Tag Archives: homophobia

Anti-Queer Sentiment is Still Anti-Queer Sentiment

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You know why most of us American LGBT people are not sold on cultural Christians spouting anti-Islamic rhetoric in regards to Muslim homophobia? Because we meet, know, are parented by, governed by, ostracized by, domestically-oppressed by, attacked by, and seek strategic allyship with more Christians than we are with Muslims.

To tell us American LGBT people that Muslims in other countries are the greater, more existential problem to our lives but not our fellow American citizens’ conduct and laws towards us here and now is pretty dishonest.

You never notice our organizational advocacy work with LGBT organizations abroad unless its regarding a historical “enemy state” like Russia during the 2010 Olympics.

You never notice that many of us advocate for the safety and safe refugee status of LGBT people in Iran and Iraq.

You never notice that we are angered and saddened by Saudi or Malaysian or Indonesian or Ugandan homophobia. “But ISIS throws you off buildings!” And?! What do you want us to do? If you were us, what would you do about defenestrations and beheadings and tortures? There is literally nothing more to do at this point except to dodge U.S. laws and join the Peshmerga or YPG at the front lines.

It’s a useless exercise to remind us about what ISIS does to gay men and boys. We know this. We can’t do anything about it except pressure for safe passage for LGBT refugees from the Levant to safer spaces abroad, as we have been doing since before you took notice of Muslim homophobia.

It’s a pointless critique of liberal U.S. LGBT people to distract us from the pressures we face at home. This mass shooting took place at home. We are fighting for equality, dignity and life at home. Hateful ideas attack us here at home.

Let’s take care of home first. Let us grieve. Let us build bridges. Let’s continue making this country better for LGBT people, and not settle for where we are now. #Orlando

Duck Dynasty

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On the Duck Dynasty issue: The comments which are most glaring from #PhilRobertson’s interview are these:

“Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he tells reporter Drew Magary. “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.” Only to then equivocate: “However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other.”

After bullshitting the interviewer and the readers on sexuality with his ill-informed beliefs, his respect isn’t worth anything until he actually attempts to expose himself to real gay/lesbian people and families, including the married, the poor, the rural, the artistic, the shunned. The onus is on him to mop up his assumptions. He can be invited to an LGBT town hall, or to an LGBT community center like LGBT Community Center of New Orleans, or to an LGBT-affirmative religious center like Metropolitan Community Church of New Orleans. He can actually *talk* to real live openly-LGBT people explain themselves, their lives and their loves! Shocking, ain’t it?

But that’s just leading the horse to the water. It’s up to him whether he wants to *understand* those who he just compared to animal abusers and terrorists, and not just “respect” them. He owes that, first and foremost, to his own employment at A&E, and owes it ephemerally to his show’s viewers. He can at least use that A&E money to seek to understand LGBT people. Respect does not happen without understanding.