You fight injustice just as others have done, through the courts, through legislation, by being positive examples instead of warnings. Use of film such as “Philadelphia” have far more and far more POSITIVE impact than loud protests, displays of vulgarity, and outrageous costumes. I live in a very pro gay community and frankly have gone from being an advocate to utterly disgusted because it’s clear that there is a very loud cohort that is militant in providing the most disgusting public displays. If your movement wants to do itself a favor, the repulsive parodies with priestly or religious costumes, the men in rainbow tutus, the leather dudes prancing around in a thong and carrying a bullwhip, and the children dragged along as props are a complete turn off. And if it’s any consolation I feel EXACTLY the same way about the anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church and their protests.
The sodomy laws, although rarely enforced were defanged by Lawrence v Texas. As to the Russian situation, their sodomy laws were overturned as well. The reality is that there were few actual prosecutions of homosexuals for sodomy (or as sometimes the case the term also applied to heterosexuals). Rules regarding contracts, employment and housing have all expanded to allow gays and Lesbians to live in peace.
Now with activism your agenda has forced the military to repeal DADT when in reality those in the military are not supposed to have ANY sexual component as a part of their military service. Making someone’s sexual preferences public is not necessarily a positive move. I predict we will have many more sexual assaults but they will be homosexual in nature. The power of an NCO or an officer over the enlisted is substantial and keeping a lid on one’s sexual interests is a way to prevent this from occurring. We also have a private club (Boy Scouts) pressured to allow openly gay members although again, boy scouts are not supposed to be engaged in ANY sexual activity or sexual talk or sex education. But no mind that DADT worked fine for all scouts, now we have concerns about gay sexual activity encroaching on a club for BOYS…not men BOYS, and single boys at that. Disgusting! Finally we come to marriage which is now a meaningless concept because it is no longer unique but can refer to any arrangement as decided by the individuals and their state. Oh and don’t let me get started about the private businesses sued because they did not want to participate in homosexual events.
You see it’s not the nice gay couple that wants to buy a home or the competent Lesbian that wants to keep her well paying job. It’s about changing society, tossing tradition, ethics and morals, not to mention biology out of the window. My sympathy for your cause decreases every day. You have simply gone too far.
Again, you make my point; PUBLIC demonstrations. If it were a matter of peaceable protests for specific and reasonable (I know, that’s subjective) it would be one thing but unfortunately the passion for the cause often spills over into disruptive and vulgar displays. As to the theory if you don’t want children to see, don’t take them in the area, why should the rights of one group be subverted to the agenda of another? In addition, as you said these protests are in large public areas where people are enjoying a day in the park or downtown. It seems that the rights of a small minority has precedence over the average citizen.
It’s interesting that the anti-gay sentiment is increasing in Russia. I have to wonder, as some posters have noted, if they see what has happened in America and Europe and hope to nip this in the bud. You know the saying, give an inch and they take a mile. I think that is a pretty accurate observation about the homosexual rights movement.
Lisa
to an Army Ranger NCO who was deployed in the wilds of Afghanistan to Marines who were on patrol near the Iraq border.