@AWGear  
This isn’t about your beliefs.
 
This is about your behaviors.
 
It is not illegal in Switzerland to be a homophobe. That’s about your motivations and feelings. You can be a homophobe as much as you want to in your home, in your church, or in your car.
 
However, it is illegal in Switzerland to discriminate in the civil marketplace or in government services against others on the basis of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
 
If you want to discriminate against homosexuals, like if you want to fire someone because you think they’re “too gay” (no proof required), or refuse someone medical care because you’re “too good a Christian to give medical services to a sinner”, or discriminate against homosexuals in housing or pay or anything like that, you can’t do it in Switzerland. If you want to do those things, if you want to discriminate against people because of their sexual orientation, you have to live someplace like America where the laws permit it.
 
It’s like being a racist. Lots of people are racists, and that’s not illegal.
 
But it is illegal to discriminate against people on the basis of their race in the public marketplace or for access to government services.
 

 
That is utterly untrue. It is illegal to fire someone for being a “homophobe” without proof. There has to be an act - just “being homophobic” isn’t illegal. It only becomes illegal if you discriminate against on the basis of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
 
If you want to be homophobic in bars, feel free. That’s your call.
 
But it’s illegal to fire someone in Switzerland because they are gay. That’s discrimination.
 
@evocov  
Absolutely agreed.
 
And all this talk about where it’s legal to be a homophobe is off topic as well.
 
None of this has anything to do with Hasbro being targeted with hate because they included Scootaloo’s aunts in an episode.

@Derpy Whooves
 
That stuff about atheism is pretty offtopic, but being Atheist isn’t automatically phobic of Christianity. None of those nations listed are even Christian at all so it’s altogether irrelevant.

@Derpy Whooves  
We’ve gone slightly off topic, I agree (altough this whole comment section seems to have as well).
 

 
Wait… so isn’t “discriminating on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation” what makes someone homophobe? What else does make one homophobe?
 

 
And the same goes for being labeled as “homophobe” without proof. It isn’t really a discrimination if that’s the case, as both sides get hurt from diffrent labels.

@AWGear  
That is a false equivalency.
 
There are countries where it is illegal to be a homosexual. There are also countries where it is illegal to discriminate based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
 
It is not against the law, even in Switzerland, for being a homophobe. You only break the law by discriminating on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.
 

 
And in the United States there are jurisdictions where you can be fired, for cause, for being a homosexual. No proof is required, and forever after your career is ruin and good luck getting a loan now that you are a “known homosexual”.
 
What does any of what you are saying have to do with Hasbro receiving criticism about sexualizing the show because there were two lesbian ponies in the show?
 
@AWGear  
PS: Re: ‘Christianphobes’, in 2013 there were still 13 countries where being an atheist was punishable by death

@evocov  
We think similarly, altough I belive it’s because those are powerhungry people who abuse all the power they have right now.
 
You can’t go to jail for being a “Chrystianophobe”, but you can go to jail for being a Homophobe. “Accusations” of discrimination can ruin your carrer or lead to huge shitstorms (cough cough CDPR cough cough). You cannot joke about LGBT stuff without risking your job. Refusing to provide certain services to hatefull LGBT activists can lead to your workplace being shut down.
 
LGBT people are privleged in some parts of life, and lack privleges in others.

@AWGear
 
Yeah I find it a sad reality that the bulk of many groups are nowadays either just corporate sponsored mouthpieces out to sell products under the banner of benevolence, or the infamous tumblr brand of extremists who base their whole personalities on ironically attacking people for being different from their ideals. The sad truth I find however is that it’s all rooted in a very real fear and paranoia of being attacked for who they are, and thus seek shelter and approval from any powerful figure regardless of whether they really have their best interests at heart.

@evocov  
Well… my expiriences were “negative” to say the least.  
It doesn’t speak of the community particularly well when on the biggest pride parades you have people who “politely offer to arrage a meeting between thier fists and your face” for asking uneasy questions :/
 
I geniuenly belive that alot of LGBT groups and activists are giving the whole community bad name, which only fuels thier belife that “people unreasonably treat LGBT people”.

