Today is International Day Against Homophobia, an annual event organized by the Canadian LGBT group Fondation Émergence.
"Whatever your sexual orientation may be, I urge you to get involved in your community since the fight against homophobia concerns all of us," Fondation Émergence president Laurent McCutcheon writes on the organization's site. That site includes a wide-ranging discussion of homophobia, its roots and even on how gay men often participate in homophobia, too. Here are some definitions from the site.
Interpersonal Homophobia: Non-verbal displays of being ill-at-ease, feeling unsafe or experiencing fear when in contact with gay men and/or lesbiansAnd then of course there's passive homophobia: standing by while someone else dishes it out, which is just as bad as actively bullying.
Institutionalized/Systemic Homophobia: The built-in institutional practice of putting gays and lesbians at a disadvantage
Opportunistic Homophobia: Being interested in homosexuality solely for financial or personal gain, and not wanting to be associated with being homosexual or with gay men and lesbians
Internalized Homophobia: An often sub-conscious form of homophobia that is a product of education and social values passed down by society' Gay men and lesbians, too, can adopt homophobic behavior.
Source: Towelroad
1 comment:
Today also happens to be the 8 year anniversary of legalizing same sex marriage in the US.
8 years ago today, Massachusetts became the first state to recognize same sex marriage. Since that time several other states have joined Massachusetts.
Something I like to point out to all those opposed to same sex marriage is that Massachusetts has the lowest divorce rate in all of the US... so much for same sex marriage destroying the institution of marriage.
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