College football star, Michael Sam - potentially the first publicly gay NFL player?

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

We're born insecure about our nakedness.

No, we're not. Young children tend to have no inhibitions about nakedness. They're only taught to feel shame about it by adults as they grow older.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

There's no one saying that.

Getting naked in front of strangers is difficult for MOST people to begin with. If you add in the fear that someone who likes looking at naked men/women might actually peak, it increases. How can people not see this?

I get what your saying but a couple of things:

1) Women/Men change in different rooms primarily, I would say, out of safety concerns.

2) I think when you ask a straight man "would you feel comfortable changing in front of women" the answer would only be no if the man was hoping to have that person find them desirable. If I'm not gay, and a gay man judges my body, does it really matter what he thinks? No more than a straight person. But if you're a straight man and an attractive woman thinks you're unattractive, I think that's much more damaging to the ego. But damage to someone's ego is really not a reason to cast out a segment of society based on sexual orientation.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

I get what your saying but a couple of things:

1) Women/Men change in different rooms primarily, I would say, out of safety concerns.

2) I think when you ask a straight man "would you feel comfortable changing in front of women" the answer would only be know if the man was hoping to have that person find them desirable. If I'm not gay, and a gay man judges my body, does it really matter what he thinks? No more than a straight person. But if you're a straight man and an attractive woman thinks you're unattractive, I think that's much more damaging to the ego. But damage to someone's ego is really not a reason to cast out a segment of society based on sexual orientation.

Agreed

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

No, we're not. Young children tend to have no inhibitions about nakedness. They're only taught to feel shame about it by adults as they grow older.

Good point. The changes starts to happen around age 10.

[troutman]

Sometimes you hear people say that gay people aren't checking you out in the shower. Bob Mould wrote about that in his biography (he is the gay front-man of such bands as Husker DU and Sugar). He says he was checking you out, but that doesn't mean he would ever act on it. Nothing to worry about machos.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

I get what your saying but a couple of things:

1) Women/Men change in different rooms primarily, I would say, out of safety concerns.

I find the first point offensive. It implies that every man is a rapist. If anything coed change rooms are safer because more non rapists are around. For an assault to take place the locker room needs to have just the victim and just the rapist in it. This is much more likely in a women's change room than in a coed one. Its not like a rapist decides that he can't go into the women's change room because men aren't aloud there.

I think the fear of being judged by someone who is sexually attracted to you is reasonable in a change room setting. However the solution if you are uncomfortable is to change in one of the changing stalls rather than in the public areas. The onus is on the person who feels uncomfortable to solve the problem for themselves.

I also think the concept of gender based facilities is rather outdated.

[ernie]

I play on a co-ed tournament team down in these parts. Not every rink is set up with separate dressing rooms for women at the crappy little tournaments we go to. The result is we at times all change in the same room. It isn't a big deal. No one checks anyone else out because, well, we're freaking grown ups.

I've shared the locker room with gay guys before. Again, no one really checks anyone out because, well, we're grown-ups. We have a lesbian on our team and in rinks with male and female rooms the girls don't get all freaked up about changing with a lesbian because, well, they're all grown-ups.

So basically when I hear things about people being uncomfortable about such a thing the first thing that comes to mind is "grow up". And after that it's something that after a few times being in the same room very few who think they will care are actually going to care.

[Coys1882]

Seriously like being gay isn't hard enough in society - let them have this perk!!!

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by GGG

I find the first point offensive. It implies that every man is a rapist. If anything coed change rooms are safer because more non rapists are around. For an assault to take place the locker room needs to have just the victim and just the rapist in it. This is much more likely in a women's change room than in a coed one. Its not like a rapist decides that he can't go into the women's change room because men aren't aloud there.

I think the fear of being judged by someone who is sexually attracted to you is reasonable in a change room setting. However the solution if you are uncomfortable is to change in one of the changing stalls rather than in the public areas. The onus is on the person who feels uncomfortable to solve the problem for themselves.

I also think the concept of gender based facilities is rather outdated.

My point was that if you aren't sexually attracted to them, why do you care that you are being judged? Or more pointedly, if a gay man is judging your appearance, why do you care about his opinion more than a straight man judging your appearance?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

Seriously like being gay isn't hard enough in society - let them have this perk!!!

As long as mirrored sunglasses are outlawed for gays. I want to know I am pretty.

[Ark2]

Originally Posted by East Coast Flame

Are you that narcissistic to think that if a gay person sees you naked in the change room that they are just overcome with desire and have no decision to just jump your bones right then and there? Come on.....

How is feeling uncomfortable in this circumstance being narcissistic? I don't see how it is any different men and women having separate change rooms. You don't need to actually believe that someone would "jump your bones" to feel uncomfortable.

[PIMking]

the argument that a gay man seeing you naked will instantly jump your bones is about as good as Gun kill people on their own

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Ark2

How is feeling uncomfortable in this circumstance being narcissistic? I don't see how it is any different men and women having separate change rooms. You don't need to actually believe that someone would "jump your bones" to feel uncomfortable.

It's still completely beside the point though. They have the right to stand in the change room, and you (general, not YOU) being uncomfortable has no bearing on it at all.

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by ernie

I've shared the locker room with gay guys before. Again, no one really checks anyone out because, well, we're grown-ups. We have a lesbian on our team and in rinks with male and female rooms the girls don't get all freaked up about changing with a lesbian because, well, they're all grown-ups.

one club that I was on we had a black man that just joined the team after he got out of the army (airborne too) well after the first game I meet my fiancé and other WAGS and there is this ginger there. I've never met him before and I asked if he had a brother playing.

He replied, "my partner just played"
I didn't really know what to say, I think I looked like an idiot though. Meanwhile the black man walks out of the locker room and gives the guy a big hug. I was shocked, I was just sitting naked in the locker room next to him. It was at this point in my life that I realized how ignorant I was. He didn't want anything to do with me! that theory that all gay men will jump every straight mans bones was shattered.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by MattyC

It's still completely beside the point though. They have the right to stand in the change room, and you (general, not YOU) being uncomfortable has no bearing on it at all.

No one is saying anything different. It is beside your point maybe, but it is their point. It's a hurdle for many people. Silly? Yes. EVERYONE agrees here. It's still a normal feeling that many people are going to have to work through

[Ark2]

Originally Posted by MattyC

It's still completely beside the point though. They have the right to stand in the change room, and you (general, not YOU) being uncomfortable has no bearing on it at all.

I agree completely. If someone feels uncomfortable then that is their issue. My only point is that just because someone may feel uncomfortable, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are homophobic.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by PIMking

the argument that a gay man seeing you naked will instantly jump your bones is about as good as Gun kill people on their own

That makes no sense.

[Hockeyguy15]

Did you guys know Gaudreau likes Skittles a little too much?

Oh wait, wrong thread.

[PIMking]

Originally Posted by DuffMan

That makes no sense.

exactly...

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by PIMking

exactly...

I meant your comparison, not the outcome.