arguments of homophobia

03.11.24

hi. my name is lily-lixx. i'm a polysexual panromantic girlflux/demigirl, questioning genderfluidity and polyamory. as a member of the diverse but similar community, known as the LGBTQ+ community, i've made it my calling to advocate and fight for the lives and rights of not just myself, but everyone else in the community. my sisters. brothers. neighbours. allies.

arguments about homophobia are what stemmed the first instance of me actually thinking about why homophobia is a thing. and the reason is... well, there is no reason. whether it is internalised hate, religion, or somebody's upbringing, no reason is a valid one. homophobia is harmful and unjust. a lot of homophobes, from my experience, say that they "have nothing against the community, but just don't understand why there needs to be pride", or other bigoted sayings like that, to try and prove that they are "one of the good ones". but they're all the same.

some may say that a queer person can turn straight just like that, but this is not true - introducing my first argument, "homosexuality vs. race".

so, homophobia and racism are both disgusting things. prejudice. discrimination. hate. all of the words to describe these acts of hate can only be summed up into the very word they are - HATE. but, which act of discrimination is worse?? the answer is... none. both are terrible things to project and to receive. however, one might argue that one is worse than the other, so i'll share my thoughts on why that would be 100% incorrect.

it is easier for a queer person to claim they are straight than it is for a black person to claim they are white. the reason for this is obvious, nobody can determine if someone is queer or not based on their appearance, barring overused stereotypes such as "all gay men are feminine and all lesbians are masculine". race and skin colour is something that is verifyable by appearance, or at least can be. however, deep down, someone cannot change what they are. a lesbian may be feminine. a black person could have a very light skin tone and a lack of african features. it is just as impossible for a black person to convince themselves that they are white, as it is for a queer person to convince themselves that they are straight. if they do somehow convince themselves of "heteronormativity", they were likely never queer to begin with, and, at the most, experimenting.

in conclusion, homosexuality is not something that is chosen. even if race is something that you find out from birth while being queer is something that is found out later on, someone is still made that way. they can't help it, other than telling people that they are, in fact, not queer, and living a lie. so, it is best for them to be true to themselves, even if it sparks negative attention.

let's dive into another example. if you are a homophobe, and you ask a queer person why they are queer, 9 times out of 10, they will say they were born that way. which is true. whether they find out at 5 or whether they find out at 50. no truly queer person has just decided to be queer one day, and this goes the same for heterosexuals.

a good instance of this is when a straight man on social media argued against homophobia and how some people think queerness just happens one day. he stated that when he was about 14 or 15, he found out that women made him "feel very nice inside", and that is how he found out that he was straight. so, overall, homosexuality doesn't just meet someone one day. it's a whole journey of waiting for the right people or person in order to find out who exactly you are. and that is the end of this example.

i think that religion is also a very lame excuse for homophobia. what do you mean you think my people should be burned at the stake because "that's what jesus said"?? if jesus loves and creates/created everyone, why would it be so that he despises queer civilians, who, by the way, were created to be queer??

the same argument of homosexuality not being a choice can link to this. imagine you are a teenage muslim boy. you go to school one day. there's a new boy. he makes your heart flutter unbelievably. do you still believe gay people should die of AIDS?? go to hell?? be tortured?? the only logical answer is no, unless you would want it to happen to you.

now, imagine a pink, cute christian girl. her parents, and the bible (do not forget the bible), have told her that if she ever turns out to be a lesbian, she would suffer for all of eternity. she strongly believes this. then, she goes to school, and meets another girl who she immediately falls in love with. do you think she can control those feelings?? is she "betraying" her lord and saviour?? did she do it on purpose?? the answer to all of the questions is no.

the particular scene of homophobes who think that all queer people are "shoving it down their throats" are wrong. incorrect. inexact. invalid. erroneous.

i can't even bring myself to type "LGBTQ+" without cringing, nevermind saying the damn acronym. at the very best, i say "LGBT" or "queer". i hate saying "polysexual". not because it's long, but because it makes me irk. i resort to saying "poly", "pan", "bi", "omni", etc. i don't shove it down people's throats. i simply remind them with the fact, in the event that what they are doing can be hurtful to those in the community. how could i flaunt it to someone if i can't even say the words mentioned above??

coming out is not a way to shove identity down someone's throat. having pride in yourself is not a way to shove identity down someone's throat. pride parades are not a way to shove identity down someone's throat.

the whole reason that we have pride is to show how proud we are to still be alive. despite what homophobes say, no, nobody is proud of "taking it up the ass". no, nobody is proud of "cheating". no, nobody is proud of "being a dyke". we are simply proud of the fact that we have been able to survive and fight for our rights regardless of homophobia and wishes of those in the queer community being murdered or sent to prison for displaying their pride.

with a RAINBOW.

it's just a fucking rainbow. i can't stand hearing people saying "gays ruined rainbows for me", when, i don't think they've ever heard of this, but they could just turn a blind eye. why do they need to care?? if we feel comfort when we spot 6 stripes of colour on a silk rectangle, what's the problem?? there is no problem.

if somebody doesn't understand a certain identity in the community, so be it. either they aren't educated or the identity is completely made up. however, if the sexuality or gender isn't just something detrimental to life undercover (e.g. "zoosexual", "MAPgender", etc.), just respect the person with said identity and move on. if it isn't hurting you, you have no reason to be a dick about it.