As a gay man I tried to tolerate the fear, loathing and mis-information spewed and spattered from straight men about how un-masculine, how inferior, how un-natural my behavior/being seemed for them. My freedom in being me acting as I wanted to, doing things that defined me seemed for many a straight man scary and intimidating. Prompted by a self serving clergy, energized by select passages from some one's Bible, espoused upon by lay leadership so hypocritical in their do as I say not as I do rhetoric, those straight men managed to have the final say many times on how I lived my life, whether or not I liked the outcome. But then people just like me, almost like me, people who knew people like me and finally me, I had to put my foot down and say stop this madness due solely to your inability to understand or find compassion based on facts and not biased by your passion based on fiction.
And thank goodness the Mattachine Society, the Queens at Stonewall, the Gay and Lesbian Centers, the HRC stepped up and helped take the offensive to protect and defend, something as American, something as God like as human as rights for those of us who happen to be among other adjectives LGBT Americans.
I have a daughter, sisters, aunts and best friends who happen, among other things to be females. As a kid raised in the 50's I was taught by teachers, told by television, and tricked by politicians and the clergy into believing that as females, these women did not deserve the same treatment as men. It was only a few decades prior to the 50's that many of these women were nothing more than chattel and any strides they made were made at the behest of the master, the man.
Then the 60's fell into the history of this nation and incorporating the strides made from The National Woman Suffrage Association and American Women Suffrage Association the 19th Amendment with the impetus of the National Organization for Women the push for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, our daughters, mothers, sisters, aunts and best friends found a voice and as scary as it was for some women who were told by society that a powerful woman was something bad, or men who assumed they knew more about the needs of women, women could finally speak about themselves and for themselves.
And whether it was the Gay Liberation or the Women's Liberation movement, movement was made for two populations considered less than, a mere minority of noisy people, and folks who were bucking all that what written as law in the annuls of religious dogma.
And then sensible men and women, straight and gay decided that in a country based on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, those of true religious beliefs who believed in a God without bias or bigotry, began dialogues and made decisions that would enhance and encourage diversity, slow indeed, but moving.
And then in 2010 the rock was lifted, the dumb found their masters, the wealthy wanted more, the divide between church and state was lessened and those who bothered to vote wanted to vote the bums out without even considering the bums waiting to be voted in. And the Republican/Baggers flourished and pounced upon this country like wild piranha in the Amazon River. And suddenly the deficit was no longer the real reason for change, it was the rights and freedoms of Gays and Women.
Suddenly jobs, jobs, jobs deficit, deficit, deficit were not the harbingers of doom and destruction but men marrying men/women loving women and women wanting control of their reproductive rights were the real renegades of The Great Recession.
We first heard how states are prodding their fearful and frightened lemmings to pass a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage and now the newest boogie man on the block is Planned Parenthood. It seems conjecture trumps truth, and fiction parlays fact, and from the mouths of people who hate women we hear that they and only they know what is good for women and their own bodies. Glenn Beck laughingly states that only prostitutes seeking abortions use the services of Planned Parenthood. And the gang of goons, the dumbest of the dumb on Fox and Friends state with the conviction of crooks and thieves that anyone can go to their local Walgreens and order up a pap smear and breast exam. Senator Kyl of Arizona standing at the podium at the US Senate lied about statistics regarding Planned Parenthood and decided that saying that 90% of the government money going to Planned Parenthood goes to pay for abortions, when in fact 3% help women who seeking abortions counseling and medical care. Senator Kyl, only when he was called on the matter of truth, said that anyone knew he was just supposing the truth, and certainly no one got hurt with him doing so.
What has happened to sane people who know LGBT Americans, who have women in their lives, who only want fair and equal, who desire truth? Where are all of us who find this Republican/Bagger revolution a pure revulsion? When will those who swear they are doing God's work stop holding the real God hostage?
Hey ladies check your Sunday paper for pap smear coupons and breast exam discounts at Walgreens and then how about buying a bridge in Brooklyn.
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