Fair point. It's a crappy issue. I'm not denying it, I'm just surprised that it still is. I guess in some ways I expected things to be better than the 1950's (or hell, even the 80's.)

Fair enough. But as has been pointed out in this thread, statistically, most people are straight. Thus, "I had no idea you're gay" is more akin (to me) to saying "I had no idea you could drive a manual". No one ever comments on whether or not you can drive an automatic, because it's far more common. So it's just a…

No, I see race. I just don't care.

Those are all fair points. It just sucks that that is the world we live in. I didn't change my attitude or opinion of my friend. He's a former Marine, has a wonderful daughter that he and his husband adopted, and is a great guy I know I can count on. I delivered a euolgy at his husband's funeral, and it just hasn't…

Honestly, I'm not being willfully obtuse... it's just a non-issue for me. My reaction to news about a straight couple having a baby is no different from my reaction to a gay couple adopting one. I've had both types of information related to me, and I didn't react any differently. "Oh wow, that's awesome!" was my…

Fair enough. It's not a minefield I have personally had to deal with, so I can't speak to what it is like for people int he LGBT community. All I know is how it should be. And personally, I can't envision that becoming the way it is as long as we continue to differentiate.

Then maybe that term needs to be retired. Because it strikes me as antiquated. Basically, the first time someone drops any kind of a clue about their orientation, they are "coming out", is what you are saying.

"If you saw a wedding ring on a stranger, would you assume he was married to a man or a woman?"

No, see, I didn't "volunteer" my sexual orientation. I discussed the fact that my wife and I are expecting a baby. With people at work who I am also somewhat friendly with. In fact, only the people on my team. So four people. Four people at work know my sexual orientation. Because I don't discuss it with anyone else.

I suppose that's true, but my point was that it certainly never came up during interviews. It is illegal to query a candidate on marital status, sexual orientation, and a bunch of other things.

I don't get it. I'm not saying I'm unsympathetic, I am just saying I don't get it. Is this really still an issue? More importantly, when did it become de riguer to share the personal details of one's life in the office?

Someone once told me, "Image is doing the right thing when everyone is looking. Character is doing the right thing when no one is looking."

True heroes never seem to want attention. Part of what makes them heroes.

In other news, Rebecca Rose writes clearly demonstrable, provable lies and relies on Jack B. Hates to swoop in and rescue her from the commenter who calls her out, banning the commenter int he process because when someone points out the truth to a far-leftie, the treatment is no better. Hypocrites.

Interesting. My calling out of Rebecca Rose as a dishonest journalist (with examples of how misleading she's been in this article) seems to have been deleted. I wonder if "Jack B. Hates" had something to do with that.

Entertaining does not equal good. If you equate the two, especially considering this is a site that supposedly prides itself on dialog concerning feminism, that is your problem, not mine.

"For a second there I thought we were only teaching young girls in elementary, middle and high school that their bodies are nothing but shameful sin receptacles which must be covered up and hidden at all times from men who absolutely cannot control themselves at the slightest hint of a woman's skin."

"Sex is a biological reality, and it is not subordinate to subjective impressions, no matter how intense those impressions are, how sincerely they are held, or how painful they make facing the biological facts of life. No hormone injection or surgical mutilation is sufficient to change that."

At least Dragon*Con is diverse. :-)

Thank you for writing this. I enjoyed your thorough reporting on it! I can sadly believe this still happens.