The Fruit Machine: Canada’s Controversial Attempt to Identify Homosexuals in the Public Service during the 50s and 60s

During the 1950s and 1960s, the Canadian government, military, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police utilized a technology known as “the fruit machine“. This machine was employed as a tool in their efforts to identify homosexual men in the public service. Individuals were required to watch adult content as the machine tracked changes in pupil size, sweat production, and heart rate.

“Was I Wrong to Tell My Childhood Bully (Who Is Transgender) That She Will Always Be the Boy Who Bullied Me?”

Just like you never forget your first kiss, you also never forget the bully (or bullies) that you had to deal with when you were growing up.

And this story of getting bullied has an interesting twist…which you’ll find out about when you keep on reading.

A person opened up on Reddit’s “Am I the *sshole” forum to share their story and ask for feedback.

Let’s take a look.

AITA for I telling my childhood bully (who is MtF transgender) that she will always be the “boy who bullied me”?

“When I was a in middle school, I was viciously bullied by this boy, who I’ll call Z. He spread rumors about me, called me stupid and useless every chance he got, and made school a living hell.

It’s been 12 years, and Z has since come out as MtF transgender. She messaged me over social media and asked to meet up. We went out for coffee, where she apologized for bullying me. It was along the lines of, “I’m sorry for being mean. I was young, and I was struggling with my gender identity.”

I thanked her for her apology. When she asked if she was forgiven, and I tried to avoid answering. I am still not over what she did to me. What Z did to me impacted me greatly, as I was a impressionable young girl. I struggled with self esteem for years afterwards.

Z started getting defensive. She told me that I was being petty and that I should forgive her. I told her, “Why? You will always be the boy that bullied me. An apology won’t change that.”

She got really offended when I said the word boy, and said that I was misgendering her. She called me a petty, transphobic, vindictive, and ignorant, then stormed out.

AITA?”

Here’s what Reddit users had to say about this situation.

This person said that it’s the memories that count, not what gender the individual is now.

Photo Credit: Reddit

And here’s a one-liner that people should keep in mind.

Take a look.

Photo Credit: Reddit

Another person made a good point. You don’t have to forgive people if you don’t want to. That’s completely up to each person.

Photo Credit: Reddit

A reader made a great point and argued that the bully is STILL bullying the writer now through these actions.

Take a look at what they had to say.

Photo Credit: Reddit

And another Reddit user had a very similar story to tell.

And they also chimed in about how the writer of this article has done nothing wrong.

Photo Credit: Reddit

And here’s a hot take.

This person said that “being transgender is seen as an excuse for anything and everything…”

Check out the rest of their thoughts below.

Photo Credit: Reddit

What are your thoughts about this situation?

Was this person in the wrong? Or were they totally justified in their actions?

Talk to us in the comments and let us know what you think. Thanks in advance!

The post “Was I Wrong to Tell My Childhood Bully (Who Is Transgender) That She Will Always Be the Boy Who Bullied Me?” appeared first on UberFacts.

LGBTQI People Talk About Homophobic Things People Have Said Without Realizing It

How many times have you heard someone say this?

“I’m not homophobic, but…”.

It’s like hearing someone say, “I’m not racist, but…”…and it never ends well, does it?

LGBTQI people went on the record and talked about how people said homophobic things and didn’t even really mean to.

Here are some true stories from folks on AskReddit.

1. A mess.

“I got a “haha it’s ok if you’re gay as long as you don’t hit on me like I’m not homophobic it’s just weird” from my coworker where the girl got convinced I was in love with her and started being really annoying about it and was gossiping about it behind my back to our coworkers about how obvious I was about being in love with her and how I stared at her all the time and was being creepy.

This was total bullsh*t, I barely paid attention to her in general, especially after the whole “don’t hit on me” thing. Our coworkers would tell her she was being an *ss and I wasn’t into her, and one eventually told me what she’d been saying, and so I started scheduling my shifts so I wouldn’t have to work with her.

