377 22 #1 February 26, 2018 https://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-sex-discrimination-gay-parachute-1.16964983 3772018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJL 235 #2 February 26, 2018 377https://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-sex-discrimination-gay-parachute-1.16964983 377 Congrats!"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,995 #3 February 26, 2018 Wow. Ray was the DZO at the DZ I made my first jump at. And now he's famous . . . . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakee 1,497 #4 February 26, 2018 DJL***https://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-sex-discrimination-gay-parachute-1.16964983 377 Congrats! Bit too late for Big Gay Don unfortunately, but still cool to see he made a difference before he ended up on the List.Do you want to have an ideagasm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
winsor 236 #5 March 9, 2018 377https://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-sex-discrimination-gay-parachute-1.16964983 377 I knew and liked Don, but think the DZO got screwed on this one. Regardless of his sexual preferences, Don was not one to be sensitive to boundaries, and was repeatedly admonished in my presence for unprofessional behavior. Some DZs are very relaxed about references to the 'fifth point of attachment' and the like, while others have a zero tolerance policy regarding sexual references with the clientele. Al Gramondo, for example, had a policy whereby dating a student by a tandem master or instructor was grounds for instant dismissal, and I suspect engaging in a dialogue regarding personal sexuality would have been treated similarly. What Don viewed as being reassuring to his tandem student was likely seen as Too Much Information. Don did not seem to get the fact that most of us were wildly indifferent regarding who he did or did not find attractive, and would prefer to be spared the details either way. He was my friend and I miss him, but I fully understand why a DZO would have seen him as being too loose a cannon to keep around. His suit is reminiscent of the person who did not get the job as a radio announcer: 'they d- d- d- d- didn't hire me because I'm j- j- j- j- jewish.' BSBD Don, Winsor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gowlerk 2,198 #6 March 9, 2018 Yes, it seems likely the DZO knew and did not care about his sexual preference. He was not fired for that. He was fired for his behavior it seems. Unfortunately part of the behavior was informing the customer that he was gay. That seems to have muddied the waters enough to make it an issue.Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakee 1,497 #7 March 9, 2018 winsorWhat Don viewed as being reassuring to his tandem student was likely seen as Too Much Information. Don did not seem to get the fact that most of us were wildly indifferent regarding who he did or did not find attractive, and would prefer to be spared the details either way. But at the same time it's demonstrated over and over and over again. that for a lot of people it's not 'either way', it's only TMI when it's one way and it's normal conversation when it's the other way. For instance, if it's ever ok for a male TI to mention their wife or girlfriend in conversation, it's equally ok for a male TI to mention their boyfriend. Reminds me of the uproar in here when Brokeback Mountain was released and all of the "totally not homophobic" posters who were up in arms about Hollywood shoving this gay relationship down their throats... in the only mainstream gay movie there's ever been. Amazing how they also claimed to be so wildly indifferent they just couldn't deal with the knowledge that one movie was out there...Do you want to have an ideagasm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
