Enough AGAIN, why are people still justifying slurs?

Roland Martin tweeted some homophobic bullshit.

And yes, it was homophobic bullshit. No, I’m not debating that, certainly not with straight people. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks editing my twitter and RSS feeds to get all the straight folks lecturing gay folk about what is and isn’t homophobia out of my face. It took a depressingly long time.

His words were homophobic. Not only were they homophobic, they were violently homophobic – and from a man who defended Tracy “lets stab gay children” Morgan. So even if I was inclined to offer some benefit of the doubt (which no straight person is OWED for their homophobic bullshit) I don’t think any gay man can be expected to offer it to this man. In fact, I’ll go further, expecting us to is homophobic bullshit in and of itself.

But, in the aftermath of another homophobic fool opening his mouth I find myself truly moved to emotional response by the many many Clueless Straight People who were positively falling over themselves with their urge to help me and all other silly silly gay men.

Ah, dear clueless, privileged straight people – I graciously accept your generous attempts to educate gay men as to what is and is not homophobia. I can only imagine how bright and shining your spirits are that you are driven to guide us through and issue you are clearly far more knowledgeable about than we.

In the face of such learned and enlightened guidance I find myself positively driven to urge you, from the very depths of my heart, to shut the fuck up.

Here’s a handy-dandy, ultra-quick guide to whether or not something is homophobic: do they gay people say it is? Yes? THEN IT IS! See? Simples! This would be because we’ve been . And you are not qualified to spot homophobia because not only have you not been stabbed with it every day of your lives (therefore completely unable to spot it so much of the time) but our whole society has a whole damn culture of excusing, accepting and promoting homophobia. And the proof lies in the huge, inordinate number of you Clueless Fools queuing up to school gay people on whether or not Roland’s words (or any one of the many many many many many oh my GODS many celebrities who think homophobia is so damn clever/funny/witty/whatever) are actually homophobic or not.

We know homophobia when we experience it. We have suffered from it. We will face the consequences of it. We have the scars from it, the fears from it, the damage from it and we are the bodies scattered in its bloody wake. Your input is not needed or welcome. Your education is unnecessary. Your instruction is unwanted. Your condescending “advice” adds nothing except to remind us that the homophobic arsehole who opened his mouth is not alone.

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Kicking victims for the sake of bigotry

So over in the US the Violence against Women Act has become partisan because it contains inclusive clauses for GBLT people, undocumented migrants and Native Americans

Which means, for these over-privileged arseholes, they were willing to scupper this bill – and throw all those women who desperately need this out because their hatred is more important than saving women’s lives. It isn’t just bigotry to those covered in those clauses, it is a callous disregard over everyone who is a victim of violence, stalking and domestic abuse.

Of course, given the source that’s not exactly surprising. But it’s an extra part that needs to be pointed out – none of these victims matter to them. Not the ones who are covered by the new clauses, nor the many other victims who they’re willing to ignore to flex their prejudice

And those clauses? They are needed. There does need to be specific addresses to marginalised groups that fall through the cracks, who the law often ignores even more than usual, who the law is often not even built to protect or acknowledge. They are needed because there are often extra issues that apply to minority groups that the law for the larger population of victims doesn’t address.

I’ve said it before on laws about bullying. Minorities often have specific issues that are specific to them above and beyond what the majority of victims face – that doesn’t make them more victimised, but it means if you want to address THEIR victimisation, you need to address their issues as well.

Like a domestic violence victim being afraid to come to the police or other external because they fear deportation, or the issues of institutional prejudice or confused or unhelpful jurisdictional wrangling. No matter how good the law is at protecting victims from abuse, if you don’t address that issue then these victims will not be protected.

Now, I don’t know what it’s like to be in an abusive relationship and fear getting help because of the first two reasons. But having a shred of humanity and compassion, I can see how desperately it is needed.

But for GBLT people, I’ve been there and I know it. It’s not a topic I approach with even the slightest degree of comfort, certainly not without using as much distancing language as I can to skirt round it. But this kind of thing is very close to my heart.

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