Just a question.....

[Comicality]

One question I always ask at the Shack every six months or so, just to get an idea on what people think, is this:<p>

 

IF....there was a magic pill out there, created tomorrow and put on the open market....that would easily and flawlessly make the 'gay' go away....would you take it?<p>

 

If it would chemically stop you from being a homosexual...and suddenly make you straight (Or...as most would have you believe....'normal'), would you want it?<p>

 

On one hand, you give up everything that you are and everything that you've learned to live with over time. Your life would change drastically, and the chance of you being the person you are now, might be lost for good.<p>

 

On the other hand, you are being given the chance to let go of the stigma of being gay. You could be socially accepted. You could be free of what some would consider a 'curse'...and could live an entirely different life from the one you have now. Without judgement or ridicule. <p>

 

What do you think? If someone could 'cure' you tomorrow....would you want to be cured? Let me know what you think....<p>

[Tiger]

Just when I started getting comfortable, there's a cure? Seriously, I don't want a cure. Men can be a real downer sometimes because of all the drama, but life as a straight guy would be so damn boring. Bring on the men.

 

And yes, I know there's not actually a cure.

[Graeme]

If I was single, I think the answer would be no. However, because of the situation I'm in (married to a very understanding wife, and with two boys), I would probably take it. I know how much pain I caused my wife when I came out and I think I owe it to her. She's only asked one from me -- to be true to my marriage vows -- and taking such a pill would help me be the husband she deserves.

[Conner]

Given my age, the question that pops into my mind is, "Would it really matter?"

 

Had someone offered this "pill" in the sixties, I would have gladly taken it. No question.

 

If I were now under forty, I would hope that I would give the same answer Tiger did. Bring on the men!

 

Yes, I am avoiding answering the question directly.

 

Conner

 

P.S. Graeme, thanks for that.

[JamesSavik]

In a second. It sucks to be gay.

 

We are stalked by our very own special, incurable virus that can kill you all sorts of agonizing ways.

 

We face all kind of discrimination from day 1, many of us are abused horribly in the guise of loving dicipline to motivate us to change.

 

Not to mention it's so hard finding a mate that's not promiscious, mentally scarred and/or screwed up.

 

In my experience the pain of being gay far outweights any joy that goes with it.

 

This is of course a generational thing. Many kids (thirty and under) have grown up in very different conditions in which they were accepted for who they are. Their answer will be quite different.

[MikeL]

If such a pill became available tomorrow, I would gladly take it. At my age, having been married for nearly 40 years, and with grown children and young grandchildren, I would not consider changing from the "straight" life I have lived. Anything that makes it easier would be welcome.

 

If such a pill had been available 50+ years ago, I would definitely have taken it. I doubt it was easy for anyone growing up in the 1950s, regardless of sexual orientation. Gays had no choice but to stay in the closet. By the time I graduated from high school, I knew of only one openly gay guy. By the time I graduated from college, that number had doubled. A pill would have been an easy way to solve a lot of problems and eliminate a lot of uncertainty.

[TheEggman]

I took it... it tasted like semen to me.

 

Seems to have made matters worse too.

 

Ya know how long it took to write this lying on my back with my legs in the air?

[Medlang]

no way! im perfectly happy the way i am, thank you .

[Medlang]

.

Edited January 3, 2009 by Medlang

[Verm]

No.

 

But if there was a drug that would make the straight go gay, I'd force it up their throats in a heartbeat. Just so they would see how it would look like from the other side. Especially homophobes. Then give them the straight pill (if they still want it, that is hehe!)

 

[Comicality]

Thanks so much for answering this one, you guys. I always love seeing the honesty in these kinda of questions. There's always some wisdom to be learned from stuff like this.

 

And Eggman??? Hahaha! ::Smooches:: What's up stranger??? Tell Thor my leg misses him! (Stephen too! )

 

For me personally? I wouldn't want it. I honestly don't know who I would be without it. When I think back to all of the people I've met, and all the crazy shit I've done, for the sake of a pretty boy...it makes me dizzy. I saw my first sunrise because of a cute boy. Went to a lot of parties because of cute boys. Met my best friend in the world because I was hot for him. I just think that I've invested so much of my personality in liking guys that it would be hard to switch now. Besides....I enjoy noticing that beauty! There's nothing like it in the world.

 

(Still think girls kiss better though.)

[Comicality]

By the way, very god points about age and marriage being a factor as well. Time changes so much. Even now, there are boys in high school that I talk to now who do things that I NEVER could have done when I was in high school in the 90's. And...if I was married and committed to a family that I cared about...I would definitely want to keep that committment. So I understand where you guys are coming from, totally.

