Rand Bishop
2 min readSep 16, 2024

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I'm sorry. But I fail to grasp the concept of homonationalism. To me, the term is not only somewhat hysterical, but misleading, implying that so-called "homonationalism" exists as an actual movement in the same manner Christian nationalism or White nationalism exist.

Every individual, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, has their own personal political priorities, opinions, and positions. Some people are xenophobic. And, some of those xenophobic people are (as you call it) LGB. The truth is, there have always been conservative queer and trans people who are anti-immigration. Caitlin Jenner, for one, is as conservative politically as you can get. The Log Cabin Republicans have wielded clout for decades.

Being wary of fundamentalist Islamic law is only natural for anyone who supports the rights of LGBTQ+ folks. That doesn't make those people homonationalists. It would be wise to be equally wary of Christian fundamentalism for the same reasons.

Politics is a brutal blood sport. Political organizations and/or parties always try to appeal to a cultural subsect by addressing that subsect's self interest. If a party is demonstratively anti-Muslim, it would be only natural for a queer or trans person to find some appeal there. And, if that issue is paramount for the individual, they might choose to support the most anti-Muslim party or politician over another, even though that party happens to be rightwing extremist. This is equivalent to any voter who only cares about one issue, whether their pet issue is abortion or climate change or tax rates.

Christian nationalists want biblical-based Christian law to prevail and be intrinsic to government. White nationalists want to re-institutionalize white superiority over people of color. Are LGB conservatives determined to create an all-LGB state under LGB law? Of course not.

As much as I disagree with most aspects of what passes for "conservatism" today, I'm not on board with the entire concept of "homonationalism." Peace.

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Rand Bishop
Rand Bishop

Written by Rand Bishop

Bishop's latest book, the semi-autobiographical novel, Long Way Out, is available in e- and print editions through most major online booksellers.

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