Do people ever think you're mentally ret*d and/or gay bec

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Callista
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26 Sep 2012, 6:43 pm

Yes, both at different times. I don't really mind. If they think I am "mentally ret*d" I only have to launch into a lecture on statistics or physics to set them straight. Some people even switch to "autistic" when I do that. Amusing, really.

As for being a lesbian--meh, only to the degree that I'm female and sexual. Which isn't very much, since I'm more androgynous and asexual. :) Anyway, it doesn't bother me, because I don't care if the guys think I'm attracted to girls; I'm not trying to attract the guys, and I'm not interested in hanging out with any of them who would avoid me for being a lesbian.


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thomas81
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26 Sep 2012, 6:44 pm

Jitro wrote:
Do people ever think you're mentally ret*d and/or gay simply because you're different?


What the hell does this even mean?

I've never seen 'being ret*d' and 'being gay' being associated like this before.



gretchyn
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26 Sep 2012, 6:49 pm

My own husband asked me if I was a lesbian...although to be fair, I consider myself mostly straight, but with bisexual tendencies.



Verdandi
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26 Sep 2012, 6:56 pm

Oh, the other - yes, sometimes. I am not sure how frequently.



Matt62
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26 Sep 2012, 7:22 pm

Both of these, almost all my life. Of course, growing up, anyone who stood out was accused of being gay, because the concept was simply too alien for the general HS herd mentality. ret*d because I do have a few difficulties with a couple of things others find easy. Also, because my voice is a bit slow/monotone for many...

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Callista
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26 Sep 2012, 9:40 pm

thomas81 wrote:
Jitro wrote:
Do people ever think you're mentally ret*d and/or gay simply because you're different?


What the hell does this even mean?

I've never seen 'being ret*d' and 'being gay' being associated like this before.
They're not related. They're just two possible explanations people might use for why a person is different.


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Colinn
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26 Sep 2012, 9:46 pm

I don't think I've ever had someone call me a ret*d or anything like that. I've been considered strange/weird by people though, but I consider myself different anyway so I can't say that it bothers me much.



ghoti
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26 Sep 2012, 9:57 pm

Many times the r-word and was misdiagnosed as such. Never called gay though.



CyborgUprising
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26 Sep 2012, 10:21 pm

I have quirky habits/mannerisms that lead some to think I am either brain-damaged or "mentally challenged." The gay thing only came as a result of me being one of the few people in my high school that was not sexually active.



jetbuilder
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27 Sep 2012, 2:53 pm

A couple of people asked me if I was gay. I guess they thought that because I rarely show any interest in girls and that I've never really had a girlfriend.
I'm just not interested in romantic relationships.


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League_Girl
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27 Sep 2012, 3:39 pm

Girls asked me in high school if I was a lesbian.


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ADoyle90815
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27 Sep 2012, 4:08 pm

Mostly, people thought I was the r-word, but not gay. If anything, having shoulder length hair and sometimes wearing minimal makeup with jeans, sometimes people call me "sir" but that's it really. Being mistaken for a guy was more common when I had a pixie type of haircut, so I know I will never get my hair cut that short again.

Still, being thought of as the r-word was far more common, and it didn't help that I went to preschool at a school for children with developmental disabilities, and not being diagnosed with Asperger's until I was an adult. I even volunteered at that school one summer in college, but I was treated as if they thought I had a low IQ, so I never volunteered again after that summer. I know that when I went to one of the founder's memorial service there a couple of years ago, I shocked those people by saying that I drove myself there.



Buttoneater
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27 Sep 2012, 9:57 pm

Buttoneater wrote:
Somebody once thought I was gay from my voice, but I had a super sore throat at the time and sounded a lot like Truman Capote, so I can't really blame them for thinking that.


On second thought I sounded more like William S. Burroughs, but the point obviously stands.



AutisticBelle
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27 Sep 2012, 10:09 pm

I'm not really sure, because my ability to communicate is always fluctuating. Some days I talk like a two year old, other days a politician and yet other days like a professor.
And also, men and women tend to view me differently. When I'm at my worst, communication wise, men think I'm "cute" and fun to tease, and women think I'm annoying and stupid.
When I talk like a politician (meaning with an eye towards manipulation and fitting in) everyone likes me.
Professor mode, men either think I'm cute or creepy, and girls think I'm either fun or uppity.
Its just weird....



MakaylaTheAspie
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27 Sep 2012, 11:02 pm

Not a lot of people know what Retardation really is. They assume it means stupid, but they act like it's one's choice to be stupid. :roll:

I usually just use a lot of large words to confuse their tiny brains. I guess living in an idiot nation isn't so bad after all...


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limping2victory
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28 Sep 2012, 3:12 pm

Jitro wrote:
Do people ever think you're mentally ret*d and/or gay simply because you're different?


Once when I was in college two girls thougth I was a lesbian and expressed their disgust. I was outside the gym watching an exercise class. I was trying to decide if I thought I could keep up, trying to decide if I liked their outfits, if I had something I could wear, etc. and they came up and started making comments. I was upset because I didn't think I was gay and wanted them to understand but they had no interest. It confused and bothered me for a while and I wondered if I was a lesbian. Nope, just Autistic, with tunnel vision and a late bloomer. :)