LTTE Fire Mission for my GLBT friends - San Diego Union-Tribune Op-Ed by Roy Dixon

[slackmaster]

This 'tard who promoted Proposition 8 repeats the "it's a choice" meme and deserves to be edumacated. I quote the key paragraph below, please read the whole piece, and let 'er rip!

A way to keep marriage holy and sacred

By Roy Dixon
December 4, 2008

...Homosexuality is not a race, gender, religion issue. It's about choice and behavior. Everyone has encountered discrimination, because of the way they are shaped, the way they talk or even the color of their skin. Homosexuals were not born that way. They choose to like the same sex....

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20081204/news_lz1e4dixon.html

Letters contact = [e-mail]

Take care!

slackmaster out

[BOSSHOG]

1. Choice or born that way relative to homosexuals is totally irrelevant

The issue is poorly educated evangelical trash who choose to hate in the name of Jesus Christ and attempt to use codification against people they hate in the land of the free.

"They" weren't born that way, they go to church, listen to preachers, they listen to right wing radio and "choose" to intensely hate others.

[slackmaster]

2. Yes, and the cure for igorance is to shine the light of knowledge on it

Make them think hard about what the guy is saying.

My LTTE said that Dixon should share with us his personal experience of "choosing" to be heterosexual, since he is an authority on the subject.

;-)

[bluedawg12]

3. The reason they keep arping on choice has to do with law and courts, as a minority

gay's have legal standing, if we are just a lifestlye we don't.

That's why it really does matter.

[Nightflurry]

4. That's a great point.

You can refuse service to someone for not wearing a shirt in your restaurant, because that's a choice they've made. You can't refuse service based on being a minority though.

I hadn't thought of it like that.

[bluedawg12]

5. Yup, that's why they keep using the term "choice" over and over

it may be part of their efforts with the Cal. Supreme Court, as well.

I think they must be getting some rw memo, weekly.

[Nightflurry]

6. We really need

We really need sexual orientation added to nondiscrimination provisions just as race, national origin, and religion are.

Well, I guess we need a LOT of things but I think that's probably an easier first goal to achieve than some others, at least.

[readmoreoften]

7. Well, that's what we've been working on for about two decades.

But the fundamentalists are well-funded and "don't you love your children?" is stronger propaganda than "equality and justice" to a population with an ever-shorter attention span.

[Nightflurry]

8. Yeah, I'm painfully aware

I'm on the team, so to speak. And almost my entire family is comprised of super fundies so I know how hard that battle can be. Honestly they'll never in their lifetime accept equal rights for LGBT people, at least not the hardcore ones in my family.

It's only a matter of time though. I wonder, when we finally get our equal rights who the next minority will be that gets scapegoated?

[bluedawg12]

9. It is exactly because we know that fundy's won't accept gay rights that we appeal to the law

that's why out reach is nice, but, it won't get us legal rights.

As we all know, DarthCheney knows Mary Cheney very well and even says he loves her and supports her, yet, he was sceond in command of a party that hates us.

Newton gingrich has a gay sister, and yet, her "outreach" hasn't sunk in and stopped him from open bigotry towards gays.

How many people said, "Oh, I have gay friends and love them dearly, but...I voted yes to Hate8?"

Nor will popularity contests, like voting on propositions having to do with human rights get us anywhere - viz a viz PropHate8.

Hell, our own party, Dems, are in the midst of waffling in NY on proposing a gay marriage law in thier State for 2009, it seems, (once again) "it is not the right time."

That's why I don't put my energy and resources into swaying the ones who are cemented in their ideas, whereas, we can get more done by maintaining our legal position via the Courts as a protected minority.

What I have learned since PropHate8 and by hanging out here on GLBTQ DU is that human rights should not be left up to the tyranny of the majority and gay rights are minority rights and they are human rights.

[Nightflurry]

10. I had a crazy idea the other week.

I was talking with a friend about Prop 8. I told him we should start a ballot proposal to ban marriage between heterosexual people, or people with different colored eyes, or something similar. I can about guarantee you some court would step in and stop it. That would at least give us a precedent to work with though.

There's no way people should be allowed to vote on the rights of other people. I really think if we started pushing votes on other rights (in a ridiculous way that'd never work) that we'd start getting rulings that you can't make such constitutional amendments.

Obviously I'm grossly oversimplifying things but we do have to find a way to stop the voting on people's rights. It's beyond absurd.

Prop 8 has made the biggest splash, but other blue states have enacted same sex marriage bans as well. the Democratic party won't do this for us I don't think.

[bluedawg12]

11. If simply being a Dem issue was sufficient, then, PropHate8 would have sank

into the Pacific.

Rachel Maddow mentioned last night that latest analysis of the yes Hate8 voters and educational level cut across all lines, also older voters were significant and of course the repig faithful went something like 80% in favor of Hate8.

It will take motivated, focused and relentless gay activism, court battles, funding for legal action and of course, any allies are always welcome.

The gay community has been fired up and the inter net has taken away the past tactic of keeping gays feeling threatened and isolated. One can live in SF, NY or some remote small town and still get instant news, donate money, write emails to newspapers, pols there is strength in numbers and the inter net gives us vast numbers.

[readmoreoften]

12. I'm not convinced it's a matter of time, really.

Maybe it will be a matter of time until we get 51%. But there will be a hardcore, well-funded 40% organizing against us and manipulating public opinion for a long time. I think solidarity with other movements--labor, in particular--would do us mounds of good. But that's just me.

[bluedawg12]

13. Political coalitions and solidarity make a lot of sense and labor seems friendly to gays.

Sadly, looking at the GM hearings today, and some comments from pundits labor is not getting a lot of national support.

[readmoreoften]

14. For us, it's always been a matter of support "from below" and that's the kind of support

that labor will enjoy soon enough. To hell with union presidents and lobbyists, rank and file workers are the ones who are going to have to make the difference.

[bluedawg12]

16. Hopefully they have played out their hand with labor and culture wars, as jobless rates sore

and the economy is in shambles.

As we were just mentioning in another thread here, as people get to know us one on one, they can learn that we are human and don't fit stupid over the top stereotypes and lies about us. I know I have spoken against outreach, as in appraoaching acceptance by being "liked" as gays. Rather, I support the idea that we stand tall and proud, look people in the eye and communicate about issues of mutual concern, funny how prejudice can sometimes fade when people see us as real people, with real lives, jobs, families and bills...just like them.

I guess it's a two pronged battle, as a political movement. I am in favor of Court action for hard core written- -on - paper legal rights and no more "beauty contests" about our rights via popularity votes, but the second aspect is our day to day lives and the people we meet, that can spread the good message as well.

You know, I really like this forum in particular and DU in general, I learn a lot.

Thank you.

[slackmaster]

15. Yes, that is precisely the reason it is important

Most people do believe in their hearts that people should not be discriminated against because of things they did not choose and cannot change.

My LTTE didn't get into the Friday edition. I'm hoping there will be a flood of them on Sunday.

[bluedawg12]

17. First of all, good for you for trying and writing it!!! And, already public opinion

has shifted and many say Hate8 would not pass today.

I agree, people for the most part don't like to feed on hate as a daily diet, that's why church's have to work so hard to keep indoctrinating people on a weekly basis, lest the congregation lapse into loving their neightbor.

Let us know if your letter makes it. :fistbump: