In response to some of those here that are demonizing me for my responses:
I'm a bit confused by the hostility I feel from some of the responses.
When you demonize others for no good reason, people will respond to
your hostility appropriately. Simple as that.
Perhaps I'm being misunderstood?
I'm afraid not. You're just being understood by people who better understand the consequences of what you say, and care about the damage.
Perhapps I'm misunderstanding the reponses, tho the berating and name calling is downright rude.
Well - and I don't mean to specify you in this - dehumanizing people, and specifically trying to reduce them to playthings for perverts, is beyond rude, it's evil. I refuse to elevate or validate it with the faintest pretense of respect.
I'm straight. I don't understand gay/trans. How could I?
You could ask.
However I think what some are trying to explain is why trans/gays march and "come out" on public media. It's to bring to light persecution and not being accepted by society.
Is that about right?
Yes.
If so I "get it". You could have said so without the name calling and hatred directed at me.
Honestly, I don't recall directing any at you, though there was a rather distracting episode, as you can see.
It's a difficult thing to spot simple ignorance in a sea of genuine bigotry, but if I did say something uncalled for, I will gladly make amends. If you'll refresh my memory, I'll explain and/ or apologize as current context warrants. The mobile site doesn't display post numbers, but page numbers will do.
That's no way to make a point and explain a situation to one that has never experienced that sort of persecution.
I think I'm getting a handle on the points you have been trying to make.
That's truly wonderful. Please, feel free to inquire further.
(... "in a manner befitting a kid-friendly forum" should go without saying, but as others have demonstrated, it doesn't. More's the pity.)
About homsexual relative? My b.i.l. is gay. I like him a lot and his sexuality has never been anything to be an issue about. He's a kind, loving & talented man.
His sexuality has never been talked about between him and I.
Perhaps you should.
Just because I don't understand the politics and social issues as seen by gays is no reason to throw names and ASSUME I am what I am not.
You're quite right.
However, the flip side is that when dealing with people who are genuinely persecuted in a way that you
know you don't understand, it's advisable to approach the discussion in a manner that signals a desire to learn. If instead, you signal that you're one of the persecutors (which I do recall you did, though mildly compared to some), you shouldn't be surprised when the responses follow suit. This is true in all social justice spheres - racism, feminism, religious tolerance, classism....
Maybe I DO accept. Perhaps I misunderstand what YOU mean by "acceptance".
From your will to God's, may it be so.
I want my orientation to be irrelevant to society. Should I ever be blessed with a match that warrants my oath, I want the gender of my beloved to be as irrelevant to the legal status of our union as it was to my ability to love. I want the pride movement to be obsolete, the parades and festivals needed only to commemorate darker times.
I want to stop praying that my beautiful boy will be straight because I can't bear the thought of him experiencing the alienation all queers endure or die of in American society.
My b.i.l. has always been welcome at my home and has been a great help to me in many areas where he exells and I do not. I also help him, we are friend and always have been. What does his sexual perferences have to do with him being my friend & b.i.l.?
That's what acceptance means, but for everyone, all the time.
I think the footware of hatred and bigotry is being worn by you, not me.
Then you truly don't understand. Even the passive hatred of this culture drives queers to suicide. Fine upstanding citizens abandon their children to die on the streets, rather than "condone their sin." We are forced to choose between suffocating our authentic selves or placing ourselves in real and constant danger to live true to our Maker's intent.
Some of us can't help hating those who do so much harm - for myself, I see no reason to try. It may seem unenlightened to many, but my own faith celebrates the darkness along with the light. Like fire, hatred can consume the holder, but it can also fuel the holy rage that holds the power to transform the world.
Regardless, one should not conflate defiance with bigotry. It isn't assault to hit back.
We all are, in this age. There's too much knowledge for any human to hold. The only shame is in refusing to learn when given the chance.
