A few sexual questions

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by wellspring

A sex-based attack should presumably get a hefty discount vs the same attack that can be used in a combat encounter as a normal melee attack. A sex-based buff or heal should probably get a discount but not nearly as big a discount.

Are we doing these as skills, or as advantages? That makes a substantial difference.

For advantages, you could apply modifiers. Contact Attack if all that's needed is skin to skin; Preparation Required (1 minute, 10 minutes, or 1 hour) for a buff or heal, maybe.

For skills, it's going to be more ad hoc. I think Martial Arts may have rules for Sex Appeal-based feints; Chinese Elemental Powers has rules for using Erotic Art as a setup for entering a trance; you could also do a variant of the Enthrallment skills that's based on Sex Appeal.

[Racer]

Is Homosexuality/Bi-sexuality even a Disadvantage in Western Society these days ?
Most predominantly white countries in Europe , North America and Australia & New Zealand seem to be incredibly tolerant now .

Example : London last summer while I was on a half full bus , a young teenage couple ( I'd guess 13 or 14 ) started kissing . I did a bit of a double take when I realized both were girls ( one had very short hair , & could easily passed for a boy apart from breasts & voice ) - no one batted an eyelid !

Being in a very mixed part of South London , I did expect some sort of reaction : passengers were all ages , ethnicities and some at least were non from non Christian religions . Nothing . I did think to myself 'perhaps humanity is becoming more tolerant after all' .

Also in larger cities & built up areas of said countries , kinks & fetishes don't really seem to phase people . The Taxi Drivers picking up friends from 'Slimelight Club' in Islington aren't troubled at all be the dress ( or lack of ) of males & females leaving the establishment at 3am . Other members of the public don't even look twice on the Night Buses either . Often when I've had to 'rescue' drunken friends , I feel the odd one out in my jeans & T-shirt ... !

Okay probably wouldn't be so tolerated in the Vatican City or quite rural Spain , but you get the idea .

[simply Nathan]

Originally Posted by Racer

Is Homosexuality/Bi-sexuality even a Disadvantage in Western Society these days ?

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

Homosexuality? Feature.

[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.

[Anders]

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

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.

Maybe it's an Enemy? Social Stigma?

[Railstar]

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

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.

Hated By Group Quirk?

[Bruno]

"Gay Bashing" is still a thing in North America. Lesbians are targets for rape and homicide. Even if this violence has been greatly reduced, it's still there, and it's still harder to get help from the police.

There's still less violent but significant levels of Intolerance, even in large urban centers - although large urban centers usually have "refuge districts" where folks are either tolerant or move out, the tolerance basically falls off with distance. Some cities are much better than others (San Francisco having a notably tolerant attitude, probably strongly related to the size and cultural prominence of The Castro) but it's certainly not uniform. Urban "downtown" youth probably have some of the highest levels of tolerance, but if you have a school where the localized culture is intolerant you're in deep trouble.

Bisexuals benefit from being able to "fly under the radar" sometimes, but they tend to face as much confusion and hostility. They can even be met with hostility from the gay/lesbian community (although that has also improved a bit).

Transsexuals are still facing significant social stigma.

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Like our modern Western culture. Most keep it a secret more for personal embarrassment than Gurps Secret level loss of advantages.
It's also seen as an "old man" problem, not just effeminate. Or worse, many believe no one has it, because Viagra. That class of medication has good effect on only one cause of impotence, circulatory.

In modern western culture it's probably not worth much in the way of points though - for most of history, and some parts of the modern world, you could quite easily get points for it.

[TGLS]

Power Ups 6 states an "Alternative Sexuality" is a quirk, because you get a (up to) -3 to reactions from a small set of people, if they find out. This is probably unsuitable to settings where it is a much bigger deal (i.e. a hundred years ago, just about anywhere).

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by The Colonel

In modern western culture it's probably not worth much in the way of points though - for most of history, and some parts of the modern world, you could quite easily get points for it.

For significant parts of that time, you could treat it as a 30-point secret; it quite literally was a capital offense, not in terms of mob violence or secret killing, but officially.

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.