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ChickenSandwich

Is the skydiving community gay friendly?

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What does sexual orientation and falling out of the sky have in common. Absolutely nothing.
I have never gone to the dropzone thinking that I'm a heterosexual skydiver.
I've jumped with men who I would consider a little light in the loafers, but if your sexuality is on your mind, turning points at 120 mph, maybe you should be on the ground, anyway.

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I have never gone to the dropzone thinking that I'm a heterosexual skydiver.



LOL...:D I wonder if anyone else thought you were:D:D:D
When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

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thanks but, like i said . there are very few people in this sport who know i'm gay. they don't make gay jokes and they don't tolerate them, either.



That's too bad. Nothing is beyond a good joke. Lighten up, you take yourself and your sexual preference way too seriously. It's sex. It's supposed to be fun, not a political stance.

If, in the interest of correctness we are reduced to only telling jokes that are sure not to offend ANYONE IN THE ENTIRE FUCKING WORLD, the only humor we would be left with is the weak shit inside Laffy Taffy wrappers.

I personally enjoy the shit out of jokes about white male 50-something guys. Fucking hilarious.
" . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

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If, in the interest of correctness we are reduced to only telling jokes that are sure not to offend ANYONE IN THE ENTIRE FUCKING WORLD, the only humor we would be left with is the weak shit inside Laffy Taffy wrappers.



I find taffy's gooiness offensive. :|
Stupidity if left untreated is self-correcting
If ya can't be good, look good, if that fails, make 'em laugh.

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Is this website gay friendly?

www.gayskydiving.com

You'd have to know who owns that website to see the humor behind it.

Yes, ASC.
Yes, the owners of the infamous Skyride.
Yeah, the irony.

That's why I spent over $100 (a few hundred totally, actually) in Google ads when I designed www.rainbowskydive.com back in 2006, to couter-weight Skyride. Google searches kept ranking that ASC URL too high. That way when someone searched "gay skydiving", at least the RainbowSkydive.com website would at least come on the first page, as a paid advertisement.

Fortunately, google searches for "gay skydiving" (and similar phrases) now bring up the Rainbow Boogie site on the first page of Google search results nowadays, usually in the top 4 results. No need for paid Google ads just to show up on the first page of results, thankfully. :)
Note: Rainbow Boogie was heterosexual-friendly too :)
(freakyrat et cetra, do you remember if there was any bonfire jokes at Rainbow Boogie 2006?)

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Perhaps this is from my own experiences in life and I'm bringing them with me, or it's from my own experiences in life and I'm seeing them once again.


But that being said, as a gay man why should I continue to surround myself with people that think that my life is a joke?


Seriously, if I were to out myself at your dropzone, would you automatically not want to jump in the same plane I was in?



I've been following this thread since the beginning. Here goes:

If you have what it takes to gear up, get on the plane and jump, then I'll go out the door with you anytime, anywhere. If you jump, most people at the DZ will accept you for you.

I surround myself with skydivers that think life itself is a joke. The favorite sport is finding "sacred cows" and going cow tipping. No one is safe. Everything is fair game for jokes. Ethnicity, professions, disabilities, you name it.

One question- How do you think recovering alcoholics feel? There are some here on DZ.com, how do you think they feel about the strong alocohol/drug culture prevalent in skydiving?
I know a couple at my DZ, and they know it's part of the deal. They think skydiving is important enough to put up with it. And although they occasionally have to turn down a beer, rarely is it from anyone who knows them, and very rarely are they given any grief about it.

I don't know how much you are willing to put up with to keep jumping, that's your choice. I love jumping enough to put up with quite a lot. But as you asked in the original question, how much of this is baggage you are bringing with you?
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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It seems to me that the OP is more concerned about his social status on the DZ than the sport itself. Newsflash!! There will always be people that don't feel they fit in due to their sexual oreintation, religious beliefs, physical appearance, etc.. Although it probably has less to do with this and a WHOLE lot more with how they present themselves. If someone is easily offended by low brow humor and the like, then hanging out at the DZ after-hours is probably not for them. I don't however see it as a reason to give up the sport.
"No cookies for you"- GFD
"I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65
Don't be a "Racer Hater"

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Easy answer first: I'd have no issue jumping with you, as long as you aren't some raging ass hole or an accident waiting to happen.
As others have said, the skydiving community is probably about as gay friendly as the rest of the US. You'll find some people who are completely tolerant, some people who think being gay is icky but would still jump with you, and some people who are just raging homophobes.
The best way I can think of to cut down on the homophobia at your drop zone is to come out to them (though I recognize that's not exactly something to be done lightly). People will call others "retard" like it's going out of style, but if a retarded person or their parent is nearby, they'll probably watch what they say. If the people telling gay jokes around the bonfire and wishing gay people death suddenly found that they knew and were friends with a gay person, that might cause them to think again about their point of view and realize that things like gay jokes and Prop 8 affect real people, and not just some marginalized community that they have no interaction with.
Just my two cents. Good luck finding some more tolerant people to jump with.

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Sorry getting to this thread late. But honestly man in the US environment especially after 9-11 I have heard my share of some pretty ignorant shit around the bone fire. Most people can not tell where I am from.

Just let it go, and also remember the guys sitting there saying something is just talking shit. Most of the people who do say some dumb shit are actually nice people. The only time I ever had to say something was when someone directly asked me how I felt about those damn sand niggers and towel heads. I just said well I happen to be one of them and just walked away. Next day he said sorry and I immediately excepted.

There is a huge difference between someone who actually means harm or has hate then guys just talking shit.


On a side note: The person I am talking about passedaway(none skydiving related) very shortly after this incident. I was very happy that every thing was immediately smoothed over. Him for being big enough to apologize and me for not holding a grudge shaking his hand and letting shit go.

If skydiving teach us one thing its that life is way to short and unpredictable.
I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not." - Kurt Cobain

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...But honestly man in the US environment especially after 9-11 I have heard my share of some pretty ignorant shit around the bone fire.

Nice Darius....the Bone fire. :ph34r:


that's the kinda mistake you just can't fudge.















OK, it was a 1-liner I just couldn't pass up.

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