Rant: Proposition 8 Inqiuisitors!

Rant: Proposition 8 Inquisitors!

Today, on Sproul Plaza, there was a group of gay activists encouraging people to vote no on Prop. 8, which is an initiative that bans gay marriage in California. Then, these crazy people appeared and stood alongside the No On 8 members.



They looked like the guys in the picture above, except that the members I witnessed wore red capes, which, ironically, screams gay - the hypocritical bastards. Yes, they belonged to...

The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property

Apparently, this Pennsylvania-based organization is on a 30-day whirlwind tour through California, handing out pamphlets that explain the evils of homosexuality to passerbyes. Yes, they seem like a pretty cool group of people. They also have a website that's trapped in the late 1990s: http://www.tfp.org/

During their excursion, they are maintaining a blog, which occasionally provides comedic gems such as this:

"But don’t expect civility from same-sex advocates. One woman approached a TFP volunteer and bluntly stated: “You should be killed for your opinion on marriage. I’m not joking you should all be shot.” A few other passing cars attempted to inflict harm. A moving car launched a full coke can at Mr. Thomas Schneider and another car containing a group of screaming girls threw a cup of ice coffee at him as well. Fortunately, both flying objects missed our dedicated volunteers. Saint Joseph, our caravan patron, is indeed protecting us."

This account is actually pretty hilarious. But it illustrates how far some people are willing to go to deprive an entire group of people of basic rights based off of one set of criteria. It is analogous, I think, to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s, where blacks fought against widespread social and employment discrimination, which was based entirely on skin color. Gays in the U.S. don't have those basic rights that most Americans take for granted: we can be fired based off of real or perceived sexual orientation, and we can't even call a wedding with someone we love a "marriage" because it's different from traditional notions of heterosexual love.

What that excerpt also shows, though, is how religion can be used as an instrument of evil. These inquisitors need only invoke St. Joseph in order to justify their discriminatory actions. Here is another excerpt from their website: "As the homosexual revolution’s anti-Christian intolerance makes itself felt through increasingly persecutory measures, a terrible problem of conscience arises in any who resist: Should we follow our consciences? Should we give in?"

Oh, please. Here, they put the blame on pro-gay supporters for being intolerant of their beliefs. Now, I am going to take a perfunctory, and probably ill-advised, look at religion. At its core, it is an institution that asks us to believe in something that can't be explained by rational argument. It can be used as a positive force in people's lives - forming supportive communities, for example - or as a negative force that hurts others. Most anti-gay groups refer to one source - the Bible. I hope that many, if not most, observant people in America view the Bible as a guideline for leading a better life. It's a collection of documents that shouldn't be taken literally; the ultimate message, particularly in the Christian testament, is that people should love one another.

As an illustration of this group's ridiculous message, imagine someone telling you, a passerby, that people who are black shouldn't marry because the Bible says it's wrong. There's no rational reason to explain this outlook; such a marriage is simply immoral and a threat to our culture. Would you be tolerant of these people, who were actively working to prevent others from retaining their rights? I think not.

The U.S. has come a long way since the 1970s, and it's great to see more Americans, especially within the last few years, accepting gays. Even though the TFP represents a very radical side of conservative America, the organization serves as an important reminder: we have a long way to go before we can achieve equality; and we'll have to fight for our rights every step of the way.

~Max~