soloyo215

That's the PR part of the announcement. My best guess is that we will never hear that the family isn't supportive. That part speaks to the general public, and helps maintain a good image, which can impat the athlete's career, endorsements and the business aspect of being an athlete. So yes, we hear the same thing time and time again, but the reality is that the public needs to get educated and also be reminded. We're talking about a culture that doesn't promote a lot of critical thinking, and some people who seem to have the attention span of a gold fish. I do know an American professional athlete who came out and his family was not supportive, but they "were very understanding, even celebrated it" in front of the media. The reason for that is money and the athlete's career, as well as the career of the people aroud him who depended in him. That might be why we don't hear much about rejection; there's money at stake, and probably the athlete might be supporting the entire family. It's the same thing when I was a young professional, coming from poverty. My family din't reject me, especially when I was subsidizing some of their children and fixing their homes. But I heard many times their true opinions of gay men when they were referring to others, and when I overheard them talking to other people about it. Extreme and public rejection doesn't seem to happen a lot (especially stoning), but it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, it's just not a great thing to advertise, and it's not in the best intertest of the industry.

The Pew Research is conducted in USA. Additionally, most professional athletes compete internationally, so that matters in this context.

Well, out of the top of my head, here is what I based it on: Here: Views of Homosexuality Around the World | Pew Research Center WWW.PEWRESEARCH.ORG Despite major changes in LGBT rights around the world, acceptance of homosexuality remains sharply divided by country, region and economic development. and here: Russia’s moral barometer: Homosexuality unacceptable, but drinking, less so | Pew Research Center WWW.PEWRESEARCH.ORG Nearly three-quarters of the Russian population (72%) think that homosexuality is morally unacceptable, with only 18% saying it is acceptable or not a moral issue. and here: Just a moment... JOURNALS.SAGEPUB.COM and here: Four Homophobia in Sport: Fact of Life, Taboo Subject WWW.DEGRUYTER.COM Four Homophobia in Sport: Fact of Life, Taboo Subject was published in Taking the Lead on page 73. and here: Just a moment... WWW.TANDFONLINE.COM and here: Just a moment... JOURNALS.SAGEPUB.COM Those are actual studies conducted, not the opinion of people based on their experience (which can be as valid). Happy reading.

In terms of being news, I agree. However, homophobia in sports is quite pervasive. Also, at some point, to some of use things become repewtitive, but the newer generation is fresh to many things, and it might speak to them. If we are a community, we should think about the impact on others.

This whole thing is unfortunate.

Yes, it is. Human trafficking is an issue worldwide. The larger problem with the exploitation of young adult men is that there aren't as many resources dedicated to help young men as there are for women and girls, and for boys.

Several reasons. First, handling cash is no longer as inexpensive, with ATM Fees and transaction fees. Second, cash can and has put people at risk of robbery. Third, the newer generation is not as worried about annonymity as the older generation. Fourth, having transactions documented can be used to trace people, which gives the provider an extra layer of protection. The system of paper check has always been flawed and very prone to forgeries, and used for scams.

Just wanted to mention that Mexico is not cheap anymore. It became popular, as it has become more stable, and it's also known for being welcoming and friendly. Unfortunately, now there are areas that are as expensive as USA and Canada, and the requirements for residency have become more demanding. It's still cheaper than many areas in USA, but it's getting a little too crowded with American and Canadian ex-pats. Personally I have considered Mexico and Spain (I figure, if life is going to be expensive, then I can choose the expensive country I want to live in too). One has to consider the political stability of countries in order to make a decision of where to live. That's (IMO) as necessary to consider as it is the economy, otherwise, I could just decide to go live in Haiti since it's dirt cheap. My own level of comfort with the socio-political climate in the country where I live and the country where I plan to retire to is important to cosider. That doesn't mean that I am pushing any politics or political anything onto others; that only means that it's one of the factors to consider to determine quality of life. For that, I don't need research, studies, propaganda, nor to convince anyone for me to determine that I am (or not) comfortable with the socio-political climate or how the governemtn is functioning in the country where I live in. It's irresponsible not to think about that.

I'm not an expert in that particular subject matter, but back when I was working making websites for people in BDSM, I saw people offering that type or similar service, mostly advertised to hetero people. My guess is that to some people that falls under (not sure how to word it), I guess, practices that are not commonly found in more popular websites. Have you searched in places that are more specialized?

I'd say, get on your knees and ask for forgiveness, now! Ok, seriously now, Many conservative Christians love, love, love, providers. Religion speaks to them. Additionally, sometimes there's chemistry, sometimes there isn't. That's just how it is. When I know that I the provider gives a lot of BS, depending on my mood, sometimes I play dumb just for the fun of seeing how far he will go with the nonsense, sometimes I have let him know that there's no need to come up with stories or BS and that changes the topic/dynamic between us, and sometimes I just end the interaction. I don't think that there is one single way of dealing with that, but at least me, I know that my mood at the time influences how I respond.

