COLUMN: Homosexual Discrimination

Margie Fishman says societyMargie Fishman says societyfixation with sexual orientationMargie Fishman says societyfixation with sexual orientationleads to injustice and discrimination. We live in a society that places considerable emphasis on sexual preference. The bit news is who's sleeping with who, and who's doing what to whom, and whether this is all in line with traditional Biblical teachings and personal values. This one trivial feature somehow surpasses all other characteristics (e.g., hair color, height, intellectual ability), in terms of the need for religious intervention. According to Judeo-Christian law, homosexuality is a distasteful practice that undoubtedly violates G-d's "master plan," as implemented in the anatomical design of men and women. Therefore, one's sexuality is defined as vital information that must be immediately released from the closet before it disrupts the order of society. I am writing this piece for a good friend who is disheartened by society's apathy and lack of initiative surrounding gay discrimination. Unfortunately, he is unable to speak out at this time for fear of violent harassment from his high school peers or signs of distrust from his parents. I have volunteered to be his voice -- me, a run-of-the-mill heterosexual girl who had previously listened to the faggot jokes and dyke insults without once considering the mythical, subhuman images that they invoke...that is, until my friend woke me up from my daze. And now I am here to wake you up, because in this case, tacit acceptance is as dangerous as active participation. So fasten your seat belts and listen hard, 'cause you're about to receive an overdue lesson in a little thing Erving Goffman and I like to call Homosexual Stigma. Whether it be the banning of gay-straight alliances in Utah, refusal to legalize same-sex marriages in Hawaii, or cruel jokes in the nearest guys' locker room, homosexual discrimination is everywhere. Yet the subject is often passed over with little involvement from the heterosexual population. Men often assume that they are placing their precious manhood in jeopardy by supporting Gay rights, and women -- while less vocal against the movement -- are not any more inclined to pursue an active role in fighting for the cause. Studies conducted annually by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force have estimated that over 90 % of gay men and lesbians have been victims of some form of violence or harassment as a result of their sexual orientation. While racial discrimination has become virtually taboo in he '90's, the gay lifestyle -- as portrayed by the media -- is incorporated more as a source for heterosexual humor than as an accurate depiction of an alternative relationship to the norm. While prohibitions against homosexuality stem from Biblical times, even at present 24 states and the District of Columbia have statutes condemning homosexual acts. Lawmakers view homosexual relationships as unnatural, abnormal and temporary. But realistically, it is difficult for homosexuals to form permanent social relationships when they are denied the legal means for maintaining such relationships. Society's ignorance regarding the origins of homosexuality has bred two sets of stereotypes. One asserts that gays and lesbians have mysteriously confused their gender identity, (e.g., diesel dykes, sissies), while the other revolves around the notion that gays pose a sinister threat to the basic family structure, (e.g., child molesters, nymphomaniacs). Society categorizes people by attributing a list of characteristics deemed ordinary and natural of an entire group and then applying them to each individual member of that group. This act sparks the construction of a social identity and ties in with Goffman's concept of the stigmatized other anyone possessing a deeply discrediting attribute in the eyes of "normals." Queer-bashing, like past lynchings of blacks, functions to ensure that a whole stigmatized group is kept in line. In order to alleviate the stigma, we must become less concerned with what others might infer about our sexual orientation, and more concerned about protecting basic human rights. So next time one of your buddies tells another joke about how many homosexuals it takes to screw in a light bulb, speak up and tell him that you don't find the punch line particularly amusing. And if he starts making comments about your recent initiation into the Fairy Club, tell him that even if you were gay, he wouldn't be your type. Our national pledge ends with a powerful phrase, "...with liberty and justice for all." Now I have yet to come across a qualification of this statement which notes that the liberty and justice of gays counts for less than the liberty and justice of the dominant culture. If a society is willing to discriminate against one group for something as inconsequential as sexual preference, then who is to say that shortly down the road it won't turn around and directly discriminate against me for my ethnic background, or against you for your particular deviation from the norm. In the Nazi concentration camps, gays were forced to pin on pink triangles, just as Jews were forced to pin on yellow stars. These symbols serve as reminders of the evils of intolerance and social injustice. We cannot simply sit back and wait for society's cycle of discrimination to be directly aimed at us before we decide to take a stand. The time is now to raise our heads and our voices in support of fundamental rights.