To bigotry, I'd say it's easy to understand why it's wrong to abuse anybody if you can imagine what it's like to live in the skin of the person you're considering abusing.

To refuse to consider that is rejecting the humanity of a person, which is inherently irrational. We each exist. We're all fundamentally the same, with the same capacities. The only things that distinguish us at all are skin deep decorations, and the ideas we teach each generation of people. It's only the latter that's important. Any problem any of us can imagine having with any other group of people can be boiled down to incorrect thinking rather than any physical aspect of our being.

With regards to my background, I learned sexism was wrong by watching my father manipulate my mother with 1950s chauvinism. I then endured her abuse, despite or because of her embarrassment about the way he treated her in front of me. My father's side of the family were racists, islands style white racists. I learned that was wrong by making friends as a child, and I learned to parrot what I needed to in the family, or at least to shut up and not object to their bigotry.

It stays with you in subtle ways, if you're not careful. There were years there that I knew some of these things were wrong, but I'd fall back into thinking them, anyway. It really underscores how damaging it is to teach kids toxic values, because it takes more years to undo than it did to cause the problem, at least for some.

I kinda see homophobia in the same light I see pro-lifers. I mean there's a parallel. Both are issues that can be solved by not participating. I mean, my orientation or preferences don't affect anybody but me, and anybody I might choose to be with. Other people's abortions don't affect me in the same way who they love or fuck doesn't affect me. These are "moral" arguments ignoring the moral right to self determination. I think it's the irrational nature of these beliefs that precipitates so much of the violence, as people get caught up in a rage loop of knowing they're not correct on a core level, and pretending not to care.

I'm really tired this morning, think that's the best you'll get.