Some opinions are best left off the internet—because the internet will come for you and rip you to shreds. One Boston man’s homophobic tweet has since gone viral after he ranted about the possibility of an LGBTQ Disney princess.
Controversy first began after Twitter user El Debarge quoted an article from Seventeen referencing Moana directors Ron Clements and John Musker. In the article, Clements and Musker suggested that Disney could introduce a queer princess if the right director and team were in place. Apparently, this was way too much for El Debarge, who went on to complain about the idea in a tweet at 11pm on Tuesday, Dec. 19.
“In no way am i homophobic, but i really think y’all are trying to force this LGBT shit in everybody lifestyle,” he originally wrote. And in a series of follow-up tweets, he doubled down on the point, arguing that queer representation is going to make children gay.
“All the people offended are gay or lesbian because they see ‘lgbtq & forced,’ i’m saying they so called spreading ‘awareness’ as if we don’t know people are gay,” he said. “I’m just saying we don’t need to expose it to children at a young age because people gone be all ‘tv made my child gay’… but that’s all i’m saying.”
https://twitter.com/og__herbo/status/943330275987279872
https://twitter.com/og__herbo/status/943541640765075456
https://twitter.com/og__herbo/status/943541642342084609
Of course, his tweet wasn’t received well, to say the least. Queer Twitter users quickly responded, pointing out that no one is forcing “LGBT s**t” down anyone’s throat. Instead, queer representation is about making LGBTQ people feel heard, visible, and represented in their everyday lives. Without that, queer kids grow up feeling like their stories don’t matter and that their sexualities and gender identities are weird. Studies have shown that things like positive transgender representation in media changes peoples’ minds on issues like trans rights, which builds support for the LGBTQ community.
fuck you if you think LGBTQ+ representation in the media is forcing "LGBT shit" into your life when gay, bi, lesbian, trans, etc. children grow up hating themselves because all they see on TV is cis boy/girl relationships.
— sami (@bbymito) December 21, 2017
To see that this has 185k likes is so disheartening. That many people think that lgbt people shouldn’t be represented in media. Kids literally kill themselves over shit like this but y’all don’t care bc you’re cunts. https://t.co/QZPAldW2LN
— Ryan (@ThatsSoRyannn) December 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/cde_dom/status/943704453147963393
https://twitter.com/ryanjames_duh/status/943730376903499776
https://twitter.com/edgyminoru/status/943762138333458432
https://twitter.com/CanuckyWoman/status/943830901363965953
being gay is still punishable by death in some countries but just wanted to apologise to all of the heteros for “trying to force this LGBT shit in everybody’s lifestyle” – go fuck yourselves
— shannon (@shanowens98) December 22, 2017
In fact, more often than not, queer people are the ones that have to sit through movie after movie that focus solely on straight people.
why do straight people always have to be such fucking morons it makes me so angry just let LGBT people have ONE thing. Straight shit is LITERALLY EVERYWHERE, and you're gonna lose your shit over the POSSIBILITY of a gay Disney princess. Fucking ridiculous
— ben (@queer_asf) December 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/jjvssica/status/944151817025458182
https://twitter.com/zonknuckIe/status/943947353454546944
https://twitter.com/rocky_said/status/944238960053587968
Like, seriously, what was up with Bee Movie?
https://twitter.com/bramqueerfeld/status/943971658662141955
Even worse, if queer people share their stories, straight people can’t handle it.
https://twitter.com/sftyeuns/status/943928452041777152
Gay people: hi
— HOOD VOGUE is tired of poverty (@keyon) December 21, 2017
Straight twitter: not to be rude AND all but I feel like y’all are forcing this gay shit on us 💀💀💀💀💀😴😴 I have no problem with gay people but I just don’t agree with their lifestyle 😂😂😂😂😂😂 don’t get mad at me though
Disney is trying to reflect the current demographic of the world by including stories from many different cultures, countries, etc. Now they are including the large demographic of LGBT people just as they have with other races. Having an LGBT princess is not “forcing LGBT shit” https://t.co/jWunCeNChO
— cam (@c_patterson99) December 21, 2017
https://twitter.com/MorganBradHigh/status/943829060270084097
https://twitter.com/hali_11/status/943734029198733312
While people like El Debarge may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of LGBTQ rights, similar opinions drive conversion therapy camps, anti-transgender bathroom bills, and sex education courses that focus solely on straight people. That’s one of the reasons why queer representation matters in media: it humanizes LGBTQ peoples’ experiences and shares their stories.
So the next time you feel the need to start a sentence with “In no way am I homophobic, but,” just don’t. Unless you’re prepared for the Twitter smackdown of your life, that is.
Maybe it’s time to turn everyone gay.