Homophobia Kills

“I’m not homophobic, these are my personal views.”

“I’m not homophobic, it’s the way things are.”

“I’m not homophobic, it’s the word of God, it’s what God says.”

“I’m not homophobic, it’s just banter. Get a life!”

I have forgotten all the excuses I have heard for homophobia over the years. It still the acceptable prejudice, wrapped up as personal beliefs or jokes, yet when you challenge it you are the one to blame.

On Saturday night (11/06/16), in Orlando, we saw an obscene act of homophobia. An armed man walked into the Pulse Nightclub, a Gay club, and opened fire with an automatic rifle, killing 49 people and injuring over 50. It was one of the worst mass shootings in American history and it was aimed at the LGBT Community. The shooter didn’t go into a random bar, he didn’t open fire at public place, he deliberately targeted a LGBT nightclub and opened fire at the people trapped inside.

We have already heard tales of heroism from that night (1) but barely have the victims been identified than the bigots started circling (2). Donald Trump, Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter have all tried to score political points from this tragedy, ignoring the pain of these lost lives. Even the Leave EU campaign has tried to do the same (3). Politicians and Commentators trying to score points off the back of this tragedy is distasteful enough but to also they deny the sexuality of the victims is disgusting.

We have seen outright, gloating hatred by homophobic bigots, a Turkish newspaper headline screamed ‘50 perverts killed’ (4). But homophobia is also becoming more subtle and underhand. A BBC news reporter (1 O’clock news on 14/06/16) described the victims as “party boys out for a good time”, as if their lives were of less value. On Sunday night (12/06/16) we have the spectre of Sky News trying to hetrosexualise the victims, denying their sexuality and that they were attacked because of their sexuality (5). The gay journalist Owen Jones, who was a guest on the Sky News review program, was so disgusted at this underhand homophobia of Mark Longhurst and Julia Hartley-Brewer (the presenter and other guest) that he walked off the program (6).

We are finding out more and more details about the shooter (7) but this man directly attacked a gay club. His father has claimed that the shooter acted because he was disgusted at seeing two men kissing (8), but his father has also said that it is God who will “punish” LGBT people (9). Homophobia is a big part of this tragedy and to deny it is as equally homophobic.

Homophobia isn’t just someone’s personal views, someone’s religious believes or just banter, it is an extreme prejudice that can lead to violence and killing. I have repeatedly seen this throughout my life, I still vividly remember the Soho bombing in 1999 that ripped apart the Admiral Duncan pub, and repeatedly I have heard people deny the homophobia behind these actions. To deny homophobia in the face of it is as equally homophobic. Julia Hartley-Brewer, in the days after Owen Jones walk out on her homophobia, has been trying to paint herself as the “victim” of all this. Her words ring as hollow as those who tried to deny the Nazi’s anti-Semitism in the 1930s, and it took decades to expose the Nazi’s homophobia.

Homophobia kills, simply look at the faces (10) and lives (11) of the people murdered at The Pulse Nightclub, on Saturday. These are the victims of homophobia, so do not dare to try and tell me homophobia is harmless.

Afterthought

Martin and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary on the 14th. Juan Ramon Guerrero

and Christopher Andrew Leinonen were planning their own wedding. They were murdered together at The Pulse Nightclub. They won’t be married, instead they will be buried together.

Drew Payne