I am a member of an online forum of photographers. I browsed through a thread and stumbled upon a topic entitled, “A Day with a Transformer.” The topic starter featured photos of his day with presidential candidate Dick Gordon and he bragged about creating this shirt for the presidential aspirant:
Photo by: Gerald Baria (Lifted from the online forum)
Surprisingly, the replies went from comments about Gordon as a candidate to a slew of associations of the shirt with homosexuality:
“My friends would impale me with a 10 foot pole if I wore that shirt.”
“I’m guessing where they’ll impale you… hehehe”
“Hahahaha… that’s really funny.”
“The shirt’s too GAY………. add a rainbow, and you’re ready for Castro St. in SFO.” (This one is from the Thread Moderator, mind you.”
“1st read the news about Ricky Martin, now I saw your shirt.. Tsk tsk what a day!!”
“hahahahaha. as gutsy said, never argue with a man who loves dick.” (This one is from the retired editor)
H said that it is not unexpected for them to react this way. I agree. I use terms like “my gosh, you are so bakla” and the like but it is within the context of fun and joking around with friends. And I would be a hypocrite if I will say that my brain did not generate a list (a huge one) of sarcastic remarks. However, I felt that the comments in the thread associating the shirt with being gay were out of disgust, for a lack of a better term. I wanted to let it slide but i could not help it. So, I replied starting with a “semi-made-up anecdote” just to set the tone:
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i have to agree with you, Gerald. based on your photo, the shirt works with the intentions you have mentioned (ex. to be catchy). but you have to admit that there are some people who have a different perspective on the matter brought about by their personal beliefs and values. and you have to consider the context of who will use it–a presidential candidate. some might perceive this as “unbecoming” of a presidentiable.
i personally love the shirt. its funny and witty. kudos to gordon!
oh and yes, i am gay. but liking the shirt has nothing and should have nothing to do with someone’s sexuality. (my straight best friend says he loves it too *thumbs up*) believe me when i say that if a guy is wearing a shirt with “i love pussy” printed on it, it does not automatically mean he really loves cats…(winks)
and i do love dick…
…but i’m sad to say i am voting for another candidate. (winks again)
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In today’s world, I am still surprised that there are lots of people who still need to be educated on gender sensitivity. Kalurkey!
Bridget Jones Is A Man 
i would love to wear a shirt like that. unfortunately, i wish there’s another dick running, not gordon. i think he deserves his nickname too much.
wala pa rin akong kandidato, pero may isang buwan pa naman kaya sige lang, kilatis to the max pa.
happy easter, my dear.
OMG!! YOU ARE BACK!!! (Doing the dance of joy wearing an “I LOVE DICK” shirt..)
That makes two of us, Jerome… (and three, with your dear Jher..)
I, too, bemoan the fact that a lot of people in this modern day and age are still in the dark ages when it comes to dealing with homosexuality. And that’s coming from someone totally straight. I don’t even think it’s a matter of sexual preference — we should be open minded enough to be accepting of the differences that both set us apart and bind us together.
And yes, I love Dick Gordon. While I feel the odds are against him, if the competition were fair and clean, I think he has a good shot at actually winning.. but then, that’s a big IF.
WELCOME BACK! MWAH!!!!
Thank you for being open minded! I can’t stand some people! I do love dick (not Gordon ;D) but anyways Id love a shirt like that! I could just pick off the Gordon part.