If right-wingers are such violent and hateful "Bigots-Racists-Homophobes" (because you can't have one without the other two, evidently) while the left are such peaceable and loving human beings... why is it that groups who opposed California's Proposition 8 were the ones marching and gloating around Temple Square in Salt Lake City? Similar groups, incidentally, targeted and disrupted LDS Church meetings, picketed around Church property and even defaced the wall around the Los Angeles LDS Temple during the election in 2008 - not to mention harassing LDS missionaries, of which I was one at the time in Florida (let me tell you - it's not fun to go up and talk to someone only to have him scream in your face that he's [effing] gay and he sucks a lot of d***. Yes, your behavior makes me sympathize with you even more. Really classy there, friend).
How many states had the same sort of initiative and voted to ban gay marriage? Florida had theirs the same time as California (I know this because I saw a ton of "Yes on 2" signs in yards on my mission during the 2008 election season) and they also voted to ban gay marriage. As far as I know, the LDS Church was been involved in all these elections where gay marriage has been on the ballot because the Church is in every state in the country - it's one of the few issues the Church doesn't stay neutral on. They do speak out on moral issues and issues that will possibly affect how members can practice their religion, which gay marriage encompasses both.
I'm all for tolerance and respect, but the door swings both ways here. I've known plenty of GLBT people who are reasonable, decent, hardworking (not to mention funny) people. I didn't try to convert them to my way of thinking and they didn't try to convert me to theirs and we got along just fine. We just stuck to topics we knew we'd all agree on and kept things friendly and respectful (it can be done, folks). They also didn't insist that I be friends with them just because of their sexual orientation - which is how it should be. I don't insist that everyone absolutely love me because I'm female or because I'm Mormon (well, I guess that last one wouldn't really hold water anywhere anyway - we Mormons are kind of easy targets. I blame the Osmonds). I expect to earn someone's respect based on my character and integrity and I try to treat others the same way - gay, lesbian, straight, black, white, liberal, conservative, Laker fan, whatever (although we may have to have a little talk with the Laker fan).
Heck, one of my favorite political blogs is HillBuzz (a group of independent gay guys from Chicago who support Hillary Clinton AND Sarah Palin and who oppose the radical leftist agenda de Obambi? And they're funny? And I agree with them? Who knew?) Their take on gay marriage is actually pretty good and it's something I can actually get behind. And it's written by gay guys, so everyone is supposed to listen to them. Isn't that how this works?
I really don't have a dog in this fight. Sure, if I lived in California and had a say about it, I would have voted for Prop 8. Probably would have signed up to make phone calls and campaign for it. But I live in Utah and we already had this one out along with a bunch of other states that haven't had this big production that California has had. What can I say? Not all of us have a three-ring political circus when elections come up (Gray Davis recall election, anyone?) This post was prompted because of a deluge of "Happy Day! Prop 8 is Overturned! Take That You Hateful, Bigoted, Religious Person!" on my Facebook page (some of this comes from dear friends of mine - none of whom live in California either).
I am tired of groups insisting that I must tolerate and even embrace a lifestyle that I don't agree with, while at the same time these groups also condemn me as a hateful person because I believe the way I do - but they're seen as martyrs for the cause. But if I even think about using the same methods that they used to champion causes I believe in, I'm a terrible, terrible human being and should get chlamydia and DIE you mean, hateful, RAAAAACIST, bigoted, homophobe you!!! (It's doubly hard when there are those who ought to be my friends throwing the same stones).
(As an aside - You know that Tea Party people haven't picketed anywhere in conjunction with the Prop 8 ruling because that would have been on all the news channels and on every front page with the headline - "SEE?? LOOKIT ALLLL THE H8RS!!!! RAWR!")
My Point: If you want me to tolerate your lifestyle, how about showing a little tolerance yourself?
Just a thought.
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