She changed the narrative so that it was a “oh now she’s obviously heartbroken that I don’t feel the same way and is avoiding me” and one day when I was working a shift with her (I had picked up a shift for another coworker so they could go to a friend’s birthday party) before we opened, I overheard her telling the girl at take out that she wasn’t looking forward to having to work with me and get ogled.

I finally snapped and told her in front of half the staff to cut it out, because I wasn’t and had never been into her. I mentioned she wasn’t my type anyways and thought that was the end of it, but she accused me of lying and said I was obsessed with her, so I told her if anyone was obsessed, it was her because I got a text from a coworker nearly daily telling me what she’d said about me.

She later tried telling my manager that I was discriminating against her for being heterosexual.

It was a mess.”

2. Dorm life.

“In the dorm my freshman year of college, one of my floormates came out to a group of us as bisexual.

Another woman, a self proclaimed “gold star” lesbian, told her she can’t be bi because bi women don’t exist.

When asked to explain, she said, “Bi women are just sluts who haven’t found the right d*ck to satisfy them.” And then later defended herself to the RA by saying she can’t be homophobic since she’s a lesbian… yeaaah.”

3. Thanks a lot.

“My mother told me “I accept you and all, but sin is sin. So, you being gay is the same as you murdering people and I just can’t associate with that.”

Ok. Thanks mom.”

4. Nothing in common.

“I made it a point to never mix my personal life with my work life, and for good reason. It just gets complicated. I was a supervisor at work (very small amount of staff, around 6 of us total).

We were having a conversation about LGBT+ people and one of the employees said to me, blatantly, he didn’t approve of two guys being together.

Being a gay male (he didn’t know this & I’m very masculine so people generally never have any idea), I was curious to see where this would go. So I asked “what about two women being together?”

He of course didn’t have any issue with that at all. My followup was “Two women being together is fine, but two men being together is not? Why?”

His answer: “I just don’t have anything in common with gay guys. I don’t think we’d get along.”

For years I’ve been kicking myself for keeping my mouth shut. I wanted to say: “Well… we’re not going to get along now even though we both have the same job.””

5. Mother.

“My mother is one of those homophobes. She’s okayish with gay people but god forbid one of her own children is bi, apparently it’s now the worst thing in the world.

We were watching tv one time when two girls kissed, and she visibly cringed and said “ew”.

Me: what’s the problem? I don’t see the problem.

Her: You don’t see a problem with two girls kissing? Me and your dad are gonna have to have a talk with you.. that’s wrong

Me: ?

Another time, I came out to just test the waters and they shut it down real quick. I told them I was joking, but it was still terrible because they were treating me like scum just for being bi. Needless to say, I hate my family.”

6. Wow…

“When there were last presidential elections in Finland we had a gay candidate.

My mother once said “I’m not a homophobe but I will move to Sweden if (the gay candidate) gets elected. I just can’t live in a country where the first lady would be a man.”

Both me and my other brother are gay.”

7. Get it out of your system.

“When I told my mom that I was bisexual and in a relationship with my best friend..and she said “Oh, that’s not even real. All girls do that. You just need to get it out of your system.

No Mom..all women do NOT have 4 year s*xual relationships with other women.

She just kept telling me that I hadn’t met the right guy yet, and I’d forget all about women once I met the right guy.

I don’t mind having s*x with men, but romantically? I’m definitely going for women. The best part is people who tell me I can’t be bisexual because I have a child. That always cracks me up.”

8. Not a choice.

“Had a conversation with some ex-neighbors (straight couple, nice people) who both studied to become teachers, we were all the same age, around 24 back then.

We often met for drinks and it was fun, at some point I mentioned something that gave away I was gay (something like “I texted with a guy” or something) and I actually assumed they knew, but the girl asked “oh you’re gay?” and she didn’t seem shocked just curious.

