Bigotry is alive and well in Brisbane

Yesterday I was embarrassed. As part of #irace (our staff activity for Xmas)  one of our staff teams wore ‘hot pink’ t-shirts. This was an all male (heterosexual) team and the pink colour was one of three bright colours.

The event was all in good fun, and no one was supposed to get hurt.

Thankfully no one did. Surprisingly though the four guys were barraged with abuse, for the entire five hours they were running around the Brisbane CBD , by blokes obviously most uncomfortable with themselves.

Gay jokes and abuse was hurled at them regularly (i.e. two to three times every our) in innocuous situations (i.e. crossing a bridge) by what by basic gender definitions we must call men. I was embarassed, and I don’t consider myself naive enough that bigotry still exists, but it was so spontaneous and open it was frightening.

My lord! 2010 is just around the corner, and the world we live in has some serious things to deal with, unless you are a climate change sceptic of course.

How could it be that we still live in the dark ages in Australia of bigotry and repressive attitudes directed towards gay men? Gay people in general?

I know this is not isolated, and I know this has been going on a long time, but as my wife reflected upon it, ‘imagine being gay how much they must still be copping’. Well I cannot imagine. I am not gay.

Obviously just because I do not see it anymore, doesn’t mean it is lessening.

For lords sake you meatheads, your juvenile acts, over the colour of a piece of clothing, means much worse must come out of your mouths (or physically) when confronted with real gay men. How embarrassing for you, your fathers, your mothers in fact the whole god damn country! How frightening to those on the receiving end!

It is not hard to see how hard this battle is, given how blatantly opposed to equal human rights our current political leaders are, for anyone that doesn’t conform to the religious norm. How can they defend the rights of every Australian when they so blatantly cannot deal with the concept of homosexuality in modern day Australia?

Frankly everyone can believe what they want, religious, political etc but the moment you bring your ideas out to the open, and then you need to consider what you believe against the reality of the world you live in.

And yes, I know the same still occurs in racial context and sexist contexts.

I don’t care whether you are Australian born or not, whether you are gay or straight, white or black, bright or dumb, you need to stop thinking about only the confines of your own self and start believing in a common humanity and the right for every person to live without repression or loss of personal rights or freedoms.

Our leaders need to start leading.

Their elected roles are to protect the rights of every Australian. Not Christian or heterosexual Australians. Every Australian. Start helping every Australian federal, state and local members!

Until they do they are someone’s puppet and unworthy of the job.

Our parents need to start parenting.

Every parent reading this, get out of your bigoted head and start teaching your children (especially boys) that bigotry, racism, sexism and violence are wrong.

I wish this was covered more in Perfect gift for a man, hopefully it will in version 2.

To my four staff I am sorry for what you experienced I know you were as horrified as I was.

Well that’s what ireckon anyway!

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