Homophobia has been at the center of stories coming out of the U.K. this week, both of with jumped off my screen at me. Today, BBC reported a recent study from the Metropolitan Police (Met) that found a nearly 20 percent increase in homophobic crimes in London. There have been 1,192 homophobic offenses through September this year, including the paralysing of a 21-year-old man after multiple stabbings outside a bar and gangs of kids with bottles and sticks attacking people. That's up from the 1,008 the previous year. I frankly don't know which number is worse -- a 20 percent increase in violence or nearly 1,200 people attacked!
Two days early, the AP ran a story about Daily Mail columnist Jan Moir's piece last Friday on the death of Boyzone singer Stephen Galey -- and the more than 21,000 complaints it received for being "homophobic" and "insensitive." Moir's column asserted the singer's death as "not, by any yardstick, a natural one," and said he died in "sleazy" circumstances. The Press Complaints Commission is reaching out to the newspaper, as their code practice binds all newspapers to adhere to the commission's code of practice which includes respect for privacy and avoiding perjorative references.
These stories reminded me of the false childhood "stick and stones" rhyme. Sticks, glass bottles, knives and words -- all can incite thousands and cause immense pain. For a country typically seen as more LGBT friendly and forward, the recent news from London begs the question: have we made progress there anymore than we have here in America? And if not, how do we address homophobia -- is it stopping the violence or stopping the words?
Frankly, I don't believe many people, no matter what side of an issue they fall, would argue that paralyzation from stabbing by another human being is reprehensible and against human decency. Yet, words seem more ephemeral, less dramatic, yet I believe this is where communicators and allies must be inserting a transformative message of love.
In America, we are blessed with the freedom free speech in addition to many other freedoms. Yet, we must respect this freedom and understand the power with which it holds. Simple words, possibly even those in a newspaper, can lead to actions, possibly for good or for bad. What was spoken or even thought could ultimately end with the ending of a human life. As LGBT communicators, we must raise awareness of homophobic remarks and actions, instead inserting messages of understanding and cooperation. For these are the message that translate cultures and continents.
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