discussion What do you think has influenced the rise in anti-LGBT rhetoric?

[Kukai]

So with companies pulling back on LGBT pride month, what factors do you think contributed to this?

 

Influencers like Dylan Mulvaney, the general push towards trans rights in things like sports/bathroom access, and the attempt to normalise pronouns and non-binary identities, seem to have taken its toll on this discourse just from my observation. Everything seemed to have been pushed so quickly and it's caused a backlash from straight (and some gay) people. 

Edited June 16 by Kukai

[suburbannature]

7 minutes ago, Kukai said:

 

 

Influencers like Dylan Mulvaney, the general push towards trans rights in things like sports/bathroom access, and the attempt to normalise pronouns and non-binary identities, seem to have taken its toll on this discourse just from my observation. Everything seemed to have been pushed so quickly and it's caused a backlash from straight (and some gay) people. 

Increased visibility of the community is absolutely not what caused hate speech and hate crimes to increase. It is the right wing feeling emblazoned in being publicly hateful during the prior administration as well as conservative politicians/media utilizing fear mongering and predatory legislation to distract from far right policies. 

[Kukai]

12 minutes ago, suburbannature said:

Increased visibility of the community is absolutely not what caused hate speech and hate crimes to increase. It is the right wing feeling emblazoned in being publicly hateful during the prior administration as well as conservative politicians/media utilizing fear mongering and predatory legislation to distract from far right policies. 

I'm not saying those things didn't make an impact but trying to push some of these ideas was a losing game such as the debate around sports and trans people. It's not as simple as blaming people on the right. Right-wing politicians realised they couldn't be critical of gay people as easily as they could in the past so they moved onto trans and gender fluid people who were part of some radical debates online. For example, going from saying gay people deserve marriage rights to saying people can identify with whatever gender they want is a radical change. It's easier to get people to rally against the latter.
 

Also conservative online influencers benefited from the rise of short content mediums like YouTube Shorts and Tik Tok to spread their rhetoric more efficiently. 

Edited June 16 by Kukai

[Space Cowboy]

Trump getting elected in 2016. His administration gave a platform to all the bigots and their toxic conservative full of hatred rethoric and normalized homophobia and racism throughout the US.

 

 

[Pendulum]

I've said this is another thread, but it's the radicalisation of the youth and the return of the far-right, at least in Europe. Anti-LGBTQ rhetoric is just one of the things that come with the rise of far-right views. 

[John Slayne]

14 minutes ago, Kukai said:

I'm not saying those things didn't make an impact but trying to push some of these ideas was a losing game such as the debate around sports and trans people. It's not as simple as blaming people on the right. Right-wing politicians realised they couldn't be critical of gay people as easily as they could in the past so they moved onto trans and gender fluid people who were part of some radical debates online. For example, going from saying gay people deserve marriage rights to saying people can identify with whatever gender they want is a radical change. It's easier to get people to rally against the latter.

you're probably too young to remember how much people rallied (and in many places in the world still DO rally) against gay marriage. it absolutely wasn't an easy idea to sell and it took literal decades of activism to change public opinion. the reasons conservatives and fascists moved to trans and non-binary people is because:

a) the gay movement left the behind and made them an easy target - using the rhetoric of 'we are the normal ones, just give us marriage rights so we can live like you and not those other queer people' (meaning trans and gender non-conforming and non-binary people

b) the gay movement WAS successful in many areas and the right-wing realised that going on about the gays was a losing battle, so they latched onto something else

c) it's a classic distraction tactic of the far-right and fascists - they always have to have a scapegoat and a reason why your life is sh*t, but instead of blaming the existing system and capitalist policies that ruin all of our lives they will try to convince you that it's the blue-haired non-binary people or whatever that are to blame

 

do not for one second think that trans and non-binary people advocating for their rights are to blame for politicians, media, and the public turning against gay people. the truth is that those politicians that are against trans people now are also against gay people and they will absolutely come for you next once they're done with trans and non-binary people. they do not see you as more 'normal' and to them you being gay is just as radical as being trans.

 

no shade to you but your kind of rhetoric is what ultimately enables the far-right and allows them to grow. we should absolutely not cede any ground to them just to 'protect' existing rights, it's the lack of solidarity and joint organising that brought us to this moment in the first place. we need to double down on our support of the trans community.

Edited June 16 by John Slayne

[Smarticle]

I blame a small part of it on JK Rowling

[James_Joint]

Because companies were celebrating Pride to begin with, for profit.  
 

after seeing what happened to Bud Light, other companies are likely not risking losing their main demographic by catering to the gays for a month.  

