The Truth Behind Anti-Gay Rhetoric September 22, 2006

When anti-gay organizations put out a press release on some issue they find offensive, it is always dressed up by their communications department to sound less hateful and extreme than it actually is. Anti-gay organizations have come up with a number of pleasant soundbites that are thrown out when complicated and important issues face the American public. Here are two of their favorites:

• Equal Rights, Not Special Rights: When communities or states discuss non-discrimination laws for gay and lesbian people, anti-gay organizations will scream and moan about not giving gay people “special rights”, just “equal rights”. Is it a special right for people not to be fired from their jobs because of their sexual orientation? Is it a special right to be able to find housing without worrying about discrimination? Are non-discrimination laws protecting race and religion giving these people special rights? Obviously not… it is called equal protection, but claiming “special rights” sure sounds good doesn’t it?

• Children Deserve a Mother and a Father: In opposing adoption rights for same-sex couples, anti-gay leaders will claim children deserve a mother and a father. Forgetting about the millions of children in single-parent households and the increasing number of single people who adopt, they deny same-sex couples the right to children with this simplistic slogan. Do they oppose single parents adopting children? If so, why don’t they say that? When anti-gay organizations say children deserve a mother and a father, they mean same-sex parents cannot take care of children… they could care less if they actually have a mother and a father.

If there is one thing Republicans and the religious right are good at, it is taking complicated and important issues and boiling them down to meaningless, over-simplified soundbites that ignore reality but sound good to the voting public. They disguise issues Americans would not support with well-tested phrases. No Republicans talk about global warming anymore… it is always “climate change”, because they know it sounds less threatening than the problem actually is. No Republicans will talk about the estate tax, a tax on the super-super-super rich upon their death… it is now called the “death tax”.

Just as Republicans blind Americans to important issues through crafted messages, the anti-gay right has been able to talk about gay and lesbian issues in a way that hides their true feelings. They talk about loving the sinner but hating the sin. They claim to care about gay people and want to help them. But lets look at how the religious right truly feels by grabbing some comments off different posts from this blog.

A comment talking about a lesbian couple who worried about their child when one partner was diagnosed with cancer:

Oh please! Gay people shouldn’t have ANY rights. This country was founded on the principles of God’s Holy Word, which calls homosexuality an ABOMINATION.

A comment talking about the increasing number of Muslim Americans immigrating to the United States and how they could help lessen anti-American sentiment among Muslims:

We don’t owe the muslims ANYTHING. They shouldn’t be in our country, to begin with. Once again, our country was founded on GOD’S HOLY WORD, and I, for one, don’t want other gods in our country. In Bible days, people were killed who didn’t serve the one and true God.

A comment on a post about gay and lesbian people who lost a partner on 9/11:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Everyone who dies in their sins – whether the sin is mistreatment of slaves, adultery, homosexuality, murder, cheating on taxes, malicious gossip, or failure to do good or calling what is evil “good” – will be condemned. There is no special punishment for homosexuals, just the same punishment that all who fail to revere God will suffer. [NewsFitToPost Note: Remember the Bible condones slavery, yet Bible thumpers have realized this is not to be followed, but somehow are sure condemnations of gay people should be.]

Those who acknowledge their sin as the affront it is to a Holy and Righteous God, those who repent and obediently believe in Jesus Christ, those who are transformed by His power, will be saved from Hell by the grace of God and not through their own human merit.

Believe it now, or believe it when it is too late, my friend.

Also from the post on 9/11 is a comment attacking openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson:

Gene Robinson is not devoted to God. If he were, he would have sacrificed his selfish desires and remained faithful to the marriage vow he made to his wife. He would not have committed adultery and he would not have participated in homosexual sex. And most of all, he would not lie to others saying that adultery and homosexual sex are acceptable to God when God Himself has spoken to the contrary. He is not only bound for Hell, he is intent on taking others with him. I pray that he will repent before it is eternally too late…

Finally, homosexuals are not engaging in just one sin. When a man lives in a sin like homosexuality, he is not only sexually sinning, he is often lying to himself and others about what is right/wrong, he is sinning against the persons with whom he has sex and causing them to sin, he is sinning against those he misleads with his example, etc. He is sinning by not worshipping with God’s people, and he is sinning “worse” if he does partake of communion while in an unrepentant state. I could go on, but that makes the point.

These are but a few of the wondrous messages the “loving” extreme-right Christians leave for all of us to read. It is often times difficult stuff to read, but it is important to remember there are many denominations who speak the true word of God: one of inclusiveness, love and support.

There are two excellent video clips on the ridiculousness of the Christian right. The CBS Evening News clip “Evangelical Politics” shows that progressive evangelical Christians are gaining in popularity and hope to stop extreme-right Christians from stealing the religion. Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council acts like a partisan hack who does nothing but sling mud at Christians who aren’t anti-gay, while progressive preacher Jim Wallis speaks of love, helping the poor and tolerance.

Another great video (a must see) is a Daily Show with Jon Stewart clip about ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’. The segment makes the Family Research Institute’s Paul Cameron look like a gay-obsessed nut job, which quite frankly, is exactly what he is. Meanwhile, Bleu Corpas, who was discharged from the military under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, is well-reasoned and intelligent.

Religion is on the side of gay and lesbian people… anti-gay bigots just have a louder voice right now.