SpartacusRocks Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 'Couldn't have said it any better. Why go down the route of bringing up SEXUAL orientation in the first place ? Should wehave a thread next on heterosexuals in Drum Corps ?. Asexual members ?....or Fundamentalist Christians. ?.."tolerance"for maybe a known Nazi or Ku Klux Klan drum corps member ?.....Polygamists ?.....Marxist-Leninists?...... Libertarian Party drum corps members.?....... Southern Baptists ?....Jews ?.... Muslims ? Catholics ? why is it important to ask such silly SEXUAL preference questions on a thread here ? I don't get it. Who should care who one likes sex with on a Drum Corps forum and what their experiences are in Drum Corps as a homosexual ? I define a person by WHO they are and how they act...... not WHAT they are. The thing that makes drum corps so special is not the individual pieces of the unit with it's different characters. It is rather the collective unison , expression, goal, harmony and cohesiveness, etc of........THE CORPS There are, of course, many answers to the question: "why does sexuality matter" and I don't pretend to have "the" answer. However we might consider that some reasonably minded people believe that sexual preference (as in desire) and sexual behavior go hand-in-hand with other aspects of personality. This is how we justify stereotypes..."straight people are like X", "gay people are like Y". Correctly or in-correctly, sexuality matters becuase people attribute aspects to it that define who we are. Sexuality also matters becuase it is highly politicized. Example: Straight people can get married, and subsequently enjoy tax breaks. Gay people are "suspected" or asked to "don't ask, don't tell" but are rarely encouraged "celebrate" their love, etc. So I for one am glad to have a space where I can discuss any inter-relations between gayness and drum corps and why not in a drum corps forum? There are many other groups (Irish Catholics, blue collar workers, college music students, veterans, etc.) who have unique experiences within a drum corps context and they--like gays--may want to explore common ground, etc. Nothing wrong with that. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvertrombone Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Wow, all this hullaballoo (sp?) and I didn't start any of it! Amazing. OK, first, I like girls. Second, I think the guy who started this thread probably left a long time ago, so most of what is being posted now looks pretty funny to me, IMHO. I'm a conservative, a Christian, the whole "Right Wing 9 yards," but remember my earlier post--it doesn't matter! Show up, sweat, and you know what? If I found out tomorrow that my PR seat partner is gay, it wouldn't phase me a bit. Are there gays in drum corps? Yes. There are gays in the priesthood, there are gays in the Southern Baptist Convention, there are gays in the rest of society, and there are gays in DCI/DCA, and probably somewhere within 2 blocks of your house. End of discussion. Now let's see if we can take over this post entirely and turn it towards something really fun. Who's game? Betcha I can suggest something that will work really well. Ann Coulter (ugh--please ignore me!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeutralNovice Posted January 24, 2007 Author Share Posted January 24, 2007 Wow, all this hullaballoo (sp?) and I didn't start any of it! Amazing.OK, first, I like girls. Second, I think the guy who started this thread probably left a long time ago, so most of what is being posted now looks pretty funny to me, IMHO. I'm a conservative, a Christian, the whole "Right Wing 9 yards," but remember my earlier post--it doesn't matter! Show up, sweat, and you know what? If I found out tomorrow that my PR seat partner is gay, it wouldn't phase me a bit. Are there gays in drum corps? Yes. There are gays in the priesthood, there are gays in the Southern Baptist Convention, there are gays in the rest of society, and there are gays in DCI/DCA, and probably somewhere within 2 blocks of your house. End of discussion. Now let's see if we can take over this post entirely and turn it towards something really fun. Who's game? Betcha I can suggest something that will work really well. Ann Coulter (ugh--please ignore me!!) Naw, I'm still here, reading amongst the many posts... I'm actually surprised at the ratio of positive to negative posts. I noticed how many people say that the sexual orientation should not matter in which I completely agree; however, unfortunately, it remains as an issue that we all have to face. I myself face homophobia everyday and until that's gone, I hope to educate the ignorant that hate is wrong... There were a couple honestly ignorant comments made in reply to this post and I hope that the intelligent words of many on here taught them so. Like many said, forget about the sexual orientation of people, care about the hard work and determination that is put into drum corps. Thanks all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 (edited) I'm not entirely sure what you mean when you said that they were " openly gay ", but that said, I would agree with you that it is probably true that the