Ugly.

Sorry, but it's ugly.

By the way..If i'm a bigot what kind of ..got are you?

Just askin.

I don't see a problem with it. Two women kissing wouldn't bother me either. Would it make everyone feel better if it were a man and a woman? Love between two consenting adults is beautiful.

I personally don't care what sex you are...making out in public (which is what you are portraying by displaying your avitar), is not something I think is appropriate.  Choose your display of affection in an appropriate place & time...like behind closed doors.     

Nudity isn't pornographic; it's pure and natural.

I have no complaint about your avatar, however.  I see in it more an artistic expression than something meant to be an affront.  Its being in black and white makes a difference.

tchudilowsky, i don't understand your question. I try not to have biggoted opinions. I believe in "live and let live".

So blossom,you are saying , when a male and female kiss in front of hundreds of people when a minister, in a house of the lord says to kiss, it is disgusting? interesting

Damn! Why are all the cute guys gay or priests?!!

BTW - the movie "The Birdcage" is my all time favorite movie!  Especially the "house man"!!  "jew juss doen like my Guatemalanis"!!!

You are twisting my words Mtndew and for what I believe to start a "gay" argument.  Your family & friends "choose" to be present while in front of a minister (which I'm assuming you are implying a marriage), then no, go for it.  Well...not exactly go for it, but rather, be tactful (or not).  I've never understood anyone that chooses to make out in public...however, I believe there is a better time to really show your affection towards one another...this of course, is my opinion.  I would never say anything that I wouldn't say to a man & women that were "making out" in public..which is, "get a room!" ... actually, I would never say it, but I would be thinking it!   I personally find it repulsive (for a lack of a better word).  I absolutely mean no disrespect by stating my belief...as it is mine alone.  I believe that when someone has found the one they love, it's a great thing....no matter who you choose to be with...love is love...so be it.  Just don't subject the rest of us to your feelings.         

Why are people who don't want to know about your sex life bigots? I think yo're an arrogant jerk.

Must agree with a few above posts. Keep your bedroom business where it belongs, straight or gay!! I don't want to see straight or gays kissing in public, I think it's tacky and disrespectful.  Kind of they way I view your avatar. (you asked)

Since you asked.  I THINK you posted that avatar for effect and for no other reason.  Tha tis NOT a kiss any couple would do at a wedding.  A neck carressing open mouthed, tongue swallowing kiss is inappropriate on a blog.  Or anywhere outside your private area. 

We've been down the anti gay/progay road already, don't try to make that avatar about love, it's about you stirring feces.

Rob, you obviously have a desperate need to be noticed. If two guys French kissing on a forum avatar in Bakersfield is the best that you can do, then you need some serious medication.

Stirring the feces, Nancy??? Love it! I sure agree, this was to do exactly that! It wasn't a typical 'kiss any couple does at a wedding' kind of avatar but a deep throat kiss, YUCK!!!

Nancy said: "A neck carressing open mouthed, tongue swallowing kiss is inappropriate on a blog.  Or anywhere outside your Private Area!"

HeeHeeHee!

Catpaw. I'm not posting my sex life. Just a kiss. If you think I'm a jerk, that's your opinion, but I try to be a good upstanding citizen. I do have my faults, but for the most part, I feel I'm a good person.

So because I post something that makes you feel uncomfortable, I'm a jerk?

Definitions of Bigot:  1) One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ. 2) A prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own. 3) A person who constantly and stubbornly holds a particular point of view

Hey, you asked, Dude.

If you think making out=love, then Otay!

Isn't it an avatar, not an avitar?  No matter your gender or sexual preference, that is a charged image. That is, in my country bumkin -narrow minded opinion, inappropriate and offensive. Just as two women would be offensive, and a man and woman would be offensive as well. 

Yeah.  Your picture's just Tacky. 

Tacky like polyester pants.  Tacky like panty lines.  Tacky like plaids with stripes.

You don't have to be bigoted against gays to know tacky when you see it.  Why don't you put up a picture of two guys walking on a beach holding hands?  Or two guys saying their vows at their wedding?  THAT says love to me.  Your picture reminds me of two zit-faced teenagers sitting in front of me at the movie theater.

