Warnings piss me off. They really do. I mean, I completely understand the need for them, but they still piss me off. I think it's the fact that they need to be put up in the first place that just. I can't even think of a word strong enough to describe just how much I hate that fact. That we need warnings in America, a country that was founded on the idea of being whomever you want to be, just makes everything worse. Some days--most days, actually--I feel like hitting someone or something because I'm so pissed off by this fact. So homosexuality makes people uncomfortable! So what? Personally, I'm uncomfortable with heterosexuality. But do you see anybody putting up warnings like 'This page contains detailed descriptions of a man and a woman engaged in consenting acts of love' ? No, because heterosexuality is the norm. I find it very depressing that a country founded with the idea of a separation of church and state should be so entrenched in Judeo-Christian values that they can't put aside religious dogma and uphold the rights inherent to all of the citizens of America. I mean, come on people, even Israel lets gays serve in the military. And it's from the Old Testament that the passage about the evils of homosexuality comes from.

What pisses me off even more is the fact that some people believe that just because there's a homosexual element to a story it rates a NC-17 warning. Even if said story is completely bereft of sex! Come on people! The image of two guys kissing, or two girls kissing, is no worse than the image of a man and a woman kissing. It's not going to corrupt you children--at least no more than a het. story would. A homosexual element in a story does not mean that story needs an adult warning. A page dealing with homosexuality in a softcore fashion--two guys kissing, holding hands, snuggling and just being adorable together--should not be classified as mature. I mean, except for the kissing bit, you could find all of this sort of stuff on Boy Meets World and I don't think anybody is going to start screaming that that show is harmful to children's sexual orientation. Or something to that effect. Anyway, if it's acceptable for a child to pick up a comic book or see a movie with a girl with generous tracts of land, it should be acceptable for that same child to see a show or read a story with a low level homosexual element. Besides, homosexual relationships are, in my opinion, healthier than most heterosexual relationships. At least in a (normal) homosexual relationship there's no pressure for one partner to conform to seriously impossible standards of beauty (re: supermodels), and there's a certain level of equality that you can never find in a heterosexual relationship. Anyway, if your kid is going to swing that way, your kid is going to swing that way. Reading a story about 'alternative lifestyles' isn't going to make that anymore or any less possible. Hell, I've been reading/watching het for pretty much as long as I've been able to read, and I feel absolutely no urge to chase after a girl. The reasons behind a person's sexual preference are still unknown. Exposing a child to homosexuality isn't going to make them a homosexual unless they're already inclined that way.

Now I, personally, believe that only a mature person should read most of my stories. But that's because most of my stories deal with death or emotional pain, or both, and are generally served with a side dish of physical torture and a hint of lime. If I wrote het. I would believe the same thing. These are not subjects for children or for a person who isn't mentally mature enough to deal with these subjects. Hell, I wouldn't let some of my peers read these stories and I'm pretty old. Stories should be judged by their content, not by their pairing.

So, to sum up (or not), the only warnings you'll be getting on this site is if the fic contains sex or not (and copyright laws, and that my words are not representing the opinions of Tripod). And if you're some irate parent whose child has stumbled on this site and you want to bitch me out for writing slash and posting it in a public forum for your kid to read, go right ahead, you do just that. Just pardon me while I laugh at your close-minded paranoia.

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