[darkfoxprime]

My answer to this question would depend on when it was asked. When I was growing up? I would have taken it in a heartbeat - if I could have gotten the pill without letting anyone else know. There was no way I wanted to be gay, both because I knew how evil it was from everyone else who ever talked about it, and because I knew my mom wanted grandkids so much. After I came out and met my then-boyfriend in the span of a week (now my husband, assuming the prop 8 stuff doesn't change that), I have no need of anything like this.

[TheEggman]

And Eggman??? Hahaha! ::Smooches:: What's up stranger??? Tell Thor my leg misses him! (Stephen too! )

 

I hate waking up at 5AM and passing out at 8 or 9PM! This is all bass-ackwards! I should be falling asleep at 5AM dammit! How am I expected to call my insomniac friends? I can only rely on Stephen to pass messages.

 

BTW, Thor sleeps with the boxers you left behind... and NO ONE can touch them but him!

[Ar Pharazon]

Honestly. . . no, I wouldn't take that 'pill'. I just 'like' what I 'like'! Hehehe!

 

I can totally understand others saying they would, because either the circumstances of WHEN they grew up, or because they just don't want to deal with the 'burden' of being gay. And sometimes I feel like that too.

 

I suppose the 'prerequisites' for not wanting to take that kinda pill would be that you just have like what you are, and accept the burden that comes along with it.

 

But I think that's true for a lot of things, not just being gay.

[Phoenix]

I wouldn't at all. I like who I am, and my sexuality is part of that.

[Comicality]

BTW, Thor sleeps with the boxers you left behind... and NO ONE can touch them but him!

 

::Giggles:: No comment on that one! LOL!

[Comicality]

So, maybe that's a big part of the question too. Maybe one of the biggest factors about taking th pill is WHEN it is actually offered to you. I suppose a scared and confused 14 year old kid might be more eager to take it, than a 20-something college boy that has come to accept himself a bit more. And that 20-something might be more inclined to take one than a 40-something or older who has already built a life around what he knows about himself, and might have grown comfortable with who they are.

 

Of course, it's not JUST age. There are tons of other issues where at any age or era, being gay is a hassle, a serious risk, or even 'illegal'. But I imagine that a decision I made 10 or 15 years ago would be completely different from the decisions I would make now.

 

Maybe, you'd have to be at least 21 before you could take the pill? That seems to be the big number in the states (after 18).

[shelbyatmidnight]

I would absolutely not do it. Being gay is too much fun! It is exciting and scary and emotional and awesome!

 

I honestly believe if I wasn't gay I would be just another average person, completely uninteresting, and I would just be...not me. I think I am gay for a reason, and I love it. I would have it no other way.

[makkato]

Okay well I'm 18 and I've JUST finished high school. I STILL haven't come out of the closet yet and it wasn't fun at high school to hurt girls feelings by turning everyone down.

 

The irony in all this is that when I FINALLY find myself, when I FINALLY understand who I am and how I feel, the opposite sex shows their interest.

 

HOWEVER in response to your question...IF I HAD SOMEONE a boyfriend who I loved more than anything and I loved him, then no.

I don't have one though and it would make everything so much easier just to be straight so yes, I would take the cowards way out and take the pill.

[Comicality]

Awww, dude...I don't think it's a 'cowards' way out at all. It's honest. You're doing what you think best suits your particular situation at this particular time. Nothing wrong with that.

 

I just wonder who I'd be if it wasn't for me being gay. Not just keeping that secret...but when I think about it, most of my closest friends aren't really the 'girl chasing' type. They're straight, but they're not your average Monday Night Football, bikini watching, types. I wonder if I'd even get along with them if I was 'stereotypically straight'. And if not...and they pretty much molded my sense of humor, and my interests, and have been a part of most of my biggest experiences...would I have ended up being a completely different person?

 

I gotta admit, it puzzles me sometimes.

[hh5]

Interesting question ...

 

Looking at what sums up my life and where it is ... I have to say NO

 

It won't take away all the bad things in my life- nor take away the suffering - and - like Pinocchio - make me into a regular person.

 

And it won't give me a partner I would love for the rest of my life.

[Demetz]

Back before I knew and understood what it meant to be gay, i would have taken the pill in a heartbeat. Since coming to understand there's really nothing inherently wrong or bad about gay people and accepting myself... i'd be more inclined to invent a drug of the opposite intention to turn all of our society into a homo-love-fest complete with extended sperm bank facilities.

[Drewbie]

Back before I knew and understood what it meant to be gay, i would have taken the pill in a heartbeat. Since coming to understand there's really nothing inherently wrong or bad about gay people and accepting myself... i'd be more inclined to invent a drug of the opposite intention to turn all of our society into a homo-love-fest complete with extended sperm bank facilities.

 

One thing I agree is that I wouldn't' take a pill to be straight

[LongGone]

Probably yes. Wow. Deep question. But it didn't take me more than 1 second to decide.