Ahhhhh, now I'm with you. It's clear that there is a strong emotional drive behind your work in this area, and now that I know where it comes from it makes sense. It is ALWAYS different when dealing with something that has actually happened to you, even more than witnessing it from nearby. It never ceases to amaze me how enraged and physically shaking I become when people advocate against housing protections for LGBT people, saying things like, 'Oh, it never happens, they never get evicted," or worse, saying it's okay if we do get tossed onto the streets - why? Because it happened to me. I get incredibly riled up. My legs shake hearing it even if I'm sitting down.
Omigosh Joe, TWICE a victim of violent crime? That must be SO traumatic! I'm so so sorry! Obviously you're a tough person to have survived, and even tougher to be dealing with the roots of the problem and facing it every single day in your activism. Takes some real guts. You are correct in that talk like what comes from the extreme right is what fuels the anti-gay hate crime. And S.B. is still far too misled as to the nature of gay sexuality to be teaching about it, his own (limited, though dramatic) personal experiences aside - inviting hate groups to "minister" to homosexuals should be an obvious No-No. Alas.
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