Biden was correct: Homophobia was more prevelant five years ago

[wyldwolf]

In January of this year, FOX TV announced they were phasing out gay jokes in their show Family Guy:

"If you look at a show from 2005 or 2006 and put it side by side with a show from 2018 or 2019, they're going to have a few differences," Sulkin said. "Some of the things we felt comfortable saying and joking about back then, we now understand is not acceptable."

Appel noted that the culture has changed since the Seth MacFarlane-created series debuted in 1999.

WAPO:

As recently as 2004, polls showed that the majority of Americans — 60 percent — opposed same-sex marriage, while only 31 percent were in favor, according to the Pew Research Center. Today, those numbers are reversed : 61 percent support same-sex marriage, while 31 percent oppose it.

In a study published earlier this year, Mahzarin Banaji, a psychology professor at Harvard University, investigated patterns of long-term changes in attitudes toward six social groups — the elderly, the disabled, the overweight, black people, people with darker skin tones and gay people — over a decade. Her research measured both explicit attitudes and implicit attitudes, through online implicit association tests.

While people may consciously report positive feelings toward a group in self-reported surveys, their implicit — or automatic, subconscious — attitudes might reveal a different bias. It’s the difference between the values we profess and what we believe is socially acceptable to say, and what we actually feel.

Between 2007 and 2016, Banaji found that explicit attitudes toward all groups became less biased. But implicit attitudes toward some groups stayed the same — including bias toward people with disabilities and the elderly. Implicit bias against people who are overweight actually became worse. Respondents became less biased in their attitudes toward race and skin tone.

But of all of the groups, implicit attitudes toward sexuality changed, by far, the fastest.

Forgive Joe for condensing several years of scientifically-backed data into a bumper sticker slogan. As Obama said during the 2008 campaign in response to petty attacks on him: It's silly season.

Hey Pete. Remember to thank Joe.

[Peacetrain]

1. There has been a backlash.. as there always is..

We take two steps forward...and then 1 step back.. looking at polls.. there has been a move in younger people to be less accepting of others ..that is worrisome.. but sort of plays into that same thing..nothing ever moves in a straight line

[pnwmom]

2. He wasn't correct when he suggested this had been true in Seattle 5 years ago.

I don't know about elsewhere.

But that's why he got the pushback. He was speaking about Seattle.

[wyldwolf]

3. Everywhere

There is not a single shred of evidence, beyond the person who shouted "Not in Seattle," that Seattle was somehow exempt from gay jokes at "business meetings."

[pnwmom]

5. Seattle is one of the most gay positive cities in the US. I don't know anyone who wouldn't

have been shocked by such a joke at a business meeting.

Do you live here?

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/30/politics/joe-biden-pushback-gay-rights-waiter-comment-seattle/index.html

[wyldwolf]

7. that's beside the point

It's also one of the country's most frequent destinations for business conventions.

Unless you're contending that in Seattle, only citizens of seattle attend business meetings, corporate conventions, and dine out in high-end restaurants.

[pnwmom]

8. This is the context. He was talking about a business meeting in Seattle.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/30/politics/joe-biden-pushback-gay-rights-waiter-comment-seattle/index.html

Washington (CNN)People gathered at a 2020 presidential fundraiser for Joe Biden Saturday pushed back against the former vice president's claim that just a few years ago people in Washington state would have let a homophobic comment slide, saying "Not in Seattle!"

The presidential hopeful suggested public sentiment toward gay rights issues has come far in a short period of time, saying five years ago if someone at a business meeting in Seattle "made fun of a gay waiter" people would just let it go, according to a pool report of the event. The audience vocally responded to the remark and some in the crowd said homophobic comments would not have gone unchallenged even before five years ago, according to the report.
The event was hosted by public relations executive Roger Nyhus, who is known as a leader in the Seattle gay rights community.

[wyldwolf]

10. I've read the context and several accounts

The presidential hopeful suggested public sentiment toward gay rights issues has come far in a short period of time, saying five years ago if someone at a business meeting in Seattle "made fun of a gay waiter" people would just let it go, according to a pool report of the event. The audience vocally responded to the remark and some in the crowd said homophobic comments would not have gone unchallenged even before five years ago, according to the report.

