Back when everyone online was calling gl/bl fans fetishizers and disgusting I was much more affected than I thought I would be. I laughed it off and called them sensitive, but I really internalised all of that shame and disgust directed at gl/bl fans. I felt like a real freak for lingering on the sex scenes and liking it, hell I would only read shoujo ai/Shonen ai for a period of time and I still felt dirty lol. At the same time my family was also going through a religious 'revival' so I hated what I liked and who I was even more. I'm happy now that I've broken-free from that confining mindset. Fetishizers exist forsure, but they're not the majority. Real queer folk and allys find community and joy through reading. Remember to watch what you say on the Internet cause big or small, your words impact people. Happy pride
