Today in homophobic bullshit, the UK’s Daily Mail recently published an article titled: “Steady on chaps! Britain’s victorious synchronized divers hug for joy after winning gold – while China’s bronze medalists settle for a manly pat on the back.” The homophobia in this isn’t even slightly subtle.
Apparently the hug, which involved Great Britain’s synchronized divers Jack Laugher and Chris Mears following a score for gold for Team GB, was the absolute opposite of manly.
Here’s why this is an issue:
Much of homophobia directed at gay men is very much based in sexism. Basically, these folks think that women are lesser, so men who act “feminine” or who carry out behaviors they believe should only exist between women, are doing a great disservice to men as a whole. It’s disgusting nonsense, but it prevails in everything from little boys who wear “feminine” clothing being called slurs, to single mothers being told they are going to turn their children into [insert-gay-slur-here] by robbing them of a male presence. Apparently too much hugging makes you gay, and being gay makes you not manly.
Thanks for the perpetuation of dangerous nonsense, Daily Mail.
As a result of this kind of crap, men become subject to the mindset of toxic masculinity that says that being a Man’s Man (whatever the hell that means) are the only “real” men, and everyone else is lesser.
In a show of increase progressiveness on the internet, though, Twitter was pissed the eff off, and we’re so proud of these responses that called the Daily Mail on their problematic, and outright dangerous, BS.
