Forgive the following rant, but this is a hot button topic for me. I do not want to be tolerated for what I believe or who I am. If that is the best that can be given, then I would just assume not be around. Understanding and acceptance is what I am after and what I want to give. Like TG I am a straight male dominant, but I do not want to tolerate those different from me. I want to understand what motivates them and where they are coming from so that I can accept their choices and put them on an equal level with mine. Tolerance implies superiority and it implies that the tolerated party is deviating from some definition of normal. To tolerate homosexuals, transsexuals, Muslims, Catholics, Lutherans, different ethnic groups, etc . . . is still to put them on a lower level than myself. They are not, they are simply different and I think that until we stop tolerating and start accepting we are going to keep having the same issues over and over. All right, rant over. For what it's worth I know TG was trying to post something positive, but to me this distinction is a very large part of the problems we all face. I will leave you with two other definitions of tolerance and a quote I particularly like.

Tolerance:

(1) allowance: a permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits

(2) The total amount by which a quantity is allowed to vary.

"No man has a right in America to treat any other man tolerantly for tolerance is the assumption of superiority. Our liberties are equal rights of every citizen."
Author: Wendell L. Willkie