Everyone has a question they’d like to ask of someone different from them, but haven’t.

Is Kabbalah a religion, a cult or the new fad for celebrities? Is it offensive to point someone out by his or her race? What do older adults think of teens listening to classic rock?

Asking someone is one way to find an answer. However, fear of offending someone or sounding stupid often keeps people from voicing the question, said Phillip Milano, creator of yforum.com.

“People are worried about offending,” he said. “I think it’s more offensive going around ignorant or, worse yet, thinking you know everything.”

Giving people a chance to voice their questions about sensitive issues was Milano’s motivation to create yforum.com.

His site gives people a safe place to satisfy their curiosity without risking the negative feedback they may receive by asking someone in person, he said.

People fitting the background in question can then respond with their beliefs, opinions, experiences or advice.

Asking questions is important because it remedies misunderstandings and breaks stereotypes, Milano said.

“How else are you going to clear the air if you don’t ask the question?” he said.

Society is ready to voice long-held questions when it is given a place to do so, Milano said.

“We’re sort of at a tipping point, where people are ready to finally engage one another in a way that’s been stifled for so long,” he said.

The site hasn’t caught on yet at Iowa State, with just one question and one response from Ames residents.

Despite not knowing the site existed, some think the concept behind yforum.com is a good way to open lines of communication.

Jen Sanford, president of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Ally Alliance, said the site could be a positive thing.

“I’ve never heard of it before,” she said. “I like the idea that people that are interested in getting past their own ignorance have a place to go.”

But Sanford said users should remember the answer given can only be attributed to the a particular person’s beliefs. One person can’t speak for a group of people because his or her opinion isn’t necessarily shared by others in that group, she said.

“I think that it is important to note that the people who answer the questions are answering from their own point of view,” she said.

Thomas Hill, vice president for student affairs, said the site looks like it could be a good source of information because content is monitored.

People can post questions in 11 categories. They include class, gender, age, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, sensitive matters, general diversity, disabilities and challenges, geography, occupation and religion.

Along with postings, the site hosts live chats and contains a research and course work posting board.

The research and course work area allows professors to connect with students for surveys and studies or for students who need to talk to people from different backgrounds for assignments, Milano said.

Everyone is invited to submit a question, though not all will make it to the site. Milano screens all questions and responses before posting them on yforum.com. He said he only posts questions that are clear, specific and phrased in a sensitive manner. Content he considers hateful is denied posting. Filtering content keeps people on the topic and ensures hateful material is not posted, Milano said.

“It’s designed to be open and provocative,” he said. “That I filter it somewhat makes it have quality.”