[URBAN NOTE] "Violent homophobia not just a reality in Orlando – it's in Toronto, too"

[rfmcdonald]

In NOW Toronto, Benjamin Boles writes about the significance of the Orlando shooting for Torontonian queers. The threat is violence is something in the back of our minds, almost always.

The day before the massacre at Pulse in Orlando, a Facebook friend posted about being punched in the face over the weekend “for being a fag.” On Monday, another posted about being verbally harassed on the street that morning.

I lost track a long time ago of the number of queer people I know who have been attacked in some way for their sexuality. I can’t remember how many times I’ve been called a fag by a stranger, or how many times I’ve been scared for my safety.

This is the reality that queer people continue to deal with every day, even in cities as liberal as Toronto. The need for protection from that reality is why bars like Pulse exist. Are you starting to understand what queer people mean when we talk about “safe spaces”? Are you starting to feel bad about mocking that concept?

Violent homophobia isn’t a reality only in Orlando, and it’s definitely not exclusive to ISIS.

Many straight people (media observers among them) are desperately trying to blame the mess in the Middle East for the Pulse massacre, perhaps clinging to the idea that the same hatred doesn’t permeate society here. Over the last few days, I’ve witnessed so many queer people putting in so much work patiently explaining to straight people that Omar Mateen’s rage was a symptom of the homophobia we’ve all experienced.