On Wed, Apr 03, 2013, Janet Bertog wrote: > > Some people are uncomfortable being forced to flirt with a person of the > same sex. Some people are not uncomfortable. Those people who are not > uncomfortable are free to dance with same sex partners if they choose, but > it is their choice. Forcing people into a situation where they are > uncomfortable makes them stressed and unhappy, which can translate to the > people around them and increase the overall general stress of the room. If > you are in a gender-free dance then the assumption is that you will be > dancing with whoever, but most dances are not gender free.
You likely don't intend it, but I'm getting a homophobic perception from this, and I think it's especially unfortunate in a thread that started by asking about the Queer Contra Dance Camp. Doing a gypsy with a same-sex partner isn't "forced to flirt". Even a swing isn't "forced to flirt", particularly if people are taught a two-handed swing. My impression is that most urban contra environments have at least a few people who swap genders, so most dancers will encounter same-sex partners, anyway. Why not provide some structured interaction to increase familiarity? -- Hugs and backrubs -- I break Rule 6 http://rule6.info/ <*> <*> <*> Help a hearing-impaired person: http://rule6.info/hearing.html
