#the moderate position on gay people was that they were kind of distasteful but shouldn’t be actively persecuted

[heavencasteel420]

Here is something mildly controversial that I truly believe: Steve doesn’t remember that he said something homophobic to Jonathan during their S1 fight. It’s such a casual, indirect comment, compared to the rest of what he says in the fight, and he’s a conventional teen boy in the 1980s so he probably said worse homophobic shit than that all the time without giving it a thought. He probably feels bad about thinking poorly of gay people now that he’s best friends with a lesbian, but, if that remark stands out to him, it’s only because he also said way worse stuff to Jonathan during the fight.

Furthermore: I think Jonathan does assume that Steve’s still homophobic, but not particularly because he made that remark. It’s because it’s 1986 and he has a gay little brother. Homophobia is the default and it’s at a fever pitch because of AIDS. If I were him, I’d be like “Mom’s probably cool.”