It is rare that social media has the potential to restore the little faith I have left in the world.
Endless animosity toward every decision regarding Chick-fil-A has left me cranky and flustered. But to my horror, I recently looked up trending topics on Twitter to find the topic “signs your son is gay.”
I read the demoralizing comments accompanying the homophobic hashtag: ‘he steals his sisters Barbies,’ ‘He dribbles the basketball with two hands’ or ‘he has an interest in fashion.' Those are just a few examples. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the tweets that can only be described as ignorant took extra care to imply clear animosity behind their misspelled messages.
Unlike the proponents of that particular hash tag, I do not go about my mornings thinking of crass tweets to add to trending Twitter handles. Apparently, others had the same mindset and offered up a distinctively different theme to combat the insensitive commentary.
Errors aside, this trend, coupled with the common stereotypes of LGBTQ characters on popular television and an Android app called “Is My Son Gay”, got me thinking about how long society will depict gay men as feminine stylists and lesbians as butch, motorcycle-riding environmentalists?
Users began contesting the homophobic stereotypes, and soon the previously intolerant Twitter handle was hijacked by tweets of acceptance and perseverance such as, “He understands how essential equality and human rights are to a sustainable and just society, more so than many of his peers.”
Accompanying my delight over the idea of acceptance trumping ignorance was my discovery of a video slowly making its way across the Internet. The YouTube clip shows a Catholic preacher reciting Bible passages while condemning a new statute, defending LGBTQ people by adding them to the list of minorities that should be protected from discrimination.
In a time when religious figureheads are constantly receiving national attention for denouncing acceptance of homosexuals, this man made a stand for acceptance.
Hate is often louder than love. For one weekend, amidst the sea of disapproval directed toward Spectrum and the Student Government Association, I was able to find hope through others who were brave enough to welcome difference.
These small victories, embedded amongst a culture of hate, can save lives. Every word said on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or anywhere else on the Internet can change a person’s life. It only takes one hateful comment to end a life, but it only takes one act of kindness to save one.
Hopefully, this small victory can let someone in doubt know that there are people who care more about them than the hateful labels society has given them.