In the grocery store, minding my own business, preparing myself to hand over large sums of cash for my love of carbohydrates, my eye strays to a tabloid headline…”VA Tech Massacre part of Gay Agenda”. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I typed that in large caps to resist the urge to type WTF? Okay, I have degenerated to swearing but hand to God, I could have screamed right there in the checkout line. I knew the finger pointing parade would navigate all points on the compass, but, seriously people.
The media, politicians, religious leaders, bloggers and just plain folk blame those of homosexual orientation for a degeneration in family values, rising divorce rate, decline of public morals, destruction of the world and probably the rising cost of oil. They need a scapegoat to make their hate appear legitimate, they need to make you afraid and tell you who you must fear, after all homosexuality certainly is the root of all evil.
The Gay Agenda is a twisted concept. Those of homosexual orientation are individuals that come from a broad diversity of backgrounds, religious faiths, politicial views, genders, race, not to mention various geographic locations worldwide. They want to participate in society and contribute to their communities, well they can contribute as long as they dare not to benefit or expect equal rights under the law. Their agenda is to live, love, worry, rejoice and rest just like everyone else. The challenges our society places in their paths based on their sexual orientation amounts to pure discrimination. Can you even begin to imagine the struggle to accept yourself in a civilization filled with mockery, hate and condemnation for what others categorize as an “alternative lifestyle”? My perspective is that it is certainly not alternative, it is merely not common.
It is appalling that members of the religious right continue to blame homosexuals for a range of disasters from AIDS to child abuse to hurricaines to terrorism to under the cloak of “God’s retribution”. They theorize that homosexuality leads to misery and is completely repugnant, however, it is so appealing that when it becomes acceptable many will be tempted to switch sexual orientation, developing a life long addiction. Seriously, homosexuality is not a disease, a mental illness or a cartoon sponge that lives in a pineapple at the bottom of the sea. You cannot be infected with homosexuality, they will not convert you, in fact, they do not want you. Nor will they steal your children, pedophillia does not have the same definition as homosexuality.
Of course, we cannot leave out the manacial Reverend Fred Phelps who proudly waves signs “God Hates Fags, Fags Die & God Laughs.” We express outrage at his behavior and feel proud of ourselves for not buying in to his particular brand of crazy, failing to realize that his lingering stench of hate permeates our world. Although I am not prepared to put restrictions on freedom of speech, I would fully support a decree that anyone espousing such crazy crap should be sedated and sent directly to an insane asylum. Karma is a wonderful equalizer, just imagine the turnout at his funeral.
In the United States we have laws banning discimination on the basis of race, gender or religion, we would never tolerate a headline like this directed toward feminism or a specific race. Sexual orientation is viewed as exempt from equal protection because it is deemed a behavior or a choice. My sexual orientation is heterosexual, although I do not recall ever having made that decision. To those who still believe it at choice, why would any person choose a sexual orientation that would subject them to a destiny of inequity, prejudice and stigma? Left unchecked this bigotry will lead to a specific group of people to be regarded as worthy of persecution. This is how prejudice and paranoia are born and we are all bearing witness, some silently.
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