[Redway]

All I can say is that the “T” in LGBT has been very normalised since (and obviously including) 2018 especially so you have to mind how you talk about these things with other people (not just in the office). A lot of black people drop subtly homophobic remarks in the workplace and think it’s okay because “black people are naturally more homophobic than whites” and use religion to justify it. I actually don’t mind the bit about defending your religious beliefs when questioned but you can’t just freely talk like you’re in Ogbomosho, Port Harcourt, Accra, Memphis or Montego Bay when you’re working in an environment where by-and-large LGBT stuff has never been more accepted or normalised (and probably rightly so to an extent). There’s so much I could say about the complex issue of many black people expecting to get a free pass for being more inherently homophobic as someone who’s been affiliated with and exposed to all sides of the cultural coin of life over the years but what I will say is that a lot of black LGBT people carry with them a lot of internalised homophobia and whatnot because they’re just used to being in an environment where they’re not accepted whatsoever by at least 80% of other people most ethnically similar to them. If you talk out of line on the job and offend people on the job you’re likely to be sacked and it’s not a case of “oh, it’s because I’m black, innit?” No. It’s a case of you not being able to keep your mouth shut and respecting what’s contextually appropriate. You can talk how you want about sexual minorities at home or in the church but not in open spaces.