Quote Originally Posted by saxandpipes View Post
I am not so sure that people have really kept their opinions and judgements quietly to themselves... People seem ever so ready to defend a piece of clothing... but what about the people that are ridiculed, slandered and bashed on a regular basis because they are gay? I realise that this is a kilt forum, so, we are here to discuss, and perhaps if necessary (I don't really think it is!) defend the kilt. But there is a BIGGER issue present here.

Upon reading many of the comments posted here, I feel that many hold the opinion that gay/effeminate/sartorially adventurous (as Kurt from Glee most certainly is) people should be somehow discouraged from wearing the kilt. I'll admit that on occasion I have had doubts myself as to whether I should wear it, for fear of being labelled a stereotype, or attention seeker. In the end, I always ignored those pathetic doubts, and wore the kilt with pride. The only comments I have ever recieved in these situations have been positive. Except:

One time (less than a month ago), after performing with my pipeband, I was returning through the city, after some sort of town festival thing (in the Netherlands) and some stupid red-neck (in a group of course) uttered "homo!" under his breath as I passed. Now, I was wearing my band uniform... Argyll jacket waistcoat, tie, obviously carrying a set of pipes, and I didn't know what offended me more- the fact he called me a homo, insulting my Scottish heritage, or the fact that he (and by the same token, I) considered "homo" an insult. I was furious, it ruined what was otherwise a great day, and left me with a distinctly bitter taste from my mouth to my stomach. I hadn't felt this way in a very long time, and I have to say that it brought back all kinds of terrible memories.

This doesn't happen a lot to me anymore, but it used to when I was in high-school. Kids are committing suicide over this issue, it's bigger than whether a culture can take itself seriously or not. I'm quite sure (although I don't have any statistics) that no Scotsman has ever committed suicide because he was ashamed of his heritage-

quote: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers, according to the Massachusetts 2006 Youth Risk Survey. A 2009 study, "Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes" led by Dr. Caitlin Ryan and conducted as part of the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University, shows that adolescence who were rejected by their families for being LGBT were 8.4 times more likely to report having attempted suicide. And for every completed suicide by a young person, it is estimated that 100 to 200 attempts are made (2003 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey).

Seriously people, can we really not stop the hate!?

Some quotes (no apologies for names):

Nighthawk: “I just wish it would have been on a character who was not normally regarded as effeminate.”

“Glee... a gay kid... wearing a kilt pleated all the way around like a skirt…”

“I repeat- Joy... So now, given the fact that this character makes it a habit of wearing women's clothing, it will reinforce the American attitude that the kilt is nothing more special than a woman's skirt. Huzzah...”

Biblemonkey: “Wouldn't it have been great if one of the STRAIGHT characters had worn it…”

Tobus: “It's that they took a very flamboyantly effeminate character who, by all reports, regularly dresses in womens' clothing, and put him in a man's garment…”

“…their introduction to the kilt was a gay effeminate cross-dresser who wore it with leggings and knee-high boots…”

Elliottrohan68: “…I agree with the others posts that seeing as this character wears womens clothing often then this is simply looked at as another skirt…”

Zardoz: “I'm not that jazzed about what seems to be the most stereotypically fem gay character on it wearing a kilt.”
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Everybody is entitled to have strong opinions. These statements you list do not attack homosexuality. They do express some dismay as to how the kilt was portrayed on a tv show, in that of all the characters wearing it--it was the homosexual. When heterosexual men wear a kilt, they do not want to be identified as homosexual, particularly because they are wearing their ancestral attire. For instance, before Glee was ever even a concept, I was asked by a Nigerian woman if I felt like wearing the kilt "made me lose my masculinity?" This was pretty shocking to hear, but I appreciated her honesty (we were at an International Heritage celebration after all, so it was appropriate to learn about other cultures). The thing is, while I understand your frustration with dealing with prejudices and distaste for who people presume you to be. Any kiltie deals with insults and prejudices as to whether or not they're a cross-dresser, or homosexual, etc.
I remember the long-standing rumor in junior high that I was gay because I played the clarinet. When the fact of the matter was that I played it so I could sit surrounded by pretty girls. That rumor persisted into high school, and it was hurtful--but I got over it. Thing is that heterosexual men do often get offended when someone presumes they're homosexual. Many I think, have perceived that Kurt's wearing of the kilt solo has reinforced that erroneous stereotype of "kilt=skirt" or "kilt=feminine", even though we all know better. It's not a judgment against homosexuality in this instance, but portrayal and perception and image. Like I said, heterosexual men don't typically like being confused for homosexual. If you want a reason why, it has to do directly with being attractive and appealing to the opposite sex, our own inherent ideas of masculinity, and being attractive and appealing to the opposite sex.
Please take this with the intent in which it was meant--as a way to make peace and help understanding.