Inverted Homophobia

You’d think with homophobia you’d know where you stand at least. There is no disputing what someone thinks of you when they call you in no uncertain terms a ‘fag’. Admittedly it’s far from pleasant if you take it you heart, but it can be easier to shrug off verbal insults – empty vessels make the most noise and all that.

But what about the homophobia you can’t hear? That irrational hate that bubbles just below the surface is in my opinion much harder to judge. How on earth are you meant to know where you stand if someone is silent? You may be able to detect something amiss in their attitude, however the true depth of this feeling cannot be entirely judged by eyes or movement.

Sometimes it just feels like you have pen on your nose, tomato sauce around your mouth, or worse still highlighter on your cheek. The resulting paranoia is not just exceedingly uncomfortable for you, as you long to reassure yourself in front of a mirror, but also most amusing for the person whose problem is not with your outward appearance, but your inner being. This is inverted homophobia.

The danger of this insular feeling is that is often feels so much more poisonous. An enemy that is hidden is always the more deadly. Ironic, in a world where political correctness reigns supreme, ideas breed under the skin and can still hurt you if you notice them.

You can urge people to stop being homophobic. You can tell them it’s not polite to use such terms to describe people ‘different’ from them. But only by drilling the message truly home can hardened minds be hammered open to see the truth.

Maybe then people will see that diversity is not only part of living, but it comes from living.