We may assume that he means that he gets upset, when he sees two men walking hand in hand, or hugging or kissing. Why? The research indicates that heterosexual men do not generally get upset over such things, but men who are attracted to the same sex, but have deeply buried their feelings for men and persuaded themselves that those feelings are a sin or so do get upset. In other words they suffer from an internalised homophobia.
I think that is a little unfair. Just because someone says they don't want the lifestyle pushed in their face doesn't make them homophobic or closet gay.
I have no problem with people being gay, having gay pride parades, getting married, having all the same rights everyone else does or whatever they want but I also don't think it's appropriate to deliberately try to shock / disgust other which is what some few do - that is what I take having the lifestyle pushed in your face to mean. There's nothing wrong to say we don't like that - the fact is I don't like loud people in general or whoever it is doing what I consider to be inappropriate things in the wrong setting, gay or straight.
It's this militant / black-white / for-us or against-us type of rhetoric that really undermines sympathy in people's situation. When people go out looking to offend so they can claim they are being persecuted and unfairly treated if they succeed.
Just act like everyone else who honors the social norms. I don't care if two people walk down the street holding hands whether they are gay or straight. If I dislike a couple making out in public on a park bench it's not because of whether they are gay or straight, it's because I think it's inappropriate.
Equality is being treated equally which also means having your behavior judged just the same as everyone else.
My advice? Don't go to gay bars.
Exactly - there is a place for things and people should have the choice. Having people want to take that choice away is unfair and what many object to. That is what I consider the "in your face" to be - not giving people the option.
But that doesn't equate to being homophobic or condemning gay people's rights.
Does that mean that when my TV channel broadcasts shows like Holiday Reps (shows with lots of young drunk, vomitting, naked, straight people who have sex in the street and in nightclubs while throwing up over each other in various European holiday resorts) that they are forcing the heterosexual lifestyle in my face?
No, you get to chose the channel you watch so the "in my face" isn't quite the same but if it's in real life (i.e. not your choice) then I think it's inappropriate and I find such behavior repulsive whoever is doing it, not because of their sexuality but because they are being loud, self-centered and obnoxious. I just don't like people like that. It doesn't make anyone homophobic if they have the exact same opinion of gay people behaving in the same way.
