In another installment of "Man, Yaz, you really need to post this super cool topic instead of sleeping" I bring you this. (Also, yeah I refer to myself in the third person and by my username instead of my actual name)

What are some unpopular or controversial opinions you hold? Could be something simple like you think Game of Thrones is overrated. Could be something fairly big, like you think vaccines cause autism. Maybe it is something so unspeakable that the entire internet turns on you, like saying strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.

All I ask is that you
1) Defend your position. Don't just say "I don't like black people because they look funny." Give an actual explanation as to why you feel the way you feel.
2) Post something that is actually unpopular or controversial. Example, a lot of the more prominent posters here and back in Safe Space are pretty liberal, so saying that America needs gun control isn't exactly unpopular here.
3) Don't be hateful. If you want to argue that white people should be allowed to say nigger, then by all means go for it. That is an opinion that fits and isn't inherently hateful toward anyone. Just make sure to steer clear of making it hateful. Also, don't argue in defense of rape or sexual assault or pedophilia. It is one thing to make an argument saying certain crimes are worse than others, but don't be a fucking incel or Phenom.
4) Be civil. I know this topic is likely to cause many rustled jimmies and give ample opportunity for people to use snowflake, but that isn't my purpose. I genuinely want to see discussion and see why certain people feel the way they feel about things. It is hard to call yourself open minded if you never allow your mind to open and hear other views. It is completely okay to disagree with people, but be civil about it.

I'll even go first and post two of my own opinions that some people may find unpopular or controversial.

1) Fat acceptance has gone way too far.
Look, I'm fat. No matter how you slice it, I'm fat. Now I'm usually okay with this, being fat isn't something to be inherently ashamed of. I'm fairly comfortable in my skin, and you should be too. If you want to change that though, then go for it. So long as YOU are comfortable, then that is all that should matter.

The issue is that the people who try to campaign for fat acceptance and stop anti fat bias seem to forget a couple of things. First off, yes, fat people do face discrimination. Anti fat bias is a thing. I'm not just talking about the whole "People think I'm ugly because I'm fat" routine people pull. Being fat doesn't automatically make you ugly. I'm handsome as fuck. Anyway, aside from body image issues, fat people are often passed over for employment opportunities, and are often associated with negative personality traits. Even Chris Christie faced political discrimination for his weight, facing accusations that his weight made him unfit to be President. So yeah, the bias exists, but the activists forget fat people can change. We can lose weight. We can improve. If we choose not to, we shouldn't be given shit for it, but to act like the discrimination we face is the same as gender or race discrimination is ludicrous. And don't get me started on the whole fat is a disability BS.

They also forget that being fat isn't healthy. The whole Healthy At Any Size theory is fine. Not everyone has the same genetic makeup or lifestyle, so what works to keep you healthy may not work for the next guy. The idea that you can be perfectly healthy while still being obese is bullshit though. Obesity is a medical condition. It isn't some ugly slur that was made up to insult fat people. Yeah, being fat doesn't automatically mean you are gonna die at 32 of a massive heart attack or your arteries are so clogged that you could scrape off the cholesterol for your toast, but it puts you at an increased risk.

So yeah, fat people should be treated like average people. Fat shouldn't automatically equal negative. Big people can be attractive. Just stop acting like 99% of the reason you are fat isn't your own fault and stop trying to argue that being 5'4 and 320 pounds is healthy.

2) LGBT people whose entire identity is based upon their sexuality annoy me
First off, I think basing your entire identity off of one thing is foolish and silly. Secondly, I have no issue with the LGBT community. I think they deserve equal rights and even though I don't fully understand all of it, they shouldn't face discrimination or persecution for what they are.

That said, the individuals who never shut up about their sexuality or gender and make that one trait (can you call it a trait? I don't know a better term) their entire identity are annoying and I think they do harm to the LGBT movement.

Look, I get it as much as a white cis male in America can get discrimination, you are happy that your people are finally gaining acceptance and you are proud of who you are. Great! You shouldn't be ashamed of being born who you are. The issue, I find, is those who are just completely in your face with it. For instance, my girlfriend has a cousin who "came out" a little over a year ago. Now I say that because most of us don't believe her to actually be lesbian. She has a long history of failed relationships and dating fuckboys. Her baby daddy ran out on her when she was 16, she has been cheated on constantly, she has been used just for sex. I mean her dating life was a mess and I felt a bit sorry for her. She started in on the whole "men are trash, boys ain't shit, I don't need a man, I'm over guys" routine and not long after she came out that she was dating another girl. Aside from the stereotypical social media attention whoring she did to claim she was over men, she goes super out of her way to remind people she is gay. Nine out of ten of her Facebook posts a day will be related to her sexuality. Most of the time they aren't even pro LGBT posts, they are just her sharing pictures of half naked female celebrities with captions like (and other emojis Sly hasn't added) or shit like this -



To me, that implies that sexuality is a choice and defeats the entire born this way argument. So yeah, I think this is more of an attention seeking thing than her being legit gay, but the point stands for those who are truly gay. She also constantly pushes her agenda on her six year old daughter, which I don't agree with no matter your stance. Kids aren't political pawns.

Anyway. You don't need to constantly remind people of your struggle. You don't need to ostracize people who aren't voicing their pro LGBT opinions all the time. Don't assume people are homo/transphobic because your behavior is off putting. The community act like if you don't support their issues 100% of the time, then you are a hateful bigot. Like, I don't at all understand gender fluidity or how someone can not be happy with their gender/feel they were born the wrong gender. I don't get it at all, but I don't know enough about it to say they are wrong and they aren't really doing anyone any harm so who am I to stop them? That said, I don't think ten year olds need to be getting treatments to undergo gender reassignment. I understand that as science and society progress that what used to be weird or wrong is becoming accepted. Being gay used to be a mental disorder. I just don't think a ten year old would be able to fully grasp gender identity when even I struggle with the concept in my late 20s. My feeling that way doesn't make me transphobic, I just don't think, even with parental permission, that you should be getting a new gender when you can't even get a tattoo until you are 18.

I want to touch on the topic of how if you don't support LGBT issues 100% of the time you are hateful again. About five or six years ago, my girlfriend at the time had a close friend who was gay. Dude was a lovely fella, just a joy to be around. He was funny, enjoyed video games, was creative. Just my kind of guy. One time he invited us to a gay bar to watch a drag show. She was all for it, I was kinda eh on the idea. Not that I dislike drag, that shit is legit. I was just worried about the whole feeling out of place thing. He assured me that aside from the fact that dudes would be kissing dudes and ladies kissing ladies, it was a normal bar and they could even give straight folks wristbands to designate them as such. That whole concept seemed like I was going to be some tourist visiting a zoo or some shit, but women are convincing. We go to the place and it was like Rick Perry's worst nightmare. I was super uncomfortable because I was being touched on without my permission, people were loud and flamboyant and causing scenes the entire night, there was loud and open talks describing pretty explicit sexual acts, there were rubber dicks everywhere, it just wasn't my kind of place, gay or straight. I excused myself and ended up walking outside to get some air and this apparently was offensive to her gay friend because I wasn't comfortable. I was straight up called homophobic. It didn't matter that straight people doing the same would have made me feel the same way, the fact that I wasn't okay with what was going on made me homophobic.

So yeah, if you are LGBT, more power to you, but if your life is all rainbows and glitter and fake lisps 24/7, don't be surprised when people are put off by you.