Take a lesson from HusbandMaterial.  He's a class act. 

HM has a partner. Rob acts like he's trolling.

If 2 guys kissing is what stokes your fire that's your business...........What is the story behind the pic....................The avatar is offensive to some...................But you knew it would be.................thats why you posted it..................

Ellis..good catch.    Musta been a Freudian slip.  :-)

I think the pic is no worse than any other artistic photo of two people kissing.   I have to say, though, that it would never occur to me to have someone take a pic of my husband and I topless, and kissing, to use as an avatar.  I don't care what you do in your home or most public places, but I think putting two people in such an intimate situation on a public blog to stir emotions seems like it's cheapening the moment for those two people.

So, if you think it is offensive then you must also think these pictures are offensive:

OOOHHH, MY god, GWB MUST BE A FAG. HE'S KISSING AND HOLDING HANDS!

^^^Is that an open mouth kiss the librarian is giving GWB? I hope she's not caressing his neck.

I think the difference between your avatar and the moments you have shown in your post are two-fold:

1.  The b/w pic of people kissing is a movie.  Not an avatar.  While the scene exists and is meant to be seen, it's not the whole movie.  It's *a* moment.  

2.  Finding paparazi pics of people kissing on the sly is a touch different than two people (no matter what the sexuality) getting topless and locking lips in a very sexual manner for a picture that is being used as a public avatar.

Again, I fully support any legislation or cultural change that promotes equal rights and love.  I see no issue with a person being homosexual.  But, posting a picture like that just to gauge the reaction you get seems like a bad move.  If you're trying to show that homosexuals are just like everyone else, what is the need to post such an intimate photo?  Most of us don't have pictures of ourselves kissing our spouses in our avatars because it never occured to me that someone cared to see it. 

To answer a few questions-

Actually the avatar picture is not of me. Absolutely I used it to stir emotion. I do respect husband material and his opinions. He is very articulate-I just choose to get my point across in a different manner.

I will be changing my avatar in the near future. And it will be as controversial as this particular one, but a completely different subject. So, stay tuned.

Rob, I think the avatar is a bit on the homo-erotic side of kisses, especially with bare shoulders visible. It seems extreme for an online community as diverse as Bakersfield: too, IN-YOUR-FACE, I think.  I think it will antagonize people and if that's your purpose, you'll get 'er done with that photo. 

I'm here to talk about the lives of gay people. I can't say for sure if it would happen, but I think you'll undo a bit of good will established between participants who are gay and straight. We can just barely speak to each other during heated moments but we manage to behave nice overall.  With that picture, I think you just can't expect people to take you seriously. It pushes to far and it distracts and disrupts too much.

JohnBurns wrote: "HM has a partner. Rob acts like he's trolling."

Actually, I upgraded Domestic Partner 1.0 to Husband 1.0 back on June 17 at the court house in Indio. Husband 1.0 has more bells and whistles.

HM, like I said, I respect your opinion. I'm more of in-your-face type. No, I don't flaunt my sexuality on the street-but I don't deny it either.

There are many issues that concern me. Homosexuality is just one. I will be putting other pictures in my avatar that will also raise eyebrows. The avatar I had before was of a man who is a personal hero of mine (who happened to be murdered by a good christian), and I will use that most of the time.

But expect me to use avatars that push to envelope. I do this so people can face their bigotry and question what is right and what is wrong in this society.

I also have a partner of 27 years. Haven't tied the knot yet.

Spoken like a true wanna be revolutionary.  Forcing us to face our bigotry indeed.  Such arrognce.

My picture is actually not so representative of me, either. It's from my wedding day and that was the first time I've worn a necktie since I walked my daughter down the aisle eight years ago. I'm tee-shirt and short kind of people.  Nancy's avatar appeals to me very much. It's comforting in way that makes me feel like I'm having a conversation with someone I know, a neighbor who waves when you drive by their house.  Possummomma's picture is very gentle but it belies a deep thinker. He looks like he's not listening to you, but he really is.

