Alright, before you get flaming mad at old Meeker here......I better explain. The Meeker has no problems with the homosexual community. I am one proud straight man who just happened to sit as President of the Diversity Council at Auburn University. I have no ill will for any group....well maybe a few, but the Gay folks are not one of them. I have known a couple of alternative lifestyle people over my life and every one was great! Some were low key while others were the first to sport a pink boa and dance on a table top. The point is that in my experience the 2 sides of the lifestyle coin seem to interact the same as if they were friends with different musical taste. Yes I am a Clay Aiken fan! So I have to ask........
Don't you think the GAY RIGHTS campaign has run its course. The gay community has marketed over the last decade better than Coke or Pepsi. They have overcome public fear in the 90's like Tylenol and poison pills. Their rainbow color flag push has netted them with one of the most recognizable color combinations second only to NASCAR paint schemes. They have managed to turn the word gay into something nobody even pays attention to. I mean a closet is no longer a place to store your clothes, its an entrance ramp to celebrity status.
Lets face it, they have managed to carve out a nice chunk of society. When people thought of San Fransisco 15 years ago, it was "fairy" land and leather shops selling gimp outfits. Now when you think of San Fran and its the place everyone would like to live. It's high dollar property, upper class residents, low crime, nice shops, nice people, culture and people who don't wear sweatpants to Walmart. lets get real, the gay community....well is a nice community. If you want nice neighbors...find yourself a gay couple.
Those guys have the the second most powerful day time talk show host in Ellen. Who doesn't like Ellen? We all know Oprah is secretly running the country and Ellen is the vice president. They have American Idol stars, Etheridge, Tracy Chapman, comedians, mayors, actors out the ass and even a few senators...TAP TAP (well lets just leave that part out). People flock to the big screen to see movies like the Birdcage and nobody gets up and leaves when the gay John Wayne walk is performed. Gay is mainstream. Gay is big business. The word "gay" has become a descriptive term for someone who has better style than you, whose house is decorated better than yours, who understands etiquette, who has an appreciation for culture and probably makes more money than you. So what in the world are they fighting for?
I know what you are screaming......MARRIAGE. Well you are right. As much as the world has accepted and embraced the gay community, they still will not give up the grasp of the last thing that keeps the line of demarcation boldly etched. Well they may be fighting to marry but at least they share a similar struggle with the straight females of the world. They fight most of their lives trying to get straight males like the Meeker to the alter. It is just stupid that someone would try to bar a person they have never met, and probably never will, from sharing in something that no one group has a copyright to. All humans deserve the right to marry another human no matter the sex.
So you gay folks only have one hurdle left.....but look at all you have changed along the way. I think it is time for you to say "99% Mission Accomplished". When your front is all about the struggle for rights, it gives the straight community nothing but visions of Richard Simmons in hot pants. If they would adopt more of a "look what we have accomplished" or "Look who we are" approach it would remind people of just how much the gay community has contributed to society. Paint them a picture of the people I mentioned above instead of the "hear and queer" gang and that 99% just might hit triple digits.
until next time.......what do I know, I'm just your typical bad dressing, cant match straight guy....."Not that there is anything wrong with that"
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5 comments:
Did you get that last line from Seinfeld?
O my, I am laughing my ass off right now.
Gay folks have come a long way, that is for sure. I know my kids are growing up without prejudice towards same sex couples, they really do not see a committed relationship between a straight couple or a gay couple any differently. This is one of the things I'm actually proud of that I have done with my kids.
However as much as its in the media and there are positive portrayals of homosexuals everywhere, we still have people like Fred Phelps and Mike Huckabee spouting hate, condemnation, and prejudice.
The Christian right is a force to be reckon with when it comes to gay marriage, as we saw when it came to Proposition 8 in California and the significant backing it received from the Church of Latter Day Saints. Recently in the state of Arkansas a law was passed in an effort to prevent gay people from adopting children - there is legislation already in Florida like this.
As long as Christian fundamentalist continue to keep homosexuals from having fundamental rights to create families, have legally defined relationships entitling them to the same benefits that I, as a straight person have with my spouse, there needs to be a continuous voice from the gay community and their supporters. We either all get the same rights or we don't, the constitution didn't distinguish between straight and gay people. While I am sure some constitutionalist will argue that, I just say watch your step because the founding fathers wore wigs and makeup and belonged to secret societies and who knows what else they were doing.
I'm sure someone reading this is probably thinking I am just some humanist, but let me say I am a Jesus loving, progressive Christian and last I checked he was pretty silent on the subject. So until JC says otherwise, I am going to continue to embrace the gay community, support them, fight the good fight and continue to make change in my small part of the world.
Unfortunately a lot of gay people are still living in the closet, they still live in fear of getting terrorized and humiliated, and treated unfairly. They are not welcome in the majority of churches and often shunned by their families. The mission is hardly 99% complete, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that maybe at least my kids will see it in their lifetime.
Damn, I write comments longer than your posts.
LOL
Being on the Christian right, I have tried to look at all sides of this issue. I probably can't express my thoughts clearly, but I give it a go.
I think God was clear and the Christian term known as "marriage" is between a man and a woman. That said, it should be recognized as a religious ceremony based on a church's dictum. The government should provide a legal avenue.
When I'm President, all unions will be contractual agreements and divorce will NOT be an attractive option. If you choose to become "one" and especially if you bring in children, then that choice should bear enforceable stipulations to protect the family over one spouse's "quest for happiness". Bah!
I have to disagree on the "JC never said anything about it". The Bible is more than clear on the subject.
let people make their life choice and then pay the consequences.
Jesus didn't say anything about homosexuals. Now there are seven references made about homosexuality in the Bible, or what appears to be said about homosexuality, I say folks need to dig a little deeper.
You won't find this book at any of our local libraries because I checked yesterday but its a good read. Jesus, The Bible and Homosexuality: Explode the myths, Heal the Church by Jack Rogers. A documentary to get you thinking is For The Bible Tells Me So on the same subject. Sadly not many people are going to get a concordance, dig deep in theology, and sink their teeth in the etymology of scripture - they would rather listen to men and take it at face value.
However, I will say that Kim is not one of these people. :) And I actually agree with her, marriage is a religious ceremony and civil union should be the legal right for all. Gays are getting married in religious/spiritual ceremonies all across America, they just want legal recognition for their union. I'm a firm believer in the separation of church and state.
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