Asking you to consider something...
So I'm writing a good deal today about the crap that happened to G at my/our house today. Part of why I'm writing about it is because I can. Because G and I are both out, because we don't have to worry about a homophobic landlord kicking us out, because we're got a supportive household and social circle who aren't asking us shit about whether we "brought it on ourselves". Because we're extremely educated about our rights. Because we're relatively comfortable trying to "take on the system" to make long-term changes, even though it'll be pretty pointless in the short-term.
This is about the most minor end of hate crime there is, and we're in an ideal position to let you see what that looks like and what it feels like, if you don't know.
Please consider than in the vast majority of cases, it's not this "easy". It's worse, or more persistent, or more violent. It happens to people who aren't in a position to get support, who often don't even entirely believe they deserve support. It happens to people who are less likely to get listened to than my semi-respectable-looking 37-year-old forceful and fancy-talking white ass.
My heart will still be in my mouth tonight when I have to deal with the cops about this, wondering if we'll get a sympathetic officer or not. There are still threads of stress about whether these assholes could come back and do us actual harm (vandalize our houses, endanger our animals, etc). Having someone go out of their way to communicate their hate of you leaves you with those kinds of questions. As relatively minor as this is, it's not a non-issue because of the context in which it happens. A context that does include the knowledge that shit like this happens in my state, in my country, to people like me and G.
The thing about hate crimes is that they're meant to send a message. Not just to the person they're directly targeted at, but to the entire community. A lesson about shutting up, about stopping daring to be noticed. It has more in common with terrorism than with individual conflict, generally.
So yeah. Today's sucked a bit, and I want to talk about that because I want you to understand.
This is about the most minor end of hate crime there is, and we're in an ideal position to let you see what that looks like and what it feels like, if you don't know.
Please consider than in the vast majority of cases, it's not this "easy". It's worse, or more persistent, or more violent. It happens to people who aren't in a position to get support, who often don't even entirely believe they deserve support. It happens to people who are less likely to get listened to than my semi-respectable-looking 37-year-old forceful and fancy-talking white ass.
My heart will still be in my mouth tonight when I have to deal with the cops about this, wondering if we'll get a sympathetic officer or not. There are still threads of stress about whether these assholes could come back and do us actual harm (vandalize our houses, endanger our animals, etc). Having someone go out of their way to communicate their hate of you leaves you with those kinds of questions. As relatively minor as this is, it's not a non-issue because of the context in which it happens. A context that does include the knowledge that shit like this happens in my state, in my country, to people like me and G.
The thing about hate crimes is that they're meant to send a message. Not just to the person they're directly targeted at, but to the entire community. A lesson about shutting up, about stopping daring to be noticed. It has more in common with terrorism than with individual conflict, generally.
So yeah. Today's sucked a bit, and I want to talk about that because I want you to understand.