Job Discussion Forums

[Henry_Cowell]

All I said was that they smile in Nashville -- a lot. And I'm not talking solely about gay intolerance, Jonny. I do know that you've been fortunate not to have experienced problems there. I've lived in Memphis, stayed in Nashville often, and have many friends who live there (of all races, genders and orientations). It's not always hunky-dory for everyone.

So if Nashville really has been wonderful for you, B.A. will be as well. You can register for a civil union there. Also, the B.A. chatrooms on www.gay.com are always quite busy, and you should try asking questions there to satisfy your curiosity.

You can also check these:

http://www.thegayguide.com.ar/
http://www.easybuenosairescity.com/bagay.htm
http://www.gaytimes.co.uk/gt/default.asp?topic=country&country=136
http://www.planetout.com/travel/article.html?sernum=9422

[JonnytheMann]

[amy1982]

Jonny-

i don't know (or care) much about male fashion, but when my family came to visit me in buenos aires, my dad and my brother bought a bunch of nice, leather dress shoes, shirts, etc. it was certainly cheaper than buying those things in the US, but i think the exchange rate is really what made it so worthwhile. an esl salary of pesos may change things...

the clothes they bought weren't necessarily "argentine" either, they wear them all the time in the US. although i do agree with matt and carlos that, in general, the *style* of argentine males would be considered "metrosexual" by foreigners. of course, you can find anything and everything if you're looking for it (including cheap knock-offs). that's the nice thing about a big city with a lot to offer

as far as quality, everything was bought 2 years ago and has been getting a normal amount of wear. it's all still in pretty good shape, so it seems to be good quality. i also bought a bunch of clothes and shoes when i was there. the ones that were cheap tended to be poorer in quality, and the more expensive ones tended to be better... so you can get nice (looking) clothes to fit any budget, and you can get good quality for a decent price.

[matttheboy]

From today's Clarin (in Spanish):

http://www.ciudad.com.ar/ar/servicios/forosclarin/v7/topic.asp?topic_id=695&pagina=1

readers' responses to an article about the law banning gays from donating blood for a year. A large majority agreeing that it's a ridiculous law. As tolerant responses as i can imagine you'd get in England or any other European country.

As for clothes-buy everything down here, if you go for the decent argentine brands you'll get high quality stuff for a lot less than at home. There's some really cheap stuff as well which is ok for stuff like shirts. Wouldn't buy trousers or jumpers from those places though.

[JonnytheMann]

Hey, what's a jumper? I forget. Is that what Americans call a sweatshirt? I always get our clothing vocab mixed.

[Henry_Cowell]

jumper = sweater

[carlos-england]

[matttheboy]

Carlos, homophobia is a big problem everywhere in the world. I have never suggested that the same isn't true in Argentina. However, you're making out like all gays are social outcasts and completed unaccepted by Argentine, and more to the point, Porteno society. This is just untrue.

Outside of certain social groups in London homophobia is a big problem. Outside of certain social groups in Sydney, San Francisco, Paris...in fact everywhere in the world...homophobia is a problem. Buenos Aires may be a bit more homophobic than some places but it's simply not the gay-bashers' paradise you want to make out.

Gay men all over the world have to be discreet and that's what gay men in BsAs have to be. How would a couple of blokes snogging go down in your neck of the woods? Pretty badly i should think. As it would in my typical, small, conservative Dorset town. And this in a supposedly 'liberal' country.

But being discreet and keeping a low profile clearly doesn't mean hiding in your flat and never surfacing for fear of getting a good kicking. There's a healthy and open gay scene for those who are that way inclined here in BsAs, Carlos, far far more open than in Quito, Santiago or Leeds (where i was at uni). Just because you haven't seen it or because your friends and family disapprove of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

As for the article: those are postings by the average Porteno that JonnytheMann will come into contact with; educated and well enough off to be reading the paper online. I can't imagine he'll be mincing his way out to La Matanza anymore than the average gay bloke in Paris would head out to Sarcelles or Hyde Park, Leeds. The people who he'll have most contact with are no more bigoted than your average garden variety of Englishman.

[Veritas_Aequitas]

so far from talking with porte�os i would say that there is much, much less prejudice agianst gays than certain ethnic groups. there is alot of xenophobia here, natural for an ecomomy as stagnated, where argentines cannot save a dime, or don�t trust saving anything, while foreigners can come and exploit the exchange rate. <i have heard anti-semetic comments(also written on walls everywhere), anti-black comments(savages), anti-�turco�comments(bloodthirsty), and anti-asian comments(own all the shops and are untrustworthy), but never anti-gay comments. there is also an urban legend here that americans want to steal the water of argentina like oil in iraq.

regards to all,
Andrew

[JonnytheMann]

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if I got more hassle from people for being a yanqui WASP from a "red" state. LOL

All I want is to avoid hassle when I am teaching English classes. I'll try to stay closeted at work, but the students might start to get an idea when they ask me how to say "Hola" and I tell them it's "Haaay, girl!". LOL jk ... I couldn't resist.

Seriously, all I want is a hassle-free job & a flatmate who's not bothered by it. Not exactly sure how I'll find a flatmate who's okay with it cuz it's not exactly an easy-to-broach subject ... tell 'em right away & you're seen as an in-your-face, sexuality-on-your-sleeve activist. Don't tell them, & you're risking the possibility of a nasty confrontation upon your surprise outing. I'm thinking about living alone, but I'd prefer to save $$$ by living with someone.

[martyn madrid]

After reading through this topic, my question is this:

Xenophobia, homophobia are big concerns in Argentina?

[matttheboy]

[martyn madrid]

Pardon the ignorance, but who is Ru Paul?

[JonnytheMann]

RuPaul's a famous African-American drag queen.



According to the porte�o that I know, xenophobia is not a problem at all for foreigners of Europeans ancestry.

[martyn madrid]

So far from reading through this extensive topic, is there much less prejudice against gays in Argentina? Thanks for the info and also for Ru Paul coming on my screen. Great one.