the homosexual lobby and the right wing agenda

[susanmcgee48176]

You know folks..whether you think lesbians/gays/bisexuals/trans 
people are born or make a choice, I think most people on the list 
would agree that we have civil rights.

There is a wide range of political opinion in the lgbt community. On 
the one hand, we have people who are very political. Some of these 
folks are engaged in fighting for the civil rights of lgbts..others 
are not. Wtihin the range of political people, there is vast 
disagreement about tactics. There are people fighting for legalizing 
lesbian/gay marriage; there are others who feel that this (and 
letting lesbians/gays in the military) are reforms that don't really 
get at the whole moral corruption of our society (YOU know the moral 
corruption that rights illegal wars, ruins the environment, ignores 
global warming, fires prosecutors who won't suborn the law and go 
after political enemies -- THAT moral corruption). Then there are the 
Log Cabin Republicans...who want the Republicans in the U.S. to 
become more lesbian/gay friendly, but who feel strongly that they are 
conservative.
There are a lot of people (like certain legislators who remain 
unnamed) who don't have a choice about their same gender attraction, 
but have internalized the idea that somehow they are miserably, 
lowly, lesser than, immoral, etc. They're miserable, and try to avoid 
exposure by acting more anti-gay than anyone else.

There are a lot of lesbian and gay people who just want to live out 
their lives uninterrupted. A probation officer I know. I coordinate a 
group called Pride Parents -- let's see, this week, the revolutionary 
activity is going to a pumpkin patch/corn maze....last time it was 
sitting around at the park having a potluck watching the children 
play on the jungle gyms....this is a very apolitical group.

There are lesbian and gay male couples in rural America that just 
want to be farmers and be let alone, and usually they are....

Then there are people in big cities who want to party all day and 
into the night (absolutely unlike heterosexual youth or celebrities), 
and frankly, that's never been my type of lifestyle.

So, we're actually quite diverse.

However, the right wing fundies DO have a political agenda...and 
because they've joined a political movement, or adhere to the values 
of a political movement, that's a choice of theirs...

Some of the things you'll notice..

a) Insist that anyone who comes out as lgbt, meaning stating that 
they live with their partner, as someone who is flaunting their 
sexuality and shoving their "lifestyle" down your throats.
Confuse someone mentioning their identity (as in young woman saying 
I've always wanted a big wedding to the right guy) with someone 
talking about explicit sexual acts. 

b) Insist that lgbt families are a threat to the traditional family.
Ignore domestic violence, sexual assault, adultery and divorce. 
That's okay.

c) Focus on the most irresponsible and criminal element of the lgbt 
community and hold that up as reflective of everyone who is lgbt.
Don't let "them" hold up Paris Hilton or Ralph Fiennes (who had 
intercourse with a stewardess in an airplane bathroom) as examples of 
the heterosexual community. That's different, not all HETEROsexual 
people are the same.

d) Frame it as a religious right to be a bigot...the BIBLE says that 
the dark skinned person was the bad guy so it's okay to be 
racist..the BIBLE has slavery, so slavery is okay...if someone 
questions your intolerance, turn it around and tell them intolerance 
is okay if it's part of your religion.

e) Talk about love the sinner but hate the sin, ignoring the fact 
that some lgbt people (like some heterosexual people) are celibate.
But really, don't love the sinner. Be as hateful and nasty as you can 
get away with...

f) When honest among themselves (the right wingers project a lot on 
other people), they talk about how all those Catholic priests really 
were gay, and that's why they molested youth. Talk about how horrible 
and unnatural anal sex is and how it's disgusting (ignore the fact 
that heterosexuals practice anal sex, too, and oral sex, etc.)
Make slimy comments that equate being lgbt with bestiality or 
necrophilia. What's next? Legalizing sex with animals? is what you'll 
hear.

g) Say things like "my best friend in college was gay"....just the 
way people who were racist would say "I'm not a bigot..some of my 
best friends were Black."

h) Always, always always use the term homosexual...they hate that 
because it underlines the idea that they're really sexual. You know 
all they do is hop in and out of bed with each other like rabbits.

i) Ignore dialogue. Keep repeating the same tired cliches again and 
again. God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. Well, you know 
lots of people (not our president) believe in evolution. Even lots of 
religious people. My religious instruction in Christianity said that 
there was no imcompatibility with evolution as long as you believed 
that at some point God gave human beings an immortal soul.

j) For gosh sakes, don't let them humanize themselves as other real 
human beings with complex lives and complex identities. Treat them as 
if their orientation is the only important thing about them.

That's the RIGHT WING agenda....

Susan