Queer Queries | Reading Reddit Stories

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Speaker 18 Right now, and well, you're sweet and all, but I found something more fulfilling, even kind of cheesy, but I like it. Sure, you met some of my dietary needs, but they've just got it all.

Speaker 18 So farewell, oatmeal.

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Speaker 18 AMPM, too much good stuff.

Speaker 18 Hello and welcome to Smosh Reads Reddit Stories. I'm Shane and today's episode is our Pride episode.
And I am joined by two guests who are

Speaker 18 dying.

Speaker 18 It's just been such a long Pride month.

Speaker 18 I haven't slept.

Speaker 18 So many parties,

Speaker 18 parades. I got waved into the people on Spider-Man.

Speaker 18 Sounds exhausting. There's glitter in places.
I didn't know there could be glitter here.

Speaker 18 You gargled a little with eye.

Speaker 18 Oh my god.

Speaker 18 We are filming this before Pride Month, but I hope you both had a wonderful Pride Month. It was awesome this year.
It was so good this year. Hell yeah.

Speaker 18 It is May as we're recording this. Do you already have plans of any sort? I booked.
Oh, wait, what?

Speaker 18 What? Two types of gay.

Speaker 19 I just let Pride happen to me.

Speaker 18 Okay. I'm a passenger Pride, you know? Very cool.
That's awesome. Yeah.
What do you have booked?

Speaker 18 Just a bunch of parties. That's awesome.
Yeah. Hell yeah.
Yeah. Very cool.
I'll take any invitations. That's available.

Speaker 18 Okay.

Speaker 18 All right,

Speaker 18 okay. Well, all of these stories are going to be a little gay.

Speaker 18 Ew!

Speaker 18 All right.

Speaker 18 Let's hop into our first story. This comes from Am I the Asshole.
Am I the asshole for sending pink envelopes?

Speaker 18 Pink?

Speaker 18 Yeah. Oh.
It's got pink on the cover. No.
She's. The color pink, I think.
Pink is not gay, but she is.

Speaker 18 Pink is not gay.

Speaker 18 I sell Pokemon cards on eBay as a side job. Oh.
I have been doing it way before the rush on Pokemon cards was a big thing.

Speaker 18 When I mail out my cards, I like to send them in different colored envelopes to stand out. The colors are red, blue, pink, green, and yellow.

Speaker 18 They are randomly picked and using different colors helps me remember who has what order.

Speaker 18 I have never gotten a complaint before and thought it was a great idea, so when your letter arrives, it's a fun experience instead of just getting a plain white envelope.

Speaker 18 I had an order for a card that was randomly put in a pink envelope and mailed off to the buyer.

Speaker 18 About a week or so later, I got a message on eBay from the buyer asking me not to send him pink envelopes because pink is for girls and he doesn't want his neighbors to see him carrying a pink letter.

Speaker 18 Yeah!

Speaker 18 Yeah, you tell him. About a week goes by and I add more items to my eBay and this person bought more things from me.
About 10 different cards.

Speaker 18 I don't remember him from all the other orders, so one of his packages gets sent in a pink envelope. I had a lot of orders that week and a lot of people got pink envelopes along with different colors.

Speaker 18 I'm also sure another one of his orders was sent in a blue one. He messages me again, furious that I have sent him another pink envelope.

Speaker 18 He informed me that he would not buy from me again if the next envelope was pink. His message also included, I don't want another pink letter.

Speaker 18 Only send me colors associated with the American flag, so only reds and blues. What? If it's on the gay flag, I don't want it.
Weird because the pride flag is a rainbow, but I digress.

Speaker 18 So about two weeks later, he ordered about 20 cards, which is over the weight limit for eBay standard card shipping. So I broke his order down into separate orders.

Speaker 18 Cards were bought in different orders of five, so it was easy to do. I had a buy three, get two free deal.
I decided I didn't want this person to go without his pink envelopes any longer.

Speaker 18 So I sent him five separate pink letters for his card. That's awesome.

Speaker 18 Now, where I think I might be the a-hole was when talking to my girlfriend, she defended him, saying, he could have been in the closet and you exposed him to his family.

Speaker 18 I tried to show her the messages where I don't think that is the case. Wait, wait.

Speaker 18 Wait, wait, wait. Say that again? She said, his girlfriend said, he could have been in the closet and you exposed him to his family.
Because you know what? Having a a pink envelope.

Speaker 18 When you get a pink envelope, they go, Oh! Well, it's like at Hogwarts. You know, you get

Speaker 18 a pink envelope, it's like, you're a wizard.

Speaker 18 You're gay, Harry.

Speaker 18 And the owl shows up and goes, you.

Speaker 18 Not a hoop.

Speaker 18 He's like, fagu?

Speaker 18 Got me. Got me.
I guess so.

Speaker 18 And I've been sorted.

Speaker 18 Girl, we're getting you sorted.

Speaker 18 I tried to show her the messages where I don't think that is the case. So then she said, maybe he doesn't want to be made fun of by his neighbors, and now he will.

Speaker 18 But now I feel bad that he did ask to not get them sent anymore, but I decided to be petty. So, Reddit, am I the asshole? It's Pokemon cards.
Yeah.

Speaker 18 Did we forget that it's Pokemon cards? Period. Yeah.
He's worried about his fragile American masculinity, and he's like, I order Pokemon cards by the single.

Speaker 18 And it's like butterflea or whatever, butterfly, whatever. Butterfly.
Yeah, also, the colors can all be linked to different types of. I was like, is he ordering fairy-type Pokemon? Exactly.
Yeah.

Speaker 18 I don't think he's ordering fairy-type Pokemon.

Speaker 18 He's like, those don't exist in my eyes. He has a dartboard with Sylveon on it.
Nice.

Speaker 18 Nice.

Speaker 18 That's wild. This is ridiculous.
I think he sent me reds and blues. None of that.
None of the ones on the gay flag. It's like reds and blues are on there.

Speaker 18 I think every color is on there.

Speaker 18 That's what a rainbow is. Yeah.
Yeah.

Speaker 18 What were you going to say?

Speaker 18 I just can't even fathom it. Like, it doesn't even make sense to me.
How antiquated is the idea that pink is a girl is a girl color, but also it's an envelope. What does it have to do?

Speaker 18 And you're throwing it away, you're opening it, and it's two seconds. Yeah.
You're not even keeping the envelope. It's going straight into the trash or recycling.

Speaker 18 He probably doesn't recycle, honestly. No, probably not.

Speaker 18 Yeah, it's not his choice what the letters he gets in the mail are.

Speaker 18 It's, but it's, I mean, this is how fragile like masculinity is to some people. So bonkers.
Yeah. I have such trouble understanding that.
I don't know why. I like can't understand it.

Speaker 18 The amount of like

Speaker 18 confinements guys put on themselves of like, well, that's gay and that's gay and I can't do that. And it just keeps building every year.
And they can't do anything at this stage. Like, it's nuts.

Speaker 18 Yeah. Straightmen can't do anything.
They can't do anything. No, I remember.
I remember. Damn.
I was this. I remember a few years ago.

Speaker 18 I think I've told this story before, but a few years ago, I was on a set, and there was like, it was a set where a lot of the crew were like older guys.

Speaker 18 And it was me and a couple actors. We're all like the same age, but one of the actors had just moved into a new apartment.

Speaker 18 And he was talking about, he's like, yeah, I'm going to keep it like totally clean. Like, he's like, that's my goal is to keep my place super clean.

Speaker 18 And this like old sound guy is like, well, you don't want to keep it too clean because then people will think you're

Speaker 18 gay. And we were just like, what?

