Tuesday, December 23, 2008

So NOT over it

I am really bothered by some things. The top of my list starts with Rick Warren.

I don't get it. How is picking a pastor who is NOT inclusive, being inclusive?

He compared gay people to pedophiles and bestiality. He said that even if it is proven that being gay is biological, that gay people should still resist it, just like people resist being angry or fearful. Then he said that he had gay friends (I'm so sure) that asked him why they can't have multiple partners.

Okay, first off, I want the names of these gay friends. What self-respecting gay person would be friends with this guy? And would then ask him a question that would validate every stereotype that he has about gay people? I want names. Then I want their gay citizenship revoked.

Except, I don't think there are really any gay friends. And I really don't think that they asked him why they can't just have sex with multiple people. I think he made it up to sound like he knows what he's talking about. Because if he said, I don't know any gay people, I'm not friends with any gay people, and I know they all want to have multiple partners, well, who would listen?

Well, unfortunately, people who are looking for a scapegoat, for a person or a people to hate, they listen. He compared them to people who take advantage of other's weaknesses. To pedophilia and bestiality. He compared them to predators. And then a lesbian gets raped in San Francisco for being a lesbian. Can't anyone see the connection?? When you say that someone is not as good as the rest of us, you are dehumanizing them. When someone is less than human, they don't deserve the same rights as you. You get to tell them what to do. You get to make sure they always get less than you. And, as history has shown, sometimes you make lampshades out of them.

Because the slippery slope is not gay marriage. It was the taking away of gay marriage. As soon as it was okay to take away one right that people had, it opened the door to make it easier to take away another right. As long as that door stays open, rights will continue to slip away. When will it be considered too many by the people who are on the sidelines, the people not fighting this oppression? You know who you are. You pass me while I am holding up my sign and you say "It passed. Get over it."

It passed. Get over it.

What kills me is that NO one who says that to me sees the absolute irony in that. If we, as Americans, were to just "get over" whatever was handed to us and not fight for what we believed in, there would still be slavery, women would have no rights, the civil rights movement would never have happened, and heck, we'd still be British subjects! There is no "getting over" oppression. You fight it.

So, I want you to do this. When you feel like all the gay marriage brooha is ridiculous and you feel like we should just shut up, I want you to look in the mirror and imagine that you've just been told that one of your rights was taken away. Imagine you are no longer allowed to marry, that you can't adopt a child, that you can't serve in the armed forces, and that you can be fired from your job. Imagine it's because of the color of your eyes. Not because you are a bad person or because you broke the law, but because of the random coming together of DNA nine months before you were born.

Then I want you to come and tell me how over it you are.

I still want those names.

1 comment:

Tina said...

What a great post!