Hey Tim, as if anyone really cares about this?

"Agreed, who gives a shit? Im proud to be straight, big deal."

That is correct - it's not any kind of deal at all. It shouldn't matter in the least. Unfortunately, that's still not true today, certainly not everywhere in the world, and not even in the U.S. - "who gives a shit"... plenty of people apparently do, which is why there is such a political and social fight over it, laws are passed in some countries to discriminate, in others to prevent discrimination and so on. If nobody cared, people wouldn't feel compelled to "come out"... but because so many people care what others do in their bedrooms, unfortunately, it's an issue. You may not care, and I may not care, but millions/billions do.

One day - hopefully soon - nobody will feel a need to announce such things. But that day is not here as yet - hence this announcement.

really guys? @johnnymossville plenty of people care. if you don't then just leave the thread alone. @joethepro Same for you, but to equate it to being straight and proud, I can't find the words.. I'd love your comment to be appropriate, but what world have you been living in that makes you think it is? @paulhouston what the hell relevance does your post have?

@rottencarcass thanks for having a more reasoned response than me.

@jules I dont care if anyone is gay, Im just so tired of homosexuals being made out to be heroes for being who they are. Of course this does not apply to all of them, but many act like they have done something worthy of attention and acclaim. Its just not a big deal. I dont get why people care enough to make articles like this valid. Probably because America does things like have huge parades where gay people can celebrate their diversity as if it is something worth anyone's attention.

@joethepro, I understand that you are tired of "homosexuals being made out to be heroes for being who they are". But like with the laws of physics or sociology, it is good to try to understand why things happen. You are tired - but the homosexuals are even more tired of being discriminated against (even in the U.S. there are tons of laws that discriminate against them in all sorts of ways). The reason they say "I'm proud to be gay", is because they were told for so long "it's wrong/disgusting SHAMEFUL to be gay", so they say that to affirm to themselves and others "I am not ashamed to be gay, I am PROUD", it is exactly the same as black people who were told they were subhuman "I am PROUD to be black", or Jewish people who were told they are subhuman and scum "I am PROUD to be Jewish". Yes, these are all things that are just facts that nobody can help - you are black, or Jewish or gay - but do you now see why they NEED to day it?

Of course, if you are straight, and nobody said "to be straight is wrong/disgusting SHAMEFUL" you are surprised that anyone would say "I am PROUD to be straight". So, of course, you take YOUR experience and say "huge parades where gay people can celebrate their diversity as if it is something worth anyone's attention", because it would be strange to have "huge parades where STRAIGHT people can celebrate their diversity as if it is something worth anyone's attention" - YOU ARE RIGHT, it would be strange. But for gay people who had a different experience is NOT strange. Now you understand? You must look at the world with understanding "why does THIS happen?", and just going by your own experience doesn't always give you all the information. If you lived as a gay person, suddenly you would understand.

That said, yes, when the day arrives when gay people are as NOT discriminated against just for being gay as straight people are NOT discriminated against just for being straight, then you will be 100% right: no more need for parades, no more need to announce "I am PROUD and not ashamed to be gay", no more need for it because as you put it so well "it is not something worthy of attention and acclaim".

But in a world where people are discriminated against, beaten and even killed for being gay, it takes GUTS to say "I am gay". And for showing such guts, it is worthy of acclaim. Just as a person in a deeply anti-Semitic environment, to stand up and say "I am PROUD to be Jewish", takes guts, and that person is a hero.

Thank you for thinking and understanding, and not just jumping to conclusions. The world is a complicated place, and we always benefit by studying what we don't understand, instead of just dismissing it. Have a nice day!

That said, yes, when the day arrives when gay people are as NOT discriminated against just for being gay as straight people are NOT discriminated against just for being straight, then you will be 100% right

Well. Some talks about discrimination went over any logic and boundaries.

Being gay also not only means few strange things we won't be talking about (btw, observation shows that gay percentage is connected only to one thing - media propaganda of being gay). It also means that people fully and knowingly do not want to have offspring. Well, and this thing MUST produce discrimination. For example, because it will be your son and/or daughter who will work for this old gays.

Just as a person in a deeply anti-Semitic environment, to stand up and say "I am PROUD to be Jewish", takes guts, and that person is a hero.

If you spent some time researching history you'll find strange thing. Most people had quite logical reason to hate jews due to things they did.

@johnnymossville homosexuality is discriminated against. a way to overcome such discrimination is for people of 'standing' (fame etc) in society to put their hands up and say 'hey i'm gay too, there's nothing to be ashamed of, the world isn't going to end' etc etc. Same way it's good for sports people to do the same.

and that's it. he doesn't have to do a roadshow on it or anything... he doesn't deserve a medal. but this is important as the world tries to do away with homosexuality. if he gives one person the courage to come out and stop living a lie then this is worth the coverage. by god, we live in a world where people take their lives for being gay and too ashamed to come out or too beaten down by the bullying.

