Do Gays Discriminate Against Straight Men? Should They?

The article Is Straight the New Square? in the September 2006 issue of the men's style mag Details begs the question: Has the straight man become the victim? Has he? I was already on guard before I read the article, especially after hearing of a tragic story about a man shot in the head on the way to the club by a straight teen. Has the straight man really become the victim? I continue to wonder as I recall a gay friend who was fired after being outed at work. He's spent his summer fighting legal battles while the rest of us match our socks and polos. The weeping list of homophobia and violence continues, but Details contributor Simon Dumenco stays strong to his angle: Heterophobia is rampant because "In the new polarization, gay men are portrayed as arbiters of taste and straight men as sort of... clueless."

The article is an offshoot of the recent incidents of heterophobia in gay mecca Provincetown, Mass where numerous straight residents reported being "outed" as supporters of anti-gay marriage legislation and being called "breeders" by gay tourists. However, what began as an exploration of growing tension between straight and glbt people, turned into a simplification of a fashion and "who gets more action" tete a tete.

Simon Dumenco does pay homage to gay hate crimes by reassuring us that "getting called a 'breeder' is in [no] way comparable to the very real violence and civil-rights challenges that gay people in this country face every day." This comment would be appreciated if it weren't the only mention of the impact of homophobia in an otherwise fashion and sex focused article.

So why does Simon Dumenco think straight men suffer? Because heterophobia is making straight men the fashion victims of the world. "There is no shortage of televised indoctrination that implies that gays have got it going on and straight men don't." The feature eventually turns out the lights and heads toward the bedroom. "Even within the bedrooms of their lesser homes, straight guys have to worry that they're just not getting as much."

Should straight men fear heterophobia? Perhaps in Provincetown. But if the victimization of any man (gay or straight) is reduced to which group sets the fashion trends and which has more notches on the head board, then the seriousness and devastation associated with the actual hate, victimization and violence of homophobia and heterophobia gets reduced to a lighthearted "what's the big deal?" Would a man be considered the victim of reverse racism because some minority ethnic groups are perceived as more fashion-forward than others? Would a man be considered a victim of sexism because women struggle to convince us that self-grooming equals self-respect? Of course not, so why would a straight man be a victim of heterophobia because gays are seen as the fashionistas of the world?

"Lighten up!" some might say, "It's just a style article in a style magazine." I'd like nothing more than to be entertained by gay/straight fashion trends, but not under the premise of a very serious subject such as heterophobia. I'm sure 31 year old Salvagio Vonatti would agree as he lays in a coma on life support after his headshot wound. By the way, I wonder if his attack was provoked by what he was wearing.