@AWGear
 
The thing there is that just because there’s barely any homophobes that doesn’t mean that there are no, there’s still plenty of discrimination cases here in the states even if there aren’t as many as they used to be. That said I do think it’s a problem that so many activists just generalize all Christians as being Anti-Gay by default, there’s a real problem of people being so paranoid of attack that they strike first and make enemies of innocents who could have been real allies. My own experience in LGBT groups has been less then universally pleasant all the time.

@evocov  
But there is not that many people in the world who belive this way.
 
Hell, I’m from the country that is concidered to be the “most Chrystian country in Europe”, and there barely any people like that here. I can’t remember when was the last time some “fundamentalists” tried to take gay rights away… Stuff like that barely happens.
 
What I keep hearing all the time tough, is LGBT activists who purpousfully attack Christianity, hopeing to get some kind of reaction from them, and that’s because I’m someone really interested in politics. If something on similar scale would happen in the direction of LGBT people, I would have heard about it.

@AWGear
 
The sad problem is that the homophobes consider gays very existence as an attack, meaning that even not doing anything at all is perceived as a threat to their core beliefs. Hence not pushing back is sadly not an option in all cases when they just keep pushing no matter whether one even wants to be left alone.

@evocov  
But there is one more choice.
 
Stop pushing. LGBT people have earned alot already, so just like in a casino, learn when to pass.
 
If someone starts to actively take your rights away, then respond to thier atack. But now, when the sytuation is at an impass, just stop pushing.
 
Again, homophobes are glorified bullies. Don’t give them satisfation. You captured the point, now protect it.
 
They will not “push on themselves” because thier whole narrative rests on the idea that “Gays are attacking”. If noone will be attacking, there will be no reason for “counterattack”.
 
This will in turn separate “true homophobes” from people that just “go with the flow”.

@AWGear
 
Sadly it’s that “The stronger we push, the stronger they will too” cycle that makes it impossible to stop, the second the LGBT try to lean up the genuine homophobes rush into topple them over and undo any actual progress made. Since “losing” would end in the return of full on oppression it regrettably makes it impossible to every really do anything but keep pushing.

@evocov  
And that shouldn’t be the case, I agree. Again, dating and love is personal buisness. Don’t “put it in other faces” but also don’t “get into thier private lives”. It goes both ways.
 
Tough don’t you feel, that it seems to become a “The stronger we push, the stronger they will too”?
 
There are some people who never understand “being gay” and there are also people who have “religious reasons” to be against it. Don’t you think that “coming forward with LGBT issues” only fuels the other side’s feelings of “LGBT people are coming to take away our children”?
 
It doesn’t matter whose cause is right. All that matters, is that if one side escalates thier attempts at “winning” the other will do too, which will only harden the beliefs on each side.
 
I’m not trying to “bash gay people for fighting for thier rights”, all I’m saying that by acting like they do, they don’t really “work in favour” of thier cause.

@AWGear
 
True that I doubt we’d see a full ban in the future, although with how batshit crazy this current political climate is it’s impossible to be 100% sure. The real root issue is that it’s not fully safe in every state for the LGBT to fully marry or even date without fear of persecution, hence why even minor issues like this MLP episode somehow still generate controversy despite how completely tame the representation actually was.

@Background Pony #BEE4  
Ugh… don’t compare being gay to being black.
 
First of all, nobody HAS TO KNOW that you are gay. It’s a private thing, not a public one.
 
If I can vent a little, it pains me to live in a world where I am aware that I know some people’s sexuality, not knowing even thier name. I may be rather “old school”, but seriously? There are things more private than others. If you’d rather share your sexuality with someone, rather than your name, then I am sorry, but I cannot understand you at all.
 
Second of all, I do belive from the expirience of my friends, that this also depends on your behaviour.  
If you make your “gayness” into something that you are known for, then it’s no wonder that people my find that a bit “annoying” and start bulling you based on it.  
On the other hand, I also knew someone who could make jokes about being gay and keep a level head about this. Generally, when someone called them “gay”, they just responded with “yup, so what?” and the whole “argument” ended there. He could make “homophobic” jokes and laugh when others made them. Generally, a guy with alot of distance to himself.
 
I’d say that it heavily depends on “how do you treat your gayness”. If you treat it as something public, elevating it to one of your most known characteristics, then don’t be suprised that some people take issue with that. But if you stay chill about it, keeping it as “another part of me” and having distance to yourself, most people will ethier respect that, or leave you alone since “you’re no fun”.
 
