I think I know what you’re trying to point to, but I do not think this is an honest portrayal.

I saw episode one of a docuseries called Deaf And… earlier today, the episode is titled “Deaf Identity”. And one of the interviewees, Dr. Aaron Kelstone, professor of performing arts at NTID, said something that I find relevant to this topic.

People come here [to NTID] and find out what a Deaf identity is, then come to realize, “Oh, that’s not the only thing I am.” For your entire life, the focus is on your hearing. But now you can explore– “I’m also straight,” or “I’m gay,” or “I’m…” There is so much more to who you are. You discover so much more in your identity, whereas before you felt so limited. Everything is about “I can’t hear.” But now, it’s not just that anymore– you are Deaf and all those other things.

Or in other words, it is audism, just this constant background oppression that pervades the lives of the Deaf people who are denied the opportunity to spend time in spaces around fellow Deaf people, that prevents many of them from forming a strong and cohesive identity outside of just being the “Deaf Island” in the “Sea of Hearies”. So these Deaf people need to solve the most pressing issue(s) in their lives, before they can solve the other issues that they face. And for myself it has been similar, from the “I’m not a bisexual trans girl, it’s just not possible, I’m just confused because I’m autistic and fatherless” of my teen years to the “consumption of animal products is profoundly wrong, but I cannot stop doing it until I can reliably buy and prepare my own meals” of today.

And I think on some level if we “personify” different countries, we can say a very similar thing about LGBT+ life in these countries that are being plundered by imperialism. That because of this constant deprivation that these countries face, that the actual infrastructure needed for a successful LGBT+ rights movement cannot form in these countries. This does not mean that their bigotry should be excused or left entirely unopposed, but that it should be seen in its proper context. And the proper context for Lemmy is that this is a FOSS Reddit clone and Nutomic could simply stop being an ass whenever he wants. And as long as he continues to be an ass, his actions should have consequences.