Racism vs. homophobia

Andy's comments on my last post, in which he expresses a sincere hope that same-sex couples may one day be as easily accepted in film as mixed-race ones, got me thinking.

Much as I hate to say it, I have a suspicion it is a lot easier for society to come to terms with what is it forced to see every day than anything intangible. To my mind, the days of segregated buses and congregations (one skin colour per side) were never made to last as the peaceful elements of both sides of the divide were bound, one day, to join forces in an effort to fight the prevailing prejudices. Being repeatedly confronted by something visible to the naked eye is sure to make one gradually used to its presence.

What lies beneath is, I fear, another matter altogether. True, society at large has made much headway in its attitudes towards homosexuality, but the fact remains that a person's sexuality is not always immediately obvious, so any progress is necessarily slower. We are at a stage when, in the West at least (I cannot speak for other parts of the world), the existence of other sexualities is more-or-less acknowledged across the board, but this should not be mistaken for acceptance. (As for celebrating such diversity ... The wider gay community holds Pride marches to this end, but we can't very well expect the rest of the world to jump on the bandwagon just like that.)

That said, the idealist in me believes there is some common ground: after all, if apartheid was finally overcome by (largely) peaceful means, why should homophobia be any different?