Homophobia
Desert Observer's pageLarge numbers of lesbians are in Palm Springs this week - here for a big annual gathering, to party and, for many, to attend a famous golf tournament. They pick this week for their affair because of the Dinah Shore Golf Tournament. Many of these ladies love the game of golf and the LGPA is a favorite women's event they view with justifiable pride. Our community benefits for tourism is a Palm Springs mainstay and this weekend is a huge revenue generator for local businesses. Those cash registers are ringing and much of it's happening because of lesbians and the Dinah Shore.
Today's Mydesert.com blogs include one from a self-styled ranter who's unhappy over some of the Dinah Shore tournament publicity. According to our unhappy blogger "the lesbian-gay thing" currently mentioned in conjunction with the event in the local press is wrong. He says "let's knock off the upstaging of 'women gone wild' and enjoy it for what it really is" and it's "Not lesbian golfers, not gay golfers, but women golfers".
If the weekend were devoted to a big Afro-American party, a Hispanic event, or a Jewish Outing whose members were also here for the golf tournament, do you suppose our self-styled ranter would be complaining about their association with the event? If press coverage were to refer to Afro-American golfers, Hispanic golfers, or Jewish golfers, would he have voiced similar objections. I think not. And if he did, proud members of these groups would certainly have voiced their contempt at such an attitude.
The problem with homophobes is their unhappiness over the determination of lesbians and gays to be Out, Proud and Active. Such bigots resent the opening of the closet door and that it'll never again be shut. Lesbians and gays are part of humanity and in this country they've collectively decided not to accept second-class status. Homophobic bigotry is no longer acceptable and it's not going to pass unchallenged. As for our blogging ranter, when he and others include obvious bigotry against homosexuals in what they have to say, then I reserve the right to call them on it. It's homophobia - and that's a plain and simple fact.
Bond Shands
Palm Springs
April 5, 2008
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