‘I need this on a shirt’
People are freaking out over how accurately a viral tweet sums up why we find ourselves staring at LGBTI couples in public.
And lets face it, we’ve all been there.
Posted by bisexual teenager Kait, she wrote: ‘Any gay couple holding hands in public who caught me staring at you: I’m gay and jealous, not homophobic.’
We know exactly what she means. And so do thousands of other people.
At the time of writing, the viral tweet has over 26,000 retweets and 70,000 likes and counting.
any gay couple holding hands in public who caught me staring at you: i'm gay and jealous not homophobic
— Kait ? (@itzzkait) September 28, 2017
‘I always stare cuz I’m happy we can do it now’
Many responded in complete agreeance, like one who wrote: ‘I try not to stare but I’m so proud.’
Another said: ‘I need this on a shirt. I stare because I love it and it makes me feel warm and fuzzy to see. I hope I never scared anyone.’
Then one replied: ‘I always stare cuz I’m happy we can do it now.’
And it’s true. In many parts of the world, there’s a novelty in seeing same-sex couples showing affection in public because they’ve previously been denied that right for fear of negative consequences.
There’s certainly still stigma in even the most seemingly accepting parts of the world, but it’s clearly the little things like holding hands or cuddling on the train that count.
The teen responsible for the viral tweet also recently tweeted how far we’ve come. She wrote:
2011: HA! GAAAYY!!
2014: don't ?? call ?? things ?? gay ?? it's ?? homophobic ??
2017: everything is gay. the moon? gay. this post? gay.— Kait ? (@itzzkait) October 3, 2017
Many people use the word ‘gay’ to describe negative things, but recently LGBTI people are reclaiming it as something positive.
But there’s still work to do to convert the people who use ‘gay’ in a derogatory way.
