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Maybe “heterosexism” is the word you’re looking for. Sorry this happened to you, sucks.

sorry to hear that… well done though. I don’t know if I would have stood up for myself like that in a class situation. It doesn’t sound like too many people were ready to accept what you said, but at least you got them thinking more about it instead of just taking it for granted.

Goddess bless you, honey. I’m SO sorry. You were very brave. Thanks for trying for all of us.

I’m sorry to hear about what happened to you. As a black American I feel discriminated at every turn. I don’t know why but it seems like minorities are more homophobic. Its kind of ironic that people who are discriminated against because of who they are can turn around and do the same to someone else.

1st. Homosexual struggles and racism are two different thing.It is very insulting to compare the two.2nd. not one time did you mention anyone speaking against your race. 3rd. It is not fair to a child to put them in such a controversial enviroment (and it is controversial) 4th. 1 Timothy 5:20
Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that the others may take warning.

It’s always interesting to me that those who leave comments like the one above do so namelessly. We are all entitled to our own opinions, but we should be able to stand behind them with our name and who we are.

sad but true. just like lee, as black lesbian, i feel it on both sides. as much as i want to “take up” for glbt rights (and i do) i also feel like as far as we have come, african-americans are still an oppressed people and that’s something no one will be able to understand. it’s a double-edged sword sometimes to be a double minority. but keep talking to them, XO-JK, because the more understanding we can get from all people, regardless of race, sexuality, etc. the more we can finally get along.

As bad as it felt for you, you did a very important thing by standing up for us. You planted the seed, and some of your classmates will think about what you said. I’ve never seen a homophobe be spontaneously “converted,” but I have known many who have grown in their understanding, and thus, have become more accepting and less prejudiced. Understanding and acceptance take time. You started the process. Hurray for you.

Thank you to everyone who has commented on this… It means so much to have support makes it easier to fight alone here in the real world

From my partner who has a Ph.D in psychobiology and teaches psych professionally:

“Prejudice is defined as negative or thougth or attitude about a person based soley on their inclusion in a group.

Descrimination is the action against someone based on their inclusion in a group”

Take heart honey.. you are not alone.

i am sorry that you have been discriminated against. I do not think it is right.

I also do not think what you experienced was racism. I am a black woman, somewhere in the middle of the kinsey scale, who has never experienced homophobia. I therefore cannot say from my personal experience, but I do not believe that you can compare the two struggles and conclude that they are the same. I do realize that toward the end of your post you acknowledge this fact, but it still gave me a bit of a jolt that you used the term the way you did at the beginning of the post.

I do also agree with you that there is no term that precisely describes the type of situation you were in. As far as I understand it, heterosexism is a term that implies lack of consideration about homosexualism rather than outright negative comments (like the assumption that a person’s partner is of the opposite sex).

in conclusion (sorry about the length here), i realize there’s no term to describe what happened to you, but please don’t say that you as a white person have experienced racism. And I am very sorry it happened.

thanks for your stand.. i think you did an exceptional job in typing the situation historically with other cultural discriminations… honey i can tell you one thing… do your best… and keep going… don’t expect anything to come about… just live what you believe… and believe me you’ll get your message through to the one who needs it… don’t worry if it bounces off the rest… in the long run… it’s the one watching you on the sidelines… looking for the answer that will catch it… good job!!…don’t be discouraged!

Does no one here have a dictionary? what she experienced was HOMOPHOBIA, look it up. basically, she was verbally gay-bashed, including by her little friend in the elevator. It is amazing to me how many Black people are homophobic, even ones with a supposed education. As a Black person, I find it embarassing to listen to them spout their nonsense.

Martin Luther King equated the struggle for rights for Black people was similar to the struggle for rights for gay people. And so did his wife, the late Coretta Scott King. Both took crap for that stand, but they did not back down. Even my brother, who is both a lawyer and a minister, didn’t take too kindly when I point that out, and showed him the proof.

As for the moronic bible thumpers, including the one above, the same bible you love to quote also says that disobedient kids should be taken to the city walls and stoned to death and that husbands shouldn’t have sex with their wives when their wives are on their periods, and that men should wear beards, and that people shouldn’t wear clothes of mixed threads, Or did you skip that part at bible class?

