A bigot’s guide to life: 2006 edition

As Ang Lee’s controversial new film “Brokeback Mountain” dominates this awards season, the issue of gay marriage, placed on a temporary back-burner, is once again a primary point of discussion on talk shows as well as 3 AM debate at any Waffle House.

This critically acclaimed film has been banned throughout many of the nation’s theaters.

First off, is any aspect of homosexuality still such a taboo topic in 2006? By now, most of us have openly gay friends and relatives, few television sitcoms are without token gay characters, and believe it or not, most Americans admit they really don’t care what others do in their own bedrooms or rainbow-decaled bars anymore. But these strides in tolerance only go so far as proved by the battle over same-sex wedding vows.

Reminiscent of the struggle of Black Americans, acceptance is granted just as long as they remain in their place. Where’s the separate but equal?

Few people these days will be candid about hating certain groups based on their sexual inclinations-it’s so pass?. So where do hate-mongers or presidents trying to steer our attention away from real sorrows during an election year seek justification? You guessed it, the Holy Bible.

There are those religious zealots who propose praying for those “inflicted” with homosexuality, and then there are others, such as the Southern Baptist Association who voted to rid the church of gays in the late 90s, somehow selecting one particular group of sinners to chastise. These actions were not truly based on any Bible verse; they were based on hatred, and the Good Book was exploited as a pawn in their game.

Let’s set the record straight, no pun intended. Even we heterosexuals are sick of religion being used as a tool for discrimination. Marriage, with a history of polygamy, abuse, divorce and arrangements based on income is not such a sacred union. Brittney Spears’ 24-hour marriage is the kind of embarrassment that ruins the ideal, not two monogamous who love each other.

It only achieved such sanctity when gay Americans asked for the same rights.

If Bible beaters are going to use religious texts, whose passages also mention stoning disobedient children and defense of slavery, sorry, but they’re just going to have to come up with a better angle, especially since they seem to pick and choose their verses, particularly ignoring “He without sin among him, cast the first stone.”

If they cannot, and it is determined the Bible does in fact condemn same-sex marriage, it doesn’t matter. This is not a theocracy, and it will be a dark day in America when an amendment is made to the Constitution that denies rights rather than grants them.

What is the issue of gay marriage really about: not God, not the sacredness of marriage, but as Denzel put it in “Philadelphia,” this is about “loathing, our fear of homosexuals in this country.”

If gay Americans have the courage to speak up and confess who they are, I wish those conservative Christians who wish to persecute them would have the same and simply say, “What can I say? I hate faggots.” At least that’s just ignorance, not ignorance disguised as God’s final say. Let’s call a spade a spade and a bigot a bigot-it’s 2006.

Brian Shreve
Columnist

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 27 2006. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry