May 28, 2013
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Report # 1006
Hey everyone, I hope that you’ve all been having a great start to the week. The weekend went by pretty quickly for me and I didn’t really do much of anything. I vacuumed the house and aside from there I just studied French for a bit, watched more episodes of Cachito de Cielo and ran with Parker and walked with Molly. I think next week I will start writing another story in Spanish to keep up with my writing as well. Even though I’m always typing with people in Spanish on Skype, it would be great to get some more practice. Considering that I’ve just been zooming quickly through online french lessons, I think I’ve picked up quite a bit in almost two weeks, so the site works. Anyone interested in trying out a new language should definitely check it out; www.duolingo.com
It’s still been quite cool and wet here over the last few days, so really not very nice weather for the end of May. The last few years have been very similar with May and June really not providing much amazing weather, though we did have that amazing start to the month this year. Before work yesterday morning I called the corn place I worked at for one day and asked about my cheque and I was told they have it there but since I live so close they really don’t want to mail it. The office there isn’t open past 5:00 pm and not on weekends either, so hopefully my dad will be able to pick it up on Friday. I believe I will get my first cheque from my office job on Friday as well, so for the first time in a long, long, long time I’ll actually make some money from working.
Unlike almost all of my previous job, this company pays twice a month, on the 15th, and 30th, or whatever Friday falls closest to those days. Usually I would get paid every other Friday, but I suppose it doesn’t really make much of a difference. After work I headed home, stopping at Tim hortons along the way, and that was it for the day. I did want to go running, but seeing as it was pouring rain I just didn’t bother. Yesterday went by incredibly fast at work, so while it’s not the most interesting job in the world, it always keeps me busy, there is really no stress at all, and everyone has been very friendly and helpful, so there are certainly some nice things about working there. I’ve now worked five days, and I’ve learned the majority of the things that I’ll need to know, but there are still a few more things to learn.
I’ve always thought of Canada as a pretty progressive country for the most part, but of course we have many small towns across the country where there are unfortunately some very closed minded people. Last month I read a story about a restaurant called Pots N’ Hands, located in the small town of Morris, Manitoba, shut down due to the homophobic comments the owners received. Basically everything was fine and people enjoyed this restaurant, but when some people found out the owners were gay, they decided to voice their opinions. And these people didn’t just say what they believed, they spewed out some very hateful homophobic things.
Now if people don’t agree with the gay lifestyle for whatever reason, that is their choice, whoever it is 100 % wrong to be spewing hateful and homophobic messages. If anyone who had ate at that restaurant was seriously bothered by the fact that the owners were gay, they could have just silently stopped going there and taken their business elsewhere. Of course I think that is an absolutely ridiculous reason to stop going to a restaurant someone likes, but if someone is that against the gay lifestyle, I could see why they would do that.
Clearly though a lot of those clients, and probably numerous people who just live in the town and never ate there to begin with chose to be horrendously cruel and homophobic and say some extremely hurtful things. All I can say is that it’s very sad there are people out there who harbour so much hate towards certain types of people just because they live their lives differently.
In my opinion homophobic people are no better than racist people…. they are both equally intolerant, equally hateful, and equally ignorant. Yet there are no laws saying someone can’t be racist or homophobic, but certainly saying such mean spirited and hateful comments is a form of extreme bullying. I believe anyone responsible for starting up this kind of hate should be charged with inciting hateful propaganda.
What were some of the comments said ? Well here is a little sample:
“They should get the hell out of here. I don’t really like them – the service and who they are.”
In response to the owners sexuality:
“A lot of people don’t like it. You don’t know what they’re doing in the kitchen.”
While the first comment is just extremely homophobic and hateful, the second comment is more stupid than anything else. What they’re doing in the kitchen ? They are cooking ! I don’t think gay chefs would be doing anything different in the kitchen than straight chefs. So not only is there a lot of hate coming from people, there might be even more stupidity. The hateful losers making these comments are so blinded by hate they don’t even think before they talk.
This isn’t even the first time the restaurant owners, two men who are a couple, have experienced this sort of homophobia. Previously they had operated a restaurant elsewhere, and they experienced the same sort of thing. From the sounds of it, a lot of people were very supportive, but with the vocal minority being so full of hate, it was just understandably too much to go through for the restaurant owners.
And I can understand 100 %, when they are getting comments about what they are doing in the kitchen, and other customers thinking they could get a disease or something from eating off of one of their plates. So while it’s a minority of the people, they have been very vocal, and it’s unfortunate they have made the lives so hard for two people just doing what they enjoy, preparing food and running a restaurant. The homophobic and hateful losers should all be ashamed of themselves, though they should be even more ashamed by how stupid they are based on the comments they’ve made.
Stories like this show me that no matter how far the world has come in terms of acceptance towards gays and lesbians, there is still a long, long, long ways to go towards full equality and understanding of the lifestyle. As I said in the beginning, no one has to agree with the gay lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean they have a right to be hateful and say homophobic things. That is verbal assault and bullying and personally I think those people involved in making such comments should be given a strict warning, and if they continue, be charged.
There have been some good people in the community of Morris, Manitoba who have really felt for the owners of Pots N’ Hands. As shown by the following comments:
“There’s a couple of village-idiot rednecks, young fellas that when they grow up they’ll understand how their vicious tongues can hurt people.”
“It’s so unfortunate because it’s not what our little town is about. It’s certainly absolutely not what the majority of people’s feelings are in this town.”
It’s very sad this has happened, that people have been small-minded enough to make them feel unwelcome. It certainly doesn’t reflect well on the community.” – Morris mayor Gavin van der Linde
And the owners had this to say with everything that has happened:
“We were very hurt by it. Some of the narrow-minded things that have been said to us are absolutely shocking.”
“It’s been very difficult for us. It’s got to the point of being out of control by this certain group of people. This has been a very difficult decision. I cannot tell you how this affected us on so many levels.”
So as everyone can see, words can, and they do hurt. And in this case, they have led to the closing of a restaurant, which for the most part was enjoyed by people. Despite a number of people in the community of Morris coming together to eat at the restaurant to show their support, it was all too much for the owners and they decided to close shop. As people have said, this doesn’t reflect well on the community of Morris, nor does it reflect well on society in general. So shame on all of those homophobic and hateful losers. I hope they one day will mature and realize just how horrible they have been. And I don’t say those words lightly… they were absolutely horrible those people making those comments.
As the world continues to become more open minded and accepting, stories like this show us all just how much further we still have to go. For the next question:
What did you think of this story ? Would you eat at a restaurant if you knew the owners were gay, why or why not ?
That’s all I have for today ! I hope that everyone enjoys the rest of the week. Take care and I’ll talk to you all on Friday, bye for now.
sources: Winnipegfreepress.com. Gay owners to close restaurant. By Mike McIntyre. April 2, 2013.
nationalpost.com. Homophobic insults force gay restaurant owners in small Manitoba town to close up shop. By National Post and Canadian Press staff. April 3, 2013
Comments (5)
I think people’s sexuality is not anyone’s business but their own- not the government, not the press, not the neighbor. Now if you’re going to flaunt it- straight, gay or otherwise (as long as it isn’t hurting anyone)- you can expect it to be commented upon, but if you’re just going about your life then it shouldn’t be something that causes you discrimination.
I hated getting paid like that! It seemed like I got less money. Actually, you do get less money because of the Fridays that have five in a month. I really don’t care to know about another person sexuality unless it directly effects me. The only way it would effect me would be if I was in a relationship with you. Swing how I have only been in one sexual relationship into life and I am now married to that person! Your sexuality isn’t a big deal. As far as eating at a place that is own or had gays working for it is not a big deal either. As long as you are clean we are cool.
If you put your sexuality out there that’s is your choice. However, if it is commented on remember your pit your business out there.
i believe that everyone has right to do whatever they want to do but without hurting or harming others, those homophobic people have no right to say such bad words. none ever can create himself, those gays and lisbians are naturally homosexual. so narrow-minded people have to shut up their mouths because they are ignorants. does straight man can act like straight man ??? NO!! so why they want homosexual to act like straight people?
—–scientifically——
the scientific explanation for homosexual behavior
Unfortunately, there is not yet a conclusive study which tell us exactly what causes homosexuality. Many studies show correlations, but there is not an accepted scientific consensus on the cause of homosexuality.
All credible scientific organizations state that sexual orientation is influenced by biological factors and environmental factors (scientifically speaking, the hormonal environment of the womb is considered an “environmental factor’), and that it cannot be changed, as it is innate and set at birth.
In studies with twins, researchers have found that far more of them are likely to share the same sexuality than with siblings that do not share the same DNA; however, the number falls short of 100%. These results show that there is a high correlation with a person’s genetic makeup and their sexuality. Neurologically speaking, gay men tend to have brains similar in structure and function to that of straight women, and lesbians tend to have brains similar to straight men. Certain neurological responses, like the startle response, also show this correlation. The same is also present in other species (yes, many animals exhibit bisexual or even primarily homosexual behavior.) There have been other trends documented, such as the fact that the more older brothers a boy has, the more likely he will identify as gay, and this is true even when the boy is not raised with his older brothers. Gay men are also more likely to be left-handed. The ratio of the length of the index finger to the ring finger, which is caused by hormones in utero and does not change as one grows older, also shows correlations between gay men and straight women, and lesbians and straight men. Some theories include that the hormonal balance of the womb, which influences sex development (whether or not the child is a boy or girl or intersex), influences a child’s predisposition to a certain sexual orientation.
If a female and a male are twins, sometimes the testosterone from the male affects the female embryo’s development. Females thus affected are more likely to develop lesbian tendencies than other females. Considering the 26th pair of chromosomes in humans, due to particular rare genetic factors, some people born with XX chromosomes become males as opposed to females and some people born with XY chromosomes become females as opposed to male. These people are more likely to exhibit homosexual behaviour.
So “nature” determines one’s overall predisposition to a certain orientation, but “nurture” (the environment and experiences of one after birth) may influence other aspects of one’s sexual preference, like ideal traits in a partner, fetishes, etc. However, this is a highly complex question, and there is still much more research to be done. Scientific studies on different aspects of this question are being released all the time in journals.
As far as why homosexuality is a healthy trait for a species (and is thus encountered in nearly every animal species on our planet), there are several theories, but to make this point one needs to clarify the difference between a survival behavior and a cultural behavior.
For instance, in current United States culture one of the larger causes of teen suicide is the hatred and rejection shown to homosexuals. This is a cultural behavior. The current United States culture chooses to show disdain and pass judgment on people who have a sexuality outside the cultural norm. This results in some teenage homosexuals committing suicide. Homosexual behavior in a society that has not condemned or sanctioned sexual behavior is considered normal and entertaining. This is still true in some modern countries and tribes, but the culture that most people will be familiar with is that of the ancient Romans and Greeks.
The Greeks believed that men who were in love would fight more fiercely for one another and honored their love in poems and theater. The most famous of these pairings was between Patroclus and Achilles in Homer’s Illiad. Their culture believed that love was plural and that a man should love his wife and his friends. By their standards, someone who was only interested in women or only interested in men would be strange (though not despised).
So the scientific explanation may simply be as simple as this: Our bodies have evolved to give us pleasurable feelings when we enact the act of reproduction whether it be to reproduce or not. Therefore, the scientific explanation for homosexual behavior is the same reason for heterosexual behavior or masturbation. . . it feels good. That is not a flippant or intentionally funny answer either. Most human behavior can be reduced to two main goals: avoiding pain and seeking pleasure.
As with all aspects of human nature, the origin of homosexual behavior must stem from evolution. Evolution leads to instinct, which in turn leads to the experiences of pleasure (to encourage us to do things) and pain (to ensure we do not harm ourselves). Although homosexual behavior has been observed among many species of animal, it is primarily (if not exclusively) found among social animals. So it fair to assume that being a social animal allows for homosexuality to exist as others within social groups as others can continue the species’ survival. Within social groups there can be diversity, and this diversity can boost a species’ survival.
Human sexuality differs also from, say, a dog. A male dog would not be aroused by a female bitch unless she is in ‘heat’. Humans do not follow this pattern of behavior as straight men may find women attractive even when they are not ovulating at the time. In fact, only three species on Earth have heterosexual sex outside the ‘optimum’ period for reproduction: chimpanzees, dolphins and humans; these three species are often regarded as the most ‘intelligent’ species on the planet. This indicates that some time in our evolutionary past a ‘break’ occurred between sex and reproduction and this proved, from an evolutionary point of view, highly successful.
So it is possible to see that homosexuality was part of a broader evolutionary past and this led to the richness of diversity of human nature today, of which one of the results was homosexuality.
i made a mistake,in the third line,…. i meant ( does straight man can act like homosexual man ??? NO!! so why they want homosexual people to act like straight people?
Oh wow… The people’s reaction to the gay owners is sick and very sad. Ignorant close minded people. I don’t get it.
I apologize for the short comment. I still have to use my phone and I suck on xanga!