If you are so comfortable with it that you don't care, then that's great! but in reality that's not the case for a vast section of the world's population. so key figures coming out is something that's newsworthy.

@RottenCarcass +1

Who should care? As Tim explained. The people who care, or should care are all those lonely gay young people, perhaps in circumstances which are deeply homophobic and dangerous, everyone around them, religion and state and society telling him "gay people are horrible and it's a sin". That young gay person - so many commit suicide because of the terrible pressure - looks around and thinks "to be gay is horrible and I can never accomplish anything - there are no gay presidents, and no gay senators, and no gay generals and no gay CEOs of respected companies".

It never happened to you that it could be other way around. Some poor, not attractive and lonely guy who have trouble finding girl see constant coming outs and TV and starts to think that he is actually gay (why he is clearly not)?

May be many young "gay" people could just find their girl if not this stream?

Earth is flat - Earth is round. Sun goes around Earth - Earth goes around the sun. We must pray for rain - rain is a meteorological phenomenon and is not affected by prayer.

The first is a certain worldview that was popular once upon a time... nothing wrong with it, people made speculation, because they didn't have enough information. The second view is the result of deep understanding of the world around us.

You can convince the person with the first view, that the second view is correct, but you cannot do it on a website and short posts. So you must bow down respectfully, and then keep quiet. The person with the first view, will go on believing what they believe.

Gay people are gay by choice - first view. Gay people are created by propaganda and believing propaganda - first view Gay people are sexual perverts - first view Gay people destroy society and retirement funds - first view Jewish people are evil and so it's understandable to discriminate against them - first view.

The first view is understandable, but you cannot argue against it on a website. You must bow and keep quiet, because just like you cannot convince someone in a few short posts that praying for rain is hopeless, because you cannot give them a physics education in posts on a website, so you cannot explain sociology, history, anthropology, biology and economics in a few posts on a website.

And so I can't argue. Besides, I am not even gay - I am however, interested in understanding the world around me, and so I put some time in studying it. You can learn a lot by studying. Of course, that's hard, so it's easier not to.

Thank you everyone for a great discussion, have a nice day!

The forum is 'above' platform bashing but apparently not above equating being gay with being a pedophile, or the idea that people "turn" gay due to media influence because they can't "find their girl".... the mind boggles

In math it is usual method. I just pushed to the extreme. To make you think and find the difference (and it is not much difference here).

As for girls and becoming gay. Problem here is that science does not support usual gay theory that it is some kind of nature "gift". For most actual gays it is not gift, it is purely their choice. For some it is media flushing their small poor minds, for others it is logical choice as it allow to get big advantage (yes, being minority also provides big advantage sometimes).

In the start of 20th century some people seriously fought (and still are) for right to go naked openly every day. Quite natural thing. Yet if you try to do it today you will be pressed much more than being open gay, much more. I do not see media cry for this. Why?

http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/30/7133103/thank-you-tim-cook

Well, mass media :-)

I wan to see another coming outs. Like "Tim Uncook - I am proud to be engineer" and story how he made things and invented things since being child and how he become founder for his own company, how he worked 15 hours a day for years and finally made big company that made smartphone and computer of such quality that Apple decided to move to condoms market.

Instead we have coming out where leading manager famous for pushing contractors to reduce their workers salaries as much as possible tells us that he likes to push his dick in the different hole belonging to a guy. Well, shit.

Oh boy am I sick of all this "proud" BS. Proud to be gay, proud to be black, a Jew, a German, American ore even a woman?

How can anybody be "proud" for something he was accidentally born into? Some country, some gender, some race, skin color or sexual preference?

Oh pleazzze - it's nothing you have accomplished stupid, it just happened .

If those people wouldn't be so selfimportant, and wouldn't make such a fuzz about it (which is the sheer opposite of the "normal" they always ask for), we would have reached gender-, race-, andwhatnot-blindness since years. But since they make them self so special (and often even better) than the rest - the rest is just pissed off.

@RottenCarcass

"to be gay is horrible and I can never accomplish anything - there are no gay presidents, and no gay senators, and no gay generals and no gay CEOs of respected companies". AHA! YES THERE ARE, AND TIM IS ONE, and one day YOU CAN BE TOO!"

Well there is always a carrier in the catholic church - up to the highest ranks ;-) And when it comes to gay presidents, gay senators and gay generals - do your research and you may be very surprised.