[Garfie]

Originally Posted by GoldHeart

I think it gets a little baity on here in general tbh ,and there's even a thread accusing Khaled of being
" homophobic" for no reason. So stuff like that doesn't help.

Ali herself kept saying " Queer" , she even referred to Nathan as that ... despite the fact he doesn't want a label. I got the impression " Queer" is now used as an umbrella term for not being totally straight/ hetro. But yeah there will be some who don't like that word , however it is part of the letter in LGBTQ , so not sure how those people feel about it being a part of the letter group.

I think sometimes people are just confused and to what they can say ,it isn't always coming from a malicious place. But I will say ... sometimes people lash out as a tot for tat ,and as Martha would say ' it's giving playgroup ' .

Hey, I appreciate your response as I have a lot of respect for you, and this thread was truly something else in a number of interactions. I can understand that sometimes in a heated debate, people can express themselves badly or in the wrong way, and I accept that.

However, sometimes people get personal and unpleasant just for the sake of it or potentially due to some underlying beliefs. Some of the posts on this thread were not sudden and heated outbursts or the result of confusions, but much more carefully considered to achieve a certain impact and to make people feel a particular way. I’ve seen this too often- in fact, my job requires training in understanding and recognising it - and I believe I recognise it for what it is. On this occasion, I can’t be swayed from that.

I understand the terminology and the acceptable use of it, so the problem wasn’t the use of the word ‘queer’ or me having any dislike of it, but of how it was being used in a taunting and deliberate way to send a certain message. When the thin line of homophobia or any other prejudice is being skated on, I can’t stand by and watch that happen, yet say nothing about it. When people continue to do it, when someone else has clearly explained the implications and effects, they are doing so by choice, and proving it is intentional.