[TheCheshireCat]

I remember hearing a great quote about racism that was something like "When there are great steps forward in civil rights there will also be great steps forward in hate" or something like that. My point being that I think progress isn't linear and now that we are probably in the best time in history to be LGBT, we are also seeing a backlash proportionate to the progress we've made catching up to us, and unfortunately we just gotta ride it out. I think its really important we avoid the temptation to in-fight and squabble amongst ourselves about things that don't matter much, and keep a united front. I think the temptation for gays to throw trans folks under the bus is very real and is absolutely going to blow up in our faces, I think there is some serious "divide and conquer" going on right now.

[GhostBox]

Trumps rise really brought out all the horrible people from their rocks they were hiding under. They saw him and thought "wow it's ok for us to be openly hateful too" 

🤷

[Raver]

The rise in anti lgbt happening during Biden's term is what's wild. Has he been that bad? I think so 

[Johnny Jacobs]

Religion and toxic masculinity being back in fashion 

[Communion]

57 minutes ago, Kukai said:

So with companies pulling back on LGBT pride month, what factors do you think contributed to this?

 

Influencers like Dylan Mulvaney, the general push towards trans rights in things like sports/bathroom access, and the attempt to normalise pronouns and non-binary identities, seem to have taken its toll on this discourse just from my observation. Everything seemed to have been pushed so quickly and it's caused a backlash from straight (and some gay) people. 

For everyone's clarity, can you share with what year you were born in? 

[Princess Aurora]

I mean, isn't the US the most homophobic country in the Western hemisphere?

[Illuminati]

It overlaps with a lot of current trends. Like the anti immigration sentiment is driving people towards white erasure conspiracies, which in return fuels the pro life anti birth control movement. And that is at odds with progressive movements, if you look at how people like JK Rowling veil their trans eradication agenda it circles back to fertility, traditional values and children.

[jezebelvictoria]

Theys/thems

[Patient Zero]

6 minutes ago, jezebelvictoria said:

Theys/thems

From my own experience, it's this. I'm openly gay in my family and they're ok witht it, but they're suddenly dragging the rainbow flag  because of non-binaries and transpeople.

 

I think the gender thing has many people confused. And in my case I always hear  "I don't have anything about gays, but I can't stand the nonbinaries and the trans"

Edited June 16 by Patient Zero

[GhostBox]

22 minutes ago, Raver said:

The rise in anti lgbt happening during Biden's term is what's wild. Has he been that bad? I think so 

Its a trend that started under Trump. And because of the base he built it has continued and grew even more after his loss. Because they thinking using these anti lgbt issues helps them win voters. 
Biden has nothing to do with any anti lgbt rhetoric. In fact the Biden admin has been the most pro lgbtq admin in our history.  Which is also firing up the crazies seeing a president give us some much attention 🤷

[M!X]

as someone already wrote here, far right needs a scapegoat to blame for the way capitalism is ruining the society and queer people are always the easiest target

 

the way everyone will have surprise Pikachu face once we go all the way back to right and nothing is fixed lmao

 

 

[BrokenMachine]

Social media is to blame. It creates multiple echo chambers so everyone can feel ok with their own trashy views 

[Gwendolyn]

Elon Musk allowed Twitter accounts to post anti-LGBT content pushing them to the feeds of many people and choosing to show the 'worst' of our community. It's insane how much ragebait I've seen about queer people being shouted as fact because someone with a blue tick said it. And the report doesn't even work anymore so it won't be taken down, it's been seeped into other social media platforms as well (Such as IG Reels comments and even TikToks).

Edited June 16 by Gwendolyn

[welham]

I think one of the biggest elements has been the economic structure of the world hitting anyone not rich hard, esp during and after the pandemic. Neoliberal policies (social and economic) offered a shallow sense of security that crumbled quickly with the obvious widening of the global and local wealth gaps. The right is weaponizing hatred to blame the "other" for structural failures; centrists are adamant at pretending that everything is okay and/or change only comes by following the "sensible existing rule-books," but any needed radical change is bad because the word "radical" sounds scary; and the left is kind of in a disarray, with one of the notable shortcomings imho being trying to sell ineffective messaging and rhetoric to the masses.

 

It goes far beyond "it's the they/thems!!1!," even though the absolute shitshow that is the culture war about gender, gender identity, and pronouns did not help at all.

[cOe]

As much as I hate to say that, I feel that LGBTQ have been treated as a cool "trend" in the 2010s and now that it's no longer a "fresh accessory" to be an ally people are going back to being bigoted asses

[getBusy]

The people in here blaming the oppressed for being oppressed 

[Stimulus]

I can't stand the victim blaming rhetoric.

 

It's not trans and non-binary people's fault that they're being selectively targeted by social conservatives for a regressive political agenda that relies on fear-mongering about bathrooms to scare voters into opposing LGBT rights.

 

Do you really think these social conservatives will stop targeting the queer community if you abandon the trans and non-binary members of the community? No, they'll just move on to attack some other part of the community for their next political agenda, and you might be next.