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Am I the only one who cannot stop thinking about LGBT issues?

Discussion in 'General Support and Advice' started by Skaros, Jun 18, 2014.

  1. Skaros

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    Uh, sometimes I wish I was straight not because I want to be like everyone else. But because I just don't want these constant thoughts about everything and anything that has to do with homosexuality.
    Someone says something homophobic? I'll be thinking about it for a while.
    Someone says something supportive of gay people? I'll be thinking all the time about how great of a person he/she is.
    Someone has a rainbow anything? I'll be thinking about whether or not it represents the LGBT community or if it's just a rainbow without any homosexual representations.
    Someone who I think if gay? Someone who I know is gay? I will be thinking about that person and evaluate everything about them. (Not in a sexual way!)
    I hear something on the news about LGBT rights? It will be on my mind for days!
    I hear an LGBT song? It will be stuck in my head! No matter what genre!

    Every day I think about homosexuality and everything to do with it! I can't stop thinking about it, it really is starting to take me over. I feel like it just wares me down and makes me so paranoid about everything!

    What have you guys done to help keep your mind off this topic in general? I just don't want to spend this much time thinking about LGBT issues... Every hour of every day I will have at least some thoughts about homosexuality.
     
  2. Andrew99

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    I have the same problem :dry:
     
  3. PatrickUK

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    It's not just you.

    I wouldn't say I think about LGBT issues all the time, but I do quite often and I've volunteered a lot of my own time to the wider cause over the years. It's an innate part of who we are, so of course we are going to show more than a passing interest.
     
  4. Argentwing

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    With the exception of ever wishing I was straight (I frickin' love being bi/polysexual) I'm sort of the same way. It comes of as perfectly normal to me though, because obviously LGBT issues are important to us in a very direct and immediate way.
     
  5. user123456

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    Well your profile says you are still coming to terms with your sexuality. Then it is completely natural, you need to become comfortable with yourself.

    I for example absolutely hate my circumcision, because of the reduced sensitivity and function, and also because it is very uncommon where I live to be circumcised. When I was younger I was terrified by it. Everytime anything even remotely related to a foreskin or circumcision was mentioned, I would have to think about it constantly. And it's still happening to a degree. For example, friends were joking about trying to use their frenulums instead of their index fingers for unlocking a laptop. I just had to leave the room.
     
  6. Kai LD

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    Any time that you find yourself trying to not think about something that means it matters to you. That's why I feel massive sympathy to people unhappy with their body image. If I hear about that in any way I ponder the topic for some time.
     
  7. Candace

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    I mean, I guess it's because deep down you want to be the same as everyone else. We all do. So whatever it is that champions for whatever you believe in, then of course it'll resonate with you. You're just really passionate about this subject, of course, and are very intent on doing something about it :slight_smile:.
     
  8. HTBO

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    I think it's natural to feel this way. Find a way to channel these thoughts into an activity of some sort such as volunteering in some way. I have thought about LGBT issues so much that I have changed my research interests (I'm a grad student) to this area. And since I decided to do that I feel much more peaceful and I feel like I have found a way to contribute somehow rather than obsessing about everything LGBT. Actually, EC has been helped me in deciding this because I realized how much homophobia prevents people from coming out and how painful it is in the closet. I knew this before, but I don't think it really hit me until I came here and began talking to people here and reading threads about all the difficulties that our community faces. I have also met people outside of here who don't want to tell family or friends because of homophobia and I see the pain this causes. Hopefully I can contribute in a positive way someday.
     
  9. indie

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    I sometimes overthink things too, well..I overthink a ton of stuff A LOT of the time actually.. :slight_smile: :slight_smile:) When I overthink something, I do a hobby that I love to do like dancing, and the activity most of the time helps me to focus on something else like just simply enjoying being alive. :slight_smile:)))
     
  10. YuriBunny

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    Same here!
     
  11. Budweiser

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    I'm mostly straight, and it's possible I really am 100% straight but just curious for now. The same exact things happen to me, so even if you were straight, you probably wouldn't escape it! I think about it all the time, too. It keeps me up at night.

    What made me feel better, was reading this https://medium.com/matter/the-racism-beat-6ff47f76cbb6 It's a VERY interesting read, and it shows how these social issues can really do a number on a person, so you're not alone by a long shot.
     
  12. Really

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    It could also be the "power of suggestion". ie. Now that the topic has entered your consciousness, you notice it everywhere.
    This happened to me when I worked at a movie theatre and someone mentioned to me that they used to go to the movies all the time when they were pregnant because it was air-conditioned and they were so hot during the summer. After that, all I would see was pregnant women. Obviously, they were there before but I never noticed until the topic came up.
     
  13. Stridenttube

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    How long have you been out? I had this same issue when I was still fresh out of the closet. Everything is constantly on your mind and it almost seems as if everything in your life revolves around you being gay. Almost everyone has this issue within the first couple of years after coming out to themselves and family members. I'll admit I thought these thoughts that you talk of would never go away when I had this issue. It became very tiring and I felt as if all normalcy in my life was lost.

    It eventually will fade and you will think about it less and less. Everything will feel normal again and being gay will matter about as much as what you ate for lunch yesterday. Just give it some time and try to find a hobby you like to keep your mind occupied. This will keep your mind focused somewhere else and will leave you less mentally exhausted.
     
  14. eternallyapril

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    I think that a lot of that went through my mind constantly when I first came out, but the intensity seems to have lessened.
     
  15. Dakeli27

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    I don't try to keep my mind off it, I just move on after thinking about it for a minute. I totally relate with what you said, though.
     
  16. TheStormInside

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    Um, yes, I definitely have the same problem. I'm prone to obsessive thoughts in the first place, so this subject matter seems to have taken over my brain. It's really difficult. I find getting out and doing things with people can help take your mind off of things. Also undertaking other hobbies, like watching favorite shows, reading, anything else that occupies your mind to a certain extant.

    Like some others have said, I suspect since you are still in the thick of it so to speak it all still feels very intense right now. Once you're fully out and being gay just becomes one other fact about yourself among many other aspects of you you may find the obsession starts to fade off a bit. Questioning and coming out are intense and deep self-explorative processes, and in many ways can be life changing, so it's unsurprising that it would be on your mind a lot.
     
  17. Princess Danica

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    Yeah I think about LGBT issues alot, sometimes I stay off here for a couple days to get away from it and let my brain take a break.
     
  18. Nychthemeron

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    No. I think about LGBT+ issues every day. Sure, there are other things to think about, but a lot of my friends and myself are about of the community, and to see them being mistreated makes my blood boil.

    In fact, someone used 'gay' as an insult today. I wanted to yell at him, but people were around and someone immediately replied, so I couldn't get in any words. This wasn't the first time, though, and I fucking swear, if he does it again, I'm going to go off on him so bad, I don't give a single fuck about what my parents say.
     
  19. Damien

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    Hi Skaros,

    don't worry about it, because straight folks think about sex all of the time, as well. Well not all but for most, it's a near-constant underlying obsession. That's just part of the human experience. So being a member of a group that is, to be honest, a minority as compared to the rest of the population, it is understandable we might be seeking validation and a sense of belonging, thus the interest many of us have in lgbt issues in general. I just picked up the lgbt 'newspaper' for my local city while I was at my counselling session, and I too find it absorbing reading...and very well-written, too.
     
  20. Fallingdown7

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    Nope, I'm in the same boat