when people ask you why "gay rights" is still an issue...

baby and crumble

Tell them about this...

It happened on Sunday: three masked men broke into the home of a 33-year-old lesbian in Lincoln, Nebraska, tied her limbs together with zip ties, carved homophobic slurs into her flesh and tried to set her home on fire. The woman managed to crawl, while bleeding and screaming, to a neighbor's doorstep, and Lincoln police arrived at the scene at approximately 4 AM. Police confirmed that the woman was injured and treated at a local hospital, that anti-gay graffiti was spray-painted inside the home and a fire was set in the kitchen, but burned itself out after causing about $200 in damage. The police declined to release information about the "crude words" carved into the woman's body.

Full story here.

This, in the supposed 'civilised' western world. And people wonder why LGBT folks still have a need to fight for our rights and a life free of homophobia? This is actually terrifying.

Conor30

Good point and what a terrible, tragic story. But sadly you'll get homophobes claiming that anybody can get burgled/attacked/murdered and it's not the preserve of the LGBT community. This was clearly an anti-gay motivated attack, but some homophobes mightn't see it that way, I'd wager.

Canard

I heard about that, so awful. I'd definitely have expected better from somewhere like America.

1ZRed

Patchy~ wrote: »

I heard about that, so awful. I'd definitely have expected better from somewhere like America.

Really America? Home of some of the most backwards and conservative views in the western world regarding homosexuality or anything else LGBT related.

stephen_n

Patchy~ wrote: »

I heard about that, so awful. I'd definitely have expected better from somewhere like America.

Why?

I'm in no way trying to say that this sort of attitude and homophobia is endemic in America but there is a long history of seriously violent homophobic attacks in America. Especially in the bible belt with all the god fearing Christians!

DubArk

Yes unfortunately this is not uncommon in the Land of the Free. Numerous friends of mine are living there, as I did myself at one time and some of the stories would make your hair curl. One friend of mine found themselves recently incarcerated into a county jail in California for a very minor incident and because they are gay they were made wear a different uniform and they were segregated from the rest of the inmates into a huge Gay Dorm. The guards mistreated them constantly, verbally abusing them and threatening them with physical harm. He told me that he never felt so scared and feared for his life. My friend is a very wealthy man and that was his saving grace in the end; he could afford the right lawyers.

I believe that if you’re Black, Hispanic, and Muslim in the states you're very much in the same boat.

I left the states of my own accord and I’d never want to live there because it’s far from the Land of the Free unfortunately!

JupiterKid

Not at all surprised that this sickening assault happened in America - the country has some of the most socially backward and hate-filled communities anywhere on this planet. Not at all surprised that it happened in a place like Nebraska.

Parts of the USA are about 50 years behind Western Europe in terms of social development. Be grateful that you live in the most socially advanced and progressive continent on this planet.

stephen_n

JupiterKid wrote: »

Not at all surprised that this sickening assault happened in America - the country has some of the most socially backward and hate-filled communities anywhere on this planet. Not at all surprised that it happened in a place like Nebraska.

Parts of the USA are about 50 years behind Western Europe in terms of social development. Be grateful that you live in the most socially advanced and progressive continent on this planet.

Think you'll find that is probably Australia!

Face facts homophobia is a major issue everywhere on the planet, we may be lucky to live in a relatively progressive state but we are along way from equal rights regardless of age, race, religion or sexual identity!