And it wasn’t a big deal and we kept talking and they seemed very cool and suddenly she asked “but when did you decide to become gay?” and I thought she was joking.

But she was dead serious. I tried to explain that that’s not really a thing but she insisted that it’s a choice and reversible. I was kinda in shock and we stopped hanging out then.

Was weird.”

9. But…

“Coworker said “I have nothing against gay people but the worst thing that could happen to me is if my son came out as gay”.

There are so many terrible things that could happen to your child, but you’re worried about him being gay?

I honestly feel sad for this child.”

10. Very rude.

“My “psychology” teacher in high school (mostly she just showed us the movie Sibyll) was told that I was an out lesbian and said, totally seriously, “huh. I thought only ugly girls went lesbian.”

She said this to my high school English teacher who was the only out gay faculty member at the time.

He told me later and we had a laugh about how much homophobes suck.”

11. That’s annoying.

“This definitely could be worse, but it’s still incredibly annoying.

When someone says “I think it’s fine that shows have gay characters, but I hate it when they have it for no reason.” Ah yes, because we all know that the universe made me a lesbian simply for character development.”

12. Hell awaits.

I started dating a woman, “Mary,” and my parents have always been fine with my sexuality. Mary’s father was great. Her mother locked herself in her bedroom for a week.

But still, the mother was outwardly kind to me (and I believe it was genuine). Until one day the phone rings and it’s the mother. Among other things I don’t remember, she said, in the sweetest voice, “I love you both dearly but you know, you’re going to hell!””

13. Wow.

“Worked in a nursing home, was one of the best CNAs there. RNs used to argue over whose wing I would get assigned for the day. I was going to school to be an RN, and my work ethic was extremely good.

I’d been there about 6 months when some coworkers announced they were going to the bar. (This was about 12 years ago, so LGBT+ were not accepted like they are today.) I was invited by a few of the CNAs I was friends with.

I wasn’t planning on getting drunk. I wasn’t even planning on getting buzzed, but I stayed too long, had too much fun, and loosened up quite a bit. One girl asked me why I was always so stand offish at work. Everything in me was screaming not to talk about it, but I did anyway.

New CNA, I didn’t realize at the time, was the head administrator’s daughter. She was sitting right beside me. I told everyone sitting around me that I was engaged to a woman, and I didn’t think anyone would like me if they found out.

The girl I was talking directly to didn’t have a problem with it. Told me I shouldn’t worry about what anyone else thought. Had fun the rest of the night. Called my fiance about an hour later, she picked me up. I sloppy kissed her in the parking lot.

Next day new girl was trying to tell everyone that I hit on her all night. Every person that was there disputed this. They all said I never even spoke to her. Didn’t matter. Fired by the end of the day.

Was told by someone who I was still friends with there, that new girl was bragging about getting the “dyk*” fired.

Now we want to hear from you.

Have you ever had any experiences like this?

If so, please tell us about them in the comments.

The post LGBTQI People Talk About Homophobic Things People Have Said Without Realizing It appeared first on UberFacts.

Chick-fil-A’s First Restaurant in the U.K. Is Already Closing

This is some bad news for popular chicken chain Chick-fil-A: less than a month after the fast food company opened its first location in the United Kingdom, it is already closing down.

The British shopping center where the restaurant has its only UK location has been pressured by an LGBTQ rights group called Reading Pride to rethink their decision to allow Chick-fil-A on the premises. And it looks like people behind the Oracle Shopping Center listened.

Chick-fil-A is known for its anti-LGBTQ attitudes, and it looks like some folks in Reading did not want to welcome the franchise to town. To show their feelings, groups protested outside the Oracle Shopping Center in Reading.

In 2017, Chick-fil-A donated over $1 million to anti-LGBTQ groups. The protests caused the shopping center to reverse course and not renew the lease for the restaurant after it had only been in business for a week.