Remember, bulling is all about the reaction of the bullied person. If there is no reaction, most bullies will get disinterested.
 
@evocov
 
I can see where you’re going with this “train of tought”, but I don’t think you’re fully right.  
I can see people putting “being a furry” on the list of mental inesses, just like WHO did with “gaming”.  
I don’t think that “banning homosexuality” is even remotely possible at this point, as if (for example) USA did it, whole europe and rest of the “progresive world” would stand against it. Besides, seeing that it’s generally 50/50 on the “political scale” in most countries, I don’t belive that any democratic ruler would decide on something like that. Too much risk in loseing too many voters. (and you know… riots on the streets)

@AWGear  
The issue is that being bullied for being black or gay is much more socially unnaceptable than being bullied for being fat or wearing glasses. Two are optional (eat less, don’t wear glasses, yes not good solutions but nonetheless technically solve the issue) whilst being gay or black is something you cannot change no matter what you do. People laugh at you for being ginger? You can always dye your hair. Mocked for being fat? Diet and excersize. Laughed at for wearing bad makeup? Watch tutorials?
 
Laughed at for being black or gay? Well… Uh you’re stuck dude.

@AWGear
 
Because there’s a pretty big difference between simple personal interests and one’s whole sexual orientation. Core Issue’s really that there’s no threat of seeing being a brony getting banned or classified as mental illnesses by government institutions. It’s certainly annoying that Pride Parades have become far more corporate statements then political ones, but the States are far from universally accepting of LGBT people even existing.

@evocov  
But what’s so wrong about “living in the closet”?
 
Let’s tackle it on the “Brony” example, okay?
 
If I am a brony, I don’t have to tell everyone around that I like My Little Pony (essentially what “pride” is nowdays). I keep it to myself, and only tell people who share similar interests.
 
To fully enjoy “being part of the fandom” you don’t have to make it known to everyone in the world that you are a Brony.
 
I might have wrong understanding of the “coming out of the closet”, but what it feels like to me, it’s “telling everone that you are X; making it into a public knowlege”

@AWGear
 
I’m not fond of Pride Parades, but the problem there is that it’s impossible for most gay kids to “tough up” when major politicians and whole statewide groups call for their heads. Ideally it’d be better for there to be groups for any bullied group rather then having zero support. The whole reason “Pride” became a thing was to seek out sanctuaries and like-minded people instead of just living in the closet.

@Background Pony #BEE4  
I’ve been phisically attacked for being fat, short, smart… It’s not a “homophobic” issue, you know?  
It’s an issue that people are just generally dicks. They will find any excuse to beat you up, being gay is just one of them.
 

 
looks at pictures taken on pride parades Hmm… I wonder why?
 
On a more serious note, didn’t you ever concider that it may be because of how some very public homosexual people behave? I’ve seen pictures and been to a few pride parades (journalistic purpouses) and after seeing some things that are “common” there, I am not suprised on why people “oversexualize” LGBT people.
 
With insults, it’s the same as with violence. When someone wants to be personally mean to you, they will find any reason to do so. As someone who has been bullied before (for multiple reasons), the best advice I can give you is to stop careing about it. Tough up and don’t give them the satisfaction of getting to you. I generally concider myself as rather self-concious and sensitive person, and the mindset of “I don’t care what other think about me” helped me alot.
 
All that you have listed are problems that even straight people face. As I said, if someone wants to be a dick to you, they will find any reason for that.

@AWGear  
When i was found to be gay, it was all people spoke to me about. ‘Hey, you’re gay right’? And such. People would bother me, telling me not to fall in love with them, debating whether i was lying, asking me and prodding me about how the sex works. I’ve been called a dyke and a faggot. I’ve been attacked.  
Homophobia and misunderstandings involving homosexuality are still huge in even the most accepting countries.

@AWGear  
I have been physically attacked for being gay. It is still widely met with confusion and oversexualised. There is still a massive sweeping societal issue here. And I’m a kid so frankly i would rather not go to Syria

@evocov  
Like what?

@evocov
 
I’m mostly just here for
 

 
because I’m a terrible person.