Santy get a boyfriend...

Im sorry but if that was a woman it would be a problem too.

Can people not just leave the whoile Santa thing alone. Its just not a nice thing to be fcuking around with for childrens childhoods, which has been fcuked enough already the last few years.

As someone pointed out above, we are dealing with a "real" person here. Making him fall in love with a woman he keeps visiting would be just as much of a problem. People are projecting homophobia here because they want it to be homophobia.

"Its just not a nice thing to be fcuking around with for childrens childhoods, which has been fcuked enough already the last few years."

So it's alright to consistently lie to your child about a magical creature like Santa existing and doing a bunch of made up stuff, only for the child to realise as they grow older that the person in life they trust the most has been lying to them every year up until that point? Seems pretty psychologically damaging to me.

If you spend that long lying to your child about one thing, I'm sure that child is wondering what else you've been lying to them about.

"Oh Santy is fake, well then all this church and god stuff has got to be fake too!" - the conclusion I rapidly came to.

I've been saying God is Santa for adults for years! But I think yer being a bit OTT on the damage that lying to a child has. Tooth Fairy/Easter Bunny needs to go as well I suppose.

A lot of people on this thread having to paint themselves into the bizarre corner that a fictional character who's current common appearance was popularised by a soft drinks company for advertising purposes is an immutable, unassailable truth, just so they don't have to admit that they're a bit "icky" about men kissing.

Exactly. Saying there would be this much outrage if he kissed a woman is pure nonsense.

It's certainly possible I am overshooting the mark on any damage it may potentially do, I don't think there is a consensus among mental health specialists either, some say it's real bad, others say it's fine..

I just find it a bit mad that parents are happy to lie to their own kids for years on end about a fictional character, as Gregor Samsa says "popularised by a soft drinks company for advertising purposes" getting freaked out about santa kissing a man. He is fictional. Who cares.

While on one hand I agree with you on the other I dunno. He's (Santa) like a grass roots movement at this stage, whatever about his origins. But then, arguing against myself here, if it's for the kids why can't it be for all the kids? So trans/gay/etc. I suspect (and I'm criticizing myself in this) that mild sexulization doesn't offend when it's hetero.

But what if he was kissing George Floyd?

The issue isn’t whether it’s homophobic or not. I’ve no idea about your motivations, not do I care. The thing I’m highlighting is people pretending that their true concern is kids or the preservation of sacred cultural icons when it really isn’t. They’ve ended up in a really bizarre position as a result of their mental gymnastics.

The “I’ve no problem with men kissing, but children shouldn’t be exposed to it and have their innocent shattered and Santa debased and sexualised and this agenda shoved down our throats and a million years of heterosexual Santa Claus complete erased in one fell swoop by this agenda-driven act that I’m of course not repulsed by in any way, but, you know, it’s the kids I’m concerned about.” people.

Just a little honesty would go a long way. Or a little self-awareness.

You find certain people kissing to be icky, then fine. But I assume you don’t think that such kisses shouldn’t be represented just because you find them icky?