Somehow, this season we started allowing the boys to watch it with us. Niko doesn't really get it, but Gus is way into it - even if he doesn't yet understand the strategy part of the game he loves the challenges. He also usually provides a running commentary of what this player or that player has done wrong, and how he'd do differently...and successfully.
Well, one of the "villains" this season is a young openly gay man, named Colton.
This young man - or the "character" he's chosen to play on reality TV - is rude, elitist, classist, and slightly racist. And he's extremely feminine. Before they knew his name, the boys called him, "That Guy That Talks Like a Girl."
We've reminded them that people look, talk and act differently, and we never judge someone by any of those attributes. But the boys have made it clear: they don't like Colton. Kelly and I don't either, and we've said it. The guy's an ass.
But that's led me to wonder if the boys think we don't like Colton because he's feminine. We did laugh when during last week's "Immunity Challenge" he shrilled, "Help me!" while being tackled in the water.
Are we unintentionally encouraging homophobia in the boys? Now I don't expect the guys to grow up to be homophobic in the traditional sense. But I do wonder if we're creating a two-tiered level of acceptance: guys like your dads, those whom you usually wouldn't know are gay off the bat, are OK; guys like Coloton, not so much?
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