What is the future for LGBT people?

Every civil rights movement has gone through good periods and shitty periods, but ultimately they've ended up on the good. Why? Because people grow.

You're thinking long term? Well, guess what, those politicians will...die. That's the great thing about many anti-LGBT politicians, they're super old and more likely to die sooner. (That came out weird because I don't really want anyone to just...die, but you know what I mean.) The great thing about the younger generations is that being LGBT is becoming more and more normalized. The more people are exposed to LGBT people as an everyday thing, the more they're going to realize "oh, I have literally no reason to irrationally hate this person" and those people will get into power and change happens.

Will things ever be perfect? Doubtful because we don't live in a perfect society. But will they be better? Undoubtedly.

And as I've said before on other posts, you can't just lump everyone from a religion into one group. Are there anti-LGBT religious people from a variety of different religions? Yes. But are there pro-LGBT religious people from a variety of different religions? YES. I mean, look at what's happening with the Methodists. There're talks of a schism forming and a new branch of Methodists forming that are pro-LGBT. Just because someone believes in a higher power doesn't make them an inherently bad person.

 

I think history will just come full circle honestly. In the era of ancient Rome/Greece being gay was so normal that nobody even cared or noticed it. If you read old documents from back then they don't even distinguish between genders half the time, it'll just say a senators lover was (insert male or female name) like it's just an insignificant fact nobody thought about at all. Even the manliest culture in the history of the world, Sparta, highly encouraged male soldiers to have sex with each other to bond and fight harder to protect each other in battles because of it.

All the bigotry will just abruptly end one day and it'll go back to the way it was back then, where nobody even paid attention to someone being gay or not gay.

 

It will be several generations...

 

I agree with all of the comments. (I did not know the Sparta thing, but I am so happy I do now) but it probably will take several generations because people are still preaching hate to their children. All we can do is make it as safe, loving and preferably as normalized as possible for the children in this society. To teach them that however you identify is perfect in it's own way.

 

For me it's unclear. It's hard to be optimistic about the future in my location. Here the date for Pride has changed to June when it was normally held in July. That's all has ever happened recently. Meanwhile, neighbour Japan is approving same-sex partnership in some areas....and more lgbt visibility in the media.

The world as a whole? I'm sure it'll get better but how soon will it happen is my biggest concern.

 

While, yes, that article acknowledges a rise in hate crimes, but two things:

1. There is no mention of Christianity, Islam, or literally any other religion in that article as spurring the rise in hate crimes.
2. It points out that the rise is most likely due to the fact that people feel much more confident in reporting hate crimes than in the past.

Hate crime reporting is kind of two fold. On one hand, some right wing politicians make shitty people feel that they can openly say homophobic things. On the other hand, LGBT people are feeling more confident in reporting and that their reports will be taken seriously.

 

If the UK census data is anything to go by, religious belief is on the wane. Even amongst people who do have a faith, it's often the case that people in the pews disagree with some of the moral teachings of the religious hierarchy. For example, I know a number of Catholics who are totally relaxed about same sex relationships and birth control, even though Rome takes a different view. All religions need to accept that world has changed and if they fail to adapt they will die.

On the general point, I do think the future is more positive for LGBT people, but we cannot be complacent. For as long as LGBT people experience feelings of shame and denial, there is work to do.

 

Yes, it's not that there are more homophobic incidents occuring than there used to be, but that the victims are speaking up about these incidents more instead of leaving the crimes unreported. In the past, victims would likely have not reported hate crimes, whether because they felt embarrassed or uncomfortable explaining their sexual lives to police, or fearing that the police would not take their report seriously, and also they might have worried that making a big deal about it would expose them to other homophobes.

However, our police do take reports of hate crimes seriously, and many straight people do not tolerate homophobia.

I do struggle to fit in with my local LGBT community, though. I think part of it is because as homophobia becomes rare, then gay people turn against each other and divide themselves up into certain tribes. I do go to gay pride events, but I've never found a group of gay friends who I belong with, instead I surround myself with supportive straight people. I do love how straight people are becoming more supportive of us, but I do wish gay people in my area would be more supportive of each other.