Help me out here guys

submitted by Horror-SwordfishI don't get how flairs work from self.LGBDropTheT

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[–]reluctant_commenter 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Hmm... well, I can tell you about ways that LGB people are oppressed. I'm not so sure what specifically "LGBTQ+ oppression" is referring to, because "LGBTQ+" label includes straight people and asexuals and people into kink and a bunch of other random not-oppressed groups.

Ways that LGB people are oppressed in the US...

Legal

  • Supreme Court threat to overturn Obergefell ruling on same-sex marriage - although recently there's been some hope that same-sex marriage may be coded in law! The bill's in the Senate now, they just need 10 Republican senators to agree to it in order to overcome a filibuster. 5 have already agreed. (And Tammy Baldwin thinks that they're almost at that majority.)

  • Legal to discriminate on the basis of same-sex attraction: housing, workplace - Last year there was some talk about the "Equality Act", but the bill hasn't been passed, it only passed the House. So in many states, it's still legal to discriminate against someone on the basis of same-sex attraction. Also, that bill sucked because it would've made "gender identity" a protected characteristic, which makes zero sense because gender identity cannot be objectively defined.

Social

  • All major social media platforms have censored or even outright banned any discussion of LGB rights or pro-LGB views.

  • Being public and open about one's pro-LGB beliefs may result in damage to your career or loss of employment, i.e. financial threat. In the US, see Katie Herzog-- a lesbian journalist who's been "cancelled" for pieces like this one. (In the UK, Allison Bailey is a good example.)

  • A number of lesbian women have reported that they have been outright banned from using dating apps if they state that they have no interest in dating male-born people (i.e., men).

  • There is a lot of pressure on LGB people to transition. I have felt this pressure myself. "You're just a man in a woman's body. We know better than you about who and what you are-- and we think you need to transition. We just want what's best for you." Gaslighting. At a societal level.

  • As a result of ^ that, many LGB people end up with sexual dysfunction and physically harmed bodies. And lots of mental health problems. There are fewer of us as a result of suicide. Those factors complicate our romantic and sexual relationships with other same-sex attracted people.

If that's not oppression... I'd like to know what is.

I might add to this as I think of more.

edit:

I would also add that media representation of LGB people is pretty terrible. For lesbian women, representation almost always occurs in the context of fetishization; lesbian women are not treated as legitimate characters in their own right but as sexual objects or as stereotype-ridden caricatures of actual human beings. For bisexual women, I see the "crazy/insane/dangerous" stereotype used a lot. I ranted about the crappy depiction of lesbian/bisexual characters in the movie "Everything Everywhere All At Once" here-- contains spoilers. I don't know as much about the men's side of things, though.

[–]Horror-SwordfishI don't get how flairs work[S] 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Thank you for the serious and thoughtful response. Every time I see you I think, 'Surely her username is a misnomer.'

While I don't stay up on current events, I did know about the Obergefell thing. I'm torn about it, honestly, because I get the legal reasoning behind it but I also can't see it as being anything other than politically-motivated. But I did also hear about same-sex marriage being potentially codified into law, so I'm not overly concerned. I think that LGB acceptance is really a non-issue in the US, and it shouldn't be too difficult to get Congress on board.

I actually didn't realize it was legal to discriminate in housing based on sexual orientation, although I probably should have since I know that sexual orientation still isn't considered a protected characteristic.

I'm definitely up on the LGB specific stuff, and it definitely feels like oppression being silenced everywhere. Although, that seems to be getting better as I see more gender-critical stuff hitting MSM.

I agree about media depictions, too. That's always been a huge gripe of mine. It doesn't seem like there are many balanced LGB characters in media. Don't get me wrong; I like seeing representation and everything, but for gay men it's the same as you're talking about with lesbians. I feel like shows are either "gay shows" which don't really reflect my life, or if it's just a gay character they're a walking stereotype.

I'm actually wondering what the TQ+ think - like, for your average asexual person, what does oppression look like?

[–]reluctant_commenter 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thank you for the serious and thoughtful response. Every time I see you I think, 'Surely her username is a misnomer.'

No problem! Lol, that made me smile :) several people have commented something similar to me, and it always surprises me to think how I've changed since I first joined Saidit! I feel a lot more confident about my views and about expressing them. I honestly feel like spending time on Saidit has made me grow tremendously as a person. I actually made this account intending to use it for just one throwaway post. I used to be very indoctrinated into pro-trans beliefs, and Reddit claimed that s/lesbians were all a bunch of evil transphobes-- thus, I felt very reluctant to "comment" on the situation of trans-perpetrated homophobia at all. As opposed to just lurking in fear.

I think that LGB acceptance is really a non-issue in the US, and it shouldn't be too difficult to get Congress on board.

I hope so! That senator certainly seems confident. There's a good chance the vote will happen in the next 2 weeks, so I'll be watching out for that and will make a post if there are any updates.

I actually didn't realize it was legal to discriminate in housing based on sexual orientation, although I probably should have since I know that sexual orientation still isn't considered a protected characteristic.

Yeah, it's funny to me that housing/employment are not talked about at all. I think that there might be a Supreme Court ruling protecting us in employment, but not sure.

but for gay men it's the same as you're talking about with lesbians. I feel like shows are either "gay shows" which don't really reflect my life, or if it's just a gay character they're a walking stereotype.

Sorry to hear it's the same for gay men. Yeah that's exactly how I feel, too, I don't relate to shows like that. There are no normal, typical characters that just happen to be LGB, it seems...

I'm actually wondering what the TQ+ think - like, for your average asexual person, what does oppression look like?

I have heard people say "corrective rape" but that's ridiculous. There has never been a movement of corrected rape directed at asexual individuals AFAIK in the way that rape has been used deliberately to try to "eliminate" same-sex desires.

I will say-- I have a friend who is... if not exactly asexual, very sex-repulsed. Over the years, I have watched him get emotionally abused by his relatives for his lack of interest in dating, and he and I have occasionally bonded over that shared experience (I was pressured by my family to date men-- successfully, I'm sorry to say). But I don't know if I'd call that "systemic oppression." It is interesting, though.

edit: clarity