Ah ok, sorry, I completely mis-read your post. I thought you were saying you were afraid to ask a gay colleague that question! Such a sad state of affairs that some people have to lie about what they’re doing because of other people’s bigotry. Glad you don’t have to though, you’re lucky!

Abi Im glad you shared that with us as I am one of the people that would be unaware of these type of pressures. I was an employer & if I will be again I will have a better understanding of some of these problems. I have a huge respect for the gay community.

A great bunch of lads

Why would asking the question, “any plans for the weekend?” cause an issue with a gay person? Genuine question, not being smart.

I would imagine, if they wanted to be honest they would say ‘oh just gonna spend the weekend with my girlfriend’ instead of ‘oh nothing much’….

This old chestnut comes up every single time. The implication that by campaigning for equality and highlighting inequality implies that they want to stand out as being different. Gay people are discriminated against day-in day-out, until that discrimination does not exist they and others supporting their cause for equality will continue to highlight the issue. The whole point is that gay people are considered by some small-minded types to be different, abnormal, etc,.

Would you prefer they just sat back and accepted discrimination?

What do you mean by normal society? Why shouldn’t LGBT people be open and proud about who they are? If anything it is an indictment against a supposedly modern society, in which a person is supposed to suppress who they are so they can “fit in”.

Thats the worse form of oppression, trying to condition people to “regulate” themselves and their personalities. If thats “normal society” I demand change now. #beproudofwhoyouare.

I am gay and I am different to heterosexuals that doesn’t mean I’m not equal or entitled to equality.

The fact that this toolkit had to be devised in the first place shows what a nasty, intolerant little nation we are.

most gay people belong to “normal”society

To counter that I have lived and worked in Dublin area all my life and have seen countless examples of homophobic abuse and bullying in my own workplaces. To simplify it to sure it’s only the backward culchies is misleading to be honest.

Well “culchies” isn’t really what I was getting at to be honest.

I’m sure the access to the LGBT and other support communities and other gay people is significantly more limited outside the Capital and as such, more people are less inclined to be open about their orientation. Less gay people around makes those that are more “different” to the non-gay majority.

I would imagine Dublin is more used to openly gay people given that we’ve had a thriving openly gay community here for quite some time, lots of LGBT groups for people to join for support, etc.

I have never witnessed genocide (thankfully) I know it still happens though.

I hate this attitude from Dubs thinking their living in some kinda ultra-progressive mega metropolis, Dublin in only been the 454th largest city in the world isn’t setting any kind of standard in civil liberties now nor was it ever for that matter.
Having worked in many office environments all over Ireland for small companies to multi-nationals from Letterkenny to Dublin, I’ve had many gay colleagues and have personally never witnessed any instances of gay bullying or homophobia! I’m not saying it doesn’t happen but no more so than other instances of workplace bullying.

Brace yourselves, “any plans for the weekend?” questions are coming

sorry! had to do it!