Speaker 18 And then he luckily, my friend responded, he's like, well, I'm going to keep it gay clean all the time. Yeah, that's awesome.
Yeah. But like, truly, like, a lot of guys think that way.

Speaker 18 Like, keeping yourself put together is like seen as gay. Very nice.
Like, being well dressed, like, all these things, like, like, good hygiene. They label everything.

Speaker 18 And so some of them do it on purpose. Like, they have their life a mess out of fear of being seen as something.
But I see it as like an enhancement. It's like, yes, now I'm gay, clean.

Speaker 18 That's like bonus points. Yeah.
You know what I mean? Like I have gay hygiene. Well, that's like a good thing for a straight guy.

Speaker 18 Yes. Like it's messy.

Speaker 18 If you're straight and you take care of yourself, I'm in. Whoa, yeah.
It's so funny.

Speaker 18 Like all the advice like straight men give to each other, all the women that I know are like, why are you doing that? Yes, exactly. It's so funny.

Speaker 18 Verdict was not the asshole. Comments, not the asshole.
This is hilarious. Your girlfriend is wrong.

Speaker 18 Even if he is closeted, nobody in their right mind is going to assume that because somebody mailed him a pink envelope, that he's secretly gay, you have not outed him by sending him pink envelopes.

Speaker 18 Someone said, not the asshole. The guy sounds like a mess of a bigoted, fragile masculinity if the color pink or anything from the gay flag offends him.
Even if, big if, he's in the closet.

Speaker 18 How is a pink envelope to a stranger you outing him? And why would his neighbors be paying attention to his mail like that? Your girlfriend's scenario seems pretty far-fetched.

Speaker 18 Let's not forget, he could have stopped ordering and he didn't. Lastly, someone said, not the asshole.
Masculinity is so fragile that he cannot carry a pink envelope from his mailbox to his door.

Speaker 18 Yeah, you were a little petty, but it's such a nothing burger that it's difficult to care about something like that. Red and blue are on the pride flag.
Pink is not.

Speaker 18 So you were literally doing what he asked. Your girlfriend is also being silly.
When I was in the closet, I could carry a pink envelope. Yeah.

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Speaker 17 Visit strengthenyourhouse.com.

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Speaker 18 Update. Oh, he's gay.

Speaker 18 Sorry, he's blind.

Speaker 18 There it is.

Speaker 18 I'm actually really wondering where this is gonna go. Sorry, this update took this long, but what better time than Pride Month? To clarify some things, the cards are safe in the mail.

Speaker 18 They are in a card saver penny sleeve and taped to cardboard so they do not move. The shipping is way cheaper that way by like a $3 difference.

Speaker 18 If the total card value is under $20, they can be shipped that way. This took its weirdest turn.
I honestly did not see it coming.

Speaker 18 So he finally got all his pink envelopes in the mail and decided to complain to eBay about how I was being aggressive and forcing pink envelopes on him.

Speaker 18 The eBay team contacted me and wanted to either give him a refund or just return the item. I told them if he wants to return the latest items, I would be happy to take them back.

Speaker 18 So they informed this person that I was willing to accept the return. This man never returned the cards but claimed he did and wanted a refund.

Speaker 18 Because there was no shipping information, nor did I ever receive a package, I did not have to return the money.

Speaker 18 He then messages me about how I am not only ripping him off, but also shoving the, and I quote, gay agenda down his throat.

Speaker 18 On eBay, when you send a message to a seller, you can also attach pictures if needed for the return process or whatever it may be.

Speaker 18 He sent pictures of him burning the pink envelopes in his fire pit while sitting in a lawn chair with an American flag in his hand.

Speaker 18 Now I read every single reply to my last post, and while I agree I was being petty, I cannot let this go without being petty right back.

Speaker 18 So I found every order he placed and tallied it up to the exact amount. I would say approximately $30.

Speaker 18 Look online for for the LGBTQ plus charities and non-profits near me or online to donate to. I donated his entire amount to one of them under his first name and sent him a picture of the donation.

Speaker 18 I hid it within the message letting him know I never received his return of these items. I have not heard from him since and I have blocked him from purchasing from me again.

Speaker 18 A lot of you have asked about my girlfriend and why she took his side and a lot of you said that was not very healthy.

Speaker 18 We had a big argument about how she is taking not only a stranger's side, but a homophobic one at that.

Speaker 18 Come to find out she did not care about this person, but just wanted a justified reason to leave me for her coworker. Oh my god.

Speaker 18 And now, part two, part two, and a bust.

Speaker 18 So that was a twist I was not prepared for. What? I will not get too much into that, but she was looking for any reason she could beyond this to justify her actions.
Whoa, Jesus.

Speaker 18 You're gonna leave us with that? When the B plot is way crazier than that.

Speaker 18 What the hell? Holy crap. All right.
um well

Speaker 18 i

Speaker 18 man sending a photo of you burning the letters like the amount of work so much the energy the amount of work people put into stuff i'm like dude i'm like go take a shower this man owns american flags that he just holds in photos of course like dude when you lean into negative hateful energy you get a little burst of like yeah but then you taint your brain with it and then you're stuck taint and then you're stuck with it.

Speaker 18 And then if you keep doing it, you get where it's like,

Speaker 18 you need to take a step away from hate. Like people who get so angry, it's like, take a breath, take a step away, feel that lightness, and then lean into that.
It just blows my fucking mind.

Speaker 18 Also, we can cross that off the gay agenda. Yeah.
Cross what? We got him.

Speaker 18 With the pink envelopes. Oh, we got him.
We did it. We got him.
I just love that in the process of this guy trying to prove to this guy that he's not gay, he staged an entire photo shoot.

Speaker 18 That's pretty fucking gay.

Speaker 18 I was like, you did all of this. You got a flag, you're lighting a fire, and you sit there and you take the photo.
And then what do you do after you take the photo? Like, hello. You just like edit it.

Speaker 18 He's like, he takes it to Lightroom. He's like putting filters on.
Yeah. Yeah.
He's like face-tuning.

Speaker 18 So he's like, shit, I'm fat.

Speaker 18 Holy crap. Oh, man.
All right. I want want to know what cards he bought.
I know. Yeah.
Yeah. What's his taste in Pokemon like? That's what's the much amp.
Much.

Speaker 18 Much champ.

Speaker 18 Oh. Yeah.

Speaker 18 Buff guy Pokemon. Yeah.
Yeah, in a speedo. The keys.

Speaker 18 The keys?

Speaker 18 Clefkey? Klefki's actually pretty goaded. Yeah.
Pretty good Pokemon. It's a key.
It's a key.

Speaker 18 He's a ring that holds keys.

Speaker 18 But it's kind of a bullshit Pokemon because it's fairy type and steel. So its resistances are pretty nuts.
Oh, I love that you're gonna be able to do it. Can you like hit you?

Speaker 18 It can hit you, but like you have a little patchwork. You can't have a lot of stuff then.
Oh, yeah. But if you have

Speaker 18 dragons, you can't do shit against it. Yeah, sucks.
And you'd think as dragons, you'd be able to do something. Yeah.

Speaker 18 Anyways. Yeah.

Speaker 18 Our next story comes from Am I the Asshole. Am I the Asshole for telling my friend that I've accidentally been sleeping with her fiancé? How does that happen?

Speaker 18 I think I know how it acts. I know how this happens.

Speaker 18 Yeah.

Speaker 18 Well,

Speaker 18 I guess she.

Speaker 18 Well, I guess she has to not

Speaker 18 know. He's never met her.
He's never met the fiancé. Sure.
It has to be that. Let's see.

