Blog prompt: What does the podcast argue led to the remarkable changes in attitudes towards gay people?  Are there other factors that you think led to those changes?  Theorize about what leads to change in attitudes towards other people and what impedes (gets in the way of) change.

I found the podcast very interesting as it gave me a new look as to why the acceptance of gay people has skyrocketed in the last decade. The main reason the podcast gave for people being more accepting is that people of every race, age, ethnicity, and social class are gay and that is a factor not present in other types of discrimination. Psychologist Mahzarin Banaji believes this is why a rapid swing in public swing in public opinion on gay rights occurred. She describes her experience witnessing a gay rights parade in London.  “London police marching – gay police, and straight police in support of gay police. I saw banners of, you know, the largest for-profit corporations in the world marching – Goldman Sachs, PWC, EY – each with their own banners. And I asked myself, what would a Black Lives Matter parade look like? Would the police be marching? Would these corporations have a banner in a parade of that kind? I doubt it.” (Vedantam). Clearly, our views on gay rights have changed much more rapidly than our views on race and other social issues. Another factor that I believe has also contributed to the increased acceptance of gay people is that many people are actually realizing for the first time how common it is to be gay. With increasing acceptance, more and more people are willing to be open about their sexuality and this in turn leads to more acceptance. In short, we have entered a positive cycle of increased acceptance. I think the main factors that inhibit change are a fixed mindset and an unwillingness to listen. Many people remain fixed in their ways because of a refusal to actually listen to the argument of others. Genuinely wanting to understand and know the struggles of people is what leads to increased acceptance and positive social change.