speedos and sexual orientation

[thisweirdthing1985]

I think this subject has been addressed before in other threads. but I just want to ask, how speedos became "swimwear only for gays" in the mind of most people?
only because of the gay pride events?
you know, many girls like to wear tiny bikinis and they even go to buy them with close friends and look each other in the changing room to give advice if the bikini looks good or bad (not only bikinis indeed, but we're talking about swimwear). and nobody think they are lesbians.

so if I, being a straight guy, wear a speedo at the beach then many people would think I'm gay (although is not bad because I don´t have any problems with gay people - one of my best friends from the university is openly gay) but I mean, why? If I see a girl with a sexy bikini I don't think she wears it because she is lesbian. I admire men with great bodies, for me it's very inspiring, but it doesn't mean that I want to have sex with them or anything similar. and yes, a guy with a nice body wearing a sexy swimsuit looks freaking great, as well as a hot girl wearing a sexy swimsuit.

[thisweirdthing1985]

by the way how many straight speedo fans around here?

[sebbie]

Have you ever read my (very popular and widely linked) Web paper on this topic?
http://sebringsil.com/speedowear.htm

There is also a variation on this in a section in my book that deals with this.

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-...rds=sebringsil

[Torchwatch]

Those who say speedos are only worn by gays have issues with their own sexuality, anyone who voices an opposing view is then called gay.
The fundamentalist anti gay anti speedo lobby will argue that a man wearing speedos is a threat to children, while a boy child wearing speedos is at risk.

If you accept that there is nothing wrong with being gay, that gay men are not more likely to be child abusers than str8 men and that men wearing speedos and bikinis aren't actually indecently dressed (lets exclude deliberately see through suits) then all the arguments of the only gays wear speedos lobby becomes vacuous hatred.

[Byron]

There are many side issues to this problem of public perception and you will see from the archives that the in-your-face activities within gay pride parades have been strongly criticised by some readers (including myself - as I find them distasteful and too reminiscent of the freak shows which would would tour towns for the amusement of the populace some 150+ years ago).

One aspect which has reignited some recent discussion (and perhaps resulting from Tom Daley's YouTube statement) is gay men within team sports remaining closeted.
Money is at the root of that (as with all moral considerations) because, despite so many public expressions of so-called and very hypocritical "support", it is still professional suicide* for a
sportsman currently playing, to out himself. Footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger
of Germany has recently done so but, as usual in such cases and it being unsurprisingly important to his long-term personal financial security, he awaited his retirement from the game before making an announcement.

* I use the word literally as that is precisely what happened to one professional footballer within four years of coming out and still under contract to his club.

NB: Very disappointing to see that the only responses to this post have been from the "old-timers" (no disrespect intended) of the forum - considering the increased numbers of NEW members enrolled in recent months.
Such silence from them - or perhaps just one post in the space of one year - prompts me to the question "Why on earth did you bother joining a FORUM in the first place ?"

[thisweirdthing1985]

thanks everybody, nice answers: sebbie I will take special time to read very carefully everything you wrote in your page.

and yes I'm happy you three took your time to write so interesting answers, but as Byron said, where are the other people?. I hope there were no many answers because it's monday and the week has just begun.

[California Dolphin]

The long look in men's athletic wear probably started in the 1990s with basketball player Michael Jordon who wore long and baggy "shorts" instead of the traditional short shorts.

I suppose the anti-gay crowd adopted Jordan's idea and boardies replaced speedos and short swim trunks. Jammers are just a streamlined version of boardies to minimize drag, but still maintain the down to the knee coverage.

The long and baggy style has been around for over 15 years, however it's slowly going away (at least here in California) and the traditional short running shorts are coming back. I haven't been to the pool in 8 years so I don't know what's in style for swimming.

[FJD1]

I'm a straight guy and I like wearing speedos .... the skimpier the better! They are much more comfortable and who likes wearing long board shorts in the water?

[dorcas3]

Guys- Just wear the speedos wherever you wish. What's the worst thing that can happen to you. They are appropriate garb for any kind of swimming. Nobody is going to attack you and if they do it's a crime. I swam, as every morning, in my Caussie suit (red). It's getting baggy around the ass and I even call my friends attention to it. Sometime you have to go more than half way with people. The same ones are at the pool depending on the time of day and I have been going there for long enough time that most know me and me them.Just relax pull the suit on and walk to the pool.stop in the locker room and talk for a while with the others and make beleave that you are in a tuxedo! Many guys put on brief stretchy underwear so what's the difference. JVY

[50 Free]

Interesting topic. I guess when people assume a man wearing a brief is gay, chances are they're correct. But then again they might be quite wrong. How is that my problem?
I don't care. I'm convinced that most people reading this are gay. So what, how could that be a problem either? I don't care.
I'm a swimmer, have been for 45 years. I suppose if I thought, or someone told me that my body in a speedo disgusted them, I'd wear something else. But it hasn't happened yet..