In the advent of modern age, society as a whole thaws the permafrost encompassing LGBT rights and the actualization of same sex marriage. However, as discussed by both Kevin Siers’ cartoon and the song Homophobia by Chumbawamba, the quest for equality is flanked with bigotry and hatred due to the lack of empathy for the marginalized minorities. Nevertheless, both authors wield the adamant conviction for an eventual prevailment of equality.
Firstly, it is important to appreciate the texts’ context and how they appeal to their audiences in order to comprehend the issue of homophobia discussed by them. Siers’ cartoon is very likely to appear in the entertainment section of a daily newspaper called Charlotte Observer, where readers may appreciate light-hearted commentaries on current affair. The cartoonist makes a conscious choice to portray the two men to be roughly the same age in order to invoke the contextual relevance of the same-sex union debate, only to reveal in the last panel that they are father and son. Readers discover that the father is explaining his interracial marriage to his wife, as denoted in the last panel as a black woman. However, this creates a juxtaposition between same-sex marriage and interracial marriage, where Siers analyses that historically, faces with similar discrimination and bigotry from society. Since interracial is normalized in the modern world, as exemplified when the father asserts that “I married your mother anyway”, Siers is making the hopeful correlation that same-sex marriage would no longer be viewed as an aversion in the future. On the other hand, the song Homophobia is written by a famous alternative music band based in Britain called Chumbanwamba, so the target audience is their fans. The title itself is explicit in its purpose. The song discusses violence committed against the LGBT community, even brandished homophobia as the “worst disease”. The metaphor seeks to raise awareness amongst the population about the severity of such bigotry, contextually in Britain, after the infamous string of murders of queer individuals in the early 1990s. Chumbanwamba encourages their listeners to take the initiative to be compassionate towards the LGBT community’s plight and to be outraged by the injustice they suffer.
Although both texts are constructed in different formats, they explore the same theme of societal discrimination towards homosexuality, which incurs prejudices and even violence. Siers’ comic evidently denotes that the arguments used against same-sex marriage are recycled from the anti-miscegenation debate. In the first three panels, the father tells his son that, “They said our wedding was unnatural! That it would destroy the sacred institution of marriage! They said the next step could be legalized incest or bestiality! They say our love couldn’t produce a normal family!” Siers has made a political choice in keeping the men’s relationship vague so readers are forced to interpret that the speaking man is in a same sex relationship. The accumulation of vindictive words such as “unnatural”, “destroy”, coupling with the compartmentalization of incest and bestiality, implies the mistreatment of sexual minorities in society. Siers reveals in the last panel that the men are father and son, meaning the prejudices described by the father are aimed towards interracial marriages in the 1960s. However, this twist in narrative is clever as it comments on societal bigotry towards same-sex union is similar to that of the interracial relationship. Similarly, the song Homophobia offers an explicit description of bigotry-induced violence that queer people are subjected to. In the first verse, the lyricist explores the brutality that many homosexual people experience, “traced of killing, mixed with the piss and beer and bloodstains on the floor” where it is “breeding pens for pigs, alcohols, testosterone and ignorance and fists”. The metaphor of blood mixing with beer and urine propagates a hazy and dangerous atmosphere. Chumbawamba successfully recreates the violence that homosexual people experiences on a daily basis in communal spaces such as pubs, clubs and burger bars. These locations are highly relevant to the target audience as this is where the British common public goes for entertainment. Hence, the band asserts that LGBT individuals are denied the basic human rights to be safe. Both Siers’ cartoon and Homophobia assert that it is the lack of sympathy towards the discrimination of LGBT individuals that incur violence against them, and it is unfortunate that historically society has the tendency exclude individuals that do not conform to societal norm. Such propensity has existed during the height of racism in the 1960s where interracial marriages were viewed as contempt, and it continues to do so at the height of homophobia in the current time.
Through the use of stylistic devices, both texts indicate that the path towards equality can be achieved despite the sufferings experienced by homosexual individuals. Siers’ comic offers the scenario of a hopeful future for LGBT readers. Such progression is highlighted by the son’s facial expression. In the first three panels, his countenance is troubled and unchanged, but in the last panel, it shifts to a happier expression. This visual composition is significant because it reiterates the conviction that despite the rampaging mistreatment towards LGBT individuals, eventually their desire for equality will prevail. Siers draws a parallel between the plight of homosexuals to those who are in interracial relationships hints at a triumphant emancipation for the queer community. His tone is advocative and hopeful for a more accepting and tolerant safe space for LGBT individuals. In contrast, Chumbawamba’s Homophobia declares in the chorus, “Homophobia – the worst disease. You can’t love who you want to love in times like these”, and the repetition of this phrase echoes throughout the song. It is to reinforce the band’s message to their fans. The metaphor where Chumbawamba compares homophobia to a social disease describes how widespread and harmful it is. The imperative “We can’t love… in times like these” encompasses the band’s belief that a humanitarian society where everyone is equal cannot be realized if such hatred still circulates in the daily life. Chumbawamba gravely encourages their fans to be aware of such occurrence in society and to take a stance to propel society towards a better future where people are not persecuted for being true to themselves.
Both texts are social commentaries on the prevalence of homophobia and the negative ramifications it incurs. However, they also offer hope that society will change for the better, and that changes begins with us, the consumers of these media. Siers and Chumbawamba invites their audience to reflect on the injustice suffers by LGBT individuals and they offer the cause of that perdition. Nevertheless, the main message is their encouragement for their audience to be a part of the force that drives the changes in society, where queer people are free to love without any fear or hatred induced upon them.
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