Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Prop 8: Why Has Christianity Declared War On Gay People?

It's been a week since Proposition 8 overturned gay marriage in California, and I'm still in shock.  I'm angry too, but more hurt than angry.  I can't understand how supposed "churches" and "men of the cloth" and their followers can spew such hate and still call themselves Christians?  Whatever happened to "Judge not lest ye be judged?" or "Do unto others as you would be done by."
I've been around close to 50 years and still it amazes me the callousness that religious zealots can show when it comes to human rights (and human suffering).  I've read that some in the campaign spread the lie that "Gay marriage would have to be taught in kindergarten."  WHAT?  How can they tell that whopper with a straight face (pun intended)?
Look, I don't live in California, so I have no horse in the race EXCEPT that I thought the country was moving into the 21st Century.  But here's what sticks in my craw:
Any man can impregnate any woman.  No test to see if they even LIKE kids, much less whether they're emotionally qualified or able to provide a stable home.  Straight people get this supposed right without lifting a finger, free and clear.
But gay people, those who helped build human civilization along side their straight companions, have to EARN the right to marry?  Well, then if that's the case, we have ALREADY earned the right, and here's why:
  • Alan Turning - Helped break the Enigma code in WWII, driven to suicide because he was gay.
  • Alexander the Great - You know, conqueror of most of the known world?  Yeah, him.  Greatest general ever seen.  
  • Edward Albee - American playwright who wrote "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
  • Hans Christian Andersen - Children's writer who wrote "The Little Mermaid," "The Ugly Duckling," and others
  • Giorgio Armani - Yeah, the clothes guy.
  • Rock Hudson - The original HUNK.  'Nuff said
  • Clive Barker - Horror king who created the "Hellraiser" series and others.
  • Truman Capote - Wrote the ground-breaking book "In Cold Blood" about the murders of a family in Kansas in the 60's.
  • John "Terry" Dolan - Right-wing political operative who co-founded the National Conservative Political Action Committee during the Reagan years.
And this is just a random sampling.  My point is that we contribute our fair share, and in some cases, more than our fair share.  When the AIDS epidemic hit in the 80's, we pulled together and helped each other because no one was helping us - we were dying and no one cared.
I'm outraged.  What more do we need to do?  Anyone who voted for this measure has no right to call themselves a human being, much less a Christian.