Overkill?
Man accused of homophobic comments towards Patrick Harvie arrested and charged
The alleged incident occurred while the Scottish Greens co-leader was launching his party’s candidate in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election.
It has now been confirmed that a man has been arrested and charged after the incident in Rutherglen. The Glasgow MSP was taking part in a live TV interview when the incident took place.
A Police Scotland spokesperson [said]: “Following a report of homophobic comments a 59-year-old man has been arrested and charged. A report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.”
I have to wonder if Police Scotland have ever arrested any man for gynophobic comments. I have to wonder if they even know there is such a thing.
Or even for homophobic comments against lesbians. Though it bothers me that boorish commentary is considered a crime at all, if people insist on making it a matter of law, apply it evenly ffs.
Virtually nothing makes me sicker than the police criminalizing language around my homosexuality. This could not in any way improve people’s actual tolerance for homosexuals. It can only serve to make people who haven’t yet been convinced of our decency that they have good reason to be suspicious of us. I hate, hate, hate it. I hate it so much. It’s so wrong. I hate it. I can’t stop saying how much I hate it.
It sucks to be called terrible names; it truly hurts to be called a f*gg*t. I can name every single instance in which it occurred in my life. There were many of them, and every single one is seared vividly into my memory, so significant was the pain attached to each of these moments. But the root of that isn’t addressed by criminalizing people who call us names. I hate hate hate it. Ooooh god, I hate it.