LEAVE GAY PEOPLE ALONE!

Religion should not dictate or influence policies on social issues.  Belonging and believing in religious doctrine is a choice and should remain in people’s homes.  When individuals try to influence their beliefs in order to deny others privileges and rights that everyone is entitled to is absolutely wrong. 

I support everyone’s right to express their ideas and to voice their opinions but when you try to instill your personal religious beliefs to preach hate – I draw the line.  Many preacher’s or religious leaders from various religions continue to discriminate against the LGBT community and they continue to spread outrageous claims based on their religious beliefs.  Here are some examples – with my rebuttals in red:

“As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must recruit our children.” – Anita Bryant

Homosexuals everywhere are devising plans to kidnap as many children as we can to teach and force them to become gay so we can build our armies and take over the world.  As a mother, Ms. Bryant should have been more concerned about teaching her children how to spread love, compassion and kindness into the world – not hate and intolerance. 

“If the world accepts homosexuality as its norm and if it moves the entire world in that regard, the whole world is then going to be sitting like Sodom and Gomorrah before a Holy God.” – Pat Robertson

Mr. Robertson’s beliefs are not the same as everyone else’s beliefs.  I know many ‘straight’ people who accept ALL people for who they are.  There are great kind, generous and loving people who happen to be gay…and then there are ignorant, hateful and judgemental people who claim to be Christian.  If Pat Robertson (and so many other religious leaders, preachers, pastors, etc) believe their religious ideologies/doctrine, then they should stay silent regarding their obsession with homosexuality and let their God make His judgement Himself.

“Don’t misunderstand. I am not here bashing people who are homosexuals, who are lesbians, who are bisexual, who are transgender. We need to have profound compassion for people who are dealing with the very real issue of sexual dysfunction in their life and sexual identity disorders.” – Senator Michele Bachmann 

When you make a generalized statement that homosexuals, lesbians, bisexual and transgender individuals have a sexual dysfunction and sexual identity disorders – you are bashing them.  I didn’t wake up one morning and decide, “I think I’ll have an emotional and sexual relationship with a man today.”, because if I did – then that would suggest that anyone can make that same decision.  I wasn’t born with a disorder, I didn’t decide to become gay, I wasn’t influenced to become gay – I was born as is. 

“Let’s say we discover the gene that says the kid’s gonna be gay. How many parents, if they knew before the kid was gonna be born, [that he] was gonna be gay, they would take the pregnancy to term? Well, you don’t know but let’s say half of them said, “Oh, no, I don’t wanna do that to a kid.” [Then the] gay community finds out about this. The gay community would do the fastest 180 and become pro-life faster than anybody you’ve ever seen.  They’d be so against abortion if it was discovered that you could abort what you knew were gonna be gay babies.” – Rush Limbaugh

I wonder if Rush Limbaugh would feel the same way if they discovered a gene that would suggest a child would be born sexist, racist, homophobic and ignorant.  Mr. Limbaugh has made countless and offensive remarks about women, minorities and homosexuals and justified them by saying he’s a comedian….I don’t think comedians become comedians to justify and spread their hate.

“Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong. Sin becomes fine,” he later added. “Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.” – Phil Robertson (Duck Dynasty)

Comparing homosexuality with bestiality….why do these God-fearing men and women always make this comparison.  As I proud gay man – I have no desire to have sexual inter-course with any animal and I don’t know any other gay person who feels the same.  Why the obsession with homosexuality, bestiality and adultery Phil?  Creating controversy that instills hate in order to increase viewership and financially benefit is irresponsible and not very Christian, is it?

If these so-called “Christians” like Pat Robertson, Maggie Gallagher, Brian Brown, Phil Robertson, Michele Bachmann, Bryan Fischer and so many other judgemental individuals focused on issues that would promote love, kindness and compassion into the world, imagine how much more supportive, inclusive, loving and kind people would be?  If organizations such as the American Family Association or National Organization for Marriage tackled issues of homelessness and poverty imagine the lives that would be changed.  Religious leaders need to re-focus and declare war on human rights violations, income inequality, domestic abuse, destruction of the environment, greed, gang violence, sexual eduction, rape and so many other issues of importance that will ensure positive outcomes.  From my understanding, God’s message is to support love, compassion and kindness – His message wasn’t to spread ignorance, hate and incite violence on those who are different or have different belief systems.

Larry Tomczak, anti-gay pastor, has recently made comments about the film, Foxcatcher, directed by Bennett Miller and starring Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum as well as the Ellen Degeneres show, American Idol, Glee and Two And A Half Men of being part of Hollywood’s gay agenda.  He also said professional NFL football athlete Michael Sam was a “castaway” for coming out.  Tomczak also suggested that gay advocacy groups were trying to push their gay agenda on children.  Ellen Degeneres addresses Larry’s ignorant views in a very eloquent and humorous way:

You may ask yourself why I’m writing a blog that has seems to be somewhat negative…my intention in writing this blog is to create awareness of those who may instill their ignorant views on others.  This blog is a means of providing a different view-point – and considering the subject – who do you believe has the most knowledge of the subject of homosexuality, those who make ignorant and biased statements or a homosexual?  Creating positive change in the world won’t happen with hate, ignorance and judgement – it comes from love, compassion and truth.