A statement from the shopping center read as follows: “We always look to introduce new concepts for our customers, however, we have decided on this occasion that the right thing to do is to only allow Chick-fil-A to trade with us for the initial six-month pilot period, and not to extend the lease any further.”

Chick-fil-A has about 2,400 locations in the United States. In 2012,  said, “We are very much supportive of the family – the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that … We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families.”

So there’s no mystery where Chick-fil-A stands on this issue, in case you were wondering.

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These Historic Images Show That Gay Men and Women Have Always Existed, Just on the Downlow

A guy who goes by the name Father Nathan Monk has been collecting photos of gay couples from the past in an effort to highlight the struggles those people went through in eras when same-sex lovers weren’t allowed to marry or even to be together.

Monk said:

“I found the photos online through a couple of different posts. I shared them because I think it’s important to remember those that come before us, those that fought, and struggled to live their authentic life. I believe it’s important to be reminded that LGBTQ+ have always been part of society and always will be. That reality should be lovingly accepted instead of shunned and ridiculed.”

Take a look at these interesting photos.

1. From the past…

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

2. In the Navy.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

3. Serving their country.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

4. On the front steps.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

5. A discreet kiss.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

6. This one looks very old.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

7. In Idaho of all places.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

8. Out in public.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

9. Clearly in love.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

10. World War II era.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

11. All dressed up.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

12. On the beach.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

13. A great photo.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

14. I wish I could get a year on this one.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

15. From Russia with love.

Posted by Father Nathan Monk on Monday, March 18, 2019

Love is love!

And it always will be.

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A New Study Confirms That No Single ‘Gay Gene’ Controls Sexual Preference

A groundbreaking study recently published confirms that genetics can’t confirm if a person will engage in same-sex sexual behavior. The research showed that there is no single gene that controls sexual preference – instead, some genes play a tiny role in contributing to sexual behavior, with social and environmental factors determining the rest of the outcome. In other words, genes play small a role in sexuality, but there is no “gay gene.”

Researchers studied almost 500,000 people to come up with their results. Study author Ben Neale said, “This is is the largest and most thorough investigation into the genetics of same-sex sexual behavior to date.”

The study analyzed associations between the genes of people and same-sex behavior that the people reported. It’s important to note that these behaviors do not absolutely equate sexual identity. People who reported that they had same-sex encounters could be bisexual, gay, pansexual, etc.

The authors revealed that between 8% and 25% of same-sex sexual behavior in the study could be explained by genetics. The rest could be chalked up to environmental and social factors. Ben Neale said, “I think it underscores that there is an element of biology and it underscores that there’s an element of the environment. And it underscores that this is a natural part of our species.”

The authors of the study worked with LGBTQ advocacy groups to talk about the best way to reveal their work to the public, and they were mindful about what kind of message the results might send. There is still concern about potential backlash, however. Darren Whitfield, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh who studies LGBTQ health, said, “These things do have the potential to reinforce homophobia. It can reinforce the idea of any abnormality [connected] to same-sex attraction.”

Whitfield added that it’s important to consider what comes out of these studies and what’s next regarding this type of research. He said, “At the end of the day, we’re still looking for a genetic component for sexual behavior. The question I would have is—why? What is the purpose?”

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A High School Student Came out in His Valedictorian Speech and Was Greeted with Wild Applause

It takes a lot of courage to simply get up and speak in front of a large crowd of strangers. It really takes a lot of courage to come out as bisexual in a speech – especially in a valedictorian speech at your high school.

Which is exactly what a young man named Mason Bleu did when speaking at his graduation in New York City. During his speech, Bleu told the audience, for a “long time, I have struggled with my sexuality. I’ve dodged it and ignored it because I wasn’t proud of who I am. But today I’m changing that. I’m proud to be a bisexual man.”

In a Twitter post, Bleu said, “So I came out during my valedictorian speech. It was definitely the scariest thing I’ve ever done but the reaction was amazing. Thank you to everyone who supported me!”

