Should sexual orientaion...

Off-Topic Off Topic
#1

When completing certain forms and documents, in the UK, we are often asked to tick or state our sexual gender, religion, ethnicity/nationality, town of origin, marital status, date of birth etc.

Should our sexual orientation be added to the list?
Example:

Hetero sexual
Lesbian
Homosexual
Bi-sexual
Tran-sexual…

On balance might this have:

A positive effect in that it ‘normalises’ the diversity of sexual orientation?

An adverse effect in that it exposes people to discrimination?

Both of the above?

#2

It can be used for discrimination - either positive or negative - Positive discrimination is allowed in the UK (nice change of the law which meant a certain age and race of male the most discriminated against - which just so happened to be the national average male).

Personally there are too many tick boxes now so that they can meet their ‘Quota’ from the various organisations representing minoritys - I would rather less boxes concerning who or what I am and more concerning my ability to do the job.

#3

Good luck with that, when the people capital / human resources (i.e. staff / personnel department) are the smug and borderline lunatic wankers running recruitment, as exemplified in the following recent letter to a local newspaper.

"[i]Esoteric testing

As a recently retired secondary school teacher with 30 years’ experience, I applied for the position of a university exam invigilator, a position I thought I’d be well qualified for. In a group session, which was part of a three-stage selection process, I was required to choose either an animal, insect or thing that best represented my personality and explain my choice to the other applicants.

A series of mysterious group activities followed to ascertain team skills – all under the watchful eyes of the selection group. Sadly I failed the selection process as apparently my personality did not shine through. What relationship all these tasks and activities had with the actual requirements of the position is a question I still cannot answer.

Amanda Palmer, Kew East[/i]"

http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-age-letters/political-mandates-task-is-to-manage-debate-over-policies-20160714-gq5tlz.html

The lunatics are in control of the corporate and government employment asylum, and the more the asylum is funded by our tax dollars, the more the lunatics are allowed to engage in this sort of wasteful idiocy.

I don’t see why anyone should be asked about their sexual orientation unless it’s directly relevant to the rare instances when it matters, which generally would be between someone and their professional advisor such as a doctor or psychologist.

The days are long gone from the early 1970s when our base security officer routinely instructed us on the risks of, among other things, entrapment of homosexuals based on some serious security breaches in the UK where fairly low level staff with high level access, such as registry clerks or managers like me, were blackmailed into handing over intelligence because of the fear of being exposed as homosexuals. The best part of these lectures was that we got a bit of film on a projector to break up a boring day, and if we were lucky the lecture was scheduled for a whole afternoon but finished after a couple of hours so we got down to the pub and were half pissed by normal knock off time.

#4

“The days are long gone from the early 1970s when our base security officer routinely instructed us on the risks of, among other things, entrapment of homosexuals based on some serious security breaches in the UK where fairly low level staff with high level access, such as registry clerks or managers like me, were blackmailed into handing over intelligence because of the fear of being exposed as homosexuals. The best part of these lectures was that we got a bit of film on a projector to break up a boring day, and if we were lucky the lecture was scheduled for a whole afternoon but finished after a couple of hours so we got down to the pub and were half pissed by normal knock off time.”
It would seem that there was little difference in the Australian, and U.S. Armies in those days, we all got the same briefing, though in our little corner of modern Germany, the Soviets did have spies running around, and the honey pot trap was part of their play book as well. We also would manage to get away early, and filter out to the local Gast Hause for some tasty Brew, to the same result. :wink: :slight_smile:

#5

Interesting comments, chaps.

If I read it correctly, Leccy, suggests that anti-discrimination laws designed to protect the minority from the majority have only succeeded in producing a tyranny of the minority over the majority. I think that most of the unemployed, under-educated people of colour might disagree with that (see below). No more compromise of individual liberty.

RS, in his uniquely colourful way, appears to stress the need for more power to the people, and the freedom to love beer.

TG is already revealing his leanings towards man-love with Australians due to a mutual love of beer.

However, would not the de-stigmatising effect have positive results? For example: no more instances of lads being subverted by nasty spies; none of the anguish experienced by individuals and families living with a lie; dress how you prefer.

Would such a thing compromise our freedoms or would it be an agent of liberty and tolerance? Almost certainly there will always be intolerance, and changes in mind-set seem to be generational.

The article (below) suggests one of the symptoms of stigmatisation.

“That notion of masculinity says that if as a male you aspire to perform highly it means you are feminine, even to the extent of saying you are gay…”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8840458/Black-schoolboys-underachieving-because-academic-success-is-seen-as-gay.html

#6

If there were any Gay men in our Battalion, they covered it well enough. It never really came up as a matter of concern, as long as everyone did their jobs ably, no one really cared. Alcoholics on the other hand were easily spotted, though as long as they were sober in doing their jobs,and stayed out of trouble, it was ignored. Various drugs were not difficult, nor expensive to obtain in those days, and many used them and highers up did not ignore them, they were vigorously punished if caught. So for the majority of us, Beer was our friend, not too strong, not at all expensive, and gave to local Spies nothing to work with. Ack-Ack, Beer Beer.

#7

Current position in my son’s army infantry unit with several Muslim members, in a time when being Muslim is much more of an issue than being gay, is the same. Nobody cares as long as they do their jobs.

There is often a degree of tolerance in the services based on achieving a common purpose which is absent in civilian life where there is no common purpose and civilians aren’t trained for mutual support and don’t depend upon each other for their lives in the same way that members of an infantry section or platoon do, and presumably in the equivalent other army, naval and air elements.

#8

Soldiers, and mates, first - other considerations become lesser concerns and topics for banter.