An activist is born

The dark pall hanging over Democratic-leaning DC has affected me at last, I’m officially depressed. Generally depressed because of the election, naturally, but specifically depressed about how Bush’s victory is being credited to “moral values”, whatever the hell that means. To be even more specific, moral values relating to abortion and homosexuality.

Now, I’ve never had an abortion, and will never face the choice to have one, but it IS a choice, and it SHOULD be, and being pro-choice DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE PRO-ABORTION. It is, I would think, and agonizing decision. People don’t just wake up in the morning, jot down their grocery list, and then trot off to the clinic to have an abortion before their morning tennis game. If you really believe there are people like that, then you are a moron, and if there ARE really people like that, then THEY are morons.

Now about the gay thing – well, I just don’t know what to think. I KNOW not all Republicans are Evangelical Christians – in fact, Jet’s father is an atheist, and Mother Rubble is a Lutheran, the most liberal denomination this side of reform Judaism. I know the vast majority of Christians in America would find little in common with the fundamentalist right. But Jesus Christ, what’s going on with these State amendments?

I can understand the touchiness about the word marriage, I really can. I don’t need to have a document that says “marriage” on it. Were that the only issue on the table, I could probably even contentedly go quietly about my life and not bother about it. But these state measures that passed this week are really frightening, from a gay person’s perspective. Most of them not only prevent gay marriage, but prevent civil unions as well (which, remember, President Bush has now come out in favor of). The most strident measures would prevent any two non-related people of the same sex from entering into any legal agreement that, say, dealt with inheritance of property. The people that voted these measures through not only want to keep us from marrying, they want us not to exist, and they want a Biblically-based legal system, whether you cotton to their version of the Bible or not. Ironically, these are the same people who see nothing wrong in toppling theocracies in other parts of the world. Start shakin’, Iran!

Am I being alarmist? Here’s a letter written to the level-headed Andrew Sullivan:

“I wonder if you noticed that yesterday all eleven states that considered the question of gay marriage voted to ban it. ALL ELEVEN. I think this sends a very clear message -- true Americans do not like your kind of homosexual deviants in our country, and we will not tolerate your radical pro-gay agenda trying to force our children to adopt your homosexual lifestyle. You should be EXTREMELY GRATEFUL that we even let you write a very public and influential blog, instead of suppressing your treasonous views (as I would prefer). But I'm sure someone like yourself would consider me just an "extremist" that you don't need to worry about. Well you are wrong -- I'm not just an extremist, I am a real American, and you should be worried because eleven states yesterday proved that there are millions more just like me who will not let you impose your radical agenda on our country."

What the fuck?

The calm, reasoned response: What did gay people ever do to you? Here’s my “agenda” for today, if you want to label it “radical” and “gay”, go right ahead:

6:30: Wake up
6:45: Iron clothes for work
7:20: Shower
7:50 Leave
8:30-4:15 – Work at first job
4:15 – leave for second job (which I need to have in order to pay all my bills)
8:00 – arrive home, walk dog
8:30 – make and eat dinner
9:00-10:30 – watch TV (because I have no disposable income to go out and do something fun, and I’m too tired anyway)
10:30 – greet Jet as he comes home from HIS second job, give him a peck on the cheek before he going to sleep to start over again tomorrow

Radical, isn’t it? It’s true, I am eager to impose my agenda on the whole country, the whole world, in fact. I want to force children everywhere to live my swinging lifestyle of WORKING TWO JOBS AND HAVING NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT.

The angry, radical response: Listen up, fundamentalists. I am gay. I am a Christian. I have taught your children, and will continue to do so. I have been employed in churches of any denomination you could name. I was not the only gay employee, I was not even the only openly gay employee, and guess what? The church leadership doesn’t care. They will allow you to believe they care, so they can have your attendance and money, but once you work your way up the church hierarchy homosexuality loses it’s importance, as it should, since it has abso-fucking-lutely nothing to do with how we do our jobs. We are in every segment of society, every branch of the military, every firehouse and police station and restaurant and school and Wal-Mart and guess what? We are invisible. You’ll never know when we might accidentally brush up against you, or serve you dinner, or sell you a car, or (*gasp*) look at your ass when you’re jogging through the park. And whether you say so or not, I am married in the eyes of God, to someone of the same sex, and there’s nothing you can do about it. And my marriage is built on respect and love and commitment, not on societal support or tax breaks. And guess what else – Karl Rove and the neo-cons are going to cut you loose the second you cease to be useful, which would be about NOW, since Bush has won the election (and, I repeat for emphasis, come out in support of gay civil unions). So keep pushing for that theocracy, won’t you? The last time an Imperial Superpower decided to become a Christian Nation, we called it the Dark Ages. Enjoy.

The rest of you? When you go and vote for these sorts of things, read them VERY CAREFULLY. If you earnestly, in your heart, have a problem with two men being together and calling themselves married, and the semantics is your only bone of contention, then I can meet you halfway. If, however, you care so much about what I do in my own home that you would enact legislation to prevent me from doing whatever it is you imagine I'm doing, then I think we might have a problem.

And those of you who are sensible and fair minded, apparently we've seen that being sensible and fair-minded isn't enough, maybe. When you hear hatred spewed, whether against you or your neighbor, stand against it in thought, word and deed.

Well, there, that wasn’t as hateful as I thought it would be.

Now, a couple of cogent points from our loyal readers.

Debritaconsuela (a native Buckeye, as am I): All this scuttle about how Bush won because of "moral values" just has me stymied. You can run, you can hide, but you cannot escape the hillbillies. What is a nation to do? How does a nation with such great freedom ever get to a point where great thinkers are able to exhibit high mindedness, and cultural promotion? How can the greatest nation on earth evolve if voters do not allow higher thinking to be exhibited in our campaigns? I left my tiny rural town in Southeastern Ohio many years ago to escape the ridiculous rhetoric of uneducated, bigoted, small-minded people. And now over 50% of our people are happy to be led by the King of Small Mindedness. Ugh. Europe anyone?

Europe doesn't want us, sorry to say. Go take a gander at the BBC News Message Boards.

23Skidoo relays a message from her brother, a Southern Progressive Christian: We have got to start showing that it is not the Christian thing to do to say, "it's my money not the govenrment's." According to the Bible, we are given everything by God. It's God's money, that's why you Tithe and that's why you share it. I really think we let Christians off by letting them claim the moral high road. Democrats need to do a better job of educating. There's nobody getting the actual message of the democratic party out in the South. It's the recycled crap you hear on crossfire. I mean the actual stuff verbatim.

Hear, hear. Mobilize, brother, mobilize. I echo Skidoo’s summation that "we can win the morality debate if we engage in it."

And finally, a nice wrap-up from Little Friend of LSBB: Ohioans are insane. Right on, girlfriend!