Queer Granddad

  The recent online harassment I've faced from Curtis Stone and Derek Smith reveals a troubling pattern of attacks aimed at silencing queer voices. It all began when Curtis started insinuating that my identity as a "queer granddad" made me a danger to children, a baseless and harmful accusation. His comments quickly attracted Derek, who offered unsolicited "advice" suggesting I should hide my queerness to avoid backlash, essentially blaming me for the harassment I receive. Derek Smith's "advice" was followed by a request that I debate him live on his YouTube channel and when I declined he said it proved his point that I just crave attention. This type of rhetoric isn’t new. I’ve been advocating for queer rights for over 30 years, and I’ve encountered countless instances where people attempt to frame my visibility as the problem rather than their own intolerance. When I was a kid, I faced bullying for being different, and the response from authority

In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Curtis Stone singled me out by questioning my use of the handle "QueerGranddad" and implying that there’s something questionable about my identity because I am both queer and a grandfather. His rhetoric taps into an insidious stereotype that queer men, especially those who are openly proud of their identity, are somehow a danger to children. This damaging insinuation perpetuates a longstanding and harmful narrative that equates queerness with deviance or criminal behaviour. The Roots of Harmful Stereotypes The association between queer identity and predatory behavior is a harmful stereotype that dates back decades, originating from misinformation, fear, and prejudice. The notion that queer people, particularly gay men, pose a danger to children was heavily popularized during the "Save Our Children" campaign led by Anita Bryant in the 1970s. This campaign equated homosexuality with pedophilia and positioned LGBTQIA+ individua