Juan and Santiago, a couple of LGBT+ content creators, left Colombia fleeing the discrimination and harassment that members of the community queer they can experience in national territory.
However, this harassment followed them to Montreal, where they were victims of inappropriate comments in their own home.
“We wanted to take advantage of the month of pride (gay pride) to tell you something that we never thought would happen to us in Canada. And it is that Juan and I came here because we wanted to love without fear, but just a few days ago, something happened to us, in our own house.”Santiago lamented.
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And Juan returned: “We had a problem with the lights in the apartment, so the owner sent a person to fix it. We found out that he was a Latin man, so we thought it was even better, because we could communicate easily… anyway.”
Although not voluntarily, Juan and Santiago usually feel uncomfortable when a stranger comes to their house and realizes that they are an LGBT+ couple. They wonder what she will think when she sees that there are two men in the house and only one bed.
“They are thoughts that I know I have to work on, but what I have experienced has made them get into my head all the time” and it is no wonder, according to his story: “this person came, fixed the lights and At some point, when Santiago asked him if there was a need for electricians in Canada, this man responded that in Canada there is a need for everything, but the only thing that is left over are gays,” explained Juan, still confused by what happened in the “safety” of your home.
Their excitement about dealing with a Latino quickly faded, because they thought he would be friendly, perhaps more than a local, but they ended up remembering what made them migrate. towards the northern country.
“I, personally, felt very uncomfortable at that moment. I felt angry and sad because he was in our house and he was saying that. It transported me to all those things that we precisely wanted to avoid,” Juan recalled.
But that’s not all: “As he left, at the door, he advised us not to mess with anyone, not to answer to anyone and not to have problems, because in Canada they are easy to get.” Something that seemed more like a threat or warning, but even so, it did not discourage Juan and Santiago from sharing what happened on their social networks..
His message, addressed not only to the electrician, but also to those who usually share a similar discourse, is none other than “it is because of people like this that there is a gay pride month. As long as they continue to discriminate, with acts, even if they are minimal, pride month will continue to exist.” A reservation made along the same lines as that of his partner: “If you feel the need to apologize before making a comment, it is because, really, it is better not to, follow your intuition.”
An incident that occurred on Avianca airline flight 8522 generated a stir and that a flight attendant was the victim of harassment by a passenger, who was exposed on social networks.
This would have been recorded by a Colombian traveler who shared the video on social networks of the complaint against the foreigner and his behavior, after using a derogatory term to refer to the worker.
The woman, whose identity was not revealed, used her phone to record and confront the aggressor, being emphatic that, regardless of their sexual preferences, all people deserve respect, even if they think and act differently.
In the video, the woman is heard saying: “Hey, just a moment, if you allow me. Excuse everyone, but this man here (he focuses on him with his camera) who I don’t know what nationality he may have, has disrespected our flight attendant by calling him crazy, okay? I want him to know that, although I don’t know what country he is from, here in Colombia we respect people who think and act differently.”
The recording, widely disseminated through different citizen complaint platforms, reopened the dialogue about the limits of respect and discrimination based on sexual orientation. In addition, it generated various reactions about the way in which vulnerable people should be defended against homophobic comments.
“I am a member of the LGBT+ community and I approve of the lady’s comments, well done,” “The guy called a male assistant ‘crazy’ because he was homosexual. The question then is, does he have the right to do it? Should we allow it? If this assistant were her son or someone with whom she shares memories and a deep love, what would they say to her? Did the lady do the right thing? “Excellent for the lady, we must respect them all, never tolerate disrespect.”
