Where do Gay and Lesbians fall here?

I know that there really isn't any discrimination here, but I'm wondering. Where do us gays and lesbians go to find a partner with similar interests as us? I mean searching around here I've found 2 maybe 3 other gay men. I'm not sure about the girls but from what I have seen from a thread I have posted on cosplay.com more girls seem to be open about their sexuality during a convention. Or at least more open when asked. I've decided to hold a GLBT meeting at Anime Expo 2011 and hopefully ALA 2011 but I'm more wondering how to deal with this feeling? I mean sure I don't really want the drama of a relationship but I want love like anyone else. But most of all I want someone that I can share the love of conventions with. PS: If you are wondering about the thread, link be here: http://www.cosplay.com/showthread.php?t=213511

I think in American society, things have shifted a bit better for lesbians than gays. Women are often projected as objects and a lot of straight men find the idea of "girl-on-girl" relationships erotic. I think that in itself jams the foot in the door on the acceptance of lesbians over gays. I also think your opinion is right... girls are more open about lesbian/bisexual behavior than guys. I personally know a female seiyuu who at cons flirts with other girls in hopes to get attention and more... I hope your meet-up goes well up there and you find what you're looking for. You know, come to think of it... there isn't an option under your orienatation for "bisexual". Is this something that was accidentally left out or what?

When we finish the new profiles update, you'll be able to see the "Interested In" and "Relationship Status" of other users. If you browse your matches the only ones that show up are guys who are interested in males or indicated "no preference". Unfortunately for some reason a lot of straight guys have listed "no preference", probably by an accident. When the new profile update comes out though, you'll be able to more clearly tell what other people are looking for so they're easier to approach.

Let me know how that meeting goes too. Also I thought a discussion of sexuality and sexual orientation might be a very educational and comforting thing for a lot of people attending these conventions who still don't know or understand how they feel. Although I'm entirely straight, so I don't have too much perspective.

I hope I can make it to those conventions to be in these panels I'd really enjoy it. I'd think just doing what you did is enough though. Make a thread people are surely to come & post, talk & it goes from there. I did find it annoying that when I registered it didn't have a preference so I'm looking forward to having that changed very much. We ladies are 'sometimes' open, maybe I'm the strange one because I'm not always open especially with family. No one really knows except a few that I'm bisexual. Hopefully this thread will bring GLBTQ people together.

@Ikkoku: Mmmm I tend not to mention bisexual just because I feel that more and more people see it as not an orientations but rather a word for a free for all orgy. Got nothing against bisexual people, just the people that claim they are but in reality they just want lots of sex and no commitment. @Sephiroth: O: Thank you for letting me know about the update :P But yeah I'm hoping I can at least help one or two people understand what they are feeling and hopefully they'll get a better understanding on who they are. @Karimoon: I know when I registered it gave me a preference but that was like two days ago :P Mmm I'm sorry you can't or don't want to be open with your family. Sometimes it's for the better though because my family went religious ape shit on me :P But yeah I really want to bring together the GLBTQ (I'm not used to the "Q" yet since it's fairly recent) community within the anime community :3 Better to be strong as a group then to be battling alone with our feelings.

@MaRawr... I think the term for "sex and no commitment" rather fits more for those who are "friends with benefits" or “casual sex” seekers rather than "bisexual". I think a more fitting term would be "pansexual" actually. It’s that kind of mentally that perpetuates negative prejudices against what isn’t “normal” that was laid out by “White Anglo-Saxon Protestant”. No, I’m not being racist, but that’s what’s true in the United States at least; I getting a minor in “World Culture and Literature” and I took a class about this. True that there are many ignorant people in the world and that they’ll probably never know any better but, it doesn’t help if you carry on that misconception about bisexuals even though you don’t believe it understand? Help change it.

But I think pansexuals see themselves more as people who love 'everything' in a sense. Not necessarily in a sexual way either, we had this discussion in our LGBTQ group on campus just last semester & I told myself it was very important I remember it really well. There's a girl in my group who's pansexual I'm pretty sure that was the one but I could be mistaken. I know she talked about it was like an umbrella term because it meant open to love everything but not have sex with everything. She said they're often mistaken for pedophiles, people who want to have sex with animals etc. & aren't defined perfectly clearly even among experts. I don't think the term bisexual is bad I don't mind being called bi, like you guys said it's the people who abuse it & use it as an excuse to whore around that gives it a negative vibe. The misinformed people are definatley the ones who think being bi means orgies. They need to be educated.

Personally the term "pansexual" annoys me, the idea that they are somehow disassociated with bisexuals is ludicrous. If one loves another human regardless of that humans physical gender then that makes the person bisexual meaning that they are or can be attracted to both females and males, thus it doesn't matter what the physical gender of their lover is. I've asked several people(pansexuals) to explain it to me and they have clearly failed each time. To say "I love everything regardless of gender thus I'm pansexual and not bisexual" makes no sense, there are clearly 3 choices in regards to gender attraction. There are males, there are females and then there is a combination of the two which I would consider to be post operation male to female or female to male transexuals as well as hermaphrodites. If someone is bisexual then they are attracted to males and females which include transexual people as well as hermaphrodites seeing as they are one or both of the stated genders. Sorry...I have a soapbox specifically for that and I stand mighty and alone upon it. (>,<)

Personally the term "pansexual" annoys me, the idea that they are somehow disassociated with bisexuals is ludicrous. If one loves another human regardless of that humans physical gender then that makes the person bisexual meaning that they are or can be attracted to both females and males, thus it doesn't matter what the physical gender of their lover is. I've asked several people(pansexuals) to explain it to me and they have clearly failed each time. To say "I love everything regardless of gender thus I'm pansexual and not bisexual" makes no sense, there are clearly 3 choices in regards to gender attraction. There are males, there are females and then there is a combination of the two which I would consider to be post operation male to female or female to male transexuals as well as hermaphrodites. If someone is bisexual then they are attracted to males and females which include transexual people as well as hermaphrodites seeing as they are one or both of the stated genders. Sorry...I have a soapbox specifically for that and I stand mighty and alone upon it. (>,<)