Canard

The bible belt and previous attacks did cross my mind when I was posting, but I was thinking more along the lines of how gay marriage is legal in a few states there unlike here in Ireland, yet we don't seem to have homophobic violence of the same magnitude (not that I've heard of anyway!). The harshness of the attack just sounds like something you'd hear about in the middle-east or Africa. :eek:

Annasopra

Patchy~ wrote: »

The bible belt and previous attacks did cross my mind when I was posting, but I was thinking more along the lines of how gay marriage is legal in a few states there unlike here in Ireland, yet we don't seem to have homophobic violence of the same magnitude (not that I've heard of anyway!). The harshness of the attack just sounds like something you'd hear about in the middle-east or Africa. :eek:

To be honest I think America is actually very divided and mixed - Some parts of America are very pro LGBT rights and others are clearly very conservative and divided. Remember in every single state where they had a vote on equal marriage it was voted down

floggg

stephen_n wrote: »

JupiterKid wrote: »

Not at all surprised that this sickening assault happened in America - the country has some of the most socially backward and hate-filled communities anywhere on this planet. Not at all surprised that it happened in a place like Nebraska.

Parts of the USA are about 50 years behind Western Europe in terms of social development. Be grateful that you live in the most socially advanced and progressive continent on this planet.

Think you'll find that is probably Australia!

Face facts homophobia is a major issue everywhere on the planet, we may be lucky to live in a relatively progressive state but we are along way from equal rights regardless of age, race, religion or sexual identity!

Tell that to Aboriginals. Or Asians. Or any ethnic minority really. Apart from the institutionalised racism with regard to the aboriginal people, I was amazed at how unapologetically racist many Australians were.

At least when I was in the "Deep South" of the States the racists had enough shame to try and cover it up!

stephen_n

floggg wrote: »

Tell that to Aboriginals. Or Asians. Or any ethnic minority really. Apart from the institutionalised racism with regard to the aboriginal people, I was amazed at how unapologetically racist many Australians were.

At least when I was in the "Deep South" of the States the racists had enough shame to try and cover it up!

Tell it to Travellers, Romanians, Turks (add ethnic groupings as applicable) in terms of legislation and social policy Australia is miles ahead of most European countries, unfortunately people are people no matter what continent your on.

Annasopra

stephen_n wrote: »

Tell it to Travellers, Romanians, Turks (add ethnic groupings as applicable) in terms of legislation and social policy Australia is miles ahead of most European countries, unfortunately people are people no matter what continent your on.

Is it really? what's so great about Australian laws?

stephen_n

mango salsa wrote: »

Is it really? what's so great about Australian laws?

It's more to do with their attitude on mental health and social development, It's very hard to be specific when an opinion is formed on a multitude of interactions and reports using Australian models as best practice for recommendations. Australia is a very paradoxical country, as many Australians seem to be more concerned about sport than anything else, yet when it comes to training and developments in the fields of psychotherapy and psychology they seem to be light years ahead of Europe and the US. The levels of access to mental health services available to Australians makes this country look like it's still in the Victorian age. Also reading papers friends have written in the areas of social inclussion and community development it seems like they are leading the way in these areas too. Not that there aren't countries in Europe such as Sweden and Norway that don't match them but the say Europe on a whole is a shining light for social advancement and progressive thinking is far from true.

Conor30

stephen_n wrote: »

Think you'll find that is probably Australia!

Face facts homophobia is a major issue everywhere on the planet, we may be lucky to live in a relatively progressive state but we are along way from equal rights regardless of age, race, religion or sexual identity!

I do like Australia a lot but don't agree with your comment at all!! You obviously don't know much about Scandinavia. I often find a lot of Irish people don't really know that much about Europe and have often never even been in most parts of it. But they'll have been to Oz all right! Australia still doesn't even have marriage equality, for example. It's sunny there, I suppose! :rolleyes:
Europe, as a whole, might not be totally utopian, but there is nowhere in Europe like some parts of the more backward parts of the US. Even the mere fact they allow guns shows the insanity there. Sad, but true. The US could be a terrific country. Anyway, I don't think this thread is a contest about which continent is the best!

stephen_n wrote: »

Face facts homophobia is a major issue everywhere on the planet, we may be lucky to live in a relatively progressive state but we are along way from equal rights regardless of age, race, religion or sexual identity!

I think everyone does face that fact, every single day! I don't think anyone lives under the illusion of living in Utopia.