I'm straight, but I remember being enraged by this right-wing BS back in the late 80s: hypocritical buffoons pontificating about their fake morality by scapegoating and endangering the gay community, and legislating "family values" as if that's any business of the government. Thank you for pointing out identical tactic being used by leftists against Jews and Zionists today. I wonder if it ever occurs to leftists how much in common they share with Nazis.
This quote from Paul Monette, who wrote about AIDS in the 80’s and 90’s, has struck me as relevant to antisemitism as well: They want us to lose our self-love and our love for Israel:
“Seven years into the calamity, too many gay men have lost the will to love. The enemies of our people—fundamentalists of every stripe, totalitarians left and right—have all been allowed the full range of their twitching bigotry. Though gay men have begun to understand it is something in themselves these upright men so fear, too many of us have internalized their self-hatred as shame. That the flesh and the spirit are one in love is none of the business of the celibate men of God, especially those who believe they rule the province of love. But the mission of the homophobe is more pernicious even than his morality. He wants every one of us to be all alone, never to find the beloved friend.”
Pat, I realize you live in BC, but probably you've heard about the drag queen performing at Toronto's Glad Day Bookshop on June 2nd celebrating Hamas. Reportedly, she's from Lebanon and most likely here for the big Pride festival at the end of the month. (And Pride Toronto wonders why they are losing major corporate sponsors.)
soooo true this playbook....did not occur ta me but I'm also thinkin' just the concept of "re-defining" terms started then... the idear of pickin' on a group that (kin I say this without gettin' a slap?) seemed ta be a mite smarter, more culturally "aware," more creative, funnier, etc. an' usin' the idear of "takin' 'em down a notch" to speak to the "outraged"... Difference wuz that back in the days of gay-bashin' (yup, it occurred in the shitties but FAR less often), mostly the movement gathered followers OUTSIDE sophisticated urban areas... The Bible Belt! (Anita--who I still think iz a camp riot--held sway in St. Pete--not in jooish Miami!) Now the oppysit is true... the WURST places fer joo hate are the shitties... we had ta leave NewYawk but even 'fore we left it wuz so thick ya could cut it with a knife!
NOW as fer the abomination Pride became... I started a series 'bout it. Yes it wuz just gays & lesbians... not even "trans" (let alone the alphabet soup of silliness we now gots)...but the entire Pride movement got co-OPted...literally become an OP an' if anybuddy's curious--here's the first half of a purdy lengthy series onnit. As gal from the thee-ate-'er I stood up fer my pals and wartched the movement go south startin' in the 90's... now? A rainbow dumpster fire an' thank the lord it's mostly...ovuh... here'z my links... an 'meantime REAL curious ta see what other parallels ye find Pat... good stuff!
I'm straight, but I remember being enraged by this right-wing BS back in the late 80s: hypocritical buffoons pontificating about their fake morality by scapegoating and endangering the gay community, and legislating "family values" as if that's any business of the government. Thank you for pointing out identical tactic being used by leftists against Jews and Zionists today. I wonder if it ever occurs to leftists how much in common they share with Nazis.
This quote from Paul Monette, who wrote about AIDS in the 80’s and 90’s, has struck me as relevant to antisemitism as well: They want us to lose our self-love and our love for Israel:
“Seven years into the calamity, too many gay men have lost the will to love. The enemies of our people—fundamentalists of every stripe, totalitarians left and right—have all been allowed the full range of their twitching bigotry. Though gay men have begun to understand it is something in themselves these upright men so fear, too many of us have internalized their self-hatred as shame. That the flesh and the spirit are one in love is none of the business of the celibate men of God, especially those who believe they rule the province of love. But the mission of the homophobe is more pernicious even than his morality. He wants every one of us to be all alone, never to find the beloved friend.”
Pat, I realize you live in BC, but probably you've heard about the drag queen performing at Toronto's Glad Day Bookshop on June 2nd celebrating Hamas. Reportedly, she's from Lebanon and most likely here for the big Pride festival at the end of the month. (And Pride Toronto wonders why they are losing major corporate sponsors.)
https://x.com/ZivoAdam/status/1929636939675877490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1929652074536448197%7Ctwgr%5E3f4fa1c3a3ddbd77efa08731b0233969a47b59e9%7Ctwcon%5Es3_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.israellycool.com%2F2025%2F06%2F03%2Fhamming-it-up-for-hamas-in-a-toronto-bookstore%2F
They’d KILL for that look in Gaza!
Brilliant analogy! Thank you for your insight!
Can’t wait for next installment. Thank you for writing this. You are spot on (as always).
I never made that connection before. Thanks Pat for the insights your writing brings.
soooo true this playbook....did not occur ta me but I'm also thinkin' just the concept of "re-defining" terms started then... the idear of pickin' on a group that (kin I say this without gettin' a slap?) seemed ta be a mite smarter, more culturally "aware," more creative, funnier, etc. an' usin' the idear of "takin' 'em down a notch" to speak to the "outraged"... Difference wuz that back in the days of gay-bashin' (yup, it occurred in the shitties but FAR less often), mostly the movement gathered followers OUTSIDE sophisticated urban areas... The Bible Belt! (Anita--who I still think iz a camp riot--held sway in St. Pete--not in jooish Miami!) Now the oppysit is true... the WURST places fer joo hate are the shitties... we had ta leave NewYawk but even 'fore we left it wuz so thick ya could cut it with a knife!
NOW as fer the abomination Pride became... I started a series 'bout it. Yes it wuz just gays & lesbians... not even "trans" (let alone the alphabet soup of silliness we now gots)...but the entire Pride movement got co-OPted...literally become an OP an' if anybuddy's curious--here's the first half of a purdy lengthy series onnit. As gal from the thee-ate-'er I stood up fer my pals and wartched the movement go south startin' in the 90's... now? A rainbow dumpster fire an' thank the lord it's mostly...ovuh... here'z my links... an 'meantime REAL curious ta see what other parallels ye find Pat... good stuff!
https://thcsofdaisymoses.substack.com/p/announcin-the-end-of-pride-a-4-part?
part 1
https://thcsofdaisymoses.substack.com/p/the-end-of-pride-part-1?
part 2
https://thcsofdaisymoses.substack.com/p/the-end-of-pride-part-2?
part 3 + part 4 ta come (hopefully soon! gotta lot on mah plate!)