dantheman99's Blog
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Homophobia on the Bus in a Post-Proposition 8 World
- Posted on 11.14.08
I was taking the bus home on Tuesday when we passed a "No on Proposition 8" rally in Santa Monica.
The bus driver surveyed the situation and exclaimed loud enough for the passengers to hear, "sodomites".
I've been so angry the since Prop. 8 passed, I instantly exclaimed in a loud voice, "Hey, I'm one of those sodomites too!" Maybe I should have had a pithier comeback, but the driver was stunned. Nobody had probably ever stood up to him before for saying something homophobic. I was deeply offended. This person has a right of freedom of speech and is entitled to his beliefs, opinions, prejudice and bigotry. However, he was a public employee in uniform, on the clock. Once upon a time I may have just been too scared to say something or just grumbled in silence. No more.
I wanted to immediately report this guy to the transit authority. But I found myself with a moral dilemma. What if this person gets fired? It's hard economic times. Maybe he won't find another job? What if he was just having a really bad day? So I thought about for two days. Last night I realized that in a post-Proposition 8 world, it is not okay for me to enable anyone's bigotry with my silence. If he had said the "n" word, or the "k" word, had said something offensive about someone's race, gender or religion, there would have been no question of reporting him.
Gays and lesbians are no longer willing to be the doormats of America. It is no longer acceptable for people to say bigoted and prejudiced things about gays and lesbians in front of me. This behavior has to stop now.
If the anti-gay bigots thought they would slap the gay community down by passing Proposition 8 or if they thought that it would end the gay civil rights movement, they were sadly mistaken. I've never seen the gay community this galvanized in a long time. The passing of Proposition 8 must might be the "Stonewall" moment of this generation. If we can harness this unleashed energy somehow, we can make tremendously positive changes for us and for future generations of gays and lesbians.
One of the most gratifying things about attending No on 8 rallies is the number of straight demonstrators who are showing up -- people who see this not just as a gay issue, but their issue too --- the civil rights of one being the civil rights of everyone.
So I've finally stood up for myself and I reported the driver to the transit authority. If someone were to say something racist, sexist or antisemitic I would say something even though I am white, male and non-Jewish. I wonder though if when straights are talking amongst each other and someone says something bigoted against gays, would someone be willing to say, "that's not appropriate and I find that offensive" when no gays are watching? I don't know, but I hope so.
I am sorry I had to report the bus driver, because I'm sorry that incident happened. However, if I won't stand up for myself now, who else will stand up for me? The world has changed. No more Mr. Nice Gay. We are all in a post-Prop. 8 world now.
Related causes: Community, Human Rights
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