instructors ( and judges ) seem to have a higher percentage of gays than the general population at large. Not that there's anything wrong with that ( sorry, couldn't resist the Seinfield line.... haha! ) Sorry- by "openly gay", I meant that you could pretty much tell they were gay by their behavior and personality. In other words, they "broadcast" For the most part, none of them talked much about their sexuality around other members (unless you approached them about it at the appropriate time- ie not in the middle of rehearsal), none of them hit on other members (which would have been an immediate grounds for their dismissal, regardless of the sexuality of the staff member in question), and none of them walked around sporting woodies in the shower either. It was a case of where BOTH parties, staff and members, knew where the lines were and more importantly, what the purpose of being in the corps was. We were there to march, they were there to teach- end of story. Edited January 24, 2007 by Galen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galen Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Now let's see if we can take over this post entirely and turn it towards something really fun. Who's game? Betcha I can suggest something that will work really well.Ann Coulter (ugh--please ignore me!!) I believe we have a separate forum for things like that: http://www.drumcorpsplanet.com/forums/inde...p?showforum=222 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrunchyTenor Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 (edited) Between marching and teaching corps, I rode show horses. The gay horsemen population percentage exceeds the general population percentage. (There are also more horses' behinds than horses on the competition circuit!) My wife is a flight attendant. The gay flight attendant population percentage exceeds the general population percentage. I work in the food service industry. The gay foodserver population exceeds the general population percentage. One of my co-workers asked if I had a lot of gay friends. I told him I have a lot of friends. Some of them are gay. Some of them are black. Some of them are Asian. Some of them are...well, you get the point. The context is different. He wants to go to Pride with us in San Francisco. I'm sure Renegades could use a banner carrier. When I told him he could not just go to the parade, but be IN the parade, he thought that was the coolest thing. Whaddya think, Greg? Could we use another banner carrier? Garry in Vegas PS Regarding gay jokes...I hear the best gay jokes from the gay guys! Kinda like being a drummer and knowing all the drummer jokes. Edited January 24, 2007 by CrunchyTenor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowtown Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 times really have changed then way back in the late 70s early 80s... There were rumours he was into field hockey players There were rumours - So he applied basically - He was gone the next day - And went off with the team - It's like - he was got - they'd just like It was like so hush hush They were so... quiet about it And then the next thing you know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggmanX-Kingsmen Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 I remember DCI prelims in Boulder in 1977. There were a small group of protesters with signs saying "DCI IS GAY". They were from some corps I had never heard of and I don't know what their beef was. I'm probably stereotyping here but I think gay men are some of the most talented and creative people around and the activity of drum corps would be less creative without them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slow Adam Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 I remember DCI prelims in Boulder in 1977. There were a small group of protesters with signs saying "DCI IS GAY". They were from some corps I had never heard of and I don't know what their beef was.I'm probably stereotyping here but I think gay men are some of the most talented and creative people around and the activity of drum corps would be less creative without them. Stereotypical? Perhaps, but definitely accurate. Not all stereotypes are negative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantombari1 Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 (edited) I know back in the 80's it was a Taboo subject for the most part. References were made regarding Madison and the Cavies but having great friends in both corps dispelled the Phobia others felt...regardless of someone sexual orientation, everyone was considerded a friend. I guess the only problem I have with this type of discussion is the "I'm gay and I'm special" bias that comes with being discriminated against. IMO everyone is discriminated against! Can you imagine the up roar if there was an "Hetrosexual pride parade" Society seems to dictate the seperation of all colors, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, religious backgrounds...the list goes on and on... Unfortunately to much time is spent on those issues rather than the indiviual inside! Edited January 24, 2007 by Phantombari1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.