2017. október 26., csütörtök

My coworkers eat at Chick-fil-A a lot, am I justified in my anger?

(For context I work in the fashion industry in NYC)You would think most of my coworkers would be liberal and somewhat aware (many of them consider themselves progressive) but to a large extent most of the people I work with are completely unaware of a lot of important issues. I'm sure if asked outright all of my straight coworkers would say that they support LGBT+ equality, but when pressed further they know very little about what it actually means to be an ally. I think it's more of "pop-culture tells me to be/ think this way so this is how I conform to that mindset" sort of thing.Today six of my coworkers came to our rec room with food from Chick-fil-A. It is widely known in the office that I boycott this establishment due to their support for anti-LGBT+ organizations (a lot of people seem to think that they ceased their support for these types of organizations, but when you do a little digging they donate a startling amount of money to orgs that enforce strict anti-LGBT+ policies). A few months ago I was invited by the same group of coworkers to get lunch their and I simply explained that I was going to pass because of this. I got a lot of raised eyebrow and wide eyed looks, but they still went and ate there. However, today they came into the rec room where I was eating and mockingly apologized for buying their lunches there. Then they proceeded to tease me about how good it was and continued to say things like "oh, but sorry it's just sooooo good. I mean like I support the gay community though. You should lighten up." It was pretty hurtful to be honest. I've struggled my whole life with people harassing/ assaulting me for my gay identity. I was bullied relentlessly in high school and to this day their have been times where I've been with a boyfriend or another gay friend and have been harassed on the street. I won't get into the nitty gritty of it, but I'm sure many of you can relate. I just find it really hard to believe how little regard they have for how their eating food sold by a company that actively seeks to oppress the LGBT+ community is not a joke to me. I believe in everyone's freedom to support the businesses that they choose, but they claim to be sympathetic and supportive of me as a gay person yet they make jokes at my expense while supporting this establishment. It is highly upsetting to me and I find myself growing a great deal of resentment towards them now. I see it as a larger reflection of how homophobia is still so accepted and ingrained in our society in increasingly more subtle ways. Larger still I find it a reflection of the times we are living in. People can claim one thing (that they're an LGBT+ ally), but then go ahead and knowingly counteract this claim all the while still considering themselves righteous.I am so angered by this. I see it in many other aspects of my personal life too and it becomes more and more apparent the more I observe. My question really is: how justified am I in my anger? I take their transgression so personally, but at the end of the day all they see is a fried chicken sandwich and an angry gay coworker at the office who is easily dismissed. How would anyone else feel in my situation? Sometimes I just want to calmly explain to everyone in my life that exercises this type behavior that I can no longer have a personal relationship because they offend me on a very fundamental level. This would leave me with a very small social circle, but given the current political climate (in the US, but globally I guess) that doesn't necessarily seem like such a radical reaction to me. What do you think?

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