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Discrimination is often directed towards certain lifelong experiences. This makes it easier for people to judge, fuelled by some sort of “I’m not like them and I’ll never be like them” notion. It’s much easier to throw dodgy comments or think problematic thoughts towards someone if it’s not possible for you to fully relate to them, describes Adrian Colwell.

Adrian Colwell.

Minority groups are rarely thought of as something that you can enter into (or leave as the case may be). Though there are obviously various levels of discrimination, it is not always a lifelong thing. It can be experienced by people at specific times of their lives based on their circumstances.

Money is one of the most influential factors in this regard. It can create great privilege and great suffering and is something we all have a relationship with -whether we have a lot or a little. And it’s fluid -most of us will experience different levels of wealth throughout our lives.

It can also impact discrimination related to minority status quite easily. An affluent person from a minority is seen as very different from someone from the same group who has little money. Alexander McQueen spoke of the shift in his family’s attitude towards his sexuality once he became wealthy: “All of a sudden everything’s hunky-dory because I’m solvent. Sorry I just don’t buy that!”

‘Buying’ is an interesting choice of word. Economic status automatically influences how we are seen, how sellable or valuable we are to others, and this is exacerbated by minority status. It’s interesting to think about how money is viewed in the queer community, specifically in a dating context. What role does money play when it comes to dating? Can affluence distract from minority status? Does the queer community have a specific relationship with money?