Again, unless the people in the crowd regularly attend every business meeting, many powered by Seattle's convention industry with out of town participants, the crown simply has no way of knowing. The furor was started those who may not have had the experience.

I attend conventions in Boston, Vegas, Atlanta, and Miami and have corporate meetings throughout the day and dinners at night. MOST people in attendance aren't natives of the cities.

[pnwmom]

14. Most business meetings on any given day in Seattle aren't conventions. And most people attending

business meetings in Seattle live here.

And if Biden was referring only to convention meetings he could have said so.

[wyldwolf]

20. But, again, there isn't a shred of evidence to back your claims

...or the one's who shouted out 'not in Seattle.'

What was Biden's exact quote?

[pnwmom]

32. Biden didn't have a shred of evidence to back his story. So we're even.

However, since I live here and have a gay father, I know more about Seattle and its attitude toward gay people than he seems to.

For one thing, I know that our Governor signed legislation here for marriage equality a year and a half before the Supreme Court ruling. We didn't have to have it imposed on us here.

[wyldwolf]

35. My op quotes studies that confirm the rapid acceptance of gay rights.

The exact quote from Biden might shed some light on if he were specifically referring to Seattle or Washington State or the nation in general. Not that that would matter much. But for someone to yell, "Not in Seattle" indicates Biden was speaking generally.

So let me ask you this: How influential was Seattle in Washington's Referendum 74? And what is Seattle's influence in the state a whole on social issues?

[pnwmom]

37. Seattle is the most liberal part of the state. For example, only 8% of Seattle's votes went to Trump

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/heres-how-seattle-voters-support-for-trump-stacks-up-to-other-u-s-cities/


Also, the Referendum in King County had a YES vote of 67% -- and Seattle is always the most liberal part of King County. So for the whole county vote to be that high, Seattle's had to be quite a bit higher.

https://www.historylink.org/File/10294

[wyldwolf]

39. do elections and voting on referendums, for example, ride on Seattle?

Does seattle power liberal legislation in the state, or is the entire state Liberal?

[pnwmom]

44. We have a division between the eastern and western part of the state. Until Gov. Inslee we were

really a purple state. For decades, we've had a divided legislature, with the R's controlling one of the Houses, till last fall's election.

Seattle is the most liberal part of King County, and King County is the most liberal part of the state. In the whole state 53% said yes to the referendum -- but 67% of King County. And Seattle would have been even higher than that (because it's always more liberal than the whole county) -- but I couldn't find a number on that.

[wyldwolf]

47. Washington State has a decidely mixed voting and polling record on gay rights and Seattle has...

... over 200 reported gay hate crimes since 2014 (or bias crimes as they're called)

Even if we say, for the sake of argument, that Seattle is an oasis of gay tolerance, you can see a history of Washington state polling on gay marriage spanning about 8 years and how it become more accepted with each passing year:

A May 2011 Public Policy Polling survey found that 46% of Washington voters thought that same-sex marriage should be legal, while 44% thought it should be illegal and 10% were not sure.

An October 2011 University of Washington poll found that 55% of Washington voters would vote to uphold a legislatively approved same-sex marriage bill if it were put to a referendum, while 38% would oppose it and 7% were undecided. A separate question on the same survey found that 43% of respondents thought that gay and lesbian couples should have the same right to marry as straight couples, 22% thought that gay and lesbian couples should have the same rights as straight couples without the word "marriage," 15% thought that gay and lesbian couples should have domestic partnerships with only some of the rights of marriage, 17% opposed all legal recognition, and 3% didn't know.

A February 2012 survey by Public Policy Polling found that 50% of Washington voters would vote to uphold a law which would legalize same-sex marriage, while 46% would vote to repeal it and 4% were not sure. In addition, 32% believed that same-sex couples should be allowed to enter civil unions but not marriage and 20% were opposed to all legal recognition of same-sex relationships.