Speaker 18 Or it's like a Clark Kent situation. Yeah.
Some glasses.

Speaker 18 If there was like, okay, hold on.

Speaker 18 If there was like a gay person that had like a straight alter ego, or a straight person that had a gay ultra ego.

Speaker 18 I mean, I feel like people.

Speaker 18 I think a lot of gay people did that for a while at the beginning of the day. But at the same time, at the same time.
Oh.

Speaker 18 Oh boy, that's a hell of a title, I'm aware. I don't really know how to start this, so I'll just get into it.
I'll preface this by saying that I, 22-year-old man, am very, very gay.

Speaker 18 I was in high school when I met this friend, and she was the cool older kid the year above me. For all intents and purposes, we'll call her Sienna, 23-year-old woman.

Speaker 18 Now, after high school, I went to an out-of-state college while Sienna went to the local uni. We kind of lost touch other than the obligatory happy birthday and Merry Christmas texts.

Speaker 18 So you can imagine my surprise when I got a text from my mom a few months ago saying that a wedding invitation from Siena had gotten delivered to my parents' house.

Speaker 18 Sure enough, a quick text to the lucky lady confirmed that she was getting married. Her longtime partner, Marcus, 25-year-old man, had finally proposed.

Speaker 18 A summer wedding right in my hometown, right when I and some of our other friends would be back in town from uni.

Speaker 18 I was invited to one of the pre-wedding girls' nights because my life is that of the two-dimensional comic relief gay side character, I guess. And we got wasted.

Speaker 18 Like the kind of drunk where logic isn't even in the same dimension.

Speaker 18 So, when the topic of other people in the girls' squad's relationships came up, like the genius I was, I whipped out my phone to show them the hot guy I've been hooking up with as just a dumb summer fling,

Speaker 18 who turned out to be Marcus. Yes!

Speaker 18 Yes!

Speaker 18 This is what I want to see!

Speaker 18 Kill me now to save me from the mortification. Rightfully so, Sienna lost her shit.
Fair. No criticism from me, but then she turned on me and started blaming me for ruining her wedding.

Speaker 18 For clarification, because I'm sure this will come up in the comments. No, the wedding invitation did not have any photos on it.
It was one of those minimalist designs with over-the-top calligraphy.

Speaker 18 That's it. Her socials only feature her.
I had no way of knowing what he looked like. I don't personally think I was at fault here, but here is where I think I messed up.

Speaker 18 I very loudly and to the entire club drunkenly said, it's not my fault your cheating fiancé likes getting his back blown out, Sienna.

Speaker 18 Okay.

Speaker 18 We have a little fun with that one.

Speaker 18 I like it. Add a little spice.
Put a little sauce on it.

Speaker 18 I feel

Speaker 18 sauce fun.

Speaker 18 I feel absolutely awful. I don't want to be the other woman, technically guy, but you get it.
And I certainly don't want to hurt a friend like that.

Speaker 18 I've tried apologizing a thousand times, but she's not interested in talking to me, which I totally get.

Speaker 18 When confronted, he confessed to not only hooking up with me, but also eight different guys over the course of their four-year relationship. The wedding's been called off.
Am I the asshole? No. No.

Speaker 18 No. No.
Okay. He is.
So he's not asking if he's the asshole for sleeping with the fiancé. Right.
He's asking for.

Speaker 18 Saying that line? Well, I guess it's not.

Speaker 18 I don't think I personally, I don't think I'm at fault here, but here is where I think I messed up.

Speaker 18 I very loudly at the at the club said it's not my fault your cheating fiancé likes getting his back blown out, Sienna. It's for saying that that's what she's coming after him.

Speaker 18 She's also

Speaker 18 saying, all he's saying is it's not my fault that your boyfriend likes this. That is not asshole behavior.
That is saying stop coming after me

Speaker 18 because you're mad at your boyfriend yeah nice he's not said anything right there's no insult there's no absolutely he's just fact he's not the asshole marcus is and it's wide open

Speaker 18 nice thank you oh thank you uh they're also so drunk he's like we are both yeah trash we're at a party we just revealed some shocking information i mean whoa

Speaker 18 um

Speaker 18 uh Verdict, not the asshole. Absolutely.
Comments, yikes, you helped her dodge a bullet for sure. She's just upset now, but I hope that someday she realizes it was all for the best, not the asshole.

Speaker 18 Someone said, not the asshole, because how were you to know? I do feel sorry for Sienna, though. Someone said, she needs a scapegoat for her pain and betrayal, and you were sitting right there.

Speaker 18 What you said might have been a bit over the top, but truth nonetheless, let her be and step back and don't feel bad. You're the innocent party in this cluster.
Fuck.

Speaker 18 Wow. Yeah.

Speaker 18 Oh my God.

Speaker 18 Also, I love that they were like, I'm just going to call this woman Sienna. Yeah.
They're like, for the sake of this video, I'm going to call this woman a beautiful name. I know.

Speaker 18 I was like, a good choice. Yeah.
We usually get the same names over and over again, but that was a good one. Good poll.
Wow. It was not Finn and Jake.
No, we had Finn and Jake in the last

Speaker 18 name.

Speaker 18 All right. Our next story.
Am I the asshole? Am I the asshole for telling our family and friends that my best friend has herpes because she outed me as a lesbian? Whoa. Okay.

Speaker 18 So this is like a revenge story.

Speaker 18 All right. I, a 25-year-old woman, and my best friend Emma, 26-year-old woman, have been friends since elementary school, and I honestly thought of her as a sister.
We tell each other everything.

Speaker 18 Went to the same college, and even though we have two different jobs, we work in the same area.

Speaker 18 Emma was my rock for years as I battled self-hate and depression due to growing up in a small conservative town as not only a person of color, but as a closeted lesbian.

Speaker 18 Emma did not know I was a lesbian, just knew that I was unhappy, never staying long in relationships, self-isolation, and later I developed anorexia.

Speaker 18 Emma was the one who suggested we go to an out-of-state college and later suggested we move out of state too. I've gotten much better since then, and for that, I genuinely thank her.

Speaker 18 About two years ago, Emma contracted herpes from some guy she slept with, and it has been very hard for her to land a boyfriend since then, and it's made her very lonely.

Speaker 18 She hasn't told her family or friends about it because she doesn't want to be seen as gross. Due to this, I haven't really put myself in the dating field and have put off coming out.

Speaker 18 Although, about six months ago, I met this girl at a craft store. Long curly hair.

Speaker 18 Long curly hair, dressed in all black with big eyeliner and ruby lipstick. I couldn't stop staring at her.
And I admit, when she smiled at me, I kind of followed her around the store. I know, creepy.

Speaker 18 I eventually worked up the courage to just ask for her number, and she gave it to me. That's awesome.
I was so excited.

Speaker 18 I started texting her that night, and since then, we have been hanging out a ton, and I think she likes me back. Yay!

Speaker 18 And I think she likes me back.

Speaker 18 I was going to ask her out, but since I live with Emma, I decided I should come out since I will be bringing her around if the girl says yes.

Speaker 18 So after work, I sat her down and told her I was a lesbian.

Speaker 18 I told her all the anguish I went through growing up because of my self-hate, how I wish I could have told her earlier, but I'd never found the right time.

Speaker 18 But now that I was in love with someone, I felt like I should tell her. That she was the one person I trusted with this information.

Speaker 18 She just stared at me in shock for a few seconds, and then her face turned from shock to disgust.

Speaker 18 She jumped back and accused me of being a pervert and how I was gross for being around her so much, knowing I was gay.