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

GAY – THE GOOD and THE BAD

Here are some great ‘coming out’ videos……..enjoy and celebrate the diversity in everyone!

And here are some of those who don’t want people to be treated equally both due to the biases they hold regarding those who are born different from them:

Joy Behar makes a great point as I have said many times before – if ‘gays’ can pray the gay away – couldn’t straight people pray the straight away???? 

Bryan Fischer makes false statements and uses debunked research about homosexuality and same-sex families.

This is what the anti-gay legislation in Russia (and anywhere) leads to – violence against people who are deemed different because of being born gay and based on religious bias.  These kidnaps are becoming more common due to countries openly stating that ‘homosexuality is an abomination’.

People need to come together to fight against those who continue to repress those who they consider to be different from the “normal”…..being born black, a woman, or with a preference to the same-sex is not receive to incite violence against them.  People continue to hide behind their religious doctrines to incite this violence and to perpetuate this cycle of ignorance.   Think about this – what would you do if this was your friend or son, your daughter, your brother or sister or even your mother or father?

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

 

 

 

JASON COLLINS IS GAY!

I am sure that many have heard the news that pro NBA player – Jason Collins has proclaimed that he is gay!  Here are comments that people have made about this news:

“I’m proud to call Jason Collins a friend.” – Bill Clinton (via twitter)

“When I see you I’m gonna hug your knees so hard.” – Ellen Degeneres

“This is what role models are made of.  Here’s to a time when it’s no big deal.” – Ricky Gervais (via twitter)

“Thank you for not being afraid to speak up and speak out.  Thank you for your courage.” – Representative John Lewis (via twitter)

“Hey @JasonCollins34 I’m still gayer than you!” – Rupaul (via twitter)

“So proud of you, Jason Collins!  This is a huge step forward for our country.  We’ve got your back!” – Michelle Obama, FLOTUS (via twitter)

“Collins has led the way to freedom. Yes, freedom — because that closet is completely and utterly suffocating. It’s only when you come out that you can breathe properly. It’s only when you come out that you can be exactly who you are. Collins’ action will save lives. This is no exaggeration: Fully one-third of suicides among teenagers occur because of their sexuality. Collins will truly affect lives, too. Millions of kids will see that it is OK to be gay. No need for shame, no need for embarrassment, no need for hiding” – Martina Navratilova (Sports Illustrated column)  – Martina came out in 1981 at the height of her pro-tennis career.

Not all of the news was positive though…..here are what non-supporters have said (again, hiding behind religion to justify their bigotry and ignorance):

“Personally, I don’t believe that you can live an openly homosexual lifestyle or an openly, like premarital sex between heterosexuals. If you’re openly living that type of lifestyle, then the Bible says you know them by their fruits. It says that, you know, that’s a sin. If you’re openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be, not just homosexuality, whatever it maybe, I believe that’s walking in open rebellion to God and to Jesus Christ. So I would not characterize that person as a Christian because I don’t think the bible would characterize them as a Christian.” – ESPN sportscaster Chris Broussard

“I will guarantee you if the ownership of whatever team is thinking about bringing him back or thinking about trading for him – and they go to the players on that team and they say ‘how do you feel about an out, active homosexual being in the same locker room sharing the same shower facilities with you’ they’d say ‘no way. I don’t want that. I don’t want some guy, a teammate eyeballin’ me in the shower and my wife does not want that.” –  Bryan Fischer (AFA – America Family Association)

Here is Jason Collins first interview after ‘coming out’ on Good Morning America:

I focused on the positive comments because it is that feedback that matters.  Those who make negative comments are hiding behind their fear of what they don’t want to understand.   Some of my (gay) friends have made comments such as;  “big deal, there are many courageous individuals that are not in the public eye that ‘come out’ every day and don’t even receive half as much attention”.  Yes, many individuals come out everyday – which is also great.  However, it is not everyday where a pro-athlete decides to risk their future career by announcing to the world they are homosexual.  Jason Collins coming out IS a big deal.  As Martina Navratilova indicated in her Sports Illustrated column (see comments above).  In addition to this giving our LGBT youth the courage and strength to come out and live their true authentic lives – it may also inspire other pro-athletes to stop denying their right to live their true authentic selves.

Looking back – I wonder how much earlier I would have come out had some of my role-models made such an important and public statement.  Never-the-less, Jason Collins news is wonderful, inspiring and important for reasons that heterosexuals may not understand.  One such reason is that gay youth, men and women may not feel a disconnect and alone when there is such a high-profile role model in the public eye and that there are others that are just like them.

Jason Collins did not come out to seek attention – he come out to truly live his authentic life and in doing so, has probably saved the lives of so many who are struggling with their own sexuality.

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!