A June 2012 survey by Public Policy Polling found that 51% of Washington voters thought that same-sex marriage should be legal, while 42% thought it should be illegal and 7% were not sure.

A November 2012 survey by Public Policy Polling found that 54% of Washington voters thought that same-sex marriage should be legal, while 40% thought it should be illegal and 5% were not sure.

A May 2015 survey by Public Policy Polling found that 56% of Washington voters thought that same-sex marriage should be legal, while 36% thought it should be illegal and 8% were not sure.

A 2016 Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) poll found that 64% of Washington residents supported same-sex marriage, while 26% were opposed and 10% were unsure or undecided. In 2017, the PRRI found that 73% of Washingtonians supported same-sex marriage, while 21% were opposed and 6% were unsure.

[pnwmom]

51. So? Every report of his comment said he was in Seattle talking about a business meeting in the city.

And that's why he got so much pushback.

We had a gay mayor in Seattle 5 years ago. How many other major cities did?

[wyldwolf]

53. Not the link you gave

It says, "People gathered at a 2020 presidential fundraiser for Joe Biden Saturday pushed back against the former vice president's claim that just a few years ago people in Washington state would have let a homophobic comment slide, saying 'Not in Seattle!'

[pnwmom]

55. You left out the CNN piece's second paragraph where the reporter quoted from the pooled report.

All the articles seem to have used the same pooled report, so they say the same thing.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/30/politics/joe-biden-pushback-gay-rights-waiter-comment-seattle/index.html

The presidential hopeful suggested public sentiment toward gay rights issues has come far in a short period of time, saying five years ago if someone at a business meeting in Seattle "made fun of a gay waiter" people would just let it go, according to a pool report of the event. The audience vocally responded to the remark and some in the crowd said homophobic comments would not have gone unchallenged even before five years ago, according to the report.


https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/06/30/joe-biden-gay-waiter-comment-draws-criticism-seattle/1612588001/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomwashington-topstories

People at a Seattle presidential campaign fundraiser for Joe Biden on Saturday pushed back against his comments on the progress of gay rights.

During his remarks, Biden said five years ago people at a business meeting in the city would have let someone making "fun of a gay waiter" get away with it, prompting people to shout, "Not in Seattle!" per a pool report of the event.

[wyldwolf]

58. So I did. One paragraph says "washington state" and the next says "Seattle,"

but neither look like a direct quote.

But, based on the state polling data I gave, and Seattle anti-gay crimes since 2012, it shouldn't be controversial to say gay slurs happened five years ago but not as much today. The person who shouted out 'Not in Seattle,' is sounding more like a heckler or someone making a definitive statement limited to his personal experience.

[pnwmom]

60. The issue wasn't whether gay crimes ever occur.

Biden said that if someone in a business meeting in Seattle made fun of a waiter for being gay, other "people would just let it go."

And I agree with those who say he was wrong. Five years ago, if someone made fun of a gay waiter at a business meeting here, somebody -- or multiple people -- would have spoken out. Just as they did in response to Biden's comment.

Five years ago the city elected a gay mayor. There's not a lot of homophobia in Seattle.

[wyldwolf]

62. ... five years ago...

... when voting for gay rights wasn't as one sided. When anti-gay crimes were happening in Seattle. It shouldn't be controversial to say people would let gay slurs go when it's obvious there was an anti-gay sentiment in the city fairly recently.

[pnwmom]

64. That's NOT obvious. Seattle voted for marriage equality by very high margins in 2012.

You don't live here. You don't understand the culture. Someone might have let a gay slur go -- but not everyone. Someone would have spoken out.

Seattle didn't follow Biden or the Supreme Court on LGBT equality. When WA passed its referendum, we were the first state in the country where voters, not courts or a legislature, chose to legislate marriage equality.

