Amy Gahran, “Stepping Off the Relationship Escalator: Uncommon Love and Life”

Side effect of anti-queer stigma

anti-queer stigma, including the historic denial of social and legal recognition and privilege for queer relationships, has yielded an intriguing side effect. Being part of any demographic that is marginalized for diverging from social norms sometimes can create more freedom to explore additional unconventional approaches to life and love — at least, within subcultures.

Thus, people who are exploring unconventional or queer intimate relationships today — whether they’re heterosexual and cisgender, or not — owe a profound debt to the many queer people who bravely stuck their necks out for the right to live and love as they choose.