Just the other day
it was the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act
1967, a piece of legislation decriminalising sex between consenting
men aged 21 or over. Just for a moment, especially if you’re
straight and happen to be reading this, think about that. The state
went from criminalising all sex acts between men at any age, to only
criminalising sex acts to those under 21. This what is meant when
someone throws about the phrase ‘policing our sex lives’. And
yes, while you can make the case of state policing in all sex lives,
it was not the heterosexual population which were held to a different
standard, or discriminated against.
We’ve come quite a
way since being judged criminals in the eyes of the law, but let’s
not forget how we got here; those responsible for the rule of law did
not have miraculous Damascene moments throughout their lives...It was
only through the brave efforts of those who came before us, the drag
queens, the people of colour, the camp queens, and the muscle Marys,
all taking a stand, and a great risk, in demanding equality. The next
time you scoff at the idea of a pride parade, pause and consider the
riots and beatings of those who came before us, and have a little
respect. We all know the parades of today are a different beast to
those of the past, that happens, things change, and while it’s a
commercialised day of drinking – the point is, for all the leather
and boxer-briefs, 8 inch heels, and toned torsos contorting to Kylie,
we are visible and we’re not going away.
The south of Ireland
can get married, as can the rest of the UK, but the gays of Northern
Ireland cannot – we’re forgotten by the Republic, and ignored by
Westminster. This isn’t to say marriage equality is a panacea, far
from it – if you can get married, that’s great, get down on one
knee, but try falling asleep on a train while holding your husband’s
hand, or resting your head on his shoulder.
(http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/police-hunt-men-over-horrific-homophobic-attack-on-londonbound-train-a3480886.html)
LGB people are twice as likely to attempt suicide as heterosexual
people, a quarter of homeless people are LGBT, and 80% of us have
experienced bullying in school because of something we have no
control over. The word ‘gay’ is still used as a pejorative. Nazi
symbols are still spray painted on our bars. Marriage equality has
not fixed that.
Those fortunate
enough to live in bustling big cities can forget what it’s like, a
cruel irony, given that most of us flock to those big cities to
escape the everyday homophobia or ‘micro-aggressions’ that small
town living can bring.
Let’s not forget
that winning the right to marry was only one more milestone, another
battle won, not the end of the war. We must continue to fight for the
little things - being able to walk hand-in-hand without fear of abuse
or embarrassment, to part ways with a kiss free from retribution, and
for what we are to not be used as a playground insult. I am thankful
we are in a position that these are the troubles we face, and I am
saddened that our brothers are still being rounded up by states,
tortured, and even killed.
We must continue to
speak out and fight for equality, to exist as we are without
conforming to what others deem acceptable, whether that’s from
within or without. It is bad enough when the rest of the world rally
against our existence, we do not need it from our own. That
internalised homophobia only serves your oppressors, you can be as
masculine as you like, but at the end of the day you still like dick.
I’ve seen gay people say camp queens and effeminate men ‘give
the rest of us a bad name’ - no, they don’t – you do. It was
those queens that took a stand so that we may take for granted all
that we’re afforded today. The effeminate guys have bigger balls
than all those bro-for-bro fellas put together, they aren’t trying
to blend in, they live their life as they like, with not an ounce of
fear.
We must continue our
fight for equality, and we must make sure that it is equality, not
assimilation.
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