#bringbackwoke
I’ve been seeing the general wokeness levels online take a massive nosedive, and I hope I’m not the only one missing the “blue-haired leftist” stereotypes at this point.
Feminine gay men on TikTok have been getting a flurry of comments under their social media posts, with users saying things like “There’s three boys left…” (as in only 3 “real” masculine boys left on the planet, a dig at gay men for not being manly enough), which is really not that funny. I hate the idea of homophobia being disguised as lowbrow humor, and I hate how comfortable people have gotten with being openly problematic.
We used to be a respectable country; didn’t we pick up torches and pitchforks when someone said the N-word at 13? What changed? Where did our morals go?
Back in 2020, I was what one might call an SJW: social justice warrior. And trust me, my 16-year-old self was seriously feeling the Bern. Between Snapchat arguments with conservatives in my Southern Maryland town of less than 5,000, and my parents being the only thing in my way of attending #BlackLivesMatter protests, I was constantly frustrated at everything and everyone around me.
I look back on all of that now, and while I cringe at some of the things I did (Breaking my silence: I may or may not have posted a black square in 2020. Apologies to anyone I’ve hurt with this information), I still did all of it with good intentions. That’s why I’m scared: people have stopped trying to even be performative about their activism. I can count on one hand the number of companies I’ve seen change their branding for Pride Month. After #thatman got elected, everybody stopped giving a f*ck. We’ve all agreed pinkwashing is a cash-grab, but to not even bother to do that anymore? These are troubled waters we’re entering.
I’m genuinely concerned for what the future holds for queer people around the globe, especially queer people of color. When straight people stop caring about allyship, it gets way easier to let homophobia creep into spaces that used to be affirming, and with our current administration in the United States, we have more than enough to worry about.
So, I’m urging everyone to do one thing:
This is literally our only option, I fear. This Pride Month, as we face rollbacks against LGBTQ protections in the workplace, schools, hospitals, et cetera, let’s all do a better job of calling out queerphobia when we see it, and holding our friends and family accountable for any problematic views they might have.
Change is slow, but it’s worth the work. Pick up your pitchforks once more and make sure homophobes start losing their jobs again.
Happy Pride, and tell a queer person you really like their outfit today.
