A few sexual questions

[MrTim]

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

I'm not sure what "Frequent target of other people's Intolerance" shows up on GURPS character sheets

Isn't that basically half the reason you get points for a Social Stigma?

[MrTim]

Originally Posted by whswhs

In the United States now, though, it almost seems as if "disapproves of homosexuality" is somewhere between a negative Reputation, a minor Social Stigma, and a Secret. At least, if you act on your disapproval, or publicly voice it, you are subject both to widespread denunciation and to possible legal penalties.

It's my understanding that there are rural communities where that might not be the case. The United States is a big country; a game sent entirely in a small town in the South would probably give different values to certain circumstances than one set in Los Angeles.

[Bruno]

It's certainly not a "South vs North" issue, it's very much more a rural-urban divide.

It's still probably considered "tacky" to rant on about it just about everywhere - but it's tacky to rant in general; dominating a conversation about the same subject over and over again is just bad manners, even if your audience agrees with you.

The fact that various states keep trying to pass laws that make it legal to discriminate based on "religious grounds" I think strongly suggests that this is not a non-issue in America.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

Plenty of cultures a man known to be impotent might well be subject to a negative reputation "not a real man", or otherwise weak or effeminate, regardless of reality. They might even be treated as a eunuch - which may have specific cultural issues (up to and including disqualifying him from citizenship).

Social organization is less explicitly kin based then it once was making the need to regulate such things seem less urgent. Ethnicities that emphasize kinship, as a result, still double down in such areas. Sikhs for instance are not only monogamous but highly critical of celibacy though in fact they may primarily be criticizing sacred mendicancy as much of their doctrine boils down to, "we are not Hindus". But the need to reproduce the tribe and keep the young trained in the Ancient Ways, etc, is so instinctive that it creates patterns in anyone who cares about such things. It can be found in others and is not always strictly religious. Roma have more then a bit of this too at least the unassimilated do.

The same type of cultures which would have a intense prejudice toward marriage is likely to be the one that has a stigma against low birth rate. It is simply the converse of lauding fertility.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Bruno

The fact that various states keep trying to pass laws that make it legal to discriminate based on "religious grounds" I think strongly suggests that this is not a non-issue in America.

There are two levels of issues there, though. I'm a total secularist and libertarian; I oppose any legal restrictions on consensual homosexual acts and relationships, and I don't consider homosexuality as such to be a moral issue. But I think that punishing people who express disapproval, or who want to withhold their services from events such as same-sex weddings, is obviously wrong. The only thing wrong with those "religious grounds" statutes is that they specify particular grounds, rather than accepting private conscience as such. But it seems to me that people who have such religious beliefs, strange though they seem to me, really are being subjected to legal penalties as dissident religious minorities—and penalties that come from the state as an institution, which is about the highest level of "being a target of intolerance" I can think of. And that's over and above being vilified by Internet flash mobs, which looks like an intensely stressful experience in itself.

[wellspring]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Luckily, Succubi can fulfill your desire for carnal . . . knowledge.

Wow, it was eerie how well that answered my question!

I feel... well... I don't want to talk about it now. :)

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by simply Nathan

Bisexuality? Quirk, because it literally doubles the number of people who can effectively use Sex Appeal effectively on you.

Homosexuality? Feature.

And when was the last time someone assaulted you in the street because they thought you were straight? Cos that still happens pretty often to queers. Including people I know, within the last month, in fact.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by wellspring

Wow, it was eerie how well that answered my question!

I feel... well... I don't want to talk about it now. :)

Well that took you a while . . .

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Dalillama

And when was the last time someone assaulted you in the street because they thought you were straight? Cos that still happens pretty often to queers. Including people I know, within the last month, in fact.

I know a gay trans-man that looks 12. Imagine his daily hassles.

That does raise the issue of how prevalent an intolerance has to be before it becomes the norm and acceptance the quirk level attitude.
I think part of it has to be how others react to such intolerance after the fact. Up until "recently" in the U.S., reporting such an assault wouldn't go anywhere with police. Now, nearly all would investigate and try, either strongly or weakly, to arrest the thug.

[Flyndaran]

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

Acceptance of homosexuality has become much more the norm over the last few decades. But - there are still places and circumstances, even in the West, where it can get someone murdered. And while we have gay politicians, they maybe have to engage in an extra bit of focused image management, especially if they're on the conservative side of the fence.

I'm not sure what "Frequent target of other people's Intolerance" shows up on GURPS character sheets, but that's what it comes down to.

Politics is its own micro-culture. We have damn few public atheists in major office, but I would not say that I've ever faced bigotry over it in the pacific NW. There are quite a few places in the U.S. where one will suffer severe problems when "coming out" as atheist, but I think those are MUCH fewer and smaller than regions where being gay or trans is dangerous.