I was critiquing Marylee Shriber's (sp?) picture (the columnist) and in spite of her views that are opposite mine, I like her picture because you can see her face and eyes and her sense of style fits that thoughtful look she has.  

JohnBurn may be my favorite picture. He is a razor sharp wit that is full of surprises and that seems to be what his picture says about him.

The picture is shocking but it's not much different than what we see in the media daily. I think the picture of two guys kissing is what turns people off. Go ahead and keep it up, rob. We'll eventually ignore it like other avatars that may have offended the virgin eyes of us bloggers. This too shall pass...

mtndewrob: Somehow your explanations of your motives do not come across as sincere. Earlier you equated people who don't care to know about your sex life as "bigots." Now that open homosexuals and people sympathetic to the issues are saying they are not impressed, are they facing their "bigotry" as well? You seem to apply that label to anyone who does not share your lifestyle or your views. I think you are expressing anger, which is your prerogative, but you are being intellectually dishonest about it. You remind me of an angry black man who would say all white people are prejudice, when in truth he is projecting his own.

You are not going to get anyone to "face their own bigotry" any more than you're going to convert people to a different faith by destroying their icons. These are things of individual self-examination, which come about by seeing examples, not attacks. 

I THINK you are probably NOT an in your face type of dude and are using this blog to complete that persona. More power to ya brother!!

It is disgusting.  But then, I also still think that animal love and kiddie love is disgusting.  Maybe this avatar is perfectly fine with the Bakersfield Californian and its advertisers, but I will pay attention to who advertises around pictures like this and let them know why they won't see any business from me or my family and freinds who share my disgust.   

 What is it that you bigots object to?   ~mtndewrob

 Your very question speaks to your own bigotry. You presume right from the jump that anyone who disagrees with you is a bigot. You remind me of a window in Amsterdam. Easy to see through but nothing much to see. That is the problem I have with you and your bigoted "type".........

Well, that and the fact that you are just an all too obvious attention whore.

 Mtnde

You picture is very inappropriate for this blog. It is a difference in being gay and blending in with everyone else...BUT...I don't appreciate it being forced down my throat. I use to be neutral about the whole gay thing..but I must admit your picture has made me change my mind. Homosexuality is uncomfortable to me...... It is hard for me to deal with as a person that believes in God's word. God does not agree so I don't. I think you posting a picture of men kissing in the manner that they are is NASTY! I know that I am going to offend many people on this blog and I really don't care. When gays were allowed to marry that is all you see on everything ...men kissing, women kissing, rainbows everywhere, and now this....you really should remove your picture!

They don't want to  "blend in" timec.

They want your  "acceptance".

It is because they are not sure of their own proclivities.

Ones that defy nature and represent a small % of the populace no matter how hard they attempt to rewrite and manipulate the stats.

I too care not what they do behind closed doors as long as it affects only themselves.

The problem is, that is not their ultimate goal.

It is to force you to accept their lifestyle, thus convincing themselves of their own veracity.

I can put 400 sheep in a set of doubles (with 4 tiers) as opposed to 50 1,000 lb. steers. You learn to adjust. So I haul sheep a lot now. You adapt.

I don't mind adapting to their lifestyle as long as its not thrown in my face at every turn.

That, unfortunately, is not what  "they"  want............

Being in the business I am in, I meet several gay people male and female, not to mention the fact that my brother and cousin are gay.  To me it is not a big deal except for the fact that I damn sure would not put a picture of my husband and I playing tonsil hockey up...it is just too personal.  However, you did make your point,  and judging by the comments you have recieved...this blog is full of closed minded people who would probably shun their own son or daughter if they decided to "come out of the closet."

Maybe it's time for Jason to weigh in on this.  He reads the blog too.  What do YOU think Jason?

A picture of open mouthed kissing between two people (regardless of sexual orientation) makes me uncomfortable.  It's just unnecessary and icky.  

