Times: Gays can be as 'manly' as 'straight' people

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100530/letters/gays-can-be-as-manly-as-straight-people

Sunday, 30th May 2010; Matthew Saliba, Qormi

A popular TV programme that aired last Sunday featured two teams competing against each other. This is the standard operating procedure for this programme as it gets people from opposite walks of life to compete amicably. The programme in itself is entertaining and professionally produced and presented.

Notwithstanding this, I found it somewhat offensive that last Sunday's teams were 'Stuntman' versus 'Gays'. Can anyone explain why these categories are deemed as being opposite?

Does the fact that a person is gay automatically mean that he or she is not capable of being a stuntman, that is, an adventurous person who likes an adrenaline rush?

This is the exact type of misinformation that creates the stereotype whereby people who do not know gays think a person who is gay is not capable of doing so-called 'manly' activities in life.

I happen to know a number of gay people who are much more capable of performing 'manly' activities than 'straight' people.

This depiction of 'gays' as being delicate people is a source of discrimination, and gay people who took part in the programme were nothing but self-discriminating.

I happen to know that the producers and presenter are people who not only treat gays as equals, but stand up for their rights too. So I found it somewhat appalling that they thought of these categories as opposites.

What does the Malta Gay Rights Movement have to say?

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