My missive in honor of national coming out day

My missive in honor of national coming out day

Youth who are perceived as being gay or simply different are killing themselves at an alarming rate.

Gangs in New York who “think” that potential recruits are gay are sexually assaulting their prospects and beating them to a pulp.

Ministers professing to be followers of Jesus Christ indict from the pulpit fanning flames of homophobia and instilling the false belief that sexual minorities make a choice to be what they are and that those who don’t fit the mold of “normality” will burn eternally in the fiery pits of hell.

Politicians refer to gay citizens as fruit loops or call them dysfunctional and maladjusted and a danger to society and an American way of life. But they will hire them to earn them money.

The United States government marginalizes gay people by forcing them to serve in the armed forces in a damaging closeted way by not asking and not telling; and if those doors are opened the service men and women are flung onto the street, no matter what the cost to national security. All the while same sex couples are denied benefits, while they are taxed at a higher rate than their heterosexual counterparts.

The states and federal government refuse to allow people of the same gender, people who love one another to marry all the while the population at large says that we, gay people and other sexual minorities are accused of choosing to be what we are and acting in inappropriate ways. Yet, the divorce rate among heterosexuals is at an all time high and the damage that inflicts on children is routinely ignored.

Visitors to WRAL TV’s web log, lambaste Adam Lambert for being openly gay saying there is no place for him to perform and sing in our culture and some threaten worse. Here is a direct quote from that site; I hate to tell you this but people are not born that way![sic gay] It is an addiction to a deviate sexual lifestyle that is destroying our country. I don't hate the people I hate the lifestyle they promote. God will be the end judge, and they have an opportunity to change their life if they choose to.

It is time, past time in this country and in our society for the unrelenting attack on minorities to stop and for sound reasonable people everywhere to step back and really think about what is driving their bias. The first prudent point that I’d like to make is that it isn’t a LIFESTYLE, so many call it such; it is indeed a LIFE that is being spoken about. To assume that a sexual minority has made some sort of decision to be something that is reviled and hated by huge cross sections of the greater society is illogical and simply hides a greater more deep seated bias.

Then there comes the guised; I don’t hate the sinner, I hate the sin statement, in the WRAL post it is a tad more subtle, “I hate the lifestyle they promote.” God’s commission is to love humanity, all of humanity. What is humanity at its core? Broken. We are all broken and that is what makes us wonderful, beautiful and special. Look at it this way, if we were perfect, if there was nothing to work on then, why do it? Christ came to highlight our broken-ness and to give us something to work to, perfection and a meaningful relationship with God and all of God’s children. So, when from the pulpit, or stage managed stage or a web post, a person verbally punches, then that assaulter is denying love to all aspects of a broken society. Oh if the guy I was matching wits with on WRAL could be so flawless in his life.

To those that profess that gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender people and others have “decided” to be what they are; let’s turn the argument around for one second. Tell me; when did you make a choice to be straight, if you are straight, and I'm assuming you are. Did you make that choice? You will most likely tell me NO, you didn't, that you were BORN that way. I'd believe you too! So if you NEVER made a choice to be heterosexual, what on earth makes you think that others make a choice to be what they are? There is absolutely NO logic in that kind of thinking; or, the other alternative is that you DID make a choice to be heterosexual and that decision would have at least been predicated on the contemplation of HOMOSEXUAL or other experience. So you all decide; those who bash verbally and otherwise; which is it?

So, after contemplating the preceding paragraph, I will expect an automatic rant from those in disagreement with me… that God will be the final judge. To that, I concur. God will indeed judge that what you do to the least you do to me. God will indeed look at the Gospel of Mark where the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and to love one’s neighbors as one loves oneself and God will indeed judge. God will judge in a benevolent and loving way.

I would also like to further point out that painting God as a hateful, vengeance filled psychopath is also very illogical. This God who is going to judge, so loved all of humanity, the sinner and the saint, that God sent God to Earth as Jesus to re-teach people how to love God. Through the narrative of the Hebrew Bible humanity had become entrenched in following rules and not having a relationship with their God, a God who loves every fiber of their being and every “flaw” in their humanity. So, if God so loves humanity it is illogical that God would torture those that God so deeply loves; that logic makes the gift of Christ the Messiah futile.

Those who bash, verbally and otherwise, we’re putting you on notice. The days of name calling, hitting and otherwise bullying are over. We’re here, we’re coming after equal footing with you and we demand to be treated in a fair manner, we know that there is a place for us at the American table and in our churches. We are not going to relent in our push to have don’t ask, don’t tell repealed by the military. We are going to demand equal marriage rights if we chose to marry. We are going to demand respect from and punish at the ballot box any elected official who maligns us. In the workplace we will no longer tolerate derogatory comments and you can expect to see our spouses at work related functions. We will also protect our young, those who are like us who are being pushed and bullied into suicide or who are being tortured and killed.