Being gay isn’t a choice and it’s certainly not a phase, writes James Besanvalle
Remember the guy who filmed a dead body in a Japanese suicide forest, then uploaded it to YouTube?
Well, Logan Paul is back at it again almost exactly a year later, but this time with another tone-deaf take.
On Wednesday (9 January), he revealed on his Impaulsible Podcast he was trying veganism and sobriety in January, then doing the opposite in February – lots of meat and booze.
But it’s what he’s doing in March that left a sour taste in my mouth – he wants to ‘go gay’.
That’s right, he said he and co-host Mike Majlak are doing ‘Male-only March’.
‘We’re gonna attempt to go gay for just one month,’ he explained. Then Majlak quickly chimed in: ‘And then swing… go back.’
The whole panel then erupted into laughter.
No one’s laughing
I’m all for people experimenting with their sexuality and trying new things to broaden their horizons but let’s be 100% clear here – that’s not at all what this is.
This is a joke designed to mock gay people.
It’s why they all laughed after they said it. It’s also why they quickly changed the subject, as if they were embarrassed by the revelation.
Being gay isn’t a choice and it’s certainly not a phase.
By saying you want to ‘go gay’, you’re deligitimizing the experiences of LGBTI people everywhere.
Well I have news for you, Logan Paul: Gay people are tired of being used as punchlines. In fact, we’re no longer putting up with it so we’re calling it out.
Homophobia is real
If you want to experiment with men, more power to you. Heck, you might even find you enjoy sucking dick.
But this ‘male-only March’ idea is dangerous and downright homophobic.
Some people hurt themselves over the genuine fear they have of coming out as gay. Some people even have to hide their authentic selves and pretend they’re straight, just to survive.
Your flippant suggestion it’s just something you can turn on and off is incredibly damaging.
If you had any genuine inkling towards sexual experiences with men, you wouldn’t package it up like this off-the-cuff wisecrack.
I feel sorry for the gay and bisexual men you ‘go gay’ for and inevitably lead on. I feel sorry for the people defending this.
But most of all, I feel sorry for you that in 2019, you think this stunt is in any way acceptable.
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