Hacker News Reader

Comment by skywhopper | Hacker News Reader

Why a weird, distorted take. People who put “LGBTQ Ally” in their signatures aren’t being phony. They have friends or family who are LGBTQ, and being visible is one way to support them. If it’s unprofessional to be an ally to LGBTQ friends and family then it is easy for hateful folks to claim it’s unprofessional to even be LGBTQ. Why does it offend you so much for someone to say “I support my gay friends”?

View on HN

It doesn't offend me.

Picture going into a restaurant, and before the hostess seats you she says "I'd like to remind you that I love black people".

That's out of place it is. It doesn't offend anyone, it's just an odd thing to say. You may not perceive it so if you're inside the bubble.

I think what you're not getting is that there are lots of places in rural America that are violently queerphobic. Queer people are targets of hate crimes. There's a mainstream religion and political party in America that's tiptoeing around rhetoric of eradication of queer people.

So yeah, it can't be assumed businesses are queer friendly because lots of American Christians and conservatives would prefer queer people dead, or at least back in the closet.

> Picture going into a restaurant, and before the hostess seats you she says "I'd like to remind you that I love black people".

I’ve gone into a restaurant and had the hostess tell me they don’t serve gay people.

So I think it can be very contextually relevant for the hostess to say they’re an ally.

What holes you like or don't like and what you got in between your legs should be completely irrelevant at a restaurant and not something the waitress or waiter should have any interest in.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com