in reply to matt's comments on my blog... enjoy!
My one serious comment on your blog, please bear with me and don't hold it against me: I am not sure if your wording here is correct. Why shouldn't we compare homophobia with racism - is it not a type of racism? While I agree that individuals who do compare same sex marriage issues to ideas of racism is wrong, it strikes me that there are a lot of more blatant and serious issues surrounding homophobia. Having a young man beaten to death because he was seen holding hands with another man is a form of racism. Laws against legalizing same sex marriage, while not as serious as the overly disgusting laws against Natives that still limit many of them to reserve land in Canada, or with hold their right to land that was once theirs before settlement is certainly not the same thing.
I would argue that they aren't the same thing, similar yes, but fundamentally different in many ways, I would probably draw on Fanon's comparison of the Jew and the Black Man if I had the text in front of me and could articulate it any better. I do not get discriminated because of the way my name sounds, or the colour of my skin or because I have an accent when I speak in English. I can at least "pass" in ways many visible minorities cannot, is this problematic? Definitely, but I see the two as being different (although related) discourses.
But I can't help but feel that to suggest that homophobia - unless you mark out exactly what kind of homophobia it is you are making reference to here - is not akin to racism is rather limiting.
I would argue that conflating racism to homophobia is problematic and ignores issues of racial discrimination within the queer community (and vice versa).
Forgive my comment here - I am in a head space right now where I cannot help but think about homophobia and anti-gay violence. This is especially akin to the Religious right and their desire to continue to view us as the "dirty other. It is the very language of homophobia and hate that makes this similar to racism.
I didn't say the weren't similar, both forms of discrimination stem from systematic oppression, patriarchy and colonial/imperial discourses. I said there were differences and that to ignore this is incredibly dismissive of two very complex social issues.
I agree with you on almost everything you say about same-sex marriage, but the little activist in me is giving you that Matt look.
I disagree with you about the conflation of racism and homophobia, the angry little faggot in me is giving you the Marcos look.