@berticus
`generally i see 'the community' use things like "LGBT" but people even have problems with that.`

As I said in earlier discussions I prefer the term LGBT for the channel, even though a channel name change is not possible AFAIK. What problems do you refer to?
Maybe related to these?
http://science.videosift.com/talk/Bisuexual-Species

I´d rephrase "This channel is for videos discussing homosexuality and related issues." to "This channel is for videos discussing LGBT and related issues."
It would prevent semantic problems.

OT / we do also have semantic problems with the channels * cult (also being used for cult films) and * bravo (i.e. not * wow)

the reason i pasted the channel description was to try and mitigate semantic debate. we could go back and forth for a long time talking about the etymology of the word and its various meanings, both positive and negative... but i was hoping to cut to the chase by pointing out that the description itself is clear on what's appropriate.

then again, maybe it's not clear enough? it's always an effort to come up with an appropriate inclusive phrase without being too inclusive. generally i see 'the community' use things like "LGBT" but people even have problems with that.

i guess at some level "cheesiness" (which to me is a combination of funny and terrible) being equated with homosexuality is offensive, but it's nothing compared to some of the infractions others have made. i let them slide by because i'm generally non-confrontational (seriously) and sometimes i know the person is not a homophobe, they're just doing what a lot of people do and using the term as a kind of pseudo-insult, a comedic jab (and i think that is a more serious issue than most people want to think it is).

i guess i should just remain quiet, i don't expect to persuade anyone to change.

Congratulations pinky, you've opened up some great discussion here and it's heartening to read some of the considered and thoughtful replies.
Feminism is definitely a worthwhile forum for debate, as is any movement which moves humanity onto greater awareness of our states of being.

I'm looking forward to the emergence of the masculine movement, when men reclaim their right to self-expression, without fear of being labeled less-than-manly. I look forward to seeing more men hugging and crying together in public and all the other configurations of men embracing their yin-ness.

I also look forward to the day that both heterosexual and LGBT labels have disappeared from our language. I look forward to the day that men and women are who they are, in whatever form that takes, without the need for society to have them pidgeon-holed into some category.

Yes Laura et al, we can apply filters and choose not to see the shit. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist, nor that some of us are not deeply affected by it, whether we have those filters in place or not. By the deeply affecting shit, I am not referring to poorly chosen jokes or worded comments which appear on sites like this. I'm talking about serious sexism that can make a person without status or privelege less than human in the eyes of others.

I like your measure of appropriate language, kronos. If it's not something you can say out loud at work, it's probably best left unsaid, wherever you are. I noticed with interest kronos, too, that in your recent post about bad jokes, when you asked that racist jokes be left out, people followed your request. I wonder if you thought it would sound too draconian to include sexist jokes in your list of ones to avoid? I kinda wish you had, because it seemed that some members took that omission as a green light to try and out-do each other with the worst sexist jokes they could manage. I refer to videosiftbannedme's comparison of older women,to dog turd.

Well done to those who have contributed to this discussion with positivity and insight. If people of all races, gender and sexual orientation feel that they have a voice here, then it's a pretty good indicator of an amazing place.

Berticus, and anyone else who is listening and cares, there are plenty of LGBT-friendly folks on the sift. I'm one. I'll say it loud, I'll say it proud: I speak queer. I know not everyone feels that way, but the sift is a reflection of the world--even if a rather left-leaning reflection of the world. Personally, I'm glad the sift doesn't just reflect my own views: what good would it be to come and play in a mirror?

But there are many friendly voices out here, and if you need some anti-homophobe comments to remind you of the overweening support and acceptance of the vast diversity of human beings, shout out. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would leap to...

it's so recrackulous. i love how the lgbt community is even an issue at all. well, i guess there goes my military career...i'll just go on an olivia cruise instead.

I'm not sure that what is being advocated is the recruitment of atheists. Rather, Dawkins is commenting on the necessity of politically activating already confirmed atheists. They make up a large part of the segment and yet have no real representation within the national government.

The stigma attached to declaring yourself an atheist is so great that many people who don't believe in a personal god are not willing to publicly declare it. I think Dawkins is right in drawing parallels to the coming-out movement of LGBTs. It has never been their goal to "recruit" people to their way of thinking, but rather to create an environment where those people could securely express their feelings by knowing that there existed a community to back them in their decision.

Also, there is a fundamental difference between a fundy trying to "save" you and an atheist trying to "convert" you. The religious are trying to make you accept an unprovable entity in the gamble that if there is some afterlife you will have chosen the right god. However, the atheists are trying to convince you that belief in something unknowable is ridiculous. One appeals to fear and emotion, the other reason and logic. Saying that an atheist is trying to convert you is like saying your physics teacher is trying to brainwash you by teaching you the laws of gravity.

I seen these people protest on our campus several times, they usually manage to swing through just in time for the Student LGBT group's Coming Out Week... it's pretty sick, what these kids are exposed to, standing there, holding up signs in defiance of angry counter-protesters, just think what that is doing to them mentally... they are going to turn into some pretty fucked up adults.