3:40 PM
A Cry for Sanity
I am sick and tired of the populace of this country
quietly tolerating people who hate homosexuals. Before anyone gets up on a
high horse, there is NO EXCUSE for hating anyone for something as trivial
as their sexual preferences. None. Whatsoever. Don’t try to think up
one; there aren’t any, so now let us move on.
I was watching presentations in a college classroom today
and the student gave a speech wearing a tee shirt that was obviously designed
to be a spoof of the John Deere logo. I couldn’t see what it was until
after the speech and it turns out the that it said, “Nothing Runs Like
a Queere (sic)” and depicted a prancing figure being chased by a mob
brandishing clubs and other obvious implements of destruction. There is no
two ways about this, that shirt was completely disgusting. That shirt was
the exact same thing as one that claimed, “Nothing Burns Like a Jew”
or perhaps, “Nothing Hangs Like a Nigger.”
I am, perhaps, a little sensitive on this subject. I have
actually seen what happens when the “Queere” cannot outrun that
mob. I have a friend that was almost beaten to death because he was homosexual.
I have seen pictures of the titanium he has in his face because he was beaten
so severely that the bones that used to be his cheekbones were completely
destroyed. He is a wonder of plastic surgery, more amazing is there was no
brain damage and they didn’t destroy his eyes when they clubbed him
and left him for dead.
I guess that I am a little sensitive because I met Matthew
Shepard in passing at the University of Wyoming. I don’t recall much
of him at all; I was hanging out with my girlfriend who had a class with him.
He stopped and had a pleasant conversation with everyone. Six months later,
Matthew Shepard was beaten unconscious, driven to the outskirts of Laramie,
doused in gasoline, and set on fire. He lingered in the hospital for a bit
before he mercifully died. The federal government had to protect his family
at the funeral due to bomb threats. Because he was a homosexual.
I’m sure the kid wearing this tee shirt has never had
a friend almost beaten to death or perhaps even knows about what happening
Wyoming. I really don’t give a damn about people that are stupid enough
advertise their ignorance to the world with a shirt like that. The thing that
pisses me off is that this is tolerated. Out of 20+ people listening to this
presentation I was the only one that said anything about his clothing.
This turning a blind eye is disgusting and yet completely
accepted. I realize that this has already happened to blacks, Jews, Arabs,
women, Germans, etc. This is as old as humanity itself, but that shouldn’t
excuse the fact that we are letting this happen yet again. This has nothing
to do with religion or “ick factor” that I hear being spoken of
from time to time. This is about denying civil rights to a person for something
so trivial as a lifestyle choice.
For all the people out there, none of you readers of course,
you are all too hip for that, who believe that gays can be persecuted because
God don’t like it are disgusting as well. If you want to condemn gays
to hell, then you have to be okay with going after every other religion, including
Muslims regardless of any niceties, the Bible is pretty specific on this point.
Then again, if these people actually following what the Bible has to say they
would realize pretty much everyone is doing something considered to be as
bad, if not worse, dogmatically speaking, as being homosexual.
As for gay marriage I don’t want to waste too much time
on this, because it is very straightforward. This is a non-issue and should
not be debated in this country. Marriage, as legislated by the government,
has to allow gay marriage. Any point to the contrary falls upon religious
arguments and is therefore not worth consideration because of the Constitution.
The very same arguments were made against allowing mixed race marriages, but
we no longer acknowledge that in decent company. Come to terms with gay marriage,
it will be coming your state in the very near future.
The only real comfort I can take from any of this is the very
same morons that are creating this homophobia don’t pay any attention
to hating blacks or Jews any longer. I am pretty sure that in a few decades
the whole concept of someone being hated for a sexual preference will be as
foreign a concept as segregated bathrooms. The way this has to stop though
is to no longer tolerate this ignorance. Don’t just let this hatred
pass, stand up and defend everyone’s right to equality or you are just
as bad as the idiot in the shirt. Perhaps worse because at least he was wearing
a warning label.