Intolerant words suck hard

Intolerant words suck hard

Just when you think the universe is finally ‘getting’ the whole gay thing — I mean, your once-homophobic nan is cool with it, queers like Josh Thomas and Ruby Rose are some of the most popular kids on telly and even the majority of Aussie

Christians support same-sex marriage — along comes a not-so-friendly reminder that we’re still surrounded by dumbass, old school, homo-hating wussbags!

From novelty act MP Bob Katter saying gay marriage “deserves to be laughed at and ridiculed” to tripped-out newspaper columnist Miranda Devine blaming the London riots on Penny Wong’s impending motherhood (well, pretty much), it’s a case of so bad, it’s piss-funny.

But my tears of laughter very quickly turn emo when I think of all the young gay boys and baby dykes hearing this prejudiced drivel from ‘leaders’ of the Australian public, knowing that Australian law supports such discrimination. To all those “I’m not homophobic, but …” buttheads, when research tells us same-sex attracted young folks are six times more likely to attempt suicide than everyone else, your intolerant words suck hard.

So while I’ve been yelling at my computer these past few days as another dose of homophobic wackness pops up on Twitter, I was chuffed to hear about a new and timely initiative doing awesome things for LGBTIQ (all the cool letters) teens.

Camp Out is a spring camp for queer and curious younguns to hang with like-minded folks in a supportive environment. Based in Sydney, the campers get to make bonfires, go on beach trips, play music as well as have big chats on things like identity, coming out and whatnot. I wish they ran these for grown-up gays — sounds like a lesbian’s dream.

As a non-profit and volunteer-run organisation, Camp Out relies on grants and the love of the community to make things happen. Right now they’re trying to raise $3500 through crowdfunding to help meet the costs of this year’s camp and we can totes help them get there.

So if folks like Devine, Katter and Barnaby Joyce have pissed you off recently, why not harness that emotion and re-gift it in the shape of a virtual hug for the next generation of queers and make the campers happy.

Super easy donation website: http://www.indiegogo.com/Camp-Out-2011

Camp details here: http://www.campout.org.au/

Heaps more fruitful than yelling at your computer.

By MONIQUE SCHAFTER

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