Gay, bi, queer, trans or whatever you are. Are you comfortable being representation? I'm not sure I am. Mainly because I have a bit of insecurity about my sexuality. I feel the most comfortable identifying as gay, but I'm worried I have some bi tendencies. I don't want to be another confused femme "lesbian" who ends up marrying a man. I avoid being out because I know I'll reflect poorly on lesbians. Especially the femme ones. I feel like they need a much better image and representation. I'm just not it.
No, I don't feel comfortable being any sort of representative. I feel very much like many who casually meet me have a bad impression of me, and that's not something one wants in a representative for anything.
I don't mind it. I have insecurity over my sexuality, but I just accepted it as a normal thing. I'm a little afraid of coming out to lesbian women though. They might think of me as a bad person for my bisexuality and I've seen other bi girls losing their lesbian girlfriends because of their sexual orientation. I try to be the best person I can though.
I do not feel that I alone represent lesbians as a group, so I do not feel any pressure to be a certain way that's good for the image of lesbians. I think it's retarded to base your views of a whole group on your experiences with one individual of said group, anyway. Lesbians, just like members of any other group, are individuals.
I think It's stupid for one person to represent an entire group. I'm actually pretty conservative/traditional for a gay person, so I don't feel like I fit in LGBT community at all whatsoever. Even other LGBT people have invalidated my sexuality since I give off the wrong "vibe". The only positive of being against the stereotype is that it helps straight people realize we are all individuals.
In some respects I guess I'm lucky that I came out back when there wasn't much in the way of gay visibility. I've never really struggled with this because, well, back when I came out we were hardly even viewed as fully human and, whatever flaws I might have, I'm definitely better than that. I've seen over the years the power of just putting a human face on the whole issue. When I first came out a LOT of people I knew had never actually met anyone who was out as gay. There's a lot to be said for just being there in the back of people's minds as the context for discussions about gay people and gay rights. When people discuss things in the abstract it's really easy to say and think a lot of awful things. It's harder once people realize we're real people and when you talk about whether we should be able to marry or whether we should be able to be fired for being who we are that they are actually talking about their children or siblings or friends or even just that nice man from the bank. I've seen it over and over--a lot of times just being a real person is enough to bring people around. Finally if you really are worried somehow about your own personal worthiness as some sort of ambassador you should keep in mind that people who think good things about gay people aren't going to be put off the lot of us due to anything you might say or do and the people who think bad things about us, well, the odds are you're still better than whatever is in their minds.
I'm an example of a trans woman but do I speak for every one of them? No. I don't speak for white people. I don't speak for people who love Mexican food. I am a voice in the crowd but I am not the unofficial representative of any group. How does one present or act as gay? What is a gay person supposed to look like and act like? Insert whatever demographic you want into those questions.
Yeah. I'm not claiming one person will represent the gay community. But I do know people knowing I'm gay will shape their opinion of gay people in general. I may also be used as an example. I fit the confused femme stereotype. I want that stereotype to die in a fire, so the best I can do is be closeted.
I feel 100% comfortable representing trans, aces, and panromantic people. I'm not really insecure about who I am but I do if people make fun of me then I'll just feel bad about myself like oh I guess I'm not that good.
In a limited sense, yes. I think it's important to show to gay people who are worried and closeted, or to straight people who simply don't have exposure, that happy, fulfilling lives are absolutely normal for gay men. I also think it's valuable to show that your life, beliefs and background don't become overwhelmed by sexual identity, which is not only important to show to straight people but also to gay men who don't really feel that a shift in their sense of community and identity is desirable. Any representation beyond being the incidental effect of just living life openly and happily I don't feel is my job and I have no claim to being a representative of a community with an extraordinary diversity of lived experiences.
I wouldn't mind it, mostly because I'm almost always with my openly bi friend, but I generally enjoy minimum attention. Sometimes I'd be OK with it more than other times.
Not really since I seem to not politically agree with a majority of lgbt people, since they're usually on left while I'm in the middle but lean more towards the right.
More than anything, especially since I still find myself confused (even after all of my revelations and realizations of late), I think I will consider myself an ally of the LGBTQ community, and Gays in particular, even though I am also a member of the community. Representing gays isn't quite an accurate fit for me. But a representative of the community as a whole? Sure. Most of the time, though, I think treating my personal position as an ally, although one who does not hide his sexuality, will be the best way to approach things.
