With the recent announcements of two male gay professional athletes, there has been a general feeling of widening acceptance for the LGBT community.
But, just as the election of a black president does not mean the end of racism, these two cases of acceptance do not mean the end of homophobia. The acceptance these athletes received does not often spread to those who challenge traditional gender norms. Female athletes must be lesbians, men who love musical theater must be gay. People who do not fit our sexist stereotypes, whether they are gay or not, are still stigmatized, despite the acceptance of “straight-acting” gays.
At The Atlantic, Maya Dusenbery challenges us to question the underlying homophobia and gender anxiety we still need to confront.
