“I’ll Kick Your A$$ All the Way Back to Iraq”
Source: Twitter @madmanwithapen @attitudemag
It’s nice to think we live in a world where persecuted minority communities can support each other and get along, but that’s simply not how it is.
Following Friday November 13th’s coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris, the crisis in the Middle East and the plight of its many refugees has been on the headline of every newspaper and the forefront of all political discourse.
It’s also a situation that’s brought to light the true colors of many people who claim to live with accepting and inclusive American ideals but then fail to look beyond their own fears in a time of need for many.
Such confusing global politics are bound to affect the folks back home one way or another, bringing out the cowardice and racism even of our friends and neighbors. One racially motivated verbal attack this week happened at the hands of another community that you’d like to think would empathize with the plight of the refugees or victimized groups in general: the gay community.
Start the slideshow below to learn about the horrific comments one young man endured on Grindr due to his Middle Eastern heritage, then SHARE if you think his story needs to be heard.
We are Paris
Source: Twitter @AttitudeMag
While we’d like to think minorities could stick together in the face of social adversity, it’s also paramount to remember that no one person or even small group of people can be truly representative of their entire community. Keep that in mind as you learn about the latest lack of solidarity between persecuted groups, in this case, the gay community and Muslims or people of Middle Eastern descent.
A newsworthy piece on gay media this week comes from Arizona, where 22-year-old Anthony Magallanaz found himself the victim of virtual harassment and racism that all started because of some Arabic lyrics he had in his profile.
Magallanaz, whose profile on the popular gay/ bi/ bicurious hookup and “dating” app Grindr was titled “We are Paris” at the time, contained lyrics from the Lebanese song “Al Thaniah,” which translated as “I loved you in the winter.” But just seeing the Arabic was enough to set a fellow Grindr user off his racist rocker.
“Get that terrorist writing off your f***ing profile”
Being #Muslim on #Grindr ! Let the games begin ? pic.twitter.com/DKqNCZpbPy
— Anthony Magallanez (@madmanwithapen) November 15, 2015
The brutally offensive messages started coming in, and Magallanaz claimed that he first thought it was just a bad joke. Grindr users are no strangers to bizarre and offensive messages, but this was something totally different. The other gay man—whose identity has remained anonymous—let his bigoted thoughts fly, proving his ignorance several times over the span of the conversation. Referring to the Arabic lyrics as “terrorist writing,” the racist Grindr user went on to accuse Anthony of belonging to ISIS, offended that he would dare show his heritage following the attacks in Paris. Politely, Magallanez informed the other man that the Arabic writing was from a pop song and that the guy should “educate himself.” That’s when the racist man really showed off his ignorance.
“I’m Lebanese”
Source: Twitter @madmanwithapen
“You better watch yourself. I’ll kick your a** all the way back to Iraq if I ever see you in public,” the Islamophobe wrote. Level-headed (yet sassy!) Anthony responded, “I’m Lebanese but thank you for proving your continual ignorance.” The insults got worse before Magallanez blocked the other man and ended the embarrassing exchange. “It became clear to me that he only wanted to be hateful, so that’s when I stopped taking him seriously,” Anthony later said, citing his fear for Muslims across the planet. While this horrific example of racism may seem unique, Grindr has long been a place of racial prejudice, as evidenced by numerous Twitter accounts and complaints to the app.
A Bigger Issue
pic.twitter.com/JLT7UVAydc — Grindr Racism (@GrindrRacism) November 3, 2015
In fact, there is an entire Twitter account dedicated to showing the daily injustices that gay men, especially minorities, encounter on the app: @GrindrRacism.
While looking for partners to hook up or go on a date with, Grindr users are not afraid to make their preferences known to the other gay men in their area. As many activists on Grindr point out, however, racial preference is racial prejudice.
This argument exists within a larger debate about racial preferences on online dating and dating apps: should race ever have a place in our profiles and interests sections? Unfortunately, people do have their racial hangups when it comes to dating and meeting others, and many of them probably don’t even realize that their preferences exist in the realm of racism, complete with real victims.
But this issue isn’t new. In fact, it’s just the virtual, 21st century manifestation of subtle racism that has lasted with even the most progressive people among us over the years. When meeting others in person, we know our own preferences and what we’re generally looking for in a partner. Prejudiced people can easily look for a date without having to explain their thoughts and biases. Now that everything is online, however, many users are less hesitant to state their preferences from the get go.
We all need to start treating each other better, folks. Gay, straight, Muslim, Christian: it doesn’t matter, and it shouldn’t. You’re only ever going to meet individuals or small groups of individuals from any nationality, orientation, identity in general, and they can be in no way representative of their larger whole when you make decisions and judgements about them later on. We’re all victims and we’re all perpetrators, but with a little common sense and decency, we can also all be allies to those in need. SHARE if you agree.