I dont mean this from a homophobic pow, but LGBTQ+ issues is what I hate the most about modern politics. In my (EU) country and in most Western countries things like corruption, tax legislation, energy politics, defense strategy, health care, education reform and many other things should matter a lot more for everyone, including the 2-4% (?) of population who are LGBTQ+, but for some reason its always gay rights thats on the top of the list for both conservative and liberal voters. I have many friends for whom LGBTQ+ politics is a line they wont cross (on both sides of the line), while the issue itself is ridiculously small compared to other problems governments face
I have mixed feelings about this. For every loud-and-proud person who wants to shove the genitals of their preferred partners in your face all the time, I know a lot of LGBTQ people who believe that their preferences for who turns them on and who they want to bork are no more relevant than their favorite ice cream flavor.
In some ways you do need the loud mouths who love the attention, and derive a personal mission or sense of purpose, to pave the way for all the LGBTQ who don't think it's anyone else's business -- let alone something they feel compelled to brand themselves with every time they open their mouth. If everybody did a don't-ask/don't-tell and kept it in their bedrooms, that might make for a pretty repressed world where people will fear getting clubbed like harp seals just for holding hands in public.
And even if it is a small percentage of the population, we need our Cassandras in society. For example, disabled people. If you left it to the able-bodied people, we'd all be expected to ride e-scooters everywhere. Building ramps wouldn't exist,. And yet designing for a society that includes disabled people actually has the added benefit of making life better for kids, for families, for the elderly, for the person who just suffered a torn ACL skiing, for the injured war veteran, etc. I believe that accommodating a broader swath for society's needs generally makes life better for everyone ... and not just that 2%.
But there are a lot of people who believe they're activists for collective causes who are really just in it because they couldn't exist as a normie. Then it's more about the selfish need for attention and being different than it is about equality. (This is why a lot of older gay men in SF are disappointed that acceptance has made them no longer "special").
And a lot of that is going around. And a lot of that, IMO, is backfiring terribly on these people. A prime example was the recalled SF school board members, who preferred to focus on ensuring no wall mural of George Washington comes without showing the guy with three vaginas and a tail to appease the furries instead of focusing on getting the schools open for kids during Covid.
But then of course, I'm a biased moderation guy who detests radicals of any flavor at the expense of moderates.
My body, my choice is back in style eh?
At least since Covid vaccine mandates.
Funny thing was Megan was my favorite US WNT player for many years. Then she got a World Cup and a platform that filled her ego to open her mouth as an uninvited spokesperson for no cause left behind.
Now I can see the solemnity of pride marches in America with the Roe v Wade ruling, given how gays have to legitimately wonder if they are next in the crosshairs. But when it comes to "women's reproductive health", shall we say? Sorry, Megan -- no matter how much scissoring you do with your partner, I'm still trying to understand how you're expecting to get pregnant from all that.
You can say abortion is a women's issue, but I have a harder time thinking it's the same for hetero women as it is for lesbians.