[wyldwolf]

66. I only see numbers on Washington State. You have them broken down by city?

A May 2011 Public Policy Polling survey found that 46% of Washington voters thought that same-sex marriage should be legal, while 44% thought it should be illegal and 10% were not sure.

n October 2011 University of Washington poll found that 55% of Washington voters would vote to uphold a legislatively approved same-sex marriage bill if it were put to a referendum, while 38% would oppose it and 7% were undecided. A separate question on the same survey found that 43% of respondents thought that gay and lesbian couples should have the same right to marry as straight couples, 22% thought that gay and lesbian couples should have the same rights as straight couples without the word "marriage," 15% thought that gay and lesbian couples should have domestic partnerships with only some of the rights of marriage, 17% opposed all legal recognition, and 3% didn't know.

A February 2012 survey by Public Policy Polling found that 50% of Washington voters would vote to uphold a law which would legalize same-sex marriage, while 46% would vote to repeal it and 4% were not sure. In addition, 32% believed that same-sex couples should be allowed to enter civil unions but not marriage and 20% were opposed to all legal recognition of same-sex relationships.

A June 2012 survey by Public Policy Polling found that 51% of Washington voters thought that same-sex marriage should be legal, while 42% thought it should be illegal and 7% were not sure.

A November 2012 survey by Public Policy Polling found that 54% of Washington voters thought that same-sex marriage should be legal, while 40% thought it should be illegal and 5% were not sure.

A May 2015 survey by Public Policy Polling found that 56% of Washington voters thought that same-sex marriage should be legal, while 36% thought it should be illegal and 8% were not sure.

A 2016 Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) poll found that 64% of Washington residents supported same-sex marriage, while 26% were opposed and 10% were unsure or undecided. In 2017, the PRRI found that 73% of Washingtonians supported same-sex marriage, while 21% were opposed and 6% were unsure.

This shows a steady progression in the state.

Seattle (the city, not Washington State) also has had over 200 gay-bias crimes since 2012. The first half of 2015 showed a 56% increase compared with 2014, according to the Seattle police department. So why is it controversial to say, five years ago, people would have let a gay joke go? The guy who shouted out 'not in Seattle' sounds like he either lives in a bubble or is a heckler.

[pnwmom]

67. I told you -- King County approved it by 67%. Seattle is less than half of the county,

but Seattle always is the most liberal part -- so Seattle had higher approval than that. And in 2018, only 8% of Seattle voters picked Trump. A much lower number than in King County or the rest of the state.

[wyldwolf]

68. which means 33% - a third of King county voters - disapproved?

Guess they never go to business meetings.

[pnwmom]

69. It means if they go to Seattle and mock a gay waiter, they can expect a Seattle person to speak out.

https://www.historylink.org/File/10255

Washington became one of the first three states, along with Maine and Maryland, to enact same-sex marriage at the ballot box when voters approved Referendum 74 on November 6, 2012. (Other states had legalized same-sex marriage earlier, but those decisions were made by courts or legislators rather than by popular vote.) This essay follows the path to marriage equality in Washington, beginning in 1971 when two men applied for a King County marriage license and launched the first gay marriage lawsuit when they were refused. It examines some of the civil rights achieved by gays and lesbians along the way.

SNIP

In 1973, Seattle City Council Member Jeanette Williams (1914-2008) championed a city ordinance that would prohibit job discrimination based on marital status, sexual orientation, or political ideology. At the time, state laws pertaining to job discrimination enumerated marital status, but not the other two. Federal laws already prohibited hiring discrimination based on sex, race, age, and religion. The city ordinance was approved with little controversy. It was the first time in city history that gays were mentioned in a law.

In 1975, Seattle amended its open housing law to prohibit discrimination due to sexual orientation in property sales and rentals. The City Council voted 5 to 4 in favor of the amendment.

[wyldwolf]

70. You're certain that with a margin of those percentages, someone at a business meeting or...

restaurant would speak up five years ago. Doesn't seem plausible.

[pnwmom]

71. Biden seems certain that would be true NOW. I'm certain that it would have been just as true

in Seattle 5 years ago.

Seattle didn't follow the rest of the country in LGBT equality. We were among the leaders.

[wyldwolf]

72. yet 33%...