Speaker 18 Even mentioning how she's gotten changed around me and I'm no better than some creepy man. I tried explaining I had no romantic feelings for her and I honestly had a crush on someone else.

Speaker 18 She wouldn't buy it and locked herself in her room.

Speaker 18 Later, my phone started ringing off the hook and to my surprise, there were tons of messages from my family and our friend group either calling me homophobic slurs or asking if it was true that I liked Emma.

Speaker 18 My mother even called to scream at me a few times and apparently I'm disowned.

Speaker 18 I started banging on the door and told her why the hell she outed me to everyone and she just started calling me a pervert again. So I was like, oh, okay, fine.
You want to play? Fine.

Speaker 18 I had a pic of her diagnosis and sent it to her parents in our friend group.

Speaker 18 According to the only friend who didn't crap on me, people are talking more about Emma than me because she still shares stuff even though she has herpes.

Speaker 18 Now they are grossed out and are accusing her of trying to infect them with her diseases along with some slut shaming.

Speaker 18 Now I'm looking for a new apartment and I'm still planning to ask the girl out this week, but I was told by Emma's parents that I ruined her reputation and labeled their daughter as a dirty hoe.

Speaker 18 I feel bad, but I felt like she deserved it. Though I know that a disease and sexuality are two different things, so I'm wondering if I was really wrong to do that.

Speaker 18 Damn, that's messy. Damn.
Honestly, who I think all around who I think are the assholes are just kind of all of her family and friends who immediately like, oh my god, you had a

Speaker 18 you're surrounded by awful people. Yeah,

Speaker 18 what's it called when mob mentality? Yeah.

Speaker 18 Yeah.

Speaker 18 I feel bad. I mean, it's

Speaker 18 the sad thing is it sounds like this was what was going to happen no matter what. Like she was stuck.
And I think that's probably why she was so miserable.

Speaker 18 She probably knew that like nobody in her life was going to like be on her side. Yeah.

Speaker 18 It also sucks when like someone has a friend that they like because I know people who have come out to their you know same

Speaker 18 you know

Speaker 18 same sex friend and they're like oh so you've wanted to me all along yeah and it's like no what yeah and then they like that i've seen multiple of those friends it's like why did why do you think it's all about you yeah it sucks when that happens it's heartbreaking yeah it's it's a very odd sudden change like because i've heard i've heard straight guys say that right where it's like well i just don't want them hitting on me it's like why are you suddenly so hot they didn't do that before why are you like yeah why are you the hottest you complain about no women being hit you but now suddenly every guy though right like i know i'm every guy's type.

Speaker 18 So that's clearly, it's just like, it's funny that it suddenly becomes that. It's so bizarre.

Speaker 18 Yeah, this is, this is deeply sad.

Speaker 18 And the revenge of it all, it just never is that satisfying.

Speaker 18 I think like in reading it, my initial reaction is like, because feeling the emotion, and like she has bottled this up her whole life, she has this extremely vulnerable moment and the absolute worst thing happens back there.

Speaker 18 Absolute worst thing. So she lashes out and gets revenge.
I mean, in my eyes, I'm just like, yeah, I don't blame her. That is the response.
That is the response that's going to happen.

Speaker 18 It's not great, but I don't, I understand the reaction. Yeah, because like both of those things in a vacuum, horrible thing to do, right? To out someone for a disease that they're, they're...

Speaker 18 they have or or outing someone for their their sexuality. The verdict is everyone sucks here.

Speaker 18 And I'm curious, I want to read the comments because I'm sure there's like nuance to that. Yeah.
Like we're saying. Someone says, Everyone sucks here, but you suck less than the others.

Speaker 18 Emma is the asshole for outing you, and Emma's family are assholes for saying contracting herpes makes her a dirty hoe.

Speaker 18 You retaliated against Emma in a way that you knew would hurt her, which is perfectly understandable, but still an asshole move. She blew up your life though.
And that's not fair at all.

Speaker 18 I know you'll be okay. Hearing slurs from your family and friends is terrible, and I'm sorry that happened, but they've revealed themselves as assholes.
Yeah.

Speaker 18 They were, They were, I think, the worst out of everyone.

Speaker 18 Because it's like they find out the information about her, they immediately throw slurs at her. Then they find out the information about

Speaker 18 her friend, and they immediately start throwing out the meanest things. I'm like, God, what the hell is wrong with all of them? Where's the love? Holy shit.
Bored people.

Speaker 18 Someone else said, I can see why you did what you did. I'm sorry how much Emma has hurt you, but it will get better once you move out and cut her from your life.
Good luck on your date with the girl.

Speaker 18 Lastly, someone said, not the asshole. I find it very interesting that her first reaction was disgust about you possibly being attracted to her, which is so typically ignorant.

Speaker 18 She even told your friends that you're into her. Like, how narcissistic is that? Newsflash, lesbians aren't attracted to every woman they see, and bisexuals aren't attracted to everything.

Speaker 18 Yeah. Yeah.
This also reminds me of that episode of Survivor years ago. There's this gay guy, and they were about, they were at tribal council, and they were going to vote him out.

Speaker 18 And he was like, you can vote me out, but I can't remember who his name was, but he was like, but he was like, Jesse is lying. Jesse's trans.
And everyone's just like, I've seen this clip.

Speaker 18 And he outed him as trans right there. And they were like, okay, you can't do that.
And they didn't even vote. They were just like, you've got to go.
You just outed someone on TV. I've seen that clip.

Speaker 18 That clip is shocking. It's wild.
It's gooped. It's bad.
Oh, my God. Yeah.
Didn't they? I feel like there was a huge follow-up on that. Like Jeff Probes and everything had a big thing.
Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 18 They're like, this is a safe space.

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Speaker 18 A small little thing I wanted to add. I feel like I've heard about this of just like she meets this girl.
They're texting.

Speaker 18 It's like very clear she likes her, but it's like, oh, we're going to go on dates. I wonder if she likes me.
It's like clearly she does. She thinks she likes me.

Speaker 18 It's very sweet. She texts me back every time.
I hope she likes me.

Speaker 18 She says she thinks I'm really cute and wants to be in a relationship with me. So what are we?

Speaker 18 Update. Whoa.

Speaker 18 We'll see what this is.

Speaker 18 This morning, Emma's parents were at my door. They flew out because Emma is refusing to step back into our apartment.

Speaker 18 So I let them come inside because I wasn't about to hold Emma's stuff hostage, but I did something stupid.

Speaker 18 See, they didn't really want to speak to me, which was fine, but I decided to just wait in my room until they left. Emma and I have an emergency fund that had about $5,000 in it.
I put roughly 2.7K.

Speaker 18 They took it, the entire thing. Once I noticed, I called them to give me back my money because not all of it is hers.

Speaker 18 And they told me that because I earned more than Emma, this was compensation for ruining her reputation. I was like, so is it okay that she tried to screw me over first?

Speaker 18 Their response, Emma did not choose this disease, you choose yours. These are the worst people on the planet.
I didn't even respond to that. I just hung up.
Honestly, I don't even care.

Speaker 18 They didn't take anything else other than the money. I genuinely don't want to see them anymore.

Speaker 18 Emma also has been cut off from her siblings because they have kids and she was kissing the babies without letting the parents know of her diagnosis.

Speaker 18 She also usually was not taking proper precautions during active outbreaks, so yeah. Now, none of her siblings want her around them because they feel betrayed.

Speaker 18 Though, on a lighter note, Ruby and I are officially dating. Yay!

Speaker 18 Something positive!

Speaker 18 We went out to a fancy Thai spot, watched a movie, and then I took her to the water at the edge of the city. I had some stupid playlists set up.
I was trying to tone it down, but I couldn't.

