Why is it still "okay" to insult LGBT people?

Question

Honestly, LGBT people are the only segment of society that the culture at large allows ad hominem attacks upon. How many comedians have we heard that continue to bash us in the name of "comedy"? How many recording artists casually insult us without raising any eyebrows? How many politicians think nothing of declaring that our values do not compare favourably with the majority? The continued approval for this type of "culture" only shows that our culture is not valued the same as other cultures. LGBT culture is a culture that is stigmatized across the lines of all other cultures, and is still viewed as an acceptable object of derision by all.

Thoughts, please?

Answer 1

There will always be something. Eventually, all the noise about how sinful homosexuality is will settle down, and only a few retards (yes, I used the very politically incorrect word "retards") will still be screaming about it. Those will likely be the folks we refer to as the KKK.

Once that noise has settled down, something else will take its place. It is already happening. Jack, I've gotten more hateful comments about my weight than I have being a woman, being an ethnic minority, being an agnostic, etc. Hell, I've gotten more rude comments for being short than I have all of those other ones combined. But when the medical industry refers to obesity as an epidemic (odd how they don't even know the definitions of their own terminology), people think they have free reign because the "authorities" even said it was detestable.

It's happening to smokers as well.

Basically, humanity must have something to hate. Otherwise, they'd have to **gasp** learn about people who are different!

Answer 2

.Good Day,

I feel it is this way because you are still realistically a NEW culture.I do not feel it is right in any shape or form.Even thou the stone wall riots were back in 1969 in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. This was the heart of the movement so you could live as you do today..The Stonewall Riots are still Many many people didn't know are talk about this area in our culture. The gay community was just one of Americas dirty little secrets. Even thou a small few stood for their right..Many did not come out and talk about it.

The 80's became a time of a movement "we are here America Deal with us." In the 90's more people came out of the closet and the amount grew in numbers..

Remember dear the first kiss It wasn't until 2000 that we had the first gay kiss on network TV, on the NBC sitcom Will and Grace, but that was a "protest kiss" between two gay male friends, rather than two men in a romantic relationship. The first romantic kiss on network television didn't occur until a year later, on a 2001 episode of the WB's teen drama Dawson's Creek. A few gay kisses have followed on network TV since then--on an episode of Boston Public at the end of 2001, then on Dawson's Creek and The O.C. in 2003, and episodes of Will and Grace and Joan of Arcadia in 2004, and now Desperate Housewives in 2005.

So alot of the bigots,haters will always be around. As far as the comedians do sometimes cross the line.. It will always be one group or other, before you it was welfare jokes, before that it was, drug jokes, it is sometimes what will make a comedian funny at the expense of others.

Deep routed values in America dictate that this movement against the gay community.. It will always be something. Until you win the fight for rights of freedom.

Answer 3

Actually, it's not ok. It's insensitive and cruel; and the people that do it must have really pathetic lives of their own to have to get off by verbally abusing others.

However, I'm not at all sure that your initial assessment that, "...LGBT people are the only segment of society that the culture at large allows ad hominem attacks upon..." is completely correct. It appears that our society also thinks taunting and tormenting the overweight is acceptable. And, in the last several years, it appears that racially insensitive comedy has made a big comeback as part of the overall coarsening of American "culture."

Answer 4

To be honest with you whilst I agree that there are whole segments of society that still believe in gay stereotypes (of an unamusing variety) and still seem to think it is okay to represent a gay person in the media provided a) They are labelled gay e.g (headlines might read) "Man Held in Murder Charge - a gay man aged 40 was held ...." and b) Providing they are still a stereotype that alows a hetro distance from the gay subject e.g 'Wil and Grace.' Let's have a principle gay character who never really has any meaningful relationships, but has a camp over the top alto ego who we all laugh at for his stereotypical reactions whilst Wil yearns for 'hetro' things such as children,etc but never quite achieves them because of his gayness!
Putting those thoughts to one side I don't believe that gay people get any more lampooned or put upon than other parts and people in society percieved as not the 'norm' I think what is bewildering and perplexing to the more conservative amongst the 'anti-gay' segment is how being gay is no longer something that can brushed under the carpet and ignored. They can not bully people into deciding their sexuality under fear of outdated and (quite frankly) neanderthal threats.
Therefore their reaction is to lampoon, satirise and try and distance 'normal' society from an increasing normalised 'gay' way of life.
So, to directly answer your question. Yes it can be a little frustrating and downright patronising to see certain media portrayals of 'gay life' However I feel that it is a reaction by certain people in society to the 'normalisation' of being gay and the fear (by gay people as well as straight) that this instills on them.

Answer 5

You must realize that the LGBT community represents roughly 10% of the populace, but since so many are still in the closet, the public face of the LGBT community is only representing about 5%+- of the population. By their derision, the other 90-95% are able to disassociate themselves from the LGBT lifestyle. If they continue to ridicule the gays, it makes them feel safer because people will never be able to link them to the idea of approval of what society still considers a deviant lifestyle. Their ridicule and derision is a defense mechanism.

Answer 6

Well, in many places, especially on network or cable TV, and anti-gay joke can risk someone their career, which is a big change from not too many years ago.

This is not to say that gays can't be made fun of, but it usually has to be a gay making the joke.

Some guys like Jay Leno can make a gay joke, but Jay Leno is an equal opportunity detracter of not only gays, and he's fairly good-natured, so he gets away with it.

I would say that fat people are the only group that you can still openly attack, and even though this is clearly discrimination and clearly WRONG, people still get away with it.

Perhaps Fat people should organize the way gays did in the 80s . . .

Answer 7

You are exactly right. I can't stand it either, enough already. Especially in comedy, using Gay stereotypes as humor. It's sickening, I have the turn the channel. One reason why I never watched Will and Grace. Sure the actor that played the Nelly guy is gay, but it sends a wrong message, like it's okay to like Gay people who are weird and funny. Why wasn't Will played by a Gay man that is my question.

The bigotry is everywhere in radio, TV, in the news, in Churches. I wish it would end. All we can do is keep on them letting we know we don't appreciate it and find it offensive. Let them know we won't watch there shows or buy there products until it stops.

Things are allot better than they were 20 years ago but we still have a long way to go. Peace.

Answer 8

It's very pathetic that homophobes think that it's acceptable, it's also stupid that people never see why some christians bring so much hatred upon thier heads for thier homophobia. It's also stupid that people still mention gays in the same breath as peados and stuff

Answer 9

Because as you will see in some of the reactions here, civilisation is still only a great concept :) I'm sure that when gays, christians, jews, fat people, poor people are no longer laughed at, our species will find someone else. We've come a wonderful way from 100 years ago so who knows... one day...

I even wonder if we would not be bored! ;)

Wow Tab that was a beautiful reply !

Answer 10

I dont think its ok, because there are so many people with genuine homophobia about. I dont know if you are derided, your just a minority, and all minorities get it a little, the nail that sticks out gets hit. Im ginger haired, i get some stick, yet thats acceptable somehow.
But one reason is in the 1950's it wasn't spoken about, and now you can and there is an influx of famous people comfortable to .come out' people like jokes about celebrities...
comedy is a way of de-sensitizing things that society is nervous about, like war, death and racial issues. so dont take it personally, the more they joke, the more accepted you will be.

also drag queens are pretty funny. you've got to admit that.