The reaction from parents, friends, faculty, and fellow students: a standing ovation. Take a look at the video.

In a follow-up tweet, Bleu said, “The overarching theme of the speech was about being proud (it is pride month) so I decided that I couldn’t tell people to be proud of who they are when I was in hiding for so long. Anyways, I did this not only for me but for anyone else who has struggled being closeted.”

And Bleu followed up his big coming-out party with a trip to the New York City Pride parade.

 

And he offered up a sympathetic ear to anyone who needed to talk.

Good work, Mason! You’ve undoubtedly encouraged many young people to feel comfortable with they are and where they’re headed in the future.

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A Driver and an Elderly Woman Had a Surprisingly Deep Talk About Love and Sex

Taking a ride can sometimes be an adventure.

You never know what kind of conversation you’re gonna have when you take a ride in an Uber, Lyft, or a taxi. And on the flip side of that, the drivers don’t know what they’re going to get, either.

A Twitter user who works as a driver shared the story of an interaction she had with an elderly woman that shed a lot of light about love, sex, relationships, and life.

This is how the story began…

Wow. That’s quite an admission…especially to a stranger. But the old woman obviously needed someone to talk to and, for one reason or another, believed she could confide in her driver.

The story continued.

That’s a pretty incredible explanation. Perhaps this driver also moonlights as a writer in her spare time? The elderly passenger responded to the driver’s description of sex with a woman. She opened up and told the younger woman about her own life experiences and how she never felt fully satisfied with men.

 

The woman then talked about how she wished her generation would have had different attitudes and beliefs about sex and relationships. It’s interesting to think about how many people in her age group probably feel exactly the same way she does.

The senior citizen also told the driver that she and her best friend now live together.

The driver took the woman to her doctor’s appointment and scheduled to pick her back up when it was over. There’s no way that could have been the end of this story.

The driver returned and picked the woman up after her appointment and took her home.

And here’s the final tweet in the thread. And it is a good one.

Is that a tearjerker or what?

A beautiful story about love, life, and kindness.

Be good to each other!

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A Family of Four Accidentally Booked Tickets on a ‘Pride Flight’ and Had a Total Blast

If you suddenly find yourself into an unexpected situation, you might as well make the best of it and have a good time, right?

That’s exactly what happened when Kerry and Sean Powell and their two sons recently booked a flight from London to New York City. What the Powells didn’t realize when the booked the flight last September was that it was for Virgin Atlantic’s Pride Flight. The family found out a month after they booked the flight and decided to keep it anyway.

Fast forward to late June and the Powells found themselves on the trans-Atlantic flight hosted by TV star Tituss Burgess and featuring celebrities and drag queens. The flight was also staffed with Virgin Atlantic employees who identify as LGBTQ. And the Powells had a great time!

The kids sure look like they’re having a good time in that video dancing and listening to Lady Gaga. Kerry Powell said, “It was amazing. We knew what it was all about, it wasn’t a surprise. Everyone was so lovely to the kids.”

The flight coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots that took place in New York City in late June-early July 1969. The riots are seen as a turning point in the fight for gay rights in the United States.

The flight was such a big hit that Richard Branson announced that Virgin Atlantic will do the Pride Flight next year as well. I have a feeling that this will become an annual event for many years to come. Looks like a blast!

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15 Hilarious Responses to the “Straight Pride” Parade in Boston

That’s right, in case you haven’t heard, some people in Boston planned a “straight pride” parade in response to all the gay pride events taking place in June. It may be pride month, but you know how oppressed straight white men are in this country.

Here are some of the funniest reactions to the planned event.

1. Nailed it

2. Hahahaha

3. Pretty much

4. Nobody wants it

5. Looks like a blast

6. A humiliating defeat

7. Bros…

8. Can you spare some?

9. Boom

10. Sounds awesome

11. This is taking forever…

12. LOL

13. July is the best

14. Beige all day

15. Yes!

Sounds like it’s gonna be a real hoot!

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