What do you think about gay jokes?

I have enough people who hate my sexual orientation without also having them turn me into a joke. Merci.

 

funny and clever. post some more!

 

Hahah i've never heard that one. i think they're funny. what do you call a lesbian dinosaur? a lickalotapuss.

 

ew! you sicko! lol!
How do 5 gay guys walk? in one direction

 

hahah im literally loling at these

 

Why did the gay guy kept hitting his head? because he can't walk straight.

 

Every time you tell a gay joke, there's a closeted homophobe thinking "yeah, he gets what those faggots are like" and a closeted gay person thinking "I can't be sure it's safe to come out here."

 

I know straight jokes, gay jokes, Canadian jokes, American jokes, Chinese jokes, Christian jokes, etc. etc. etc. There's nothing wrong with making light of something as long as you don't focus exclusively on one group--do you think any comedian has been successful without ever mocking anyone?

Your own quote makes a reference to gay stereotypes, and it's awesome! As I keep telling a woman I know--lighten up! The whole world isn't out to get you!

On that note--what's the difference between a teapot and a gay man? (makes "I'm a little teapot" hand motions) Not much!

 

Making jokes about different subcultures is a dangerous thing. I vastly prefer humor that's based on the innate human condition. However, when a joke is told about a subculture, it's very important to consider the power differential. That is, is the joke being told by the oppressed about their oppressors*, by the oppressors about the oppressed, by a member of the same group it's about, or by two groups that have no real connection?

Gay jokes fit either the second or third category. Always, people either have straight privilege or they don't. When they fit the second category they are inherently offensive, when they fit the third they can be problematic if they play on certain stereotypes.

Gay jokes reinforce homophobia**. They make it seem more acceptable, and this is even true when they're told ironically (i.e. being made with the understanding that they don't "really" hold that belief). I don't necessarily find them offensive, but I do find them contemptible.

*"Oppression" shouldn't be taken literally. It's a shorthand for talking about having or lacking power or privilege.

**And jokes about women reinforce sexism and misogyny.

 

I joke about myself and gays all the time... So do my friends, and I'm okay with it because I know they aren't really homophobic.

 

I think most of them are funny, as long as they're used in good humour, as opposed to making the jokes purely as an insult. My blunt opinion is that if you are offended by a gay joke, simply because it makes fun of gay people, you're not secure enough about your sexuality. Being insulted by a joke when the person telling it is trying to make gays look bad and trying to insult people, that's different, but to me its about tone.

That being said....Two condoms are walking down the street and they pass a gay bar, one condom says to the other "Do you want to go inside and get shitfaced?"

 

I've posted this article again, but it has relevance here: Intent! It's Fucking Magic!. This passage is about race jokes, but applies equally well to gay jokes:

Emphasis added because that last line is the most important. Gay jokes create an environment where homophobia is seen as more acceptable. It doesn't matter what your intent is when you tell them.

 

I don't feel safe at all around people who make gay jokes, but I do think that there's a difference if the person making the joke is gay - I don't think I mind that as much.

Similarly, I find it hurtful when people make jokes about Jewish people, but I don't mind as much when it's someone like Jon Stewart because he's Jewish himself.

 

I'm not fond of them. As others have said, whatever the intent is, it makes homophobia more acceptable.

 

What about gay puns?

Did you hear about the Irish gay couple, Patrick Fitzgerald and Gerald Fitzpatrick.

 

hahaha, I usually don't like puns but that was pretty good.

 

I'm somewhere in between "I don't care," and "they're offensive." While I have a sense of humor, I'm just not sure it falls into what I find funny. I guess it also depends on who is telling it. If a homophobic person were making these jokes, I'd be offended. If the person making the joke is unassuming or gay themselves, I would definitely be on the "I don't care" side.