The bible also justifies child-killing, wife-beating, allowing your guests to rape your daughters and keeping slaves, especially dark skinned ones. There’s lot of other really stupid stuff in the bible too about how people should and shouldn’t live their loves. Basically, stupid stuff for stupid people, no wonder you love that book so much.

Me? I just love EvilBible.com. GREAT site!

Oh, I’m not really anonymous, I’m over at ReallyGoodFriend.com. And NO, that’s not a porn site.

Your story made me sad too. You captured the frustration of minority-on-minority bigotry. It’s kick the dog syndrome…and it hurts. Sounds like your classmates still have a lot to learn. Let’s hope you reached at least one of them. L.

Deuteronomy 10:16 says “circumcize the foreskin of your heart and be no more stiff-necked”

which has about as little to do with you being discriminated against in a classroom full of would-be counselors as any other Bible quote, yet it’s more fun to say aloud.

Really. Try it. It kind of rolls off of one’s tongue.

Being a heterosexual guy I would have been “safe” in this particular class but my heart goes out to you.

I wonder their the answer to a question like “okay, which groups does your Bible say is okay to condemn?” Blacks are okay ? (unless you are a Mormon), Latinos are to be tolerated ? (well, we kind of steer them toward the Catholic church down the block, they have more parking over there, y’know) Arabs? (okay, now we’ll ask you to sit down sir because you are try to make a scene).

You are so right about the level of homelessness, alcohol and drug abuse, etc. Shouldn’t the people in the schools who are there specifically for kids to go to when they are troubled be able to actually discuss (gasp) homosexuality? What about problems like self-injurious behavior? If you can’t counsel a kid about their sexual feelings and orientation then what are you going to say to them about cutting? “Now Jane, Jesus doesn’t like it when we slash ourselves with razors, m’kay?”

Sorry for the diatribe but your post has me just a bit outraged. Perhaps your more narrow-minded classmates would do better in a career which didn’t involved empathizing with actual humans.

Perhaps there is a bright future for them in the fast food industry.

I can’t believe a bunch of white lesbians can sit around and feel bad about being discriminated by a bunch of “minorities.” (I won’t even comment about the black lesbians that agreed with this blog.)
Anyhow, I just wanted to say that you all act like homosexuals are not racist, and if you are arguing that people who have felt oppression should not be homophobic because they should understand what discrimination feels like, then why is it okay for some white gays and lesbians (an oppressed group) to still hold their racist views? As an ethnic minority and a lesbian, I also find that gay communities are not very inclusive of non-white homosexuals.

Not that television should dictate who we are but lets take a look at homosexuals in the media….Ellen, Will and Grace, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Rosie, and every other show like the L-Word and Queer as Folk are all geared towards GAY WHITE AMERICA. Need I say your position came across as if you were a spokes person for all homosexuals, not taking into consideration that maybe some of these people in your class may be closeted homosexuals because God for bid you were to be a person of color, and gay or lesbian and/or Muslim in America. We all know how far that might get you.

Although I am upset that you experienced this situation, as a visible minority, I find it difficult to sit here and listen to you think that you should have any type of sympathy, when half the time most people in the human service field (which historically have always been white) do not have any cultural competence in regards to working in a field that caters to many minorities and other religious groups; hence the need for such courses. Keep in mind, I think that everyone has something to learn, and that includes you. Take initiative and be part of that process, it might feel like a lot but many of us ‘visible minorities’ know the struggles of being born without the privilege of white skin. The concept is called ‘white privilege” look it up!

As a social worker that practices inclusiveness, including trying to understand how and why people might have certain beliefs, I challenge you to think twice about blaming people for certain attitudes and perceptions, especially when we can associate these beliefs to not only the bible but mostly to historical European thinkers.

Finally, I doubt that the systemic power that contributes to the oppression of homosexuals lies within the hands of any of the racial groups whom you are referring to, which should really make you think twice about calling yourself a ‘minority,’ unless it’s really in your nature to take absolutely everything that does not belong to you.

It is individuals like you who make a difference in this close minded world. I appreciate your efforts and by all means don’t be discouraged :). “Think Different, Think Righteous”