I think he was on the west coast... so the 3am would have been 12am... but he just could be awake.. I get msgs from him at all hours too.

 

Spied at QoC Dickinson's house...

 

Hey everyone - very excited to join y'all! I am a new NAM member and ordered my new MCSa 6/30, just arrived NY harbor Sat. 7/26, hope it gets to Tate MINI soon! I live in Arlington, VA and would very much like to join the Queer MINI club!!! Please add me to the list!

 

Please add me to your list! I'm so glad to see you start this. It seems when anyone starts to talk about MINI's and gays, the moderators just shut the blog down. I knew there just had to more gay people out there that are proud MINI owners. Please keep us all updated on any events or info and I'll buy any swag you may have when it becomes available. Cheers and Queers!!

 

I have had a gay thread on here for a while now... It was not shut down...

I think the threads you were/are thinking of were more aimed toward the derogatory.

 

Count me in! Or is that Out??

 

Hey Xiek! Forgot to tell you that I put the design here.

 

Hi everyone! Just got a new to me MINI hot orange convertible.. his name is heathcliff

Glad to find a GLBT thread.. but I'm confused as to why its in the Canada section

 

Not sure what I find more troubling here.

The fact that there is a segragated sect of MINI owners in NAM whom felt the need to distiguish themselves from everyone else because of their sexual orientation, or

The fact that NAM even allowed such nonsense....

What next ?

The Official Uptight Republican Club or maybe the Official Liberal Give it all away Club, or maybe the official Heterosexual Mini club ?

Really, why was it necessary to self segregate yourselves here in NAM ?

Were members of this forum being disrespectful or discriminating against you ? And if they were, how did they know you were gay or lesbian ? How does that come up in conversation here in threads involving CARS ????

Pease enlighten the NOOB NAM Member as to why someone felt the need or desire to bring politics, sex and religion to the table here and in of all places, A MINI COOPER FORUM ? ? ? ?

Up until now I was going to pay the 40 bucks for a membership, but now I am not so sure. See, I go to places like this to get away from daily stress of politics, not to enhance it!

 

It's not segregated - it's inclusive. You might want to re-read the first post I made announcing QoC.

Quote:

"Welcome to the First Post of QoC!

 

Well I suppose I can see how someone could take this thread as segregation. The MINI community has been really accepting of me at least. And really have not heard of any gay-bashing within the community from any of the other Queer Members.

It was simply to have a place for Queers to go, and KNOW that they will always be accepted here. There are Electric Blue Owners clubs, Chili Red Owners clubs, etc.

We launched the QoC at the Dragon in May, and actually we had a few people come out of the closet there, whether that was because they KNEW they had that support base or, it was just their time. We a lot of allies at the launch party, that had a blast, just because we're great people and fun to be around.

No where did we bring Religion into the forum, or politics, and maybe you could argue sex is in there, but maybe you meant sexual oriention. We do not discriminate against ones sex to be in this club, nor do we say that hetero's are not allowed.

Part of the mandate of this club is to inform and educate everyone that Queers are not that different from everyone else, when you get below the surface, and to provide a support network for other Queers in need.

 

I can't believe someone is ignorant enough to make these comments. This is not political - it's just some people with like interests, like Red Chili owners, that want to associate with each other. That's all there is to it. How ignorant your comment is. I can guess where you come down on gay people. Glad I have the right to associate with whomever I want, regardless of these kind of ignorant attacks. Grow UP.

 

Someone's not feeling "FAAAAAAAAAABULOUUUUUSS"!
So i'm wondering, did you post the same question in the different "color" support groups, or between the 1st gen, vs. the 2nd gen cars? I mean....really, c'mon.
If the shoe fits sista, put it on, strut around, and work it girlfriend.
If it don't, put it back on the rack, leave the shoe store, and run along sonny. Leave us be, we're harmless, it's not contagious, and if you stare long enough, it means your interested!

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention......the BORG called and they're coming back to pick you up!

 

I'm Ignorant ?

Name calling now, why are you so hot headed. It is a perfectly well thought out question. AND btw: I have 8 gay friends, both male and female, they are at my home often as well.

I can see why the color of a MINI may have to do with Red Chili Owner's Club, and quaint to have a club like that, but what does one's Sexual Preference have to do with MINI Coopers in NAM Forums ?

It just opens the doors for a vast amounts of other groups
whom feel the need to segragate themselves and unnecessarily may I add, from the entire group of MINI owers further building a wall that should NOT be there. It additionally takes away any positive exposure you may have to contribute, especially to those narrow minded folk.

 

I'm going to ask everyone to respectfully calm down - before this forum was ever created it was approved by Mark F and it has not been subsequently removed since transfer of ownership to IB.

If you find this forum "offensive" - I respectfully ask that you report your opinion to the moderators using the report button and refrain from causing a flame war regarding the merits of having or not having a Queer Owners Club forum.

