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Sexual preference vs. orientation

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Pie, Sep 13, 2014.

  1. chrisyboy

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    The work preference (My preference is to drive rather than to take the bus) has connotations of choice but no it wouldn't offend me.
     
  2. Nychthemeron

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    EDIT: Well, Chrisyboy brought up a good point, never mind.

    I prefer - uh, no pun intended - the term 'sexual orientation,' but 'sexual preference' doesn't really bother me too much.

    But, if you call a gay man's sexual orientation a sexual preference, then it's like implying he can be attracted to women, which is not necessarily true. It's the same with every other 'monosexual' (AKA, not bisexual, pansexual, etc) person.

    Now, if you're talking about, say, a bisexual woman who likes women more than men, but still feels attraction to men, then I think it will be appropriate to call it 'sexual preference' - because it's not a choice, but she's still capable of attraction towards men.

    My two cents, anyway.
     
  3. Pret Allez

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    Your teacher said we should have legal equality. There are people who want to kill us, in the United States, right here and now. And you're reacting to preference versus orientation?

    Sure, it's technically wrong: my sexual preference is often, and my sexual orientation is bisexual.

    I don't think it's fair to attack the professor, who is already on our side but just doesn't know the right language.

    For all I care, your professor could have said "I believe in marriage equality and everything. Carpet munchers and fudge packers should have equal rights." My reaction would have been: :kiss:
     
  4. stocking

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    I love your two cents :icon_bigg never saw it like this .
    @ Pret
    I work with someone that loves to bash gays and probably kill them he said he hates gay people that much and will hurt them if they look at him .
     
    #24 stocking, Sep 13, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2014
  5. Chiroptera

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    In bold: Exactly what i'm thinking.
     
  6. Nychthemeron

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    I honestly think OP was just trying to get a way to ask the question and give a little background. Yes, other things are happening, but why should that stop people from holding little discussions about these sort of things?

    It gets really upsetting really quickly if everyone just kept talking about people getting killed for being LGBT+. Things like these, although less dire, give us a breather from that.
     
  7. Pret Allez

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    I can definitely understand it can get upsetting to think that people do really cruel things to us, and that the full range of problems should be discussed. Sometimes, we can and should look at the simple things. However, I really just don't think a simple word swap of "orientation" instead of "preference" is going to deliver us from evil.
     
  8. Chiroptera

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    You get me wrong, i have nothing against discussions about the language. It is ok (and really constructive) to talk about this.

    However, what i'm saying is, on that background, on that situation, i think it isn't ok to attack the professor. As the OP brought that specific background, i think it isn't ok to attack someone verbally outside the LGBT community that already supports us just because they potentialy used the wrong word.

    It isn't about "giving a breather". People die because of orientation. If someone already supports equality, why the hell i'm going to attack that person? As i said, if you want to correct someone, do it privately, unless that person is talking shit.
     
  9. Nychthemeron

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    I may have missed something, but where in this thread did anyone attack the teacher?

    I definitely agree with you, that we shouldn't attack people for using the wrong term. Everyone makes mistakes and you can't expect everyone to know everything - but I'm just confused on where this was, or if you were just bringing it up as an example.
     
  10. Pret Allez

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    Pie indicated that being asked/corrected about the word caused the teacher to be uncomfortable. There's a possibility that discomfort was remorseful (being sorry for having hurt LGBT students in the class), but it's also possible that it could have been a fear of losing control of the classroom (by having students attack and derail the lesson over the word choice).

    Whether or not an "attack" occurred, the teacher might have perceived one, and I'm just questioning whether this was a necessary "battle to have."
     
  11. Nychthemeron

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    Oh, I see. Yeah, I get that.
     
  12. Wuggums47

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    I don't like sexual preference, but it's a better term than "sinful lifestyle choice".
     
  13. the haunted

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    This.

    And I'm not going to get butt hurt over a wording mistake. I don't blame people for not being aware of the things that are important to LGBTs if they themselves aren't LGBT. I get it. I know the world doesn't revolve around us. I still know what they mean by "sexual preference." I'm not one to make a mountain out of a molehill.
     
  14. ShadowSpirit26

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    I would just correct them and inform them that it is an orientation and not a preference.
     
  15. stocking

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    This
     
  16. newfish

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    This. I understand how it could seem like it implies choice, but in my book the terms are almost the same.
     
  17. bicomplicated

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    I would just be re-posting everything Chiroptera and Pret Allez had to say on the subject if I posted... I agree with their comments on this 100%. The teacher was clearly supporting equality. If you have a problem with the wording, speak to the teacher after class. Say something like ''I really want to thank you on your stand for equality for all. Your support means a lot. However, it might be better to use the term orientation instead of preference as to clarify that it isn't a choice. And thanks again for your stance for equality.'' That's what I would say.
     
  18. asdfghjk

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    i'm the philosophy teacher
     
  19. sldanlm

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    Is this a HS or college? Although I "prefer" the term orientation over preference, I would've just glad to hear about equality in HS. If you'd had said something like that at the HS I went to, you wouldn't be a teacher very long.
     
  20. asdfghjk

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    *pulls collar* high school, this is high school....