http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_LVeODYFe8
BBC The World’s Worst Place to Be Gay ad (by sana1x2)
I do want us to talk about gay rights, I really do. And not just gay rights, I want us to talk about feminism, about transexuality. I want to discuss what the difference between being a female and being a woman is, or being a male or a man.
My issue with this kind of advertising is that it is mostly preaching to the choir. What homphobic is going to say “OMG, I was so wrong to mock these people they have it so hard.” and what open-minded person (not even gay rights activist or anything, any person who goes “Meh. I’m okay with it.”) is going to think “What?! How can this be? People? Against? Gays? What has the world come to??!!” Mostly people who don’t agree with the add will shrug and move on and only people who already care will go on caring.
In most parts of the world we are dealing with, not only the matter of homosexuality but all sorts of problems and prejudices regarding gender and sexuality. I really don’t see what an add that singles Uganda out as “The world’s worst place to be gay” is going to help anyone. Especially when what is happening to Joseph and his friends happens to so many men and women troughout the world. I know people who can not come out of the closet for fear of being disowned by their families, I know people that have been threatened or even attacked for acting gay, I’ve seen men excluded from conversation because they were thought to be effeminate and women being verbally bullied becuase they were not thought to be acting feminine enough – the situation in Uganda is not indigenous. Universally, people who are not willing to fit into the very precise gender norms are bullied, sometimes without the bullies themselves noticing what they are doing. And homophobia is never just about homosexuals. I have yet to meet a homophobic person who genuinly likes anyone, including themselves. Until we acknowledge that the hater is just as trapped as the hated I doubt there will be any solution to the matter of “sexual preferance,” whatever that is supposed to mean.
P.S. I should point out that I do have rather warm feelings towards Mr. Hiddleston and I do belive he is really hoping to make a change with this add. I don’t doubt his or the add’s good intent. I just don’t think it’s the cleverest or most useful way to approach the subject.
