermines that, if you want to avoid having negetive stereotypes in the media, then simply don't make yourself an easy target and stay out of the media spotlight.