[pnwmom]

73. Of the COUNTY. I keep telling you, Seattle is much more liberal than the overall county.

8% of Seattleites voted for DT.

But 22% of King County residents overall (the whole county, including Seattle) voted for DT.

That's how much more liberal Seattle is compared to the county.

So, since 67% of the county voted for marriage equality, a much higher percent of Seattle did so.

[betsuni]

30. You are correct about Seattle.

[Chitown Kev]

4. I don't think anyone would dispute this...in fact

homophobia has probably increased since 1/20/17...

My point is...outright say that as opposed to telling a non-updated story for the crowd he was addressing.

[wyldwolf]

6. Now the issue was he'd told the story before?

[Chitown Kev]

9. Not necessarily my issue...

...if the audience is an LGBT audience tell a somewhat appropriate variation of the story...I mean, Biden isnt the first front-runner to have gone through this...granted, Biden has never been a front runner.

[wyldwolf]

12. I've seen the same speeches given by politicians numerous times

and for different audiences. No one cares. We actually enjoy, for example, hearing John Lewis talk about being raised in a shotgun house.

[Chitown Kev]

43. But that's John Lewis's story to tell...

Last edited Tue Jul 2, 2019, 12:14 AM - Edit history (1)

I'm reminded, if anything, of Alec Baldwin's "uptight queen" tweet from a few years back...sure, I'll concede that Baldwin painted a vivid (and probably correct) verbal picture of his encounter at Starbucks that day...but still, I don't want an "ally" going there in mixed company.

[marylandblue]

23. The issue is that he could have made his point clearer and less disputable

just by saying homophobia has declined in the last five years. Instead he told a recycled story specific to a place he doesn't live in. It's not at all a big deal, but how do work in politics for 50 years and not realize the press likes to jump all over trivial crap like that?

No question he is qualified to be President, but he also needs to be a qualified Presidential candidate. He really needs to up his game if he is going to make it.

My opinion.

[emmaverybo]

48. He was only pointing out social attitudes have changed as to what is less acceptable or more

acceptable today among people who care about social sensitivity.

I am sure he has been to Seattle.

[More_Cowbell]

11. In 2014, his story was that it was common to hear such jokes in 1999

https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2014/07/16/joe-biden-suggests-his-obama-administration-legacy-is-same-sex-marriage

It's certainly less common that they'd be heard in 2014 than in 1999. I'm frustrated that Biden's people aren't reining him in from saying things that got pushback when he said them years ago.

He needs new material. This is an issue that Biden has a lot of credibility on; he should be talking about it without telling almost the exact same anecdotes that he told years ago.

[wyldwolf]

16. He was correct then, too.

Regardless, the polling covers an extended period of time, and norms changed over that time.

[marylandblue]

26. Yes, exactly. He really should stop telling stories at all.

And talk about creating new protections for LGBTs by executive order or legislation. He must have a lot of good ideas about it, he should focus on them.

[LuvNewcastle]

13. Joe Biden had a pivotal role in the fight for marriage equality,

and for that I will always admire him. It would have eventually been legal for same sex couples to marry, certainly, but Biden used his influence on Pres. Obama to grease the skids and gain acceptance from people all over the country.

I think the problem with Joe and gaffes is overstated. It's not really that he says the wrong thing, he just has a tin ear when he chooses how to say things. I would call it 'verbal clumsiness.' This latest thing in Seattle is silly. He isn't encouraging that kind of behavior, he just brought up the subject in a clumsy way. He shouldn't be made to feel bad about it.

[marylandblue]

28. Whatever you call it, he can't afford to do it at the Presidential level.

Especially not against Trump, who would turn his entire campaign into one long joke on Biden. It would be horrible.

[LuvNewcastle]

38. Oh, I agree. He's not the best candidate, not by a long shot.

[emmaverybo]

50. Oh puleeze. Trump's people will defeat him on the basis of his allusions being out of date? NT

[marylandblue]

56. They will beat him on the basis of making the campaign one long distraction about nothing.

Harris already did it to him. She made him look bad on educational issues when he actually has THE BEST educational plan out there. He wants to invest in schools in disadvantaged areas and "give every kid a good education regardless of zip code." Nobody else is even talking about this. Everyone is talking about student loans, but K-12 education is much more important.

