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Scientists Achieve Mental Body-Swapping
SpaceAdmiral notes the news that scientists have succeeded in convincing experiment subjects that a mannequin's body is their own, and even feeling at home in the body of someone of the opposite sex. The effect could prove useful in virtual reality applications and in robot technology. Here's the paper on PLoS ONE.
After reading this I felt a hard-on, but then realized, it was my labia moistening... Oh, wait...
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
I'd venture that being uncomfortable with your own homosexuality shouldn't be acceptable, either. Getting *way* off-topic here (and Mods, feel free to mod me down), but I think the world would be a much healthier place if people could just get past all the idiotic programming society puts in place. There's no earthly reason for people to feel discomfort with who they are, and yet that's exactly why issues like transgenderism have such a high suicide rate. Embrace who you are, and be comfortable with it. Be proud of it, and for crying out loud, if you're queer, come out of the damned closet and enjoy your life. (it's a bit of a personal issue... I've had trans and gay friends kill themselves because of that kind of personal discomfort and shame as a result of society's programming telling them that they're wrong.)
If you believe everything you read, you'd better not read. - Japanese proverb
If you're uncomfortable with gayness, I would submit that you aren't actually gay. Note that this means "The thought of myself doing those things is disgusting", not "My parents will be ashamed of me if they find this out". If it's what you are, you shouldn't have any issues about it... but it would be ludicrous to expect a straight person to be comfortable with the idea of themselves doing gay things, just as it would be ludicrous to expect a gay person to be comfortable with the idea of themselves doing straight things.
"16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
If you're uncomfortable with gayness, I would submit that you aren't actually gay. [...] it would be ludicrous to expect a straight person to be comfortable with the idea of themselves doing gay things, just as it would be ludicrous to expect a gay person to be comfortable with the idea of themselves doing straight things.
True and true. Too often people get accused of "homophobia" when they're just expressing the fact that they aren't gay and no, they don't want that creepy guy hitting on them any more than a woman would want a creepy straight guy hitting on her.
I'm occasionally ok with giving other guys hugs – as long as it doesn't seem gay (there are a few people I can think of who this applies to). If it does seem gay to hug someone, then I won't hug them, because I'm not gay. IMHO this isn't any different than a girl not hugging a guy who she thinks is "creepy".
Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
Homophobia is having negative reactions towards other people who are gay. Not being comfortable with gayness for yourself, though, is perfectly acceptable. Why choose such a negative-laced word?
Homophobia is the fear of (or more neutrally phrased, "aversion to") homosexuality simpliciter - no reference to whether it's in others or yourself. If you're afraid (worried, concerned, uncomfortable with the idea) that you might be gay, that's a form of homophobia.
A man not being attracted to other men is perfectly fine; nobody is saying you have to be gay. But say a man is attracted to a woman and it turns out that the woman used to be a man, but you couldn't tell unless someone told you, like our Ghost in the Shell example here; and that makes him uncomfortable... why? Because "that's gay"? What's wrong with that? (This is different from, say, being attracted to someone who you thought was a woman, but then you find out "she" has a cock, and you're not into the cock; that's just an honest reaction, nothing wrong with that, and little different from being turned on by a girl and then being turned off to find she's on her period).
What I'm basically saying is that while you're free to have or not have whatever attractions to whoever you want, if you want to not want someone, you're passing judgment (on yourself, but still) about wanting that someone. If that judgment is that it is bad to be gay, then that's a form of homophobia... just directed at oneself in particular.
-Forrest Cameranesi, Geek of all Trades
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