Irony: Homophobia on the International Day Against Homophobia

Is it getting better out there in the world for LGBT's? Is homophobia and transphobia being beaten? Today, Friday, May 17th, on the International Day Against Homophobia, it is worth looking at some of the ideas that are out there that need to be fought.

More often then not, I end up sucked in to the comment sections of news organizations on Facebook: Al Jazeera, CNN, BBC, CBC and several other ones that I follow. Sadly, regularly, when any of these news organizations post an article related to homosexuality, there are a large number of comments, and a scary number of them are homophobic. Today, of all days was no exception.

The BBC show World Have Your Say ran an article, and made a post that said:

We are LIVE asking what is it like being gay in Europe?
The European Union has called for action to counter homophobia after the publication of a survey that showed high levels of violence against gay and lesbian people.
Leave your comment below.

This was basically a calling out for the most homophobic bile that could possibly be put forth. It is nothing new if you have been following stories like these on Facebook and regularly get caught up in the comments. But, for those who don't, I am hoping that it comes across as rather shocking.

Now, for some reason, BBC World Have Your Say attracts a large African following. Sadly, it seems that Africa has a LONG way to go in the fight against homophobia. Most of these comments that I will be posting are from Africans. Now, that just happens to be the group who posted on this site. On other sites, I have seen horrible things written by other groups, so I don't want it to come across as picking on Africa. However, I have noticed that some of the most violent and blatantly horrible statements online too often come from that continent. But why? What is it about Africa? Why is homosexuality so vilified there?

Regardless of who made the statements, or where the commenters are from, it's fair to say that this is some horrible, horrible stuff:

And it went on and on like this. Like I said, this is nothing new. I have seen this over and over, time and time again. I have seen people say that LGBTs should be killed, jailed, raped, beaten, tortured and put into mental hospitals. I have seen this too many times. 

Clearly, there is a long way to go in the fight against homophobia and transphobia. Some parts of the world are still in the dark ages when it comes to this issue while others have progressed, but no society or culture is immune. There is still much work to be done. 

The Homophobic Madness Continues.

And the madness continues in the wake of President Obama stating support for same sex marriage. Although, lately, it's been a busy time for the issue, given North Carolina's vote to ban SSM, and Joe Biden making his statements in support of SSM. A report on Facebook by CNN International on same sex marriage has garnered the usual flurry of comments. Sadly, once again, many of the most vile and vicious have come from Africa. What is it about Africa and it's extremely horrible issue with homophobia? Anyway, here are some of the comments...

Wright Crown: Once u are get attracted to ur gender...believe me,u are on ur way to hell fire in which u are already in doom as long as u live...gay marriage is purely satanic...indulge in it...God will punish u himself...repent & accept God as ur lord & personal savour...

Chinedu Stanley Elastic: Be the gay u want 2be, but if u get close 2me i'll blow ur brains off......i'll hunt them like ghosts

Savonita Douglas: Mayb gays can't help the way they are, let's work on that. We, that r straight, mus go down on our knees and pray for them..mayb they don't wana b gay, but can't break the chains of it all by themselves..nothing is impossible with God. Let us all pray 2 whom ever we believe in..

Omosalewa Peter: America is sodom and gomorah, I wonder why animals think better than human beings. Can u exist if people in the world was gays and lesbians 200 years ago. Homosexualism is what some people called education, the word of God can never be amended,be prepared for total destruction,it's bitter truth. I don't care if u are a christian or not.

Faith Geh: Usa is not a country to look upto! A country where people sleep with dogs animal of any kind and now man on man and women on women. If God want it so he would not creat a woman from man. God is perfect. The bible is our guide & spirit of God is our witnes.

Kenneth Okereke Kentalky: Obama n same sex. Wonder y he is married. May be his 2 daughters wil get married 2 each other. Lol. End time.

Rasal Mohammed: i ll HATE gay marriage im not a annimel

Muhammad Shamsuddeen M C: Obama that's the end of you, even animals don't do that unless you and your people are worst then animal fool.

Mercie A. Christine: What are the root causes of these unnatural acts? Remember this acts are only physical manifestations of a much deeper problem in the human heart.

Jibril Abbas: Obama u ar a devil 4 sopporting same sex maraige. May Allah destroy u and d people dat ar practicing such devlish act. Insha'Allah u wil lose ur election lyk SAKORZY.l

And it goes on and on and on and on and on like this. It really does scare and repulse me. It saddens me and takes away some of the hope I have for this world. It further undermines my respect towards religion, as most of these people claim to be Christian or Muslim. It saddens me to see that so much of this rhetoric does come out of Africa, although, of course, homophobia exists everywhere, as we continue to see. So, I end this post with a heavy heart and a feeling of anger with my fellow human beings. 

Hating on Gays, and Dire General Trading in Dubai.