Exactly what came to mind, just like those "out of business sale" stores. This is a little nerdy, but there's research about it and there's the Scarcity Principle of business. The scarcity principle is an economic theory in which a limited supply of a good—coupled with a high demand for that good—results in a mismatch between the desired supply and demand equilibrium. It works for some people, and in different settings. In fact, the scarcity principle is the heart and soul of religious recruiting tactics. So as silly as it might sound to some of us, it does speak to some.

Never thought of it, honestly. Probably because I stopped paying attention to labeling, and naming things, and adding things, and changing things, to the point that it's beyond ridiculous. I figure, I'll reach out if I like what I see, regardless of how the website organizes or categorizes them. However, I do see how in a website, it could be useful to use a term for searches. You can select or enter "twink", and certain type of men should come up. The problem is that just like with bears, there are muscle twinks, hairy twinks, young twinks, elderly twinks (ok, I made the last one up, I hope, maybe that's actually a thing), etc. We still have to further filter by body type. Probably you might have to qualify the term, not just use the term "twink".

I fail to see a downside here for any of the parties, provided that the escort is professional enough to (a) know how to professionally administer a massage, and (b) respects the client's wishes and provides only what the client asks for without pushing to up-sell additional services. I have absolutely no problem with good masseurs who are great at massages, and also escort. Why should I? What they do in in addition to what I am paying for is completely out of my scope (aka, none of my business). Some masseurs have offered additional services for additional money, and I have said yes, not, and maybe, depending on what I need. They get the no when I say no, and the rest of the service resumes without any problems. I do see how not all providers might not be that professional and/or understanding. That's why I personally advocate for clear communication. Sometimes I have to ask questions, sometimes they have provided me with plenty of information about what they provide. Communication among clients (I believe) it's encouraged here. I don't give explicit details of what I do or don't do with a provider, but provide yes/no questions about extras or how far he could go. I keep it general, but try to be informative, especially with those who don't advertise as escorts. Just my thoughts.

Welcome to the forum.

No.

Sorry, what were you saying?

"Pride" in my city has been reduced to a pathetic march by a bunch of rather obnoxious and disrespectful people yelling at passersby. That is the result of current infighting, but also a bunch of people deciding to cancel "Philly Gay Pride", which was the larger event. The old pride events did have some issues, and many non-profits and establishments that cater the community were not participating, but then there were protests about not being inclusive enough, so it got disbanded. The result is far from anything better than what it was. The new committee was not only way above their heads, but were insanely unrealistic about what they think being inclusive and diverse is. The result is an event that the vast majority of people (leave alone city officials) prefer not to be associated with. At a personal level, I don't like the way sometimes it feels hijacked by a bunch of people who are not interested in anything other than "partying with the gays", and with companies capitalizing. Just like Christmand and Thanksgiving, Pride has become commercialized. I don't feel represented anymore. That said, I'm not against its existence, especially considering that hate and homophobia are still alive and well. But I do feel that we have to take the reigns of pride and remind people why it exists in the first place. Just my thoughts.

Why not. The regular is not going to reject it, I'm sure. I don't think you are mandated. You know him better than all of us, so you could take a better guess at what his reaction to you offering help will be.

Still, adults are ACCOUNTABLE for their actions. That's the point of the law, to hold adults accountable for their actions, not excuse it by some psychobabble.

Hard sell for me. I am done with the obsession of blaming everything to some kind of mental disease. Nope. How about this silly little thing named ACCOUNTABILITY.

Yes, thank you.

Yes, I agree. But the deeper/bigger issue that I see is the amount of people that will be looking for his videos and his OF for their own pleasure. That's more disgusting.

Recently I posted about me being an advocate for children exploitation, espcaily males. This makes me feel outraged because like it or not, it gives the haters of gay men amunition to repeat the same garbage that they have for centuries. However, I am glad that although it took a child (at least one) to get sexually assaulted, one more pedophile, and possible the rest in his circle, are being charged. I can easily see the recipient of his communications using the "I only received it and deleted it as soon as I saw what it was" defense. Also this is a great example of how online communication is easily traced by the police, though their resources to trace evryt single illegal activity are not enough. I hope for the wellbeing of those children who were put to harm, and I really hope that their parents were not in it with him (as many times has happened). Sad news all around.

People cannot capitalize on their crimes, and an argument can be made about his OF being a tool used for his crime (doesn't matter if it's not true).