What you feel about to be the only one guy wearing speedos?

[SwimTeamSpeedo]

I agree with you D67.... To each their own. Glad you wore the Turbo, and it is also cool the guys got to wear the boardies.

[shaulis]

Way to go Dooley67, wear your brief swimwear to the beach.

[zungaboy]

Originally Posted by Dooley67

Torchwatch,

I'm very well aware that homophobia is a serious issue and I didn't mean to offend by making light of it. And to clarify, I proposed that as a joke and did not refer to it as a "speedo hate contest." That being said, I don't think the gay parades with scantily clad, outrageously made up men add anything positive to the movement; rather I think they detract from it. And those who happen to be wearing speedos as part of their costume then reinforce the belief that only gay men wear speedos. They just feed into the stereotypes that homophobes have about gays.

The outrageous and ridiculous part of "only gay men wear speedos" is that it is just plain silly, and sometimes humor reduces a contentious issue to the point of it being ludicrous. I think that by constantly examining the issue in such detail, the false assumptions are dignified rather than ignored. I don't want to appear to be seeing this simplistically, but, if someone wants to wear a speedo, then wear it and the hell with others think or assume about you. And whether speedo wearers are gay, bi, or straight, they pay taxes, marry in 17 states and DC, have families, etc., like everybody else. That appears to me to be pretty normal.

D67

I think the society of today have problems with the male genitalia, the “bulge” in a Speedo is maybe the only one moment when the society of today have a time to see “face to face” the penis (or something that “speak” about the penis)… them the people (when they see a bulge in a speedo) they feel afraid, someone feel shy, another feel horny, another have ideas about the sin, etc. for they is better no see a penis, them a good idea to take away the “conversation about the penis” or “the image of a penis” (in the bulge of a Speedo) is begging to put the “gay tag” to all the guys who wear Speedos and with this tag they make sure about all the st8 guys who want to wear Speedos they will think 3, 4 ,5 or 100 times before if wear or not wear a Speedo………… them, the gay guys are only the “scapegoat” in this “homophobic-speedo story”.
Women are “better buyers” than the men, them the market actually likes give more power to the women and take of power to the guys, them have a society sick with the men human body is a good business, the price that we must to pay is “Freudians psychological problems with penis” (men who feel afraid to have bulge, women who have “phallic envy”)
Also is very difficult to explain a woman about she have “phallic envy” because they want to think , and the media teach her the “phallic envy” is feminism or “empowerment”

[SwimTeamSpeedo]

I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that there is some truth to the "speedo" (used as a generic term) gay relationship. Other than those who wear swim briefs for the actual sport (swimming, diving, triathlons, etc) I do think that there is a greater acceptance of wearing speedo type swimsuits in the gay population than in the straight population. As a case in point, I frequently will visit Ogunquit Beach here in Maine (USA). Ogunquit has a very vibrant gay section. If you walk up and down the entire beach, you will rarely find a single guy in a swim brief, even among the very large French Canadian tourists (often thought to have a "speedo" preference). However, once you pass into the section of beach frequented by the gay beach goers, you will see a wide variety of tight fitting, form exposing swim suits in brief and bikini styles. I do not think there is anything wrong with anyone wearing a swim brief and while that act alone is not gay, I do think it is safe to say that there is a greater likelihood that a gay guy will wear a more showy swimsuit at the beach than it is for a straight guy to do the same. I don't agree that it has anything to do with fear of a bulge or such, I think it is tied more to the bodily attributes that each population finds attractive.

[Bede735]

It's that argument again of whether you want to pose in them or swim in them. Like how women will wear bikinis at the beach but not at the public pool, because bikinis are for posing, and gays must regard Speedos in the same way.

So if you go to the pubic pool for a swim, I don't see how that could be associated with being gay.

[Dooley67]

I agree with both STS and Bede. You all know where I'm coming from what I wrote in my story so this is in the context of a mostly straight man. I do think that most people do associate speedos with gays because as STS wrote that there is a greater likelihood that a gay men will wear a speedo than a straight man. I have always worn speedos even before I became a serious swimmer because they are the most comfortable for me and I like the way they look. They have always felt better swimming than any other types, my point being that while I have some gay leanings, that is not what made me a speedo wearer nor would I have considered myself a poser And while Bede's point is well taken, I think there is a third choice, and that is, a guy can be a speedo wearer, like I was before becoming a serious swimmer, because he likes them and finds them comfortable.

D67

[Bede735]

I really find it odd how male nudity can be conflated with homosexuality, while female nudity isn't.

[zungaboy]

Originally Posted by Bede735

I really find it odd how male nudity can be conflated with homosexuality, while female nudity isn't.

I think all the guys (st8 or gay) would like to be more naked, shirtless or in shorts or Speedos, BUT if the society put the tag “A MAN IN A SPEEDO IS GAY” and the children grow listening this them only the gay guy will took finally the decision to wear a Speedo and just a few group of st8 will use it………

[Dooley67]

Originally Posted by Bede735

I really find it odd how male nudity can be conflated with homosexuality, while female nudity isn't.

Bede,

And add to your thought that in the locker room, most men walk around naked while I'm told by my wife that women do not and are more modest. So would that mean that male nudity in the locker room is because all men are either latent or blatant homosexuals? It's a real stretch, but equating male nudity with homosexuality is also a stretch as you imply.

[shaulis]

The political gay men in the 80's wanted to make a statement about AIDS at the time. People were being jailed at these protests for getting out of control and what better way to be seen getting handcuffed than in a Speedo on TV. Many guys were stopped from wearing just a Speedo outside by their parents, mine included. I could swim but had to cover up when I got out of the pool. I asked my parents why I had to cover up my swimsuit one day and was told "so neighbors don't think you're one of them queers we see on TV ". Am I the only person that recalls those protests?