Nonheterosexual harassment, rape and domestic violence can't begin to be adequately addressed until healthy norms and standards for nonheterosexual relationships are both legally protected and socially accepted.
Men used to be able to beat their wives and children and also abuse their female employees without fear of being arrested or fired, because men were considered to be the owners of their spouses and their children and to have the right of power over adult females. For women and children to begin to be free of the threat of abuse in their families, and for women to be safe and productive in the workplace, they have needed both legal support and changes in societal attitudes that encourage better ideas of what family life and conditions at work are supposed to be like.
For nonheterosexual people to be safe in their professional and personal relationships, legal changes aren't enough. There also need to be norms and standards in people's minds about what healthy and safe interaction is for everyone. Without that, nonheterosexual people who are abused either by heterosexuals or by nonheterosexuals won't be taken seriously when they try to report abuse and will continue instead to be treated as if they deserve whatever they get.
Copyright L. Kochman, July 5, 2015 @ 9:13 a.m.
