UH-oh, combat boot, flannel shirt, baseball cap wearing guy with short blonde hair... Must be homophobic. Quick, delete the thread!
LOL
Anyway, even though I've not gay, I would like to give a little input.
My group claims to hetrosexual, but we have serious doubts about one person (mainly because we caught him with his lover once) but in a way, I'm digressing.
Despite being ex-military, a country-boy, and hetro, it's never bothered me to have homosexual people in my group. Some of my hetro players rp gay PC's. Why? Because it makes for an interesting PC.
While all of the others are hooking up with bar-maids or bards of the opposite sex, we currently have a paladin who looks for love with other men.
We've had homosexuality in the plot line (Must stop a rebellion against a fair and just king, whose enemies have whipped people into a frenzy about the "Prince Consort" to dethrone him) and in PC's lives (homosexual NPC's, PC's, ect)
Now, the only problem of late, has been the one (recently) rabidly anti-homosexual of the group. We're all hetro, and poke fun at everything (including each other), but this guy goes to far. Mainly because some of us know this guy is gay.
It's not like we cared, or like it was an issue, until he began the anti-homosexual comments, and told me that if I didn't get rid of all the homosexual references into the campaign (The wizard who had no idea that the paladin was gay, until he admitted both his sexual preference and his love for the mage with his dying breath, and now this wizard has become a lich and is desperately trying to bring back his beloved. The PC's are entreated by the soul of the deceased Paladin to stop the wizard in has madness, and force him to come face to face with his grief. The adventure we played out, in RAVENLOFT of all places!) he would quit.
Sorry, but I have to ask, what is this guys problem? We don't care about past, sexuality, or your private life, what gives this guy the percieved right to dictate terms to me?
Maybe you can explain it. In 20 years of gaming, and countless gamers (more than a few homosexual ones) I've never encountered anything like that. Even a guy who would freak if a homosexual propositioned him in real life doesn't get all bent out of shape over the adult theme of our game. Epic rp'ing involves dealing with uncomfortable issues as well as powerful foes.
So, to get back on the thread, I've noticed that homosexuality in gaming, or in a gaming group is usually dealt with in a much more mature manner.
Bob the hetrosexual players does not see Jim the recently admitted homosexual as just some gay guy on the street, but as Jim, the guy who plays thieves, and always has a plan to escape that's saved the party more than once. Martha isn't just some man-hater lesbian because she has a girlfriend, but an agressive fellow gamer who likes to play female paladins out to spread the word of her god.
For the most part, gamers recognise that sterotypes don't fit, and pigeonholing is sloppy thinking.
(And for the side note: I've done things I knew were wrong or evil, because they felt good, or I needed to. What did I do? None of your business. I know spend a lot of time doing penance by helping others. So I can name one. ME!! And what the hell does evil have to do with gay? Some of the most evil people ever were hetro!)
(Had to edit because I accidently forgot to finish a thought when I was dishing up dinner for the kids, and it looked really cruel toward people!)
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