Afraid of "Looking Gay"

Like a lot of people, I surf the internet and use Google as my guide. Sometimes I find the most amusing writings posted on various forums.

Most internet forums allow people to go by anonymous screen names, so they say a lot of things without fearing that people will know who they really are. But what they say reveals more about who they are than their name.

Among the biker community, there are a lot of people who express some form of fear that by being seen wearing a certain type of motorcycle clothing (chaps, for example), or having a particular brand shown on the clothing implies that one is gay. So they use a slur "that's gay" to associate their negative opinion. Here is a cut from one such forum:

I see a lot of people on here who are more worried about being considered a "HARDCORE" biker, instead of just riding and enjoying life. These same guys absolutely won't ride ANYTHING else except a Harley, yet claim they won't wear anything Harley, cause then you look gay and are a billboard for the brand. Content Source

What is it about straight guys who make blatent statements such as "wearing a Harley-branded jacket looks gay?" I guess it's alright to wear Harley T-shirts; man, there are zillions of them and bikers (even riders of other brands of motorcycles) wear them.

I'll tell you what it is about straight guys who make such statements:

• They are insecure.
• They are immature.
• They are afraid of what they don't know (gay people)
• They reveal that they sit on whatever brains they have.

I was also going to say that they are young, but unfortunately I have read or heard such statements by people older than I am, and who should have matured by now and know better.

I do not own much Harley-branded gear, but that's because I have found alternatives that have a better value for the price paid. I have taken time to get measured for and buy top-quality, custom-made leathers that fit me well. Most Harley-branded gear is overpriced for the name. A lot of it is made in China, where quality control is suspect. I tell 'ya, leather fetish stores like Mr. S., 665Leather, or Northbound have surpassed leather-for-the-masses retailers like The Motor Company (Harley) in producing superb, functional, and good-looking gear. After all, I own and wear a lot of leather gear so I know what I'm talking about.

As the original author of the post I quoted above began his statement, there seem to be a lot of people on internet forums who are much more concerned about portraying the image of a "hardcore biker" than by just getting out and riding to enjoy life. There are stereotypes that they have been brainwashed to believe that, to them, implies that the "tough-guy bad-ass biker image" (a "hardcore biker") is the opposite of "gay." By extension, these are some who believe that it is not possible that some bikers can be "homosexual." (oooohhh, "that" word!)

I have said before and I will say again: Bikers can be gay and gay men and women can be bikers, as the two are not mutually exclusive.

Ignorant and fearful forum posters should get over it, and get a life. Get out and ride, and enjoy it. That is what it is all about.

Life is short: ride and have fun!