Speaker 18 I was too excited. I told her how beautiful I thought she was, how I enjoyed spending time with her, and if she was okay with it, if I could take her out on a date sometime.

Speaker 18 I had a whole speech prepared, but one of the comments told me I should be simple to not scare her. Oh, hush.
She laughed at me. She said, this was the first date.
So that was a yes.

Speaker 18 I dropped her off at her house and she gave me a kiss before she left, and I'm so happy. I've never kissed a girl before.
Guys, like, she writes a bunch of stuff.

Speaker 18 So, yeah, I actually give zero craps about the money. I just want them out so I can start my new life.
Anyway, that was all. Thanks a lot for the advice and support.

Speaker 18 That was a whole lot of awful and she got through it. Yeah.

Speaker 18 Damn. You don't want to have to go through a heavy change like that all at once, but on the other side, it's brighter regardless.
So

Speaker 18 she and this other person do more crafts and cute shit. And I feel like there's some magic with the money leaving.
It's just like, just take it. Yeah, it's gone.
Paying it off. It's released.

Speaker 18 It's gone. It's gone.

Speaker 18 It's released from this. I paid for that.

Speaker 18 I do kind of respect her for that because it's one of those things where like something's so unfair and it's like you're letting these shitty people steal from you, but it's like she's kind of choosing herself in the situation and going, you know what, I deserve to put this all away.

Speaker 18 And you're releasing yourself from negative interaction and more negative impact. You're just like, it's gone now.
Yeah. And you know, the hope is like

Speaker 18 in her new life, she's now going to find, she's going to now be able to create a much better world around her. Absolutely.

Speaker 18 Wow. So

Speaker 18 these people are

Speaker 18 demon people. Absolutely.

Speaker 18 That's wild. Oh my God.
Every step of the way. Yeah, that was rough.
Wow.

Speaker 18 Damn.

Speaker 18 But I think it goes without saying, obviously, as people should be

Speaker 18 not ashamed of their sexuality. At the same time, I think it should also be said as far as like STDs and stuff.

Speaker 18 It's like, especially in Emma's case, although I don't want to defend Emma as a human, it's not her fault for what she had and it's not anyone's fault and they shouldn't be ashamed of it so I feel like that goes but they should be taking precautions they should be they should be taking precautions absolutely as with any any disease but um man damn wow damn damn

Speaker 18 all right next story here we go fuck some pad key mao

Speaker 18 some tom kaw I know. Actually, OP is the asshole for mentioning Thai food.
Yeah. When I'm really hungry.
Yeah.

Speaker 18 Okay. Next one comes from relationship advice.
My son and his friend are a couple. How do I let them know it's okay?

Speaker 18 Hello, Reddit. Please bear with me regarding my formatting and things.

Speaker 18 I have read the rules and things, but I'm an old fart who is rather on the wrong side of 40, so I'm not overly well versed in the art of efficient internetting. My boy is 20 years old.

Speaker 18 He's absolutely my pride and joy, and there's nothing he could do that would ever make me love him less. For the first half of his life, I regrettably wasn't involved very much.

Speaker 18 His mother and I parted ways when he was just a few months old, and at the time, I was struggling with heroin addiction and was absolutely not as present in his life as I should have been nor was I suited to fatherhood at all.

Speaker 18 I saw him at most two or three times a year for the first 12 years of his life.

Speaker 18 I won't discuss details because that's his private story to tell but when he was 12 he revealed to me that he was being badly mistreated at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend.

Speaker 18 Despite not being the best father at the time, I didn't want my boy suffering anymore, so I got myself cleaned up and sorted out in order to get full custody of him.

Speaker 18 I've effectively been a single and sober father ever since and he has little to no contact with his mother. He's everything a man could want his son to be.
He's uniquely kind and fiercely loyal.

Speaker 18 He's unflinchingly brave. He's incredibly generous.
And despite the horrors he suffered as a child, he's unfailingly positive and sunny to the last.

Speaker 18 Somehow I, of all people, was bestowed with the honor of watching him grow from a sweet young boy to the greatest man I have ever known. I cannot stress enough my pride in him.

Speaker 18 When he was 18, he got accepted into a top-ranking university on the other side of the country.

Speaker 18 I was sad to see him go, but simultaneously overjoyed that he got into his first choice and was starting a new chapter in his life.

Speaker 18 He comes home once every other month, and on the months he doesn't come home, I go to visit him.

Speaker 18 He's doing well in uni, has made lots of friends and seems incredibly happy there, which I'm obviously chuffed about. Since his second year, he's lived with his friend in a flat off campus.

Speaker 18 I've strongly suspected since his early teens that my son is gay, and I now more or less have confirmation that this is true and that his friend is actually his boyfriend.

Speaker 18 So for this COVID-19 faff, my son decided he'd rather come home and quarantine at mine than stay at his uni flat.

Speaker 18 His friend, however, would be left alone if my son came back as he's a Canadian and his family are back over there, and I gather he doesn't have the best relationship with them anyway.

Speaker 18 He asked if it would be okay if his friend tagged along to my house and I said of course, no problem. They've been back at mine for about six weeks now.

Speaker 18 They think they're being subtle, I know, but I've caught them doing coupley things on several occasions now.

Speaker 18 The friend has slipped up a couple of times and called my son babe and sweetie in front of me, which I pretended not to notice for the sake of saving embarrassment.

Speaker 18 There have been nights where we'll be watching a film with the lights off and, thinking I can't see, my son will have his arm around the friend.

Speaker 18 One day, I walked into the lounge and I'm positive they'd just been kissing and were trying to cover it, though I admit I have no confirmation on that one.

Speaker 18 The most solid evidence, however, came a few mornings ago. I get up very early to go for runs in the morning, hence why I'm making a Reddit post at 5 in the morning, haha.

Speaker 18 As far as I was told, my son was sleeping in his childhood room and his friend was in the guest room.

Speaker 18 I don't know what possessed me to do so, but on Tuesday morning I cracked my son's door open to check on him, like I used to when he was a kid.

Speaker 18 Lo and behold, they're both asleep, snuggled up together in my son's bed. That's more or less solidified for me that they're together.

Speaker 18 I didn't say anything, just shut the door and went for my run, and I haven't mentioned it to them yet. What I want advice on is this.

Speaker 18 How do I let my son and his boyfriend know that I'm okay with them being a couple and they don't have to feel like they have to sneak around in my house?

Speaker 18 I want them to be comfortable here and I want them to know I support them both no matter what. Or is that not a good idea?

Speaker 18 Am I better off leaving it alone and waiting until they tell me themselves if they ever do?

Speaker 18 I obviously don't want to force either of them out of the closet, but at the same time, I hate feeling as if they feel like they're being forced into the closet in my house.

Speaker 18 What's my best course of action here?

Speaker 18 That's really sweet. That's a sweet situation.
It's really sweet. Sweet, sweet situation.
I have what I would do. Okay.

Speaker 18 And this is not, I don't feel like this is normal, but I would love if it were done to me. It's like a this.
He knows, like, he knows, right?

Speaker 18 And they are probably,

Speaker 18 they probably don't want to sneak around. Sure.
Right, they want to be liberated from that. They want to be liberated in the right way.
So it's like a casual, like,

Speaker 18 wait, you guys would make a really cute couple. Funny.

Speaker 18 That's actually so funny.

Speaker 18 You guys really get along. Have you thought about dating? Like, why haven't you thought about that?

Speaker 18 Turn it right about it on and make it that the normal is you guys are so close. Why aren't you dating? Yeah, it's so obvious and natural to me as your dad.
Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 18 Because you would do that because my parents would always do that with me and girlfriends that I had around. Why don't you guys date? Well, then why can't you do the same thing with the two boys?