I say this as someone who almost went for Biden based on his education plan alone. I was very frustrated that he did not tout his current plan to help today's kids and instead tried to defend himself in a dead controversy.

Instead of us talking about his great comeback with real ideas, we are talking about how Biden couldn't defend himself against a misleading attack.

I think Biden can be a great President, but he'll never get there if he can't play the modern media game. And it is game. Trump plays it very well. Obama played it well. Biden doesn't.

[emmaverybo]

63. Fair enough. NT

[shanny]

15. ...

'...“When he hears Harris challenge him it is not an opportunity to move forward with humility, he hears an attack on his very being and he comes from a generation hardwired to defend themselves,” wrote a perceptive person, Gayle Leslie, online. “And whether he understands it about himself or not, the old white guy does not want to give any ground to the black woman who’s telling him he did something wrong. Especially since he’d always thought he was doing her a favor. And that is the problem: he thinks he was not so much a champion of her civil rights as he was a benevolent benefactor.”
<snip>
That lack of empathy and stubborn refusal to acknowledge that the world has changed—and he with it!—are making it so that people refuse to give him the benefit of the doubt. At a rich-people fundraiser (the only kind he seems to do) in Seattle on Sunday, his own supporters catcalled him when he claimed that mocking a gay waiter five years ago would have been acceptable. A big deal on its own? Of course not. Gay people were certainly discriminated against five years ago in many places, and many are today. But Biden’s shtick is wearing so thin, people have lost patience for pretty much anything he says.

Morning Consult has the first post-debate poll out the gate, and it shows Biden dropping a whopping five points. Harris gained six. Given that the bulk of Biden’s support is black Americans (he has no other natural constituency in the party), odds are that erosion is coming from black Democrats. And without black support, Biden is nothing.

Biden’s campaign is truly inexplicable. He could’ve ridden off into the sunset as a beloved elder statesman, trusted lieutenant to a transformational, historic president. Instead, he learned nothing from his first two failed runs (he’s not that good at this stuff!); refused to take the pulse of the party’s zeitgeist, one in which women and people of color are ascendant; and is now running a campaign seemingly focused on poking those groups in the eye. "....'

(my emphasis)

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/7/1/1868693/-Support-for-segregationist-state-s-rights-no-empathy-stick-a-fork-in-it-Biden-is-done#read-more

[wyldwolf]

17. Well, a poster at DailyKos quoting someone using "whitey" has spoken.

[shanny]

19. lame

[wyldwolf]

21. yeah, you quoting someone using the term "whitey" was lame

And, FYI, a poster a dailykos has as much credibility as bucket of spit. You posted someone else's opinion to bolster yours.

[shanny]

25. (shrug)

FYI, as much credibility as yours. Maybe more.

[wyldwolf]

29. Maybe. Maybe not. But using an anonymous opinion to bolster yours? Lame.

[shanny]

31. So. "anonymous" is your problem? What's your name, wyld?

[wyldwolf]

45. Anonymous isn't my problem. The fact you'd think a dailykos diarist has any more credibility...

... than anyone else is the problem. Hell, you could have just linked to someone on DU that shares your opinion.

[shanny]

49. lol dude. "Kos" is not some random anonymous diarist

on dailyKOS.com Agree with him or not, he has some chops and is FAR more knowledgeable than your average...bear.

[marylandblue]

41. Maybe he thought it was well written opinion on it's merits?

You think that might be possible?

[tonedevil]

27. Whitey?

it's 2019 everyone knows the correct pronoun is wypipo.

[shanny]

34. Do cite the "whitey" quote please. Inquiring minds.

[Thekaspervote]

18. Harris has already lost 5 of the 8 pts she gained post debate

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287181483#post41

[shanny]

24. in the same poll? or some other poll?

