Editor's note - I know some of you would ask why am I "elevating" such vermin? I agonized about this post but I simply have to say something. Being quiet like this is like sour milk in my stomach.
What you are reading is how some right-wing gay folks are exploiting the Club Q shooting in order to denigrate the entire community.
Let's first talk about their gaslighting game. It's comprised of pointing fingers at people in our community, blaming them for bigoted rhetoric and hateful actions aimed at us:
"If only those gay people acted normal, heterosexuals would accept us instead of trying to harm us."
"Those transgender people are attaching themselves the gay community and are dragging the rest of us down."
Folks, I was a believer of that junk a long time ago. That is until I got older and wiser. I came to the realization that no matter what you do to please bigots and homophobes, they won't ever accept you. They scapegoat LGBTQ people because of their own ignorance and hate. Not because of anything we do or say.
All of that should go without saying, but here is a sad truth about this particular situation. These two tweets don't come from a place of basic ignorance and ill information. They come from a place of cynical manipulation in which people are capitalizing on the Club Q tragedy to gain attention and money for their brand.
"Gays Against Groomers" is a group capitalizing on the lie that LGBTQ people are "grooming" or "sexualizing" children. And being a group supposedly comprised of LGBTQ people themselves, it leverages credibility in far-right circles, while also asking for "donations" and spewing all sorts of lies, such as comparing gender affirming healthcare to Nazi experiments.
And the young man sending out the other tweet, David Leatherwood, is supposedly a "board member" of 'Gays Against Groomers' and a members other far-right LGBTQ groups (OutSpoken USA) whose sole aim is bending over backwards to either pretend that right-wing bigotry against the LGBTQ community doesn't exist or blaming LGBTQ people themselves for the bigotry.
The irony is that Leatherwood also claims to be a member of Turning Point USA, a group infamous for embracing all sorts of bigotry from racism to homophobia.
Earlier this year, according to Media Matters:
The host of Turning Point USA’s daily show Frontlines, Drew Hernandez, has spent the first half of June targeting the LGBTQ community and Pride Month, referring to it as “groomer month” and calling LGBTQ people “mentally ill.” Publishing videos to TPUSA’s half a million-plus YouTube subscribers, Hernandez has called for parents who bring their children to Pride events to be arrested.
In addition, the founder and executive director of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk has attacked the LGBTQ community with hysteria-driven claims including:
Gays want to corrupt children,
Trans people are to blame for inflation,
and the "trans movement" is trying to turn people into machines.
People like Leatherwood and Gays Against Groomers attempt to portray themselves as "normal" LGBTQ people outraged by the supposed excesses of the LGBTQ left-wing. But by the company they keep and the levels they stoop, it's apparent that their idea of 'normalcy" is stomping on other LGBTQ people for the almighty dollar and a little bit of clout.
And unfortunately, there are others out there with same goals in mind.
It is hard for me to believe that gays or LGBTQ individuals are spewing this BS. I prefer to believe that these are hetero right-wing hateful bigots. But no matter because whoever they are the damage they cause is horrendous and far reaching.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that no matter how LGBTQ+ individuals try to "conform" or be "respectable" or stifle their expression of their identities, it will never change how the homophobes think about us.
Back in 2006/2007 I wrote that AIDS and the backlash from the hetero community has led some gays to:
"...retreat into respectability...Homes in the suburbs, biological or adopted children, RVs, BMW’s, monogamy, civil unions and even marriage. Those of us with a foot in this camp should be vigilant because, despite the trappings of respectability, HOMOSEX WILL NEVER BE RESPECTABLE. As long as religious fundamentalists of any kind have influence; as long as heterosexism is part of the fabric of society; as long as breeders believe in their own moral superiority; HOMOSEX WILL NEVER BE RESPECTABLE [to them]. No matter what you do or don’t do."
As a final note I would just say that the tragic mass murder in Colorado weighs heavy on my heart. All of our activism, all of our civil rights gained over the years...we are still targets of hate. The increasing violence against LGBTQs, blacks, Asians, Jews, women and immigrants and anyone "different" is disheartening and frightening. We have tried to lead the way but I don't know where we are heading; I do know that those in (government)leadership positions have been followers for far too long. They need to step up and not only strongly condemn the violence but take action by passing gun control and securing hard won rights for all.