Speaker 18 That's an interesting. Yeah.
I like that. I think that just to tag on that, have that conversation with just your son.
Yes. You know, like

Speaker 18 let the son go to the boyfriend and be like, hey, my dad. said that we should be dating.
Isn't that hilarious?

Speaker 18 So I guess we're chill, you know, as opposed to including the third party who's he doesn't really know the family as much.

Speaker 18 And yeah, I was thinking, that's way better than my idea.

Speaker 18 My idea was just going to be like, hey, you know, I got a gift card to Outback Steakhouse and I figured you two could, you know, have, go on a date night or whatever, because I'm not going to go.

Speaker 18 I'm allergic to onions. Make some shit up.
I don't know. But just be like, you know, send them on a date to be like, wait, what? You know,

Speaker 18 just to be like, yeah, I don't care. I don't know.
Just give any sign to be like, I don't fucking care. Yeah.
Yeah. Some tactfulness.
Yeah.

Speaker 18 Or like order some Pokemon cards and get them in pink envelopes and be like, aren't these envelopes awesome? Aren't they the best?

Speaker 18 The best. Aren't they the best and really cool?

Speaker 18 Comments, you're an awesome dad. I'm so glad you were able to clean up your life and become such an amazing father to your son.
I hope he knows and sees that too.

Speaker 18 I'm a lesbian and I can totally relate. You could also write a letter addressed to him if you wish.
I think that would be really sweet and I would keep it forever if I were him.

Speaker 18 Thanks for being one of the good ones. Someone said, first congrats on cleaning yourself up and being there for your son.
Keep being strong.

Speaker 18 Most of the comments here are great and I think any of them would be fine. Just reassure your son it's okay and that you'll love him no matter his sexuality.

Speaker 18 My friend's dad left his son a sticky note for him to find that just said he loves him and approves of his boyfriend because he's such a gentleman lol.

Speaker 18 I think reassurance is best but I love everyone else's comments.

Speaker 18 Lastly, someone said if you like his boyfriend it sounds like you do then I'd say something like I hope you know that boyfriend's name is always welcome in our family.

Speaker 18 It's clear he really cares about you and having people like that in our lives is so important.

Speaker 18 If you're feeling up to it, just add, I just want you to know that you two are more than welcome to share a bedroom here if you prefer. Um,

Speaker 18 update,

Speaker 18 oh, I'm gonna cry probably.

Speaker 18 That is also another subtle way of just being like, Oh, do you guys want to just like share a bedroom? Like, yeah, just throwing it out there, put a bowl of condoms in there for you.

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Speaker 17 Visit strengthenyourhouse.com.

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Speaker 18 Update. I want to top this off with a big thank you to everyone who left such lovely, thoughtful comments.
I honestly didn't expect so many people to see this post.

Speaker 18 I was thinking maybe an absolute maximum of 100 people and even that seemed like loads. It was lovely to hear back from so many of you.
I'm sorry. The top and then the loads.
I can't.

Speaker 18 He's over 40. He doesn't get the link.
Yeah.

Speaker 18 Man.

Speaker 18 I'm over 40. I don't know what the internet is.

Speaker 18 It was lovely to hear back from so many of you and I'm forever grateful for the fantastic advice most of you gave. Also overjoyed by my new adopted Reddit children.

Speaker 18 Haha, you're all doing amazing and I'm very proud of all of you.

Speaker 18 Also big thanks to all of the lovely people who sent me such sweet messages of support and to those of you who reached out to me because you felt you needed someone to talk to.

Speaker 18 If anyone else feels that way and is in need of dadly advice, do feel free to give me a message and I will do my best to help out. Okay, you all want me to shut up and tell you what happened.

Speaker 18 My son was busy with some assignments both for his freelancing job and his uni work most of the day and I didn't want to disturb him so I waited until after dinner to chat.

Speaker 18 Friend went to a bath while my son and I watched Telly. I told him face to face, son, I love you very much.

Speaker 18 You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to, but I want you and friend to feel comfortable being yourselves in my house and you don't ever need to hide anything from me, alright?

Speaker 18 Well, it turns out a hell of a lot of you were right. Son burst out laughing and said, oh, thank God.

Speaker 18 because I didn't want to make you feel weird. Basically, we've each been pussyfooting around the topic because neither of us wanted to make the other uncomfortable talking about it.

Speaker 18 We had a bit of a chat and he confirmed that I'm right in thinking they've been together since their first year of uni and that's why they moved in together in second year.

Speaker 18 However, apparently I'm not as brilliant and intuitive as I thought because apparently one of his friends in secondary school was his boyfriend for a year and I had absolutely no idea.

Speaker 18 He went and talked to the boyfriend after his bath and then we all had a bit of a further chat.

Speaker 18 Sadly, a lot of you are right that the reason boyfriend doesn't have a good relationship with his parents is because he came out to them a few years ago and they effectively disowned him.

Speaker 18 So I made sure he knows that he's part of our family now. Sorry if that isn't all as exciting and groundbreaking as some of you had hoped.

Speaker 18 I'm glad this is something my boy no longer feels he has to keep from me and I'm very glad he's happy with his partner. Thank you all again for the help.

Speaker 18 That's beautiful. That was great.
Oh,

Speaker 18 man.

Speaker 18 That makes me think of that story that destroyed me. Jesus.
Yeah.

Speaker 18 Dads being proud of their sons. I know.
Brutal.

Speaker 18 Oh, man.

Speaker 18 What a perfect ending. It's great.
It's great. It's really great.
However,

Speaker 18 I've had multiple relationships.

Speaker 18 And one of the hardest parts sometimes is when they're accepted into my family, and then things go sour. And then they're always welcome.
Are they coming home? I'm like, no, bitch, that

Speaker 18 is not coming home.

Speaker 18 I think that's understood on the behalf of the relationship. But it's like, that's just this relationship.

Speaker 18 It's under the same rules as any relationship, then. You know, it's like, oh, they're welcome into our family until you decide it's not.
They're not.

Speaker 18 They're not.

Speaker 18 That's so awesome. Oh, man.

Speaker 18 But great story. Great.
That was great. Very great.
All right. One next story.

Speaker 18 Am I overreacting? This comes from, am I overreacting? Am I overreacting? I, a 25-year-old woman, think my boyfriend, a 33-year-old man, is lying to me and is gay with his best friend.

Speaker 18 We are set to get married soon. We've been together for three years.
We have great sex. He tells me he loves me.
He wants kids. And he tells me it's just a joke and they do this because it's funny.

Speaker 18 His best friend, we'll call him Tyler for the sake of this post, and him talk sexual to each other all the time.

Speaker 18 I've seen over his shoulder texts saying things like, I'm a pound your ass so hard it's gonna hurt to walk days after. Oh, that, what, that?

Speaker 18 And have, and I have seen photos of both of them sending pictures of their dicks. I was snooping last night.
I know, I know I shouldn't do that.

Speaker 18 but Tyler sent my fiancé a photo of his boner a couple days ago, and my fiancé said, nice dick, bro. And things like, too bad I'm not gay or I'd suck that hog.

Speaker 18 Like, it almost seems like they are joking, but sending actual pictures of their dicks, like multiple times and both of them hard, talking like this pretty regularly.

Speaker 18 Am I overreacting?

Speaker 18 Please help.

Speaker 18 Please help. We are set to get married soon.
I'm worried he's cheating on me with Tyler. Edit, I don't have a problem with him being gay.
I have a problem with him cheating on me.

