[True Life Tales] where did it begin?

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Ive been thinking about the theoretical underpinning of homophobia.

If its an extension of straight white male control mechanism, where anything that does not conform to a percieved stereotype of gender roles, sexuality or race is suspect and open for persecution and discrimination, then surley it is like sexism or racism. Sexuality is merley then another human condition that qualifies someone to be singled out. If thats the case, then shouldnt the unpicking of sexism and racism, and the movement towards a more gender equitable society and racialy harmonised society in the western world bring along a society where being gay not a huge deal? Is it so?

If it is, then shouldnt equality legislation take care of homophobia like it has neutralised discrimination on the basis of sex and race? So how come in places where equality legislation has been introduced for LGBT people there is relativley the same amount or ferocity of homophobia as there is in other places?

Or is homophobia something different? Is being gay different from being black or a woman? One way to tackle racial and gender inequalities is to have affirmative action. So if being gay is just like being black or a woman, then why dont we have affirmative action for LGBT people? Should there be? Affirmative action seems pretty unpopular in many circles, but it certanily works in terms of promoting people who wouldnt necessarily have been promoted because of their gender or race. In Norway they brought in a law last year that required companies to have 40% of their boardmembers women or face being shut down by the government. Could you concievably demand that a company have 10% of its boardmembers LGBT or be shut down?

The thing is you can hide your sexuality, you cant hide your race or your gender as well. So does that mean tackling inequality for LGBT people isnt as important as fighting racism and sexism?

Well no becuase the LGBT population face discrimination on a level that neither women nor other ethnic minorities face. Is it the patriarchy still not overthrown and re-manifesting itself as the enemy of primarily LGBT people? But then is that patriarchy much different to the one that subdued women and tried to keep them in their place, as it does with LGBT people. If its the same patriarchy, then when women fought and libertaed themselves, they succeeded, more or less, but LGBT people who have been fighting openly for liberation since 1969 have not had nearly the same success that women have had in fighting the patriarchy...why? Is it because we are a smaller section of the population? But black people in the US are of a similar percentage of the population, and their success of tackling the oppressing forces, i would hazard a guess that it was the white patriarchy, is incredible.

Why cant we replicate a similar success? is it because homophobia is something completley different from sexism and racism altogether, and we have been trying to tackle it in a similar way, thus not having much success?

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