The other day, a co-worker told a “joke” about physically hurting gay people. It was his third gay joke of the day, (he’d already cracked two about women), so I decided I ought to let him know it bothered me.
No one else in the room objected to his remarks.
I’ve found myself in this awkward position several times before, especially when working with my more conservative evangelical clients. It seems that among this group, gays are fair game.
Now, I understand that there is much debate within the Church on the issue of homosexuality, and I respect people on both sides of it. I know that a lot of Christians consider homosexuality to be a particularly offensive sin. But does that somehow make a homophobic joke more acceptable than, say, a racist or sexist one?
Maybe I’m way too sensitive about these things. I hate to be the “politically correct” killjoy. And yet I somehow feel that saying nothing condones the notion that belittling gays is acceptable…and for me, it’s just not
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