Lesbophobia

I find it interesting that in my working career I have come across hardly any open lesbians, and stacks of gay men.

If the numbers are similar, then the reason for this can only be concern about discrimination surely?

Certainly in my industry being a gay man is not a problem, at least can't be too much, as gay men have been through all levels of management etc and come to think of it there are many more gay men at upper management than women!

Does sexism trump homophobia in some workplaces/industries?

Women's legal protection in law is a joke pretty much everywhere. Look at the frequency with which women are fired for being pregnant in the UK despite it technically being illegal to do so. I've no doubt women are fired all the time for being lesbians and that its less likely to happen to gay men.

It was only in 2007 that The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations made discrimination against lesbians and gay men in the provision of goods and services illegal. A lot of this stuff is pretty recent.

Why do you think the military were able to sack soldiers who they suspected of being a lesbian?

No it would not be an unfair dismissal. It was legal to sack someone on the grounds of being a lesbian. Because there was no protection legally if you were sacked for being a lesbian. And women were.

Oh weird on the emoticon front there. Well you get the drift!

[Hmm]

I am also baffled by someone that complains vaginas smell, but then wants to stick their member up someone's anus. Just boggling really. Maybe they don't poo?

There are plenty of states in the US where it is legal to fire someone for being gay.

Great idea for a thread. Marking place as about to go out.

I am sorry, but on what grounds could you sack someone for being homosexual, if homosexuality was legal?

I don not deny for a moment that illegal practice goes on whereby people terminate employment based on their prejudices, whether sexual or racial, but that isn't legal.

Calmet - to be fair it would be an unfair dismissal, but protection against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation was only introduced in the last couple of years.

In the UK. Until, relatively recently. I have friends who were sacked simply for being a lesbian. There was nothing they could legally do.

CAlmet-- legal to sack women for being lesbian? Was this in UK,or elsewhere, sorry?

YY, cal. I am bisexual, so this isn't my debate (and I apologise if it's rude to post in it). But I came out to my parents because I wanted to, you know, have a girlfriend like a normal person. And their response was 'you are too young to know - we will be supportive when you are older'. I know so many people whose parents said the same. Not that they 'had a problem', oh no! Just that somehow, gay children shouldn't really be allowed a normal teenage period of flirting or dating, because obviously they can leave that all until they're grown up.

I think it does a lot of damage. The younger sister of one of my mates is currently going through this with her parents (she is 13) and it really makes me mad, because FFS what is going to happen that is so awful, if she does decide in two years' time that she actually prefers boys?

I know the response would be 'well she might get bullied' and that strikes me as quite victim-blamey.

But saying all that, I would choose to be a lesbian.

And so many parents who say they are accepting of lesbians, do not react the same when it is their daughter.

I don't know about the UK, but I know in the US there are more hate crimes against lesbians than against gay men, including murders. The common perception is the reverse.

Yep.

Sarah Ditum has a great piece on female sexuality not being 'fluid' and how that relates to patriarchy denying women control over their own sexuality. That fits with the 'lesbians aren't real' thing, although she's not coming at it from that perspective. sarahditum.com/2014/06/07/female-sexuality-is-not-fluid/

I think it is still very hard for lesbians of school age, particularly before the sixth form. It is still hard to come out.

Saying that, all the research shows that lesbians share housework much more equally and are more likely to both work part time and share childcare. So they are advantages as well.

So lesbians still get abuse shouted at them, if a lesbian couple looks at all feminine, men on the street will make lots of sexual comments about wanting to join in, or men will laugh at seeing two women holding hands as a couple, basically lots of things that show some simply do not take lesbian relationships seriously.

And i think that is at the root of it. Lesbian relationships are not taken seriously by many. Even on TV dramas, you often have a lesbian who then has an affair with a man. It is still treated as if it is a game or a phase.

I am a lesbian. Gay men can be incredibly lesbophobic. I have seen gay drag artists talkinga bout how disgusting women's genitals are because they smell of fish, and they expect lesbians to laugh at that.

Things in the Uk are way better for lesbians than they used to be. I have been a lesbian when it was still legal to sack women for being lesbians and when the police werent interested if you were being abused or harassed for being a lesbian.

But the most common comment I her from Het women, is that nobody cares now if someone is a lesbian. That really really is not true.

Male gay friends sometimes make disparaging remarks about lesbians, cats and herbal tea

But on the whole in my experience, people are just friends with each other - I have gay male friends and lesbian friends who go on holiday together - blimey we all went to Greece together as students: gay, straight, bi - loads of fun