Women beaten up on London bus

It has been widely reported today about two lesbians who were beaten up because they refused to kiss in front of some men. 

Much of the media have reported this as a homophobic attack, and whilst I'm not saying that's wrong (it certainly has a part to play in the attack), the more I think about it, the more I agree with Laura Dodsworth that this is more than homophobia.  The sad truth, is that homophobic attacks are on the rise, and many men and women get harassed and abused because of their sexuality and it not get reported in the news.  In this case, however, these women were attacked because they were unwilling to be sexual play things for those men. 

Porn pervades our culture.  Sex sells. Girls should grow up to be pretty and compliant.  And if you men come across some lesbians, why wouldn't they become performing monkeys to cater for your sexual needs?  Women need to learn their place, and if they won't gratify men sexually, of course they need to be taught a lesson or two. 

One commentator on the radio said that homophobia is increasing all the time, and I'm not sure that's the whole story.  I was discussing this with my husband, and we remember the 80s and 90s when it was still not 'cool' to admit you're gay, being gay was still considered a joke and there were many homosexual slurs as part of 'normal' conversation.  Times have, thankfully, moved on and the insults are rightly seen as being offensive (one of the reasons why hate speech has increased, is because it is more easily identified compared to decades ago).  For some years, society had, on-the-whole, learned to think about what it was saying, giving more thought to others, and being more aware of insults and offensiveness.  What has changed more recently, imo, is that those who condemn or insult are becoming more vocal and more mainstream.  People who used to make comments under their breath or behind an alias, feel more comfortable stating their opinions in every day conversation or on social media.  Free speech is being used as an excuse to insult, belittle, bully and spread hatred.

It is not helped by those in power, and those who want to be, <cough> Trump <cough> Farage <cough> Johnson <cough> Misogynist pigs <ahem> showing the world similar opinions and actions, and being lauded for it.  Women are being attacked on all sides at the moment.  America's abortion ban is yet another way women no longer have control over their own bodies.  Abortion is a controversial and highly personal and emotive topic, that I don't want to get into the rights and wrongs of in this discussion (I will discuss my views in a later date), but by restricting women's right to medical care, just means that those women who are likely to abort will be more at risk of injury, disease and death.  And we cannot be smug here in the UK, as abortion is illegal in Northern Ireland, and ever-so-slowly, more and more parental rights are being taken away by the state as parents (especially mothers) are deemed incompetent and that the "experts" know better...

So whilst I add my voice to those who condemn the physical attack on these lesbians, it is not just an attack on those who identify as homosexual, but an attack on all women, and we should call it out as it is.