Iāve been avoiding Tumblr the past couple of days since some dick decided to make that post that had my mentions and inbox and DMs full of assholes who decided to go after and mock a lesbian of colour whoās struggling with money and whoād made a donation post because of it. For the sake of my own mental health, I wanted to avoid Tumblr for a bit because I mentally couldnāt handle having to read all the racist, homophobic slurs and insults people were casually throwing at me.Ā
Since then, my inbox and DMs have ALSO been full of people going after me for an addition to the post about the two women who were attacked in U.K. and how there were shirts made profiting from the attack. In a short caption, Iād mentioned that Halsey, who is neither a lesbian nor a victim of the hate crime, had performed while wearing such a gruesome shirt.Ā
The information available at the time that Iād made that addition was that both women were lesbians. News outlets and articles were reporting on it and people were describing and presenting the event as a lesbophobic attack. Therefore, I reacted accordingly and gave my input as a fellow lesbian. Since then, apparently this information has been updated and itās been revealed that one of the victims is bisexual.Ā
Since given this new information, Iāve adjusted my thoughts and opinions on the event, as any minimally decent human being would and should.Ā
However, I will not grovel on my knees and beg for forgiveness for making such a mistake. As human beings, when we are presented with information, we process what is given to us. At the time that I made my addition, the information available to us was that both women were lesbians. I, and all the other lesbians whoād made similar points, had every right to point out that Halsey is not a lesbian.Ā
The event was presented as an attack on two lesbians. That means two people specifically of our identity, in our community. Anyone who isnāt a lesbian who profits over such an event contributes to the discrimination that specifically targets lesbians. If the information had remained the same, then it would have mattered that Halsey is not a lesbian. If another celebrity did what Halsey did and was another bi woman or a gay man or someone else who identified as anything other than a lesbian, it would have been just as disrespectful. If a lesbian singer had done something similar, it still would have been disgusting. But though many experiences of lesbians and bi women overlap, it is important to understand that the relationships between that of two lesbians and that of a bi woman and a lesbian are different, and so is any discrimination faced due to those relationships.Ā
I donāt blame peopleās initial reactions to my addition to that post after having been told that one of the victims is bi. If someone had made such a post even after this new information was revealed, I would be angry too. However, that does not justify yāall coming into my inbox calling me a ādirty, biphobic dyke who canāt shut the fuck up.āĀ
Learn how think comprehensively for perhaps two seconds. Check the time stamp on the post before automatically acting so reactionary, I donāt care. And itās not just to me either and not just on Tumblr. After this new information was revealed, so many of you were EAGER to jump at the throats of the lesbians whoād previously made their opinions clear. Not even to correct us (which is a valid thing to do), but to tell us that how dare we could say such a thing about your precious Halsey and how disgusting we all are for having had such opinions.Ā
Adjust the way yāall fucking speak to lesbians, especially when we react to lesbophobia. Us having opinions arenāt automatic attacks. And stop calling us dykes and T*RFs when you donāt agree with the things we say.Ā
Also all you freaks who are defending Halsey because yāall love your āq*eer iconā so much? Read the receipts on your girl.Ā
TDLR: Stop fucking attacking lesbians for having had opinions on an event that was originally presented a lesbophobic attack. We have a right to react to hate crimes made towards those in our specific community, but when new information is made available, opinions change and you do not need to go after previous statements made when the information was different. And Halsey can choke any fucking day.
blakekathryn
tangentwithtanner
