19 LGBT Microaggressions You Hear On A Daily Basis

[Agschmid]

Inspired by this photography project about racial microaggressions, Kevin Nadal, associate professor of psychology at CUNY’s John Jay College, asked some of his friends to share the microaggressions they’ve experienced as members of the LGBT community.



Borrowing from the scholarship of Columbia University professor Derald Sue, Nadal defines a microaggression as:

“The everyday encounters of subtle discrimination that people of various marginalized groups experience throughout their lives.”

Nadal, who has researched and written a book about LGBT-based microaggressions, spoke to BuzzFeed about the inspiration for the project:

"I started this project because I wanted the concept of microaggressions to be discussed in more meaningful ways and to be made available to all kinds of audiences. It’s a concept that is heavily discussed in academic circles, social service organizations, and among college students. However, people in general society may not be aware of the term at all. We need to teach more people about microaggressions, in order to educate people about how hurtful microaggressions are and how they negatively affect people’s lives. We need to people to be mindful of their language and the little things they do and say that harm people’s lives."

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[dlwickham]

1. why did I read the comments

people are idiots

[Agschmid]

2. Yup they are.

[bullwinkle428]

5. Comments prove there will never be a shortage of ignorance in this country/world.

[madinmaryland]

3. I've never thought about asking someone what kind of sex they had sex. And what the fuck is

"real" sex??

I assume it is something that Repukes are scared of and can only have with themselves while watching porn.

[Agschmid]

4. I always thought real sex was a brand of lube...

Go figure?

[madinmaryland]

7. I'll have to look that up. Similar to KY??

[Agschmid]

8. Yup haha.

[Warren DeMontague]

14. Nah, it's a show on HBO.

where you get to see people who look just like you, having sex. Who wouldn't want that?

[thesquanderer]

10. B. Clinton might agree that "real sex" has a very particular definition! (n/t)

[madinmaryland]

12. I wanted to know what "real sex" is. What the hell are you talking about???

I'm sure Ken Starr is curious about the definition of "real sex". He wrote a whole novel about it.

[thesquanderer]

13. There are various definitions.

For example, from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-08-16/news/9808160187_1_schoolgirl-sexual-catholic-high-school

Time magazine and CNN recently conducted a poll to determine what acts Americans think constitute sex. The poll questions were explicit, but in this family space we'll just say that the categories corresponded roughly to first base, second base and third base, with oral sex thrown in as a detour before home plate.

Eighty-seven percent thought oral sex was sex, 69 percent said the same for third base, 59 percent said yes for second base and 40 percent said kissing counted. In other words, there's no single standard of sexual relations. We all make distinctions.

If one doesn't necessarily consider oral sex, fingers, toys, etc. to be "real" sex -- and there are people, including ostensibly BC, who have that perspective -- then one can consider the question to be sensible (albeit arguably nobody's business).

I didn't think my reference was so obtuse that it would generate a "What the hell are you talking about???"

(So much for a little light humor, I guess.)

[Aerows]

6. "Where's your boyfriend?"

I have a stupid aunt that asks me that every time I see her. She's got the IQ of a fruit fly, though, so I just overlook it.

[Behind the Aegis]

9. Yup. Can find them here too.

I am just too sensitive and embracing my "resentment entitlement." There are oh so many ways I am reminded, I am not "normal." I was going to write something about it, now I wonder if I should even bother.

[Iliyah]

11. I have family members who sincerely believe that nature intended for

males and females to be fruitful and that nature never intended otherwise.

From History - same sex relationships and no harm to keeping homo sapiens alive. We will survive, and so will love.