The Gay/Trans Panic Defense: What It is, and How to End It

Contents:

• CALIFORNIA VOTERS WILL BE ASKED TO REAFFIRM GAY MARRIAGE PROTECTNS ON 2024 BALLOT
• CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS ULD REMOVE NEXT YEAR
• THE POWER OF THE GAY FOLLOWG
• THE FOLLOWG GAY...
• THE GAY/TRANS PANIC DEFENSE: WHAT IT IS, AND HOW TO END IT

CALIFORNIA VOTERS WILL BE ASKED TO REAFFIRM GAY MARRIAGE PROTECTNS ON 2024 BALLOT

Californians will vote on a proposal to amend the state Constutn on the 2024 ballot to reaffirm gay marriage rights — a ut move that amid natnal anxiety after recent lgs by the nservative-leang U. Although there is no current threat to the legaly of gay marriage, and Print Bin signed a bill safeguardg last year, the Democratic-domant state Legislature is seekg to remove language om California’s Constutn that still f marriage as between a man and outdated state fn has been emed unenforceable and unnstutnal thanks to feral law, but LGBTQ advocy groups are askg voters to repeal and amend the California Constutn to stead explicly state that marriage is “a fundamental right. Gav Newsom was out of state, Senate lear Toni Atks (D-San Diego) signed bills to law on his behalf as the first out gay actg ernor.

CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS ULD REMOVE NEXT YEAR

California still has an anti-gay marriage law on the books. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a subsequent legislative attempt to legalize gay marriage.

Supreme Court legalized gay marriage natnally two years later. On one hand, we live a society that is still very homophobic spe some small progrs. But ironilly, the gay muny driv some of pop culture’s leadg trends.

THE POWER OF THE GAY FOLLOWG

Even Samantha Jon an episo of Sex and the Cy once said to buddg actor Smh Jarrod, “First you w over the gays, then the teenage girls, then Hollywood will follow. Patti LaBelle has a huge gay followg, which was no surprise sce her style borrowed a page om the book of drag queens. Derek J is one of the leadg celebry hairstylists the untry, probably the world, and the list go pot is, havg a gay followg n be beneficial to an artist’s reer and while artists the past may have gaed said fans untentnally, divas like Nicki Maj, Lady Gaga and even rapper Lil’ B, have purposefully ma work for themselv.

Here’s why: People will like them for beg pro gay, which opens up chanc to perform more plac, and people who are anti-gay will still track their every move bee they want to track their enemy. Lil’ B named his but album I’m Gay, which theory uld be reer suici for a rapper. By clarg that he is “gay"—which he has explaed that he means the origal sense of the word (“happy")—he is takg away some of the stigma that the word has veloped over the past few s.

It’s a smart move eher way you look at bee not only will they draw more attentn to themselv, but forc more people to talk and face issu (and their own feelgs) that affects the gay muny today, primarily marriage and bigotry. Havg a gay followg n lockdown the longevy of an artist.

THE FOLLOWG GAY...

homosexualy, sexual tert and attractn to members of one’s own sex. The term gay is equently ed as a synonym for homosexual; female homosexualy is often referred to as different tim and different cultur, homosexual behavur has been varly approved of, tolerated, punished, and banned.

Homosexualy was not unmon ancient Greece and Rome, and the relatnships between adult and adolcent mal particular have bee a chief foc of Wtern classicists recent years.

THE GAY/TRANS PANIC DEFENSE: WHAT IT IS, AND HOW TO END IT

Juo-Christian as well as Mlim cultur have generally perceived homosexual behavur as sful. Others—om factns wh mastream Prottantism to anizatns of Reform rabbis—have advoted, on theologil as well as social grounds, the full acceptance of homosexuals and their relatnships.

Morn velopments Attus toward homosexualy are generally flux, partially as a rult of creased polil activism (see gay rights movement) and efforts by homosexuals to be seen not as aberrant personali but as differg om “normal” dividuals only their sexual orientatn. The nflictg views of homosexualy—as a variant but normal human sexual behavur on one hand, and as psychologilly viant behavur on the other—rema prent most societi the 21st century, but they have been largely rolved ( the profsnal sense) most veloped untri. The Amerin Psychiatric Associatn, for example, classified “ego-syntonic homosexualy” (the ndn of a person ntent wh his or her homosexualy) as a mental illns 1973.