(Not So Cont-)Rite Aid

"Animus in the Aisles"

The link goes to an article from the D.C. based Metro Weekly. They report an incident where two men were kicked out of a Rite Aid Pharmacy after displaying some affection and receiving a look from the store manager. The corporate offices (which are near my hometown in central Pennsylvania) declined to comment, and there has not been any further comment from the Rite Aid employees involved.

Clearly the motive for the security guard asking the couple to leave cannot be one hundred percent ascertained from the article, but it seems safe to say that he and/or the manager acted out of some discomfort over the couple’s public affection. Additionally, the couple’s friend was in the store and he was not asked to leave with them, so it’s not like the store was closing or anything. It seems like this is an instance of overt, individual level homophobia. I think that the public reaction would be limited, and I certainly have not heard a lot of press about this story. The couple is black, too, but there is no mention of possible racist motives in their ejection from the store. There is no doubt in my mind that if the couple was white and wealthy and lived somewhere other than Silver Spring, Maryland that there would be (slightly) more press on the subject. Even with these acts of seemingly explicit homophobia, race is a huge factor in how widely the story is promulgated. I think of the differences in reactions following the hate-motivated murder of Matthew Shepard, who was white and from Wyoming, than the more recent hate-motivated murder of Michael Sandy, who was black and from Brooklyn. Not that this particular instance of homophobia is comparable to either of these examples, but it seems that the significance attached to certain hate crimes is inexorably linked to race.

With all of that said, to be completely honest, I don’t have a strong reaction to the posted article. I’m not surprised that it happened mostly because I think it could happen (and does happen) anywhere. I typically feel myself more incensed by stories of either more harmful acts of individual homophobia or by instances of institutional homophobia that operate through more discursive means. Getting kicked out of a Rite Aid is, I can’t help but feel, par for the course. Until positive change is made on a cultural level, these instances of homophobia will keep happening and it's difficult to get outraged over each one. If the victims were more similar to me in terms of location or race, I might have a stronger identification and a stronger reaction to it. I suppose I'm only implicating myself in bemoaning the lack of outrage over acts like this. I think, though, that there is room for dialogue on the role of race and class in homophobic actions and how these social identities interact with community and cultural (non)reactions to discrimination.

Younger Than Springtime

Aging and Gay, and Facing Prejudice in Twilight

The linked Times article was actually published earlier in the month, but seeing how it is so relevant to emerging issues of homophobia and how it was the partly impetus for me choosing this topic area, I thought it should be included. In addition, I’m currently completing my field placement at SAGE, an organization for gay elders, many of whom are facing difficulties like those mentioned in the article. In brief, Gross gives a picture of gay and lesbian individuals living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Many of these elders experience a “re-closeting” of sorts, meaning that they hide their sexuality in order to avoid derision from staff and other residents.

What makes the issue so affecting, outside of my personal work in this area, is that it really covers so many aspects of homophobia and heterosexism. These elders receive discrimination at a micro-level, in the form of insults from other residents and staff members wearing gloves at inappropriate times. Moreover, there is institutional discrimination within the homes, as evidenced by the moving of gay residents to dementia units so in order to assuage the anxieties of the other residents. There is also an enormous cultural devaluing of the elderly, and gay elders have little or no representation in any media. I know that the (front page!) publication of this article helped to increase visibility, and I spoke with about a dozen friends and family members who read the article and were outraged at the treatment received by these individuals.

I think, or at least I would hope, that the overall public reaction to these sorts of issues would be that of anger or shock. It’s surprising because, even though agencies like SAGE have been around for several years, sexuality among the elderly just does not get discussed on a cultural level. Particularly regarding nursing homes, there are already so many issues of overlooking the needs of the elderly that such a consideration almost seems superfluous. I think that continued press on the experiences of gay elders can only result in augmented efforts and increased understanding of their needs.

Especially because many of the instances of homophobia mentioned are overt and based on unambiguous discrimination, it is easier to document and report such experiences in the media. Without a doubt, much of the press on gay issues goes to same-gender marriage, politics, and issues relevant to youth, which I think reflects what we consider worthwhile under the spectrum of “gay issues”. Hence, being able to affect widespread positive change in the daily interactions of and microagressions against these gay residents may take a long time. Until then, I think we can do our job to increase awareness and give support to LGBT aging projects that are already working against homophobia and heterosexism.

It Begins

Welcome to my blog! Here I will document whatever I encounter as it relates to homophobia and heterosexism. This will hopefully complete my portfolio assignment for The Isms Laboratory at the Columbia University School of Social Work

So, why homophobia and heterosexism? Although I fully disclose that I'm gay and proud of it, I should also say that I can be alarmingly obtuse to the goings-on of gay-related issues in the media and even in my own interactions. (I typically consider "paying attention" to mean "keeping up with what each designer made this week on Project Runway.") I have an inherent interest in the LGBT community, and I think that will help keep me genuinely engaged in this project. Also, while documenting another ism that applies less directly to my identities might be more personally challenging, I still feel there is a void, both in my school and in the general culture, of awareness around LGBT issues. I will still, however, challenge myself to seek out aspects of homophobia that represent the diversity of the community as a whole. I will also challenge myself to speak personally and really own my feelings and opinions as they are relevant. Will I learn something? I think so, but ask me again in seven weeks.