Welcome to Gaia! ::

I've yet to look at your references, just a heads up. As we speak, I'm on a hand-me-down laptop, as my mate has insisted on a skype call, so my comp really can't handle much in the way of web surfing. But I will get to looking at them, just please be patient with me. i'll only address in this post what I feel I can properly do so with, on the current standings.

First off, on the history matter. I'd mention the ones you referenced before, but I actually have never even heard of those ones. So, I'd suggest the implement of terms, just to keep it simple and local, of Yankee, and Rebel. From our own civil war. Mind you, in England, they consider us all yankees. And not in the kindest of intent. This I know from having friends in England, though the distaste for us based on those old days have long sense passed, it's still a going joke. While southerners in the US still make Yankee jokes, referencing the north. and I wouldn't be surprised if the reverse is true, but I haven't had much exposure up there. Or the more commonly known term for black people, which gets censored in Gaia. Which there are a few explanations to the root of the word, originally only meaning 'black' in a foreign tongue, yet it is used as a racial slur instead of it's original meaning. These are just the one's i can say that American's would be most familiar with, and you can look up the history behind their creations, and what have you at your leasure. I'd have sites for you, or something, but I stopped researching that a long time ago, when i chose to change my focus of personal study from understanding the hatred in the world, to finding a solution to it, based on what I know, one outcasted group at a time. Or, rather, two for the moment. As I'm seeking a way to be helpful to the LGBT community, and the Furry community, as well. Again, the situation on the comp at the current second don't help me in finding proper references for you, but finding a flood of information on it shouldn't be hard, as it wasn't for me when I was last researching this.

As for the scientific method, you mention that it has replaced older, flawed systems. Which I find hard not to associate with patches in World of Warcraft, or League of legends, or any other MMO you could think of. They replace flaws machanics with ones that work better. Evolving the game...I believe this still constitutes the method refining. Still, I like to hold what I consider a healthy scheptisizm abotu most things in today's society. This includes the taxing matter, and whatnot. Though, I'm also a bit of an Anarchist, so my opinion on government and such things will be a bit anti-government.

as for the suicide thing. Again, that is my opinion on the matter. it was how I was raised. just because of a simple limiting factor, be it a physical disability such as being paraplegic, or a mental limitation, such as depression, you don't use it as an excuse to make you incapable of living your own life. You learn to deal with it, and operate in normal society even with your limitations. That was just how I was raised, and a mentality I've grown rather fond of. I do not feel sympathetic for those who've committed suicide, for many reasons. Among which being the fact we've several people who've committed suicide over things like 'omg, mommy won't by me world of warcraft time'. so my sympathy is weakend by the morons whom, in my opinion, deserve none. as well as I do not believe in being sympathetic to the dead, as our tears in the world of the living cannot logically aid those who've passed on to what ever afterlife that might be. But again, that's my stance on things. I will respect those who died for a good reason. but never waiste a tear. mostly because I don't believe it serves a viable purpose. Others have their way about that. I have mine.

As for the 'pride' thing. That's rather simple, in my opinion. The over-exaggerated lisps. Men dressing up in full drag attire in public. not TG's, but just men dressing up in drag, and usually doing a very bad job at it, to boot. in some towns, like mine, guys who probably don't pull off most bathing suits, walking around in leather thongs in the middle of town. Just outright, over the top, blatant, in your face displays. And much of it, often times, forced acts to fit the message. I believe if we are going to be accepted, or even reduce our haters in a kind of parade like this, we need to show not that we are blatantly different, and make shows like we are making a cry for attention, but rather show them that while our lives are romantically different, we aren't so different from them. What separates us from the gay bashers, for purposes of civil interaction, is who we love. Being gay does not mean you have to cross dress, talk with a lisp, act like some hairy vally-girl. You don't have to be femme, or wear rainbows around, or any of that just because your gay. But that's how the gay community tends to represent themselves in these parades. That's why i'm personally against them. we should be trying to show that we are normal people, too. that our ability to be who we are, and be accepted, will not negatively impact them, neither through direct action, or offensive displays. But again, that's only my take on the matter. I have no research to back up my beliefs in this, I have only my observations. as I've seen a gay man not only get along, but be great friends with a gay basher. Yet turned around and raised 3 kinds of chaos over another gay friend of mine, whom felt the need to 'display his pride'. he liked the first, because the first didn't make a show of his sexuality.

No, people should be allowed to identify how they want to identify. This scale would just leave many non-binary folk unhappy and still unaccepted.