So, yes, as anyone who has read my blog before, one of my big issues is LGBT rights. Okay, so, since President Barak Obama of the United States of America (you may have heard of him and the country) said that he is cool with the whole same sex marriage thing, this internet thing and the social media stuff that it has on it has been pretty active with comments and opinions. Some of them are not very nice, as tends to be the case with this particular subject. On Facebook, I have pressed the like button for "BBC World Have Your Say" and "CNN International" among many others. Both of these have had a number of stories focusing on this issue. Both have a tremendous number of comments on these stories. Both have brought out the best in people....and too often the worst. And too often, the worst appears to come from posters from Africa. Now, it's hard with this issue, because I definitely don't want to be racist, but whenever BBC or CNN posts a story about homosexuality, there is a flood of responses from African listeners/viewers/followers condemning homosexuality with vile, mean, cruel and often violent rhetoric. Of COURSE all African's do not think or feel this way. Africa, afterall, is a massive continent made up of many countries, cultures, religions, languages and all the other things that fill a massive continent such as Africa. And, of course there is plenty of homophobia and hatred towards gays and lesbians elsewhere in the world. I just can't figure out why so many people from Africa are so determined to post such things on these two particular Facebook groups? What kinds of things? Well, one particular guy stood out for me. His name was Simon Tsegay. Now, to be honest, there have been people posting far worse things, but this guy was sort of trolly as well as hate filled, so he erked me, and now I am writing about him. He's from Africa but is working in Dubai (UGH!) as a salesmen at a place called Dire General Trading. So, what did he say? Here are some of the posts:

Homosexuality is as bad as Pedophilia. 

(Oh, that's just LOVELY. That's hardly offensive or cruel.)

How do you know, if we let one immoral act against nature, that many won't follow to destroy this world. Gay people are already destroying the beauty of this world by exhibiting their disgusting acts in public.

(Wow, that's pretty extreme dude. Destroying the beauty of this world? That's a lot of weight to put on the shoulders of LGBT folks)

Soon pedophelia will become legal too, in this sick country poisoning people and leading them into total oblivion.

(No, no it won't.)

 If i had a nuclear weapon, i would nuke ... ( you know who ) 

(Yes, yes we know who)

 TRUE or FALSE? Homosexuality defies logic

(False.)

Now we need Iran or Russia to destroy the US. Gay people are just doing us a favour. From now one, i will support the pedophiles to rape children too. ONLY IN US THAT IS.

(Ouch. That's....not cool.)

Oh, Simon. Simon, Simon, SIMON. The things you say, especially when you have linked your profile to your employer: Dire General Trading LLC, Dubai, Naif Street, 41029, UAE. Now, knowing the Gulf region as I do, I am guessing that this isn't going to be a big issue. But, if you happen, in your travels or your dealings, come across these guys, and you agree with LGBT rights, or at least are repulsed by his statements, be sure to let him know. Dire General Trading, LLC, Dubai, Naif Street, 41029, UAE. I just had to write that again. That was fun. I know, I know, I'm a jerk. And I know this comes across as a jerky thing to do, but, hey, it's all I got. That's how I can express my anger and disappointment in statements such as those made above. So, there you have it! Dire General Trading. Got that? I do. 

Aliah Bishr, the Homophobe: A New Path?

So, I made a comment on a youtube video where some religious dude was going on about gays and homosexuality, and I commented on what an arrogant, misinformed dick he was...or something to that nature. Then, via twitter, of all places, I got a response from someone, for some reason. And it goes like this:

@aliahmuslimah Homophobic yes and proud, but arrogant, misinformed? Hahaha I laugh, (@YouTube http://youtu.be/J5lX96qH4bQ?a)

The link from her twitter profile goes to her facebook account, which was nice.  According to her picture, she is a baby boy. I can never figure out why people use pictures of their kids for their facebook profile picture. It just seems...creepy and weird. Anyway, that isn't the point. Neither is the fact that she has an Etsy store where she sells handmade crocheted items. No, the point is, if you are going to send me a tweet that goes on about how proud you are to be a homophobe, I'm gonna write about it, dammit! Anyone who has read my blog before knows that I ain't gonna let that pass by me!

So, Aliah. You are a proud homophobe. I urge you to cast off the shackles that bind you to homophobia. It appears that in this case, it is your religion. Well, that religion is a yoke, and with that yoke you are carrying two large pails of religious manure. It's time to bid farewell to your religious yoke. You have taken a path that is destructive and mean spirited. It has tainted you and led you astray. It has led you to judge your fellow human on the basis of their sexuality, and I say that you must repent! You must look your god in the face and say that you will not accept his wicked insistence on homophobia. No god worth his weight in gold would hate based on sexuality. This god should be abandoned! Cast out! Tossed aside! Ridiculed! Shunned! You must take a close hard look at your life and the direction you are going in and realize that you are going down the wrong path, one that will lead you to misery and pain. It is a road paved with hatred that must be abandoned. You have chosen wrong, my dear. You must come forth and ask for forgiveness for your sin of homophobia. It is a terrible sin, a disgrace and a shameful act. You must look beyond the hate your god is pushing. You must open up to the reality of the world, toss your religious texts aside, and be free...free to understand! You must move into the now, a time when we know so much more than we did many centuries ago. I feel sorry for you and the path you have taken, which is taking you on the wrong side of history! It is taking you on the wrong side of humanity. You are listening to the wrong guide through this world, one who is leading you desperately astray. But, it's not too late! You can steer clear of the gutter! You can repent! You can change! You can become a better person! You can become normal! You can be free! It's time to say, "Adios, (insert name of deity here)!" You deserve to move into the real world, one of reality. You know longer have to be shackled and chained to religious nonsense and malarky. You, too, can be free, and live a rewarding, fulfilled, and proper life. You can learn to see the world clearly, and make sense of what is around you. You will find guidance, love, life, light and insight in the world outside of the bubble your god keeps you in. Follow the right path. Follow the path of love, light and understanding. Repent! Atone! And welcome, to a new and wonderful, homophobic free life.

Homophobia is nothing to be proud of. It is a failure on the part of some humans to not grasp the reality of what sexuality is. Take a look at this article that I wrote. You may find it very interesting and it may open your eyes and help you to start to see clearly! I hope that you can overcome this character flaw that you have. It is within you to do. I have faith! You can change!