It reminds me of the two teens I saw the other day in the Walmart parking lot.  They were leaning up against their vehicle engaged in HEAVY petting.  Everyone who passed by gave them a quick glance and looked away, embarassed for them.   The teens appeared to revel in the attention they were getting.  

I credit their crude behavior to youth and a lack of upbringing.

meandpete, you couldn't be more wrong.  Objecting to that picture does NOT mean we are closed minded to gays.  It means most of us feel it's inappropriate to put up an avatar like that one no matter who is doing the kissing.  I have gay friends and I don't want to watch them making out.  I have straight friends and I don't want to watch them making out either.

It would be just like this doofus to say if we don't like it we don't have to come to this page but the reality is anytime he posts anyplace there it is.  There's no way to avoiding it as long as he keeps using it and keeps posting.

It's not as disgusting as this one: http://people.bakersfield.c... If you're going to make people change their avatars, then play fair.

mtndewrob--You said you put up pictures to get attention--to get us to face our bigotry.  Gee, thanks for that selfless public service.  I think you have a chip on your shoulder and you do, indeed, want attention--and lots of it!  I don't think you want people to agree with you at all.  I think you just enjoy stirring up trouble.  Yay for you.

I've noticed that people get different things out of these blogs.  Some use them for their own political platform (Pup) and some use them to cause trouble (you, apparently, and Maggiepoo and GASLIGHT,) and some blog because they like arguing (random, Wayfarer, etc) and some just like to share their opinions, etc.  I've also noticed that there are a few on here who are a little unhinged, and I think you might be one of them.  We're not you lab rats, mtndewrob.  This ain't your island and your not Dr Moreau, K?

I've been a champion for the gay cause most of my life.  I sat in the principal's office in high school arguing with him and a couple of other polyester suits that it was discriminatory to not allow a lesbian student to bring her girlfriend to the prom (to no avail.)  Most of my  friends in high school and college were gay.  I suspect I've supported gay causes longer than you've been alive (judging from your maturity level.)

And guess what, little boy--your blog made me just a little less sympathetic to the gay cause.  Your blog reminded me why I stopped hanging out with gays in my late twenties (the drama!.)  I guess I have nothing against gays, just Drama Queens like yourself. 

Jesus-really whats's wrong with learnems avatar??? How can you compare that to this??

The only problem i have is that we seem to think we should all agree on different topics, and that it must be run into the ground time and time again. Some people have problems accepting gays, some don't. We can't change each other's minds about how we feel. Someones opinion might change but it will have to do with something inside of THEM, not what anybody tells them. We all have our own minds and we are free to do with them as we please.

The only problem I have with the avatar is if a child saw it, children have problems with kissing period, but it would just be weird to a kid, especially on a newspaper message board. Just doesn't seem like the right place.

mtndewrob

LOL  - You described yourself perfectly !!

"Definitions of Bigot:  1) One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ. 

2) A prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own.

3) A person who constantly and stubbornly holds a particular point of view"

Freethinker

You made some valid points.  We don't have to agree with each other.  In fact, we shouldn't always agree.   The world wouldn't progress if there was only one school of thought on how things should be done.

What we need to work on,  is giving everyone the right to have an opposing opinion.   

Just keep repeating to yourself....... just because you disagree with me doesn't make you wrong.

You cannot MAKE people change. Only INSPIRE them to change. And that isnt done by forcing anything upon people, just like it wouldn't work if someone turned around and forced back. And even when we all have our own opinions, it's not a bad thing! Thats one of the things that makes our world more colorful... a vast amount of different ways of thinking, and the freedom to choose what one's own way of thinking aught to be. Who seriously has a right to claim that their fellow bloggers are wrong in their way of thinking? 'Right' and 'wrong' are perspectives, and therefore, cannot be as easily defined as many people think. I say, just live and let live, no forcing or pushing, and be happy the way God made us.

You don't have to be homophobic to not like the picture. Those of us heteroxexuals who support gay rights still might find the photo repulsive. It has nothing to do with your right to post the avatar, it has more to do with personal preferences. Two heteroxexual octagenerians with no dentures french kissing isn't wrong, it's just an image I don't necessarily want to see. LOL