The need to call out homophobia

[sparkindarkness]

One of the many many things about homophobia that make me rage is how readily tolerated it is - and how ready people are to excuse it, defend it and deny it.

It saddens me that I need to repeat this  - but, if you think gay people are worth less than straight people, if you think we deserve less than straight people, if you think we don’t have the

Comments

[citrinesunset]

*here via rm*

Thanks for this. I was just ranting recently about how much it annoys me when I call someone on their homophobia and they retort with "I was just expressing my opinion!" or "How can you expect me to tolerate you if you won't tolerate me?"

I'm a pretty diplomatic person, but lately I've been wary of coming across as *too* diplomatic because I don't want to give the impression that homophobia is just another opinion/belief that someone might express, as though we're talking about what holidays we celebrate, or something. It's not.

[valarltd]

"We are never required to tolerate those who would destroy us." is a quote I find useful.

"You tolerating my existance does you no harm. My tolerance of your hate harms both of us and whoever else you might choose to vent it on." is another.

[citrinesunset]

Those are good quotes.

It seems like the people who need to hear those the most are the ones who have the hardest time grasping them.

[sparkindarkness]

Thank you.

Heh, I've faced that one and I've always said I don't want tolerating I'm not something to tolerate. I'm not an affliction, a disease, a burden or an imposition. I am a person and I will be Accepted. And I won't Accept anything that doesn't accept me as a person :)

I think the media and even many GBLT people allow it - we treat homophobia as a valid position. That's why the BBC got away with the question "Should gays be executed?" because homophobia has been so long presented as a valid position

[citrinesunset]

I think the media and even many GBLT people allow it - we treat homophobia as a valid position.

Yeah, I agree. To be honest, I was kind of there myself until relatively recently.

Personally, I think part of the problem is that homophobia is touted as a religious belief or part of someone's personal morals, which I think makes people more inclined to see it as a valid belief as opposed to prejudice.