 

You are making more out of this then there is, and to correct you, no, it was not a well thought out question, because you implied we are segregated. We all have one extra thing in common aside from owning a mini cooper, either we're gay, or gay-friendly, just like the "different colors" of mini coopers clubs, they all have the same affinity for their car color. No where is it posted, mentioned, or implied that we "segregate" ourselves from other owners. Everyone is allowed to join.
Just as in life, if something bothers you that much, look away, move on. You are the one that has a problem with it, not us. Us gay people and our supporters run into people like you on a daily basis, for every three people "for it" there's always going to be that "one" that finds it offensive. That's life kid. Get over it. I'm positive that I'm not alone in saying, please, go somewhere else and start trouble. For instance, why don't you ask an all girl mini club, why they feel they had to start an all girl mini club. Or ask the vendor that makes mini-related clothing for women only, why she had to start a company that caters only to women mini enthusiasts.
I would seriously like to meet your "gay friends" and ask them "why, and how they can be friends with someone that has such a problem, with a small group of people who all have homosexuality in common.
It's comments such as yours, that builds the walls, not us.
A previous poster mentioned that you were "ignorant" and you claimed she was "name calling". The name calling claim proves your ignorance even further. Please do us all a favor and look up in the definition of ignorance, better yet, here:
dictionary results for: ignorance
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
ig·no·rance:
the state or fact of being ignorant; lack of knowledge, learning, information, etc.

Now wear the shoe proudly!

 

For the record, "i calmly" submitted my reply
As we all know, we come across people like him everyday, nothing new. It will never change, and as long as we're around, they'll be around. Anytime someone feels the need for us to "justify" our existence, clubs, groups, or gatherings, I'm right there up front, proudly, calmly, explaining why we're here!

 

I recently took exception to someone using the word "gay" in a derogatory manner to describe his disgust with a particular mod someone was considering. That's one example. But as I said in that thread, I believed it just made him sound like an ignorant biggot with a limited vocabulary. It happens. People offer curt replies to get a laugh at someone's expense or to inflate their own ego.

That said, I think you made an excellent point in regard to the hyper classification of MINI owners. It's bound to happen, regardless of brand or model. I was a moderator on a Grabber Orange Mustang site for a while, and a Legend Lime Mustang site before that. People like to seek out like-minded companionship, people who share the same tastes. While we're ALL MINI owners or soon-to-be MINI owners, I think it's only natural for those who share particular interests to want to have a forum which addresses their specific interests, or have a place where they feel "safe" from disparaging remarks and summary judgments from a collective. I've never tried to conceal my orientation on this forum; I've spoken about my partner on several occasions. No one has mocked or persecuted me (to my face) for mentioning him. People usually just don't care. They're here to discuss cars and how they impact our lives, but it's nice to know we don't have to edit or "heterosexualize" our posts!

So I truly respect where you're coming from, but I'd ask you to try and see things from our perspective. Acceptance is very important to us. Being "tolerated" is no longer good enough! I hope you do fork over the cash for membership. I for one appreciate your honesty, and would enjoy hearing what you've got to say about MINIs, or anything else on your mind. AND the perks of Alliance membership are great!

 

 

It's just comforting to be around other gays occasionally, even if it's only in cyberspace, since during almost all our other activities throughout the day we're not. Anyway, for what it's worth, here's another gay MINI owner, from Eastern ON.

 

Welcome aboard!

 

Ditto! Glad you joined the party. I hope everyone feels welcome here, no matter what your orientation. Inclusiveness makes life more than interesting...it makes it worth living!

 

There are several threads that you might say are dedicated to 'segregating' MINI/Mini owners (no pun intended there). These are all low-key affairs such as the Estrogen Only thread, the Guy Talk thread, railroaders, fishermen, photographers, you name it. All of these threads, and the various 'clubs' centered around them are not a means to segregate or divide, but a means to bring people together who have something in common. No one is saying you cannot hang out in the Dark Silver Owner's Club if you have a Pepper White, and no one is excluded from QoC because of their 'orientation'. Issues like this inevitably crop up when someone has some sort of problem with the underlying concept of the group. If you have a problem with a group, simply stay out of it. That's all there is to it.

At one time NAM (nee MCO) had a political talk forum. This so much divided the entire community and caused spillover into the general threads that it was ultimately shut down. QoC is not a political forum, but a social one. Attempts to politicize it are not allowed, the same as every other thread on NAM. It's all about fairness for all.

 

I couldn't agree more, Greatbear.

I only hope Gray Raven hasn't been chased away. Five posts and not a peep since Saturday. Until now, I've avoided raising the possibility that he's afraid of guilt by association. I know he mentioned he knows gays, but nowadays, that's tantamount to the "Some of my best friends..." cliché that we've all heard before. I wonder if he chose to leave because he didn't want to share cyberspace with us (read: our "kind"). If my fears are justified, it would be a real shame; there's PLENTY of room in cyberspace...for everyone!