Gays told to go to hell. My feeling on the appropriate response is here. After watching the the news today tell me - am I right or wrong? Do this: focus on coverage of reaction in the gay community today, then tell me -would non violent, calm, stoic, non compliant protest be better or not? Is it time or not? Will another round of marches and candlelight vigils make on damn bit of difference? I think not. We need a visionary, brave new voice in this debate. A grown up. Is another ballot fight worth it? It is a must to repeal prop 8. but unless combined with consistent moral action it is dangerous, expensive and may well fail. 2010 will be a conservative year. Those who are on the wrong side of this issue have piles of money. I will support the Prop when it comes , but unless the campaign is smart and can tap a big cash flow- it will go down. The Mormon church and many others are perfectly willing to spend huge amounts to make sure gays remain second class, degraded citizens.
Dr. King, we have a problem. I REPEAT AGAIN: we cannot flinch from the gay/black fissure.
We've got to pray for grace. (Yes, I have been - if you must know.) But we can't shove it under the carpet.
A note on something that bothers me about this fight: A person in the piece linked above says: "I was born black. I can't change that," said Culver City resident Bilson Davis, 57, who voted for Proposition 8. "They weren't born gay; they chose it," he added, reflecting a commonly held belief that many researchers dispute.
Thinking out of the box a weeeeee, little, tiny bit- regarding this choice/biology argument:
1. It is important and I am glad it is being researched. Homosexual behaviour among some members of a species is apparently quite normal in most vertebrates. Good for the giraffes!
2. It does not matter. So what if one "chooses" it? Why can't one choose "it"? There is nothing wrong with "it". There is subtle homophobia at play when gay rights advocates yell too hard about orientation and lack of choice. I have no doubt that some people are hardwired gay and some straight - but that is beside most of the point. Is there something less worthy about an adult who freely CHOOSES a same sex partner, for whatever reason, than there is with a gay man or lesbian hardwired for homosexuality?
Nope. People are fascinating and complicated. Thanks be to God - and/or Darwin!
The subtext is "Well, of course, I'd be heterosexual - if I could." The sub subtext of that being "straight is normal, therefore better. I am not normal, therefore worse." When if fact being gay or straight or bi - whether chosen freely or not - are all apparently very normal expressions of sexuality.
Some Photos, mostly from a large rally in Los Angeles last night, sent in by a reader.
Finally: The President-elect needs to speak up on this now.
California high court set to rule on gay marriage.
San Francisco city officials and civil rights groups then challenged a state family code law that restricts marriage to a man and a woman, as well as a 2000 voter-approved ballot initiative that defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. A San Francisco trial judge declared the ban unconstitutional, but a divided state appeals court in 2006 upheld the law, concluding that it is up to the voters or Legislature to legalize same-sex marriage, not judges. The justices appeared divided on the issuemore
