So, help me prove her wrong. She says there's nothing we can do to stop discrimination against the LGBTQA community so please post true events that helped fight this discrimination, even if it's minor or if it's something major! And if you get upset, read this to remind yourself that things can get better!
Hi I remember watching a film where they show lesbian and gay couples as the norm and should heterosexual couples as the ones being bullied and not normal. I think that was quite powerful in expressing what not accepting does to people and the discrimination that lgbti change. Also I watch kaelyn and Lucy on YouTube and they are great at sharing how normal their lives are, they are people who act like normal hetero people except their sexuality is not hetero. I think being able to talk about coming out helps those who are closested and the more legit examples the world has the more people can talk about lgbti and realise it is normal and there is not need to be afraid or call it a sin. I think just openly holding hands with her or kissing her in public can help people to see that lgbti community is not a fantasy and if they question it tell them that their kissing of their hetero partner is eww. Or tell them you are happy being gay and if they aren't then that is there problem.
The best thing you can do to stop discrimination is not be in people's face about your homosexuality. The only way we are ever going to be accepted as normal is if we... go figure... act normal like everybody else. The flamboyant shit, parades, and rainbow flags are gonna have to stop at some point because they're only reinforcing the stereotypes that hold us back in the first place.
It may get better with society at large, but my parents will never change. This community where I live will get there, but it will be awhile.
First of all, big difference between feminine and flamboyant. I did not say feminine. Secondly, if you're gonna call my statement ridiculous how about giving some semblance of an argument as to why
Being a very flamboyant person...I can say that me trying to pretend I am someone I am not, will just make them idiots think they are superior. And not to mention it will just make the whole discrimination worse. If they see that what they are saying is having ANY impact on how people live their lives then why would they stop? More over, why should I stop being who I am just to please others? I have done that already, and all it did was make me even more miserable than I already was. If people can not accept who I am for me and how I am, then screw them, they are not worth a pittance of my time. I am worth more than the opinions of a few and the thoughts of many. The person I am is not the person I was made. I am more than happy to be flamboyant, and yes, there IS a sense of femininity in that too.
My best friend supported me 100% when I told her I was gay. She did not make me feel different, and she hasn't treated me differently at all. She now supports anything LBGTQA. Why does this mean there is hope for us? Because although she is the only one in my life supporting me 100%, there is hope. When there's hope, anything is possible. I've witnessed this myself.
Until the early 20th Century, women were chattel property who didn't have voting rights or, really, any rights at all. It was like every woman on the planet was living in a messed-up version of 50 Shades of Gray without the consent, only it was more extreme. Until mid-century, it was still considered to be normal and proper for a man to spank his wife as a form of discipline, and there were even rules for the thickness of the switch he used for doing it. Only recently are we realizing that it's wrong for parents to unnecessarily beat their own children, and that's still considered to be "controversial." Only a few countries have bothered to pass laws to try to control it, and progress has been slow. At least we got corporal punishment out of schools, but as long as we force children to return to abusive homes after having fled them in terror, we have a long way to go. The state of children's rights is an abomination. We treat animals better. Animal rights have changed significantly. For the longest time, animals were not "family," and people who allowed their pets to sleep in the house, no matter how cold the weather was, were considered to be freaking loony. I remember, back in the 1990's, when the most common death for a cat was climbing into the engine of a car, during a snow storm, and when you cranked the car up, you'd hear "YOWWWWWL!" and have a mess to clean up. These days, it's recliner chairs! Society has changed in many ways, not just in regard to gay people's rights, and I am thankful for all of the ways that we, as a people, have become wiser and more kind. We still have a long way to go, but we're trying.
It seems like every few years now we're way farther ahead than we were a few years before. The LGBTQ+ community is becoming more and more prominant in today's society. I haven't been around that long, but when I hear about how much discrimination there was before, I can't even imagine it because it's nowhere near as bad as what I see today. Yeah there's still a lot of discrimination and sometimes violence, but we've made so much progress as a society and it's incredible. LGBTQ+ people are appearing more and more in tv shows and other media, making people more aware. The first step to combatting ignorance and discrimination is educating children. When children grow up in very conservative lifestyles, they don't necessarily get exposed to the LGBTQ+ community in a positive way. But when children see LGBTQ+ people on television and get more exposed to it, this can leave a big impression. For example, Disney channel had their first ever gay couple on a tv show!! This is a huge milestone and the fact that they did this means so much. Maybe one lesbian couple on a kids show won't change everything, but it's so promising and it's the first step towards more widespread acceptance.
I understand this point, but I also feel some "in your face" activity is what will make it "normal." Case in point: my best friend just got a girlfriend and they're in the "honeymoon" stage of dating: they kiss all the time, hold hands, etc., all in public. It will lessen as they continue to date, but most straight couples are overt about their sexuality and we've just come to not even bat an eye. As gay people, we should be able to do what is "reasonable, usual, and customary" straight couples do in public and get to the point where it becomes "normal" and no one does a double-take on a gay couple holding hands or kissing. I will admit there are places where I live where I wouldn't hold hands with a guy, but I'd hope that it will one day be safe to do so.
Personal story, don't know if this counts, but it definetely restored my faith in people and gays being treated equally. I have a girlfriend...for almost four months now. I also have a friend, he is Christian, and kinda homophobic saying that gays were weird and gross and stuff. But, we are very close and he calls me his sis and everything~ it's cute. Anyway, this was two weeks after my girlfriend and I got together, he sits next to or behind my seat on the bus every day, and this time he happened to be behind, looking over my texts. This apparently happened a few times...and one day, he acted very suspicious. I asked him what was wrong, and he asked if her and I were dating. I answered honestly, expecting another homophobic comment. His reaction; "Aw that's so adorable!!! Really? How long? And it's cool that you're gay too~" And he's slowly warmed up to the idea and we talk about our girlfriends often...and it's so nice. He can't stand homophobia now...
I think the change is inevitable, and it's happening now. There are still battles left to fight, but we already know who's gonna win this war.
I really don't like the "culture war" concept, but the naysayers really literally make it a war for us. It would otherwise just be gay people speaking up to their straight friends and saying, "Ehhh...R-E-S-P-E-C-T, please?" most logical human beings would say, "Oh, sorry! I didn't realize you were really just humble, regular guys trying to make it through the day, but now I understand. Gee, I'm glad that now we're not too busy fighting crazy wars and battling terrible diseases for us to talk about these things! This is really nifty!" That's how logical straight people have largely behaved. Usually, resistance has been due to a lack of thorough understanding. Some people have made a bitter, ugly war where there didn't have to be one, though, and now that it's hard to not get the 411 that we're regular guys, they're starting to show more. There is no sense in it.
