LGBTQ Divers?

[BoltSnap]

The rest of us (including me) should have just ignored the thread.

But it has been SO entertaining and enlightening so far, why stop??

 

[DandyDon]

The thread was targeted at L's, G's, B's, T's, and Q's. All you had to know was whether or not one of those letters described you. I think even if you weren't sure what the Q or the T was, you probably knew it didn't apply to you. (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Texans, and Queers?--probably not.)

The rest of us (including me) should have just ignored the thread.

No, I had no idea until I googled it. An informative title would have helped.

 

[BoltSnap]

No, I had no idea until I googled it. An informative title would have helped.

So it is not just me!! Thank God. I still can't figure out the "I" somebody added in there.

 

[DiverBeth]

In a perfect world this wouldn't matter. People should be able to feel comfortable and not have to watch how they act with their spouse/partner or what pronouns they use or be the subject of conversation.

 

[Ripple in still water]

But that would make a helluva interesting club.

The thread was targeted at L's, G's, B's, T's, and Q's. All you had to know was whether or not one of those letters described you. I think even if you weren't sure what the Q or the T was, you probably knew it didn't apply to you. (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Texans, and Queers?--probably not.)

 

[DazedAndConfuzed]

why are hermaphrodites left out?

 

[DiverBeth]

why are hermaphrodites left out?

Actually it should be LGBTQI. The I is for intersexed or what you referred to as hermaphrodite.

 

[mselenaous]

Hi!

i've just been wondering who else is around. I am in Massachusetts, and it would be great to get a group of LGBTQ divers together for some dives. If anyone else is from a different area, and has an active LGBTQ dive club, I'd like to know your experiences. Do you do weekly dives, charters, etc?

Thanks!

The thread is wandering. :focus: Back to the OPs question.
FWIW, I have a friend in SoCal who dives with this dive club.
Barnacle Busters Scuba Club - ABOUT US

 

[Jim Lapenta]

You think being from one of the groups mentioned would be tough or unusual? Ask some of our members who are black how it feels. I see it often at a few sites when a black diver shows up they will get looks from some that are akin to them being from another planet. Being different is not in the divers mind but it sure is in the minds of those looking at him/her.

LGBTQRSTUVWXYZ ^&*% or whatever means nothing to me. What I do care about is can they keep from silting up the place, stay with their buddy, and if necesary save their buddy's ass or mine if there is a problem. If he/she could do that I'd dive with them. I just would not be interested in sharing a single room with them and their partner. Nor would I share a single room with any other couple that did not have some kind of partition between the sleeping spots.

 

[Hoomi]

But are you comfortable with folks (male or female) who want to ogle the hot SCUBA guys regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation. Or even better, the folks who want to ogle the guys and the girls? Some of us are equal opportunity oglers.

You know, I've never really been the kind of guy that gets ogled anyway, but if some other guy actually thought I was attractive enough to ogle, I wouldn't be offended or bothered. At the end of the day, I'm still going home with my better half, regardless of whether the person ogling me was someone I was equally attracted to, or someone I had absolutely no interest in.

Yes, I realize that some guys (perhaps many) are not comfortable with the thought that another guy is "checking them out." Of course, there are also some women out there that are likewise not comfortable with guys checking them out. To be honest, we can't stop it from happening, if someone purposes to ogle us, so if we're really uncomfortable with the idea, we're probably going to start wearing burqahs or some other form of well-concealing garment.

As to the idea of GLBT couples feeling they need to hide who they are, or face possible disapproval from someone else on the dive boat or trip, I have to wonder if this hiding doesn't just perpetuate the problem more. For many years, the popular media enjoyed the humor of portraying stereotype gays (flamboyant "queens" or overly-timid weaklings, for example), and I feel sorry for anyone whose idea of a gay man is limited to these stereotypes. If more GLBT couples were open about who they are, and let people get to know them for who and what they are, more people would get to see that GLBT couples are just people. Just as not every straight couple is a cookie-cutter copy of every other straight couple, but rather are diverse in the kinds of people we are, so also with GLBT. Yeah, we're going to find some people who fit the stereotypes, particularly if that is what someone is looking for, but if we look, we're also going to see people that are very compatible with us as friends.

People most often see precisely what we show them. If we act like there is something wrong, they're going to pick up on there being something wrong. If you act like your relationship is normal and healthy, it's more likely the people around you are going to pick up on that fact. Sure, some people will still find something wrong with it, but that's true for almost any relationship. When my wife and I got married 31 years ago, we heard from lots of people what was wrong with our decision, and all the reasons why we shouldn't get married. Fine; opinion duly noted, but their opinions changed nothing. We're still together and happy, and they were wrong.