Quote: Seth "Is homophobia better than racism? Would someone who had aired racist intolerance be welcomed? Or is it ok because it’s ‘just homophobia’?
And let’s get this difference right between what is his ‘opinion’ and where that has become hate speech.'"
Seth, good point. Hate is hate and it's not good in any circumstance. It's also not limited to a certain phobia or people group, even though LGBT/people of colour have often been targets for hate.
I'd say there's no way of ranking one area of hate over another.
The difference here is that the views Folau espoused are more nuanced than the blanket term homophobia gives credit for. He's expressing views through a religious context, and has (as far as I know) not incited violence or aggression towards LGBT people.
He's from a conservative religious tongan culture, where the vast majority are likely to share his views. Do we have the right to demand that these people should share our more modern and secular view of the world?
Overall I think there is just a massive double standard of who we are/aren't allowed to be morally outraged at and who we aren't. Some players past actions are swept under the carpet (I seem to remember Ben Cockayne having a racist rant at a taxi driver), and no one seems to care.
Some years ago, Folau's comments would have probably been pretty damaging to LGBT people, but I don't think that's the world we live in anymore.