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View Full Version : How do we get through to them?


ladyinred
10-15-2006, 09:46 PM
Here is something I just thought about since so much fear and misinformation about GLBT is being spread by the religious right agenda. How can we dispell these fears and bring more understanding and less divisiveness to the straight community. The religious right has promoted the idea that gays are trying to destroy the institution of traditional marriages and trying to convert their children to the lifestyle of homosexuality. They also say we are trying to force acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle down their throats. Here is what gay people may want to emphasize to help dispel fears. A) We are not trying to destroy the foundation of heterosexual marriages, but we recognize and and respect the foundation of these marriages and their family values, nor do we seek to attack heterosexuality. B) We are not forcing or imposing our lifestyle on anybody and aren't trying to convert their children, that is not our aim, but we want respect for our rights as well. Gay marriages or partnerships will not undermine heterosexual marriages and is not a threat to it. I heard one man say if we allow for gay partnerships, it will be a threat to our species because less and less people will reproduce , have children and eventually cause our species to become extinct. As absurd as that accusation is , that is what they are bombarded by , by the churches who support the anti-gay agenda. Here is a few of what I've heard.. Trying to force their lifestyle on our children to accept it as normal.. ( Notice I use the word force, as if we are trying to shove it down their throats,B) trying to convert our children over to the lifestyle C) will promote bestiality and pedophilia,d) Are tryng to undermine and destroy the institution of marriage between man and wife.. and their rights .E) Are undermining family values and are hedonistic and promoting narcism. People are getting all sorts of negative messages from the religious right which will help spread more fear and paranoia...Oh I replied to the man that I mentioned earlier, that gays make up an estimated 10 percent of the population and inspite of that heterosexuals haven't stopped having children . I said consider the fact there are six billion people on the earth, how have gays detered people from having children? I added it is actually more of a threat to a planet as the human race has overpopulated it and our resources are dwindling as more humans take up more space and use up more and more of the earth's resources. Food, air quality, poverty, the environment all these are impacted because we have more people competing for more and more of the earth's resources and it's food and water supply.Gays have no impact on the human race to reproduce and have children and are certainly no threat to it becoming extinct by any means. Such notions are preposterous.. But people are hearing this day in and day out... Another one I heard is gays are carriers of diseases and are spreading it throughout the population. The fact is disease has plagued the whole human race. Cancer, illnesses,stds, other ailments are not uncommon in our society and it is hardly disease free by any means. We have a medical crisis here in the United States for many people who don't have medical insurance and don't have access to medical care . So I guess if a straight person gets aids or a std,or cancer or pneumonia, or other diseases , it is all gays fault right?:rolleyes: How many people use prescription drugs by the way? How can we as a community help dispell fears and bring about more understanding? I don't have all the answers by any means.. But I just wanted to give my view points here.

HarmlessEccentric
10-16-2006, 06:03 AM
As far as I can see, there's only one way to get through to them that will work.

We have to come out, fully, and live good and moral lives. The more of us who do that, the more of the fundamentalists will see that their aunt/cousin/son/friend is gay, and that the rhetoric they are hearing just isn't true about that real person's life.

By allowing the conservatives in our lives to think that they don't know any gay people, we enable them in their bigotry.

That's why I'm slowly but steadily coming out to the people in my life. Because I'm convinced that it is the only thing that will make a difference in our struggle for equality. It is not easy, and I haven't yet done the hardest part- coming out to my fundamentalist family- but I think that hardest step is the one that will do the most good for other gay people

marutidas
10-16-2006, 09:50 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9Qep_w6GBE
Check this out

Rick336
10-16-2006, 10:50 AM
I agree with Harmless. Coming out is the single most important thing we can do. And if you're already out, be active. Write letters to the editor, join in protests, write Op-Ed articles to your newspaper, create a web page, and by all means vote on election day.

An Op-Ed article is an editorial ( usually around 750 words ) that is on the page opposit the newspaper's editorial page. Most newspapers accept Op-Ed articles from their readers as long as the article is based on current events and is well written.

In 1996 I wrote an Op-Ed ariticle for my local newspaper about coming out of the closet. It was printed with my name and photo. I live in a town of about 150,000. I recieved a ton of support and very little criticism.

People gain a lot of respect when they have the courage to stand up for what they believe in. Americans respect courage.

Rick

Jaroslaw99
12-06-2006, 11:30 PM
I agree, coming out and living a moral life is helpful. However, our local Gay paper in Detroit quoted somebody famous and I can't remember who it was! Sorry:

Anyway, he said he used to think visibility was the answer, but now after several years, he is sure that one must engage in "debate" and asking questions. (I'm paraphrasing) - because heterosexuals just do not think about the heterosexual privilege because they don't have to.

A much more radical friend (and I'm not saying I necessarily agree with this) suggested protesting in front of homophobic politicians homes and more. So his or her children are frightened. What are they doing to OUR children hypocritically in the name of the "law" and "morals"? That's his argument at least.

In the final analysis, I don't know if you can really get through to a true believer (evangelical, pentecostal or any of the other various fundamentalist belief systems in particular) because it doesn't require logic, only belief. I have had MANY debates at work. It is maddening. They sound like they listen, they admit they didn't know this or that fact, they answer like they have heard the question, and ultimately, you have gotten absolutely nowhere.

I think ultimately, one needs to definitely vote, write letters, and answer vigorously with facts. When someone makes a remark about "activist" judges, have your facts ready. Here in Michigan, two parent adoption was quietly done in a liberal county with the judge's blessing. One of the State supreme court justices didn't like the practice and without any complaint from anyone, brought the issue before the bench. Doesn't seem like THAT would be legal.