(BTW, I LOVE this guy!)
Some person then commented on this picture with this:
“How could one be gay and support that bigoted tactless asshole? He has the right to freedom of speech but I also have the right to comment on it.”
Comments like this make me first question the intelligence of the human race, and sadly I question that intelligence quite often. Then the next question; how can one be pro-gay rights yet feel that people that are not pro-gay rights do not have the right to voice their opinion, or, in this case, have a gay person support that freedom of speech! If we as supporters of gay rights – which I completely believe are HUMAN rights – do not support ALL human rights, then is it not true that we then become the bigots?
Phil Robertson expressed his opinion, that was it. An opinion that he has a HUMAN right to have, and to voice. For people that are so intimately aware of bigotry and of having their rights denied them, isn’t it only proper for those people to support the rights of all even more so? There is no “it’s ok for these type of people, but not these type of people” when it comes to human rights – it is something that should be available to everyone – no matter their race, religion, gender, sexual preference or personal beliefs.
I am proud to be a single, Pagan, straight (which is a word I dislike because it infers that people that aren’t straight are crooked, or bent, or not right, but I have no other word that conveys what my intentions are that people will understand) woman that feels that the personal journey that each human takes is the business of that person, and that person only. It is not the business of the government, religious groups or other humans to judge or determine if their journey is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Let us never forget the best line ever written in the Bible (which, of course, is my opinion!):
Luke 6:37: Judge not, and you shall not be judged: condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be forgiven:
Please note that even though this states that we shall be forgiven, I in no way feel that anyone in the LGBT community should be 'forgiven' for being who they are! But, I do believe we should never judge or condemn another person strictly on their sexual preference.
Which segues into my next subject on this touchy topic: Alan Turing. Now, although it is wonderful that the Queen has so graciously pardoned this extraordinary man for being a homosexual, in some ways the very act of pardoning him is a bit of an insult. This man was brilliant, helping to break Nazi Germany’s “unbreakable” Enigma code, invented the electromechanical machine (which was the forerunner of modern computers) and was, by all accounts, a brilliant guy. Yet, he was arrested and chemically castrated in 1952 for having sex with a man. Two years later he committed suicide because of this conviction and castration, and I’m sure because he was treated not as the brilliant man he was and with respect for his inventions and his accomplishments, but because the law said he was ‘bad’, ‘wrong’, ‘indecent’ – Oh wait, not just ‘indecent’, but ‘grossly indecent’!
The reason I feel that this pardon is in some ways an insult is that he has been pardoned 59 years after his death! Now rather than the Queen taking the time to express her respect and gratitude for his brilliant accomplishments, the fact that he was a homosexual has again overshadowed these accomplishments. Is the sexual preference of someone the only thing that defines them? If so, then why am I not completely defined by the fact that I am attracted to men? Why is the sexual preference of someone so important that it overshadows everything they do?
I have quite a few homosexual friends – and as I list some of them here (without their names), you may recognize yourself in my words:
J is an extraordinary chef that has been on many TV shows and is determined that Native American cuisine is a tradition that is not another thing Native Americans around the US will lose, teaching traditional recipes all over the country.
J is a funny, sweet person that makes me laugh and angry, sometimes in the same minute!
L is an excellent nurse that has a heart the size of the world and wants to heal it.
C is a wonderful mother and a grandmother that has kept her family close and safe.
C is probably the one I admire the most. Growing up in a small town, with many small minds, and still holding his head up high and NEVER apologizing for who he was, never showing his fear or uncertainty I'm sure he felt throughout his childhood.
S is a wonderful artist, athlete and an extremely generous guy.
We are human, each and every one of us. To be identified on one aspect of our lives is ‘grossly’ unfair. We all have many accomplishments, many failures and with hope, we will have more. Let us never forget that we are all individual, yet we are all one. We are Human.
Blessed Be