'cause the poll that article used showed her gaining 6 points. More to the point (ahem) what were Biden's numbers in the poll you refer to? 'Cause that is the issue, is it not? It is not about her, it's about him.

Thanks in advance.

[melman]

22. When this acceptable?

"Biden then set a scene. It's 15 years earlier and a group of businesswomen and men are at a restaurant for lunch. "And a waiter with a distinct lisp came up and asked for their order and someone said, 'Well let me tell you what I'd like,'" Biden said, feminizing his voice and pretending to be a restaurant patron picking on the waiter. "Everyone around that table, although they thought it was awful, wouldn't say anything." Because, as Biden put it, this was "appropriate behavior" – the consensus would have been that it's OK to make fun of someone who is gay. (Side note: Biden had a speech impediment as a kid.)"
https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2014/07/16/joe-biden-suggests-his-obama-administration-legacy-is-same-sex-marriage

Besides never.

[bluewater]

33. Never ever.

[cwydro]

57. A "lisp?" Using that stereotype saddens me about Joe.

I’ve been gay all my life, have many, many gay friends, and I’ve never known a single one with a “lisp.”

Joe needs to stop this crap.

[Skya Rhen]

36. For those who think that homophobia is a long-past issue, tell that to the 49 victims of the

mass-shooting that took place in Orlando's Pulse Nightclub, just 3 years ago...

[FloridaBlues]

40. The never biden people won't stop.

[wyldwolf]

42. but a homophobic hate crime could NEEEVER happen in Seattle. Could it?

It was barely 10 minutes into 2014 when smoke began to float towards the ceiling in Neighbors, a Seattle LGBT nightclub where around 750 people partied to welcome the new year. Empty glasses of champagne began to pile in trash cans around the dance floor.

As the stairwell fire started, alcohol-infused club goers continued partying as the music played on. It was at that point that Steve Tracy, the club’s general manager for over 20 years, smelled the smoke.

As the club was evacuated by Tracy and his staff, the party-goers still didn’t realize what went on. They were pushed into an alley near the intersection of Pike and Broadway in the traditionally LGBT neighborhood of Capitol Hill. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

Musab Masmari, the man who had jumped a fence to enter the club with a gasoline canister to start the fire, now faces 10 years in prison.

This type of incident would become emblematic of a climate change already in progress within the LGBT neighborhood. Since 1 January 2014, there have been more than 200 reported bias incidents in Seattle, including a double homicide involving two gay men and a second fire-attempt at the nightclub – all disproportionately targeting LGBT people. The latest report for the first half of 2015 showed a 56% increase compared with 2014, according to the Seattle police department.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/23/capitol-hill-seattle-gay-neighborhood-lgbt-hate-crimes-tech-sector

[Loki Liesmith]

46. It is almost impossible for something to matter less than this.

[emmaverybo]

52. THIS.

[brush]

61. What matters is knowing not to step in mine fields. Guess some have it and some don't.

[UniteFightBack]

54. Plenty of gay hate right this very day, never mind 5 years ago. nt

[Skya Rhen]

59. Black and LGBT people are more than twice as likely as any other group to be targets of hate crimes

The massacre at an Orlando, Fla., gay nightclub on June 12 wasn’t just the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history — it was also the worst hate crime.
And while the magnitude of that attack was unprecedented, the choice of target — LGBT people — is sadly common.

Seattle is a famously accepting city, but we’re not immune.

In 2015, 72 hate crimes and incidents against LGBT people were reported to the Seattle Police Department — double the number from the previous year.


https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/hate-crimes-against-blacks-lgbt-people-double-in-seattle/

[wyldwolf]

65. Exactly

The sticking point to some is that no way could that ever happen in Seattle, an absurd proposition given that we can trace the acceptance of gay rights in Washington State to a basically 50/50 split in 2011 to overwhelming support now.

Seattle also has over 200 gay-bias crimes since 2012. So why is it controversial to say, five years ago, people would have let a gay joke go? The guy who shouted out 'not in Seattle' sounds like he either lives in a bubble or is a heckler.