Gay Parenting

[PanzerJaeger]

PS: My only opening point was that a show like the one posted would not have been aired here, as we have another political and cultural situation.

Maybe such a show should be aired, as there is obviously still a major problem with homophobia in Sweden.

This whole exercise illustrates an important point - changing laws is much easier than changing minds. As was demonstrated in this thread, many people from nations that have passed pro-gay legislation seem to delude themselves into believing that their country has moved passed widespread anti-gay hatred and abuse. This is not so, especially among the lower classes. Gay people are then left in a precarious situation - subject to widespread low level discrimination but without any easily identifiable political grievances, allowing the media and pressure groups to ignore the problems.

Changing attitudes about gay people cannot be done in state capitals - it must be done at home, in schools, and in diners like the one in the video. It is great that gay people can marry in Sweden, but the fact that over half of them are subject to abuse is shameful. Open minded people in countries like Sweden or states like Massachusetts that have passed pro-gay legislation cannot wash their hands of the issue and abandon them to the wolves.

[Shibumi]

Maybe such a show should be aired, as there is obviously still a major problem with homophobia in Sweden.

This whole exercise illustrates an important point - changing laws is much easier than changing minds. As was demonstrated in this thread, many people from nations that have passed pro-gay legislation seem to delude themselves into believing that their country has moved passed widespread anti-gay hatred and abuse. This is not so, especially among the lower classes. Gay people are then left in a precarious situation - subject to widespread low level discrimination but without any easily identifiable political grievances, allowing the media and pressure groups to ignore the problems.

Changing attitudes about gay people cannot be done in state capitals - it must be done at home, in schools, and in diners like the one in the video. It is great that gay people can marry in Sweden, but the fact that over half of them are subject to abuse is shameful. Open minded people in countries like Sweden or states like Massachusetts that have passed pro-gay legislation cannot wash their hands of the issue and abandon them to the wolves.

I think I made a decision some time ago to not respond to your posts, as they seemed very ill founded and utterly without factual base. I just wrote that a show like that would be moot as the PC agenda is to stand up for homosexuals - as well as it being so utterly the mainstream. What you get from that is that such a show would be awesome.

The show would just not fly.

Let us be frank, the "gay issue" is a top 20 political question on the vote compass in the states, do you really think it would be in Sweden?

USA has a question if being gay is OK or not on the political compass.
Sweden do not have that question on the political compass.

Do we need to play dot to dot here to see what country comes off better?

Gay marriage is legal here.
It is not legal there (in some states).

Sweden has never had a don't ask don't tell policy.
USA has (until what, some months ago).

In Sweden you can be an openly gay priest.
In USA.. Actually I do not know - Are there any, do they do well?

Do not get me wrong, I am not saying Sweden is perfect, I am not saying we do not still have problems with it. However, our problems are less institutionalized, and from my point of view way less severe.

[PanzerJaeger]

I think I made a decision some time ago to not respond to your posts, as they seemed very ill founded and utterly without factual base. I just wrote that a show like that would be moot as the PC agenda is to stand up for homosexuals - as well as it being so utterly the mainstream. What you get from that is that such a show would be awesome.

You're so busy desperately trying to prove Sweden's superiority over the US that you completely missed my point.

You came into this thread with a very common European attitude, smugly insinuating that such a show would never make it in 'civilized' nations like Sweden because such a situation (gay harassment) would never occur there. You backed that assertion up with Sweden's pro-gay legislation, the absence of a Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in Sweden's military, and your own anecdotal observations.

My point is that while it is wonderful that Sweden's political class is ahead of America's, their accomplishments have obviously created a blind spot in many people's opinion on the issue. The studies show that in fact such a setup would be relevant in Sweden, as a majority of Swedish gay people are still subjected to abuse based on their sexual orientation each year.

I'm not attacking you or Sweden, and I'm certainly not saying the US is any better. I'm only saying that you should not assume that just because gay marriage is legalized in Sweden that widespread anti-gay abuse could not occur in your country. The studies show that it does, and at alarming rates.