Why LGBT acceptance happened so quickly

[andrewducker]

To start with, I want to qualify "quickly". For people involved in the struggle for decades it probably doesn't feel very quick at all. But observing the change over the last five years, it's been pretty staggering. I don't remember marriage equality even being asked as a question of the candidates at the last UK elections, and then suddenly it

Comments

[sashajwolf]

I think I see signs of it starting to work for mental illness, and for non-traditional relationship structures.

[andrewducker]

Good point. I've gone from never really having heard of "poly" (outside of SF novels) to it being something that people do, and that's largely been over the last five years.

For depression/stress/etc. it's been the last ten years. And yeah, people seem to be much better at standing up for others who have mental health problems than they were, so that may become more mainstream too.

[radiumhead]

yeah, it's harder to see people as aliens when you actually have to interact with them and get to know them.

most of the people i know who are bigoted, they only know people like themselves.

this is basic common sense, but people dont see it

[houseboatonstyx]

yeah, it's harder to see people as aliens when you actually have to interact with them and get to know them.

That's a good point for 'affirmative action'. Bring the Other into a tightly cooperative group job, where they'll all have more important things to focus on.

[fabrisse]

Don't be so sure about "finding out Uncle Albert is black." I know that my mother became less racist when we were introduced to the black side of the family.

[andrewducker]

Good to know it does follow the same pattern! Sadly I doubt that can be repeated for many people. But knowing that it works for some is good.

[heron61]

Also, I think that almost all homophobia is some mixture of religiously-based bigotry and learned disgust that ultimately derives from religiously-based bigotry, and those are really the only factors involved. Given that religiosity is even declining in the US, the change seemed inevitable.

Racism & misogyny are both sadly far more deeply rooted in American (& from what I've seen Western European) culture & are supported by a mixture of economic fears by white people & men as well as the general lack of possibility of finding out that someone who the bigot likes, respects, & trusts is actually a person of color or female.

[randomdreams]

The old joke was it's better to be black than gay because you don't have to tell your mom that you're black, but as you observe, the opposite seems to be the case. People who look like white people are gay, so white people think it's okay, but a lot of them are still really dubious about people who aren't white.
It probably helps that there isn't a (culturally and historically created) correlation between poverty and sexuality.