‘Don’t make assumptions on the kind of gay man I am or the kind of gay men I associate with.
‘Don’t use my image for your internalized homophobia,’ he wrote on Twitter on Friday (26 July). Simon Dunn respondsĪfter Simon Dunn became aware of the meme, he quote-tweeted it and called it out. Internalised homophobia is a disease x /2jqRfVl7csĪ Twitter user posted a screenshot of the meme after seeing a Facebook ‘friend’ of his share it. Someone (a gay man, no less) just shared this absolute fucking catastrophe on my Facebook feed and I hit delete so fast and hard I almost smashed my phone screen. While characteristics they ‘do not respect’ being ‘Sexuality is the focal point of their existence’, ‘Rainbow flag everything and everywhere’, ‘Complains about straight people consistently’ and ‘Dresses like a clown to show the world how gay they are’. It lists characteristics of gay men that the meme’s creator ‘respects’, such as ‘Doesn’t force upon you the fact that they’re gay’. The 32-year-old former Australian team bobsledder slammed the meme that unfairly criticizes out and proud gay men. Musk is still in talks to buy Twitter although the deal has stalled while he verifies how many false or spam accounts there are on the platform.Simon Dunn became aware of a viral homophobic meme after people began tagging him in it on social media.
The outlet noted that car companies like BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have previously changed their logos for Pride Month but not for its regional brands in the Middle East or Asia. “Such contradictions do not go unnoticed on social media, drawing questions and even mockery of brands that couldn’t keep their messaging consistent across markets,” the article stated. Psychologist and author Joshua Coleman told USA Today that while “on the one hand, it promotes acceptance in the sense that it’s normalising something that does need to continue to be normalised and accepted”, there is also “a kind of annoyance about the rank hypocrisy of some of these companies, which in the past might have actively discriminated against the LGBT community”.įortune magazine has noted that many companies who change their logos in Western countries do not extend this display of support to countries where LGBTQ+ rights are limited. It has become standard practice for businesses to adopt the colours of the rainbow flag for Pride Month, which takes place in June each year.Īnd each year, it’s pointed out that many companies are merely pandering and attempting to profit from Pride Month, a sad phenomenon known as rainbow capitalism. Though debate rages about Musk’s intentions, many agree his meme is not far off the mark. “The cost of hate speech further erodes basic safety and civility across society.” Rainbow capitalism In a statement following news of his takeover bid, GLAAD president Sarah Ellis said: “LGBTQ people are at disproportionate risk for harassment online and violence in real life,” she added. LGBTQ+ groups have also expressed concerns around Musk’s plan to buy Twitter after he said he would prioritise “free speech”.