Speaker 18 That is so crazy. That's wild.
Dude, but I'm not gay, or I would suck that hog, dude.

Speaker 18 I mean, it is a funny bit if they actually are straight. It is a funny bit.
It's funny. It's really funny.
It's a funny bit.

Speaker 18 And I have a college friend who said like a full, like

Speaker 18 a full frontal nude, but it was like, it was like medical. And it was very like

Speaker 18 to the group that we were like, why'd you just send us your dick? And he's like, ha ha.

Speaker 18 Yeah. What? Yeah, I've had those straight friends before, too.
There are people out there who are like, amongst friends are so comfortable with each other. Yeah.

Speaker 18 And it's, it's wild for people who aren't, but it's like, hey, that might be just how they're at. All right, let's see.
Is she gay? We'll find out.

Speaker 18 We have a comment. From how their texts are worded, it kind of sounds as though nothing has happened between them, but both secretly want it to, and they're just testing waters.
I don't know.

Speaker 18 Either way, I would definitely attempt a completely honest discussion with him about this. I guess it's because like it could all be like funny and jokes.

Speaker 18 It's also a boundary for her that could maybe be like, hey, you are like

Speaker 18 sending nudes to each other. Right.

Speaker 18 Like, that's that is pretty extreme. Maybe that makes you feel uncomfortable.
Yeah. Maybe it's a joke.
It's a joke. A conversation does need to be had, obviously.
That's definitely.

Speaker 18 That's, yeah.

Speaker 18 Someone else said, guys don't send each other dick pics for fun. Doesn't happen.
And I would stand my ground hard on that.

Speaker 18 And I would let him know that in no way will you ever support cheating of any kind with guys or girls. So if he has feelings, either gay or bi, he better speak now.

Speaker 18 Because if you find proof, it won't go well. I would also ask for a prenup with a cheating clause that covers messages, pics, emotional, and physical cheating with huge penalties if it happens.

Speaker 18 The pics with his buddy and the gay talk would stop or the wedding wouldn't happen. Okay, that's a a little

Speaker 18 extreme.

Speaker 18 I don't like just to be like, guys don't do this, because it's kind of falling in line with what we were saying earlier of like, well, that's gay and straight guys don't do that.

Speaker 18 It's like, I don't know. I don't know this guy.
People out there

Speaker 18 do all sorts of different things.

Speaker 18 Do I also think it's fair if she goes, hey, this makes me uncomfortable? Sure. And that's fine, too.
Totally fair. I love the like, that's anyway.

Speaker 18 A last comment. The saying about sucking dick bit is the type of jokes me and the people I work with make all the time.
Only a few that have a stupid sense of humor, though.

Speaker 18 But the actually seeing each other's dicks is a bit strange and would make me question stuff. Yeah.
Yeah, I was not the wrong to question. She's not overreacting.
No. I don't think she's overreacting.

Speaker 18 And the same bit can be done without it being your dick. Like you just send a random dick.

Speaker 18 That's true. And it's like, that's a nice dick.
But if it's,

Speaker 18 if it's your dick, it's like, well, you've just sent me your actual dick. The boner aspect is definitely

Speaker 18 like a book. The boner aspect.
The boner aspect by Shane Topp.

Speaker 18 I'm there on the back in a turtleneck, just like.

Speaker 18 That's awesome. Shane's on your back.
A turtleneck for your neck and a turtleneck for your business.

Speaker 18 From the author of the boner method comes the boner aspect.

Speaker 18 All right, update number one. Okay.

Speaker 18 The boner dimension.

Speaker 18 The boner dimension. Whoa.

Speaker 18 Whoa.

Speaker 18 Whoa.

Speaker 18 Okay. All right.
Update number one. I'm going to play it cool for a couple days and just keep an eye on their behavior.

Speaker 18 Tyler is coming over to hang out this coming Tuesday afternoon, and I might say something to gauge their reactions.

Speaker 18 Not sure what yet, but something to see if they look at each other weird or something. I don't know.
I'll update later when I know my my plan.

Speaker 18 I hope this turns out all to be just some big joke between them. A big joke, a big boner.
Yeah.

Speaker 18 Dude.

Speaker 18 Update number two. Yes!

Speaker 18 Wow. I'll start with that.
I didn't say anything when they were together. I was full of anxiety and all in my head and I just couldn't do it.
I brought it up this morning before he left for work.

Speaker 18 I said something to the nature of, I looked at your phone, and I would love to know why you two are sexting with each other. I'm not comfortable with it and we need to talk about this.
Are you gay or?

Speaker 18 He literally bursts out laughing as I'm tearing up asking this. He says this is all a big joke.

Speaker 18 He says that this, he says that this whole thing started because they were making fun of homophobes and people who are insecure with their sexuality. And it went from jokes to full-on dick pics.

Speaker 18 He said they talk about how it's so funny that seeing a dick makes you gay or people find it gross when in fact it's no different than a picture of an ear or a hand.

Speaker 18 It's a big big inside joke because straight men are not supposed to act like this, and people who think that makes you gay or weird are just insecure and childish.

Speaker 18 He says that it started with just sending pictures of dicks from the internet and eventually led to them sending their own because of the shock value. I literally do not know what to think about this.

Speaker 18 I told him to stop it now, and he said he would respect that and to not do it anymore. But also, fair, fair, also said I need to chill and doesn't like that I looked at his phone.

Speaker 18 Ugh, I did see him start talking on his phone as he was leaving the driveway, probably bitching about me.

Speaker 18 I sometimes we read Reddit stories and I'm like, I have never heard a story like this before. I don't know if I ever will again.
Yeah.

Speaker 18 I don't, like, if someone told me this, I'm like, I don't know what advice to give you. I,

Speaker 18 man.

Speaker 18 I'm glad it's exactly what we expected. Oh my God.

Speaker 18 But also fair. They should stop sending dicks to each other, I guess.
A fair bounty, I guess.

Speaker 18 But also very funny.

Speaker 18 Again, this literally reminds me of my friend. I love that he's just like, yeah, okay, I'll stop.
Yeah,

Speaker 18 stop. Yeah, I can't send him anymore.
Gosh. Damn.
Oh, my God. We need more guys like that, I guess.

Speaker 18 In the world? I don't want that.

Speaker 18 That is the most chaotic good or chaotic good for chaotic neutral.

Speaker 18 I don't know what. That's just...
Chaotic. Yeah.
I do like the whole thing of like, it's like an ear. It's like an ear, man.
It's like not.

Speaker 18 Yeah.

Speaker 18 The hard aspect is still what

Speaker 18 I caught up, but I'm like, okay. So you work it up and then send it to your bro.
Right. Yeah.

Speaker 18 Work it up.

Speaker 18 Work it up and then send it. Wow.
All right. Our final story.

Speaker 18 This comes from the Boston Celtic subreddit and best of Redditor updates. Okay, a unique then diagram.
Yes. Yeah, the first, first of its kind.

Speaker 18 So buckle up, there's going to be multiple parts of this story. The title.
Do trans people belong at Celtics Games?

Speaker 18 No!

Speaker 18 Like, what?

Speaker 18 Okay.

Speaker 18 I'm sorry if this post comes off as negative or selfish, but it truly comes from a genuine place in my heart. I love the Celtics.

Speaker 18 My obsession with the NBA is pretty new, but I'm seriously honored to live in one of the most legendary basketball dynasties of all time.

Speaker 18 I want so desperately to go to see them live, but as a trans woman, I have felt, to say the least, unwelcomed by Boston.

Speaker 18 After some traumatizing events and horror stories towards both me and several friends at sporting events in the area, I have reservations about going to such a high-density game like at TD Garden.

