I would everytime.

absolutely, have several times.

That certainly counts as brave & noble. Escalating the drama isn't always helpful. I would probably take this approach as well.

Sometimes taking up for them doesn't have to mean being violent. If you get there in time you can do what you say. If someone IS hurting someone physically though, standing back and doing nothing is how things happen like the Matthew Sheppard incident. Of course if you can call the cops and they get there soon enough maybe you can save them, but what if they take an hour? You have to speak up and let it be known that you won't tolerate or stand back and watch them hurt someone for beind different. Sometimes just knowing that someone else has that person's back is enough to shut them up.

Nobody NEEDS to question anybody's logic, but he has just as much right to question your logic as you have to state your opinion!

i have before and i would again..
harassing anyone for ANY belief they have..
its just not right..

tell me about it

the Jews are going to be hated BIG time for what happened Saturday in Gaza.

Even I am ashamed.

word

I was thinking the same thing.
so because someone is gay, they asked to be harassed and beat up for it? You're the kind of person who also believes that if you're not a straight white male you have no real claim to freedom period.

Since in many cases you don't know the whole story of a situation I tend to mind my own bussiness. Regardless of someones sexual orintation if they shoot their mouth off and asked for trouble and someone starts dogging on them I don't have a lot of sympathy.

If it is juvinile harrassment is verbal and not threatening I tend to let people handle their own fights. Most people can do a better job for themselves than being infantilized by someone chimeing in. Often stepping into a person being a fool only encourages them to keep going or escalate.

However if I see the situation as menaceing I know my limits and will probably try to create a distraction or bluff.

Since I don't have a lot of confidence in the police seeing sexual orientation harrassment as a something to hurry too I would probably not risk the person being harrassed ending up hurt before they get there and or arrested with everyone else so I probably wouldn't go to them for help.

Since I go to a reconcileing church where attending is enough to get you harrassed (cars and houses vandelized, hate mail, even being harrassed by phone) I tend to be pretty aware of where I go and how any of the gay people I know are being treated. I don't usually wait until something gets to the "harrassment" stage. I feel avoiding dangerous situations are better than trying to fight your way out of them.

I would stand up for them just as I would for anyone else.

as my boy weezy f baby would say

No homo,

ya diggggggggggggggggggg

So exactly what are you trying to say???

Some of you people seem to think it's perfectly acceptable for you to jump all over me for stating my opinion and stance. You're accusing me of being close-minded, yet you complain because I don't conform to your allegedly wolrdly views. You expect me to tolerate and accept you as you are, but you have the nerve to chastise me.

I guess that really makes you no better than me, doesn't it?

People get harassed all the time for their sexual orientation. I used to live in Oakland, CA and you would think that would be a safer area for gays and minorities in general because its the sister city to San Francisco yet still they are attacked, sodomized, beaten, robbed, the list goes on. Usually it is just a lot of heckling but its not limited to that. Lesbians also encounter the same dangers.

I have to admit I saw it happen often and unless I actually witnessed them being physically touched or surrounded in a mob-like fashion, I stayed out of it. It was something I witnessed at least once a week. You just have to hope it does not escalate to the point of actual physical confrontation. Normally the people that perpetrate hate crimes of this nature are cowardly types. . .

you should be

Personal opinions, ways of life... wouldn't the world be a better place if we'd all mind our own business?


...And yeah; have, would, do.

what she said ^

I agree that you are entitled to your opinion and that no one has the right to chastise your for it but I would like to put another question to you.

If you saw a group of people beating the crap out of someone, not knowing the reason why, would you try and stop the fight, stand by and watch or just walk away?

Define "jump all over." Now you get a snippet of what is similar to feeling harassed because you are different. Although it seems to me that most on here are just stating their opinion in return. It is far from being attacked.