Discussion

grace And if it’s free speech can I be as mean to homophobes as I want to be? I think they deserve to be shamed for engaging publicly in homophobic behavior

Sarah Brown I wish blocking worked better because I don't want to see those people

Marsh yeah, it reminds me quite a bit of poland's 'lgbt-free zones', the 'don't say gay' laws in florida, the seizure of bodily autonomy from people with uteruses and trans people, especially teens, in general. this sh!t isnt taking place in a vacuum. likewise, like most online communities with lax moderation, is a mirror of the macrosocial world at the moment, and its not pretty. i'm sure there'll be some white cis straight wiseguy in these comments who WILL whine about free speech being taken away boohoo, but i'm pretty sure white racists whined the same thing about having to take down their 'no coloreds' signs back in the 50s, just as white people STILL whine about how they get censured for saying the N word. to people with those free speech concerns: stop being so purposefully obtuse about aggressions and microaggressions against the community.

Dorian It’s absolutely homophobic and super off-putting for me as a queer. What I don’t get is why they can’t just… not read the gay books that are recommended to them. like if you google the book someone recommends to you, and there are gay ppl in it, no one is forcing you to read it? idk it’s wild to me that the weird homophobes on this app feel the desperate need to inform us all that they aren’t comfortable with The Gays

rungemaille It’s offensive, and they have repeatedly been called out over it. People have complained to Likewise, reported asks and accounts, engaged in conversation with said posters to try and explain why what they were doing was harmful, other discussion posts like this one were made. Nothing happens. Some of the posters, after conversation, will say things like “I’ll try to follow your recommendations on how to word things differently/etc”. Then they’re back at it after a week or two. At this point I’m kinda burned out engaging with them on the topic, and @Likewise clearly do not seem interested in properly supporting their queer members.

Genevieve (she/her) 🏳️‍🌈📚 I also find it offensive and homophobic, in general, but also especially when it’s paired with things like ‘nothing inappropriate’ or ‘appropriate for kids/teens,’ etc. It’s like they’re implying queerness is something gross or bad, or inherently too explicit to even broach in a book for younger audiences. It’s sick.

Ado It’s homophobic and I frankly consider it hate speech. It upsets me because there are kids on this app and I don’t want some closeted queer kid to have to see that stuff. I try to report it and I sometimes call them out, but they keep posting. Some of their responses are even more blatantly homophobic after they’re called out

Nadine . I've thought about this for a while. My knee jerk reaction was, "there should be preferences in settings that you can just click a button". Cos I dont want religious content and I'm not too into horror. Then I was like...hang on, I'm a part of this world too, I'm normal and a person, so is everyone else. I dont outline that I dont want religious stuff, I just skip over those recs. Also I watch some other things and sometimes its uncomfortable and I dont go back and sometimes it expands my tastes and knowledge. They wouldnt do it to any other marginalized people so I dont think they should get to do it to us. We're in the stages of an uncomfortable growth as a society where things that were hidden and made dangerous are becoming safe and expressable. The more people are exposed to the way the world is now the more comfortable and less scared they can be. Violence and hate is a reaction to fear and fear comes from a lack of understanding and education. Sorry for the essay. No, they should not be allowed to "preference" a people.

Mitch M I’d feel okay if they asked for a man and woman relationship so they can relate to it, but I don’t like people asking for no lgbt at all that’s just…

Ghost 👻 I always look at these things as “people have their reasons.” It sounds hurtful from an outside perspective. And a lot of the times it is hurtful. But I’m the kind of person who gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, so I just ignore it and move on. (That or I’d recommend some show with a HUGE queer fanbase or fannon pairing lol)