Speaker 18 I understand that a lot of native fans have very strong feelings about transgender people, and I don't want to end up on the wrong side of a group of fans who feel extremely justified on their home court.

Speaker 18 So I just want to know, am I welcome? Do you care? Honestly, would you prefer not to see me? I want honest answers. Even a simple yes or no is fine.
It's just heartbreaking to have to.

Speaker 18 It's so heartbreaking. I've never been to Boston, right? I don't know.
I also do know like sporting events, like there's, there's a lot of different types of crowds there. And

Speaker 18 very toxic crowds are at games. Yes.
So this person's asking, am I safe there?

Speaker 18 Right. I feel is what they're asking.
That's more, I think, I think they know that at a giant arena with tens of thousands of people, there are going to be allies there.

Speaker 18 But what's the ratio going to be? Is it safe? Yeah.

Speaker 18 It's so sad. Am I allowed to exist here? No.

Speaker 18 That's what you're asking? Yes. And they're already saying, like, in Boston, in this city, they've

Speaker 18 felt unwell. It's already rough.
So the comments were overwhelmingly positive. Oh.
Even the moderators were very positive in response.

Speaker 18 Someone said, yes, if you are in danger, look for a Theas jersey and I will protect you.

Speaker 18 Someone said, I'd prefer to see you there, live your life, and fuck the haters. Someone said, as an employee of the team, I can say we 100% would love for you to be there.

Speaker 18 I don't expect you'll have any issues, but if you do, please report to guest services. They take issues like this very seriously in my experience.

Speaker 18 Lastly, someone said, I honestly don't give a fuck what people identify as. We all bleed green, baby.

Speaker 18 Hell yeah.

Speaker 18 All right.

Speaker 18 First update.

Speaker 18 This was 14 days later. Title, going to my first game tomorrow.

Speaker 18 I'm just laying here awake, practically shaking with excitement. Anything I should know? I've heard the energy in the garden is just electric.
I wish I had a jersey to wear.

Speaker 18 Gonna hit some thrift stores during the day to try and find one for a good price. Who knows? Maybe I'll see a Thomas number four.

Speaker 18 I have a Celtics jersey. Really? And the matching bottoms.
Whoa. Oh.
There you go. Update number two.
Same day. This time from Justin, the Celtics team sales rep.

Speaker 18 Help us make user Captain Advil's first Celtics game a memorable one. Hi, everyone.

Speaker 18 Some of you may recognize me as the other J Brown employed by the Celtics from when I organized a few group ticket outings years ago.

Speaker 18 I'm sure many of you saw this post from a few weeks ago where a transgender Celtics fan, user Captain Advil, asked if they belonged at a Celtics game.

Speaker 18 I was very encouraged to see the overwhelmingly positive response to the thread and made a comment that the organization supports her 100%.

Speaker 18 She mentioned being so encouraged that she purchased tickets to the November 1st game, which is tomorrow.

Speaker 18 The post post caught the attention of some of the higher-ups at the Celtics who want to get in touch and make sure her experience is a special one. So I'm following up on behalf of them.

Speaker 18 I've tried directly messaging her a few times to no avail, so I just wanted to make one last effort to get in touch before she attends the game tomorrow. Would appreciate any help making that happen.

Speaker 18 Update number three. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Okay, well, the tier 10. She's been drafted to the Celtics.

Speaker 18 She's like, shit, shit, shit. I didn't sign up for this.

Speaker 18 Meet our new power forward,

Speaker 18 Captain Advil.

Speaker 18 She's in heels.

Speaker 18 Fuck.

Speaker 18 Ma'am. Okay.
You need some ankle support? The title of this is three days later after that post. Trans people are welcome at Celtics Games.

Speaker 18 It took me a minute to get my bearings back, but I think I need to jump on here and say something to all the people who absolutely made my year. I don't even know what to say.
155 to 104?

Speaker 18 Are you kidding me? That felt like the most normal thing that happened that night, given the almost unbelievable context that brought me to the game in the first place.

Speaker 18 The encouragement I felt from this sub made my night at the garden absolutely magical. I can't remember a time I could feel so included and so absolved of the weight of my identity at the same time.

Speaker 18 I didn't just feel safe and cared for, but absolutely full with nothing holding me down. I finally feel like I can claim my love for basketball and be queer as fuck simultaneously.

Speaker 18 So for that, I owe you guys. I also need to give a huge thank you to the Celtics organization for taking the time to make OneFans first game truly special.

Speaker 18 I'll admit, I was expecting to feel a little used just in the way that some companies do when trying to prove their allyship. That was not the case.

Speaker 18 They didn't point at me and go, look, we got one, or anything like that. They sent Autumn, a rep, to my seat to quietly hand me a bag of Celtics gear and wish me the best time of my life.

Speaker 18 They just wanted me to fit in and give me a chance to see what it's like to be part of the Celtics. Well, I certainly feel like I'm part of something.

Speaker 18 I'm so grateful for this community, this organization, this team, and above all, Derek White.

Speaker 18 That is a Celtics player.

Speaker 18 Thanks, guys. I hope I get to see you again soon.
Oh, my God. Wow.

Speaker 18 So sweet. That's awesome.
Hey, gives you hope. That's amazing.
Yeah, it's so nice. Oh, good.
It's so cool. You know, I mean, like, we hear so much about all the hate.

Speaker 18 It's nice to, like, be like, oh, there's also a lot of good people. There's a lot of good.
Some comments. We scored 155 and won by 51 points in your first game.
Please go to at least every home game.

Speaker 18 We absolutely need you there person.

Speaker 18 That's so sweet. We need our lucky doll at every game.
Someone said, this straight white dude absolutely loves this story. I am overjoyed that this was your experience.

Speaker 18 If we can't welcome everyone into our team, what the fuck is the point? Lastly, someone said, dope. Love to hear experiences like this.
Our fan base always gets a bad rep.

Speaker 18 Nice to hear that the vibe check passed with flying colors. I'm glad it was a night to remember for you.
That's so great.

Speaker 18 Yay, I love a happy moment.

Speaker 18 I'll say this now and only in this moment, but go Celtics. That was cool.
I'm not even a Lakers fan. I just, I don't know.
I'm not even, I'm not like a Celtics hater. I don't know.

Speaker 18 Do you like any basketball team? I like players.

Speaker 18 Like specific players.

Speaker 18 Like Jokic. You know that one, right? Yeah.

Speaker 18 I like Jokic because he hates basketball. Oh, that's cool.
He's just cursed at being really good at it. Oh, wow.
He's a player who's so good, but he kind of just hates everything about it. What? Yeah.

Speaker 18 Wait, that's awesome. Like when he won the championship and they're like, yeah, you have to go do a a big celebration.
Now he's like, what? He's like, I just want to go home. I just want to celebrate.

Speaker 18 What do you do I want to watch? He's like pissed. Like Mike.

Speaker 18 Okay. Does it hold up? Does anyone want to?

Speaker 18 Wow. I'm going to watch it.
All right. Let's go play some basketball.

Speaker 18 Let's get out of here. Let's dribble.
All right.

Speaker 18 Well, this has been quite the Reddit Stories episode. It's

Speaker 18 thank you both for being here. Thank you.

Speaker 18 Yeah.

Speaker 18 And hey, Happy Pride Month. Happy Pride.

Speaker 18 Happy Pride Month.

Speaker 18 And thank you all for watching. Let us know what other themes and subreddits you'd like to on the show.
And we will see you next Saturday.

Speaker 19 Goodbye.

Speaker 19 Bye.

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