Homophobia Is More Than Physical Violence

There is a narrative about homo-negativity in our countries that is privileged by a plethora of stakeholders such as the media, activists, allies, donors, and multilaterals in the same kind of way heteronormativity and anti-gay movements are often privileged.

Seemingly, there is an insatiable appetite (and pursuit) for the most horrific of experiences of anti-gay attitudes and behaviour in our countries to woo the powerbrokers of the international human rights movement while our leaders and fellow citizens pay little, if any attention. In my view, this lures and entraps us as human rights defenders in a fierce competition for visibility and prominence--and most importantly scarce resources. This is particularly noticeable in international media and in the work of international NGOs. Consequently, many of us, in my very humble opinion, become a sort of "horror crusader" sharing stories of doom and gloom. 

While the efficacy of sharing these horrific experiences is tremendous, doing so often leaves us with very little time (and resources) to do other type of work that is necessary to engender a more hospitable society for us to (coexist and) live in. Recently, a colleague shared that donors do not seem to be interested in ‘progress.’ This begs the question: how do we get the powerbrokers interested in much more than the horror and how uncivil we are? 

I know you might think that I am trying to deny homophobia but that’s not the case. I am not in any way suggesting that the experiences of persons who have been harassed, threatened, raped, beaten, kicked out of their homes, murdered, etc should not be made known to the public. I am not proffering that we should cover them up to create a utopia. I too have friends who have had awful experiences and I’ve personally been affected by homophobia. However, while I very rarely speak of my experiences, I don’t hesitate to talk about that of my friends and others I know of, when I speak to people about the situation in our community. 

What I am merely asking is that we diversify the experiences of persons in our communities that we share with the public. It’s not that we are discounting the experiences of some persons, but we have to question the efficaciousness of sharing one particular type of story. 

If we want our people to understand that homophobia is much more than violence resulting in bodily harm, then we have to articulate a variety of experiences. This is especially important where a ‘culture of violence’ is persistent. We must talk about the university student who dropped out of school when their parents discovered their sexual orientation and decided to stop supporting them. We have to tell people about young persons who are kicked out of their homes and communities. We have to talk about the young gay man who is told by the taxi driver that he is not allowed in his car. We have to talk about the psychological trauma that many of us undergo out of fear of being maimed for daring to be LGBT. And we have to talk about the Ashleys and Tianas. 

There is value in sharing the experiences of those who have not suffered in the most 'horrific' ways. We have to help people understand that homophobia is more than physical violence so they can stop denying their homo-negativity. 

Importantly, activists cannot treat these experiences of persons as mere stories. We must think about how we can use them to create change. We cannot risk being mere storytellers. We must appreciate that a variety of approaches is needed to create a more hospitable society - one in which peace of mind is not dependent on any sort of privilege in our community. 

This article was written for J-FLAG's Quarterly Newsletter. You may view it here