homophobia
How to be a fan of problematic things
Quote:
I like things, and some of those things are problematic. I like Lord of the Rings even though it’s pretty fucked up with regard to women and race (any narrative that says “this whole race is evil” is fucked up, okay). I like A Song of Ice and Fire even though its portrayal of people of colour is problematic, and often I find that its in-text condemnation of patriarchy isn’t obvious enough to justify the sexism displayed.
The fruit machine
Though given the nickname from a simple slot machine, the Canadian fruit machine was anything but benign. It was a top secret system of persecution and oppression of queer Canadians, spurred by homophobia . It involved the calculated and systemic demotion and firing of queers in the civil service by the RCMP.
Context
January 6, 2012 |
Hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered individuals continue to climb, with 74% of these crimes being violent in nature.
Gay Blood Ban
In the 1980s Health Canada instated a new policy which banned any man who has ever had sex with another man since 1977 from donating blood for life. At the time, this logic went largely uncontested in light of the stereotyping that accompanied the HIV/AIDS crisis.
However, in recent years the ban has come under fire for continuing homophobia and treating heterosexuals with similar behaviours differently. Men who are bisexual, in monogamous relationships or have abstained from sex for years are not allowed to donate.
Although in early 2013 Canadian Blood Services have shortened the ban to just five years, activists still contend that any ban on queer men originates from homophobia.
History