Concluding the series Critical Awareness About Homophobia, let’s talk about one of the most controversial themes related to homophobia and heterosexism: who benefits from them and how? Given the evidence from previous episodes, we know that society as a whole, and cis-gender heterosexual people as its majority, don’t benefit from these long-lived social problems. Why then have they remained in existence for so long?

Examining the political leadership of the U.S. and Russia in the recent years, we’ll track the way homophobia benefits systems of power over and people at their top globally – regardless of stated political and cultural differences. At 30:13​, we’ll explore why there are actually gay folks who benefit from homophobia in measurable and observable ways (counterintuitive as that might sound) and who use their power and influence to maintain the status quo. We’ll look at the importance of intersectionality and segregation for understanding the large sociopolitical role of homophobia and discuss meaningful ways to hold beneficiaries accountable.