I read it as straightforwardly homophobic, it’s not a top vs bottom as much as gay = bad, cowardly, weak, inauthentic while straight / “normal” = good, heroic, principled.
The meme uses the “man checking oven” meme to mark Trump supporters as stereotypically “gay” and contrasts this with a picture of the assassin in which there are no stereotypical signs of sexuality, which of course implies straightness in our heteronormative society.
Sure it is entirely possible the assassin could be gay IRL by coincidence, but this isn’t a helpful for understanding or interpreting the meme, since contrast is clearly created and posed as normative.
Maybe the meme uses homophobia because it will upset homophobic Trump supporters more, since they don’t want to be associated with being “gay”. Still, it appeals to homophobic logic by associating the marked-as-gay traits with something villainous and the “unmarked” (heteronormative default of “normal” straightness) as heroic.
I read it as straightforwardly homophobic, it’s not a top vs bottom as much as gay = bad, cowardly, weak, inauthentic while straight / “normal” = good, heroic, principled.
What makes you think the assassin isn’t gay?
The meme uses the “man checking oven” meme to mark Trump supporters as stereotypically “gay” and contrasts this with a picture of the assassin in which there are no stereotypical signs of sexuality, which of course implies straightness in our heteronormative society.
Sure it is entirely possible the assassin could be gay IRL by coincidence, but this isn’t a helpful for understanding or interpreting the meme, since contrast is clearly created and posed as normative.
Maybe the meme uses homophobia because it will upset homophobic Trump supporters more, since they don’t want to be associated with being “gay”. Still, it appeals to homophobic logic by associating the marked-as-gay traits with something villainous and the “unmarked” (heteronormative default of “normal” straightness) as heroic.
oh, you’re right that makes a lot more sense