Mainstream gay-male focus on physical beauty and fitness can combine with racial bias to explosive effect, can't it? So many of us are already conditioned to base our worth on our bodies instead of who we are as people. It seems to me that attitudes like that set us up to be especially at risk of racism or beauty-judgment based on race.

I mean, at gay clubs you often find cliques of guys judging other guys almost like they were livestock at a county fair. Maybe that comparison is a little harsh, but I think it's not so far off base.

It's a toxic sort of mindset that makes racism all the more probable - because if typical ethnic physical features don't fall into somebody's personal beauty ideal, then here comes that judgment - often in a barely disguised "mean girl" vibe.

I'm glad you're writing about this, because it's a problem the gay-male world seriously needs to be introspective about.