- Top Features:
- War Room
- Glenn Greenwald
- Broadsheet
- Joan Walsh
- Camille Paglia
- Since You Asked
- Follow Salon:
Read other letters about this article
Because homophobia has absolutely nothing to do with despising nontraditionally gendered people. Please. Not only has gender inversion historically been used to define homosexuality-- a lesbian is a man in a woman's body, a gay man is a woman in a man's body-- but even in these enlightened days to be a man who fails or chooses not to perform traditional masculinity is to be vulnerable to violence. Sissy, girlyboy, nancyboy... these are terms which signal gender nonconformity and homosexuality. The same goes for "mannish" women. To say that gay rights can be separated from challenges to "traditional" gender roles is ridiculous when so much of homophobia is motivated by the need to police gender roles. Yes, two married women or men challenge traditional gender roles-- thank god!-- and create more room for everyone in these institutions. So to say that the desire to ban gay marriage is the same as the desire to protect "traditional" gender roles... is still homophobic and anti-feminist.
