Joseph Couture is a Canadian based Author and Freelance Journalist. Joseph's blogsite can be found here: [ Link ]
By Joseph Couture (London, Ontario) SEPT 30 | I must apologize for some of my recent comments. Lately, on more than one occasion I’ve wondered out loud why gay men seemed to be so broken and dysfunctional. I’ve asked why we are so disproportionately involved in drug and alcohol abuse, unsafe sex and various and sundry self-destructive behaviours. Now I understand.
Over the last week or two we have seen nothing but the hateful persecution of gays and lesbians proudly on display across America. We saw the miserable defeat of the bill to repeal the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy by gleeful bigots.
We have seen the heartbreaking results of school yard bullying that appears endemic across the land. Kid after kid driven to suicide after being picked on by other kids who learned to hate from grown ups- and the grown ups who should be protecting kids turning their backs because they are themselves full of hate. The tragedy of these events is compounded by the gloating of so-called Christians who laugh as they claim these dead children are now burning in hell for being gay.
We have also seen religious figures who preach intolerance against gays exposed as hypocritical self loathing opportunists. They communicate to the world a message of vile bigotry while they themselves practise what they preach against.
We have seen government officials launch personal smear campaigns against individual gays. They raise their voices to spread fear and hatred and to condemn others in a peculiar manner that smacks as much of romantic obsession as it does of religious zealousness. You know what they say, you are what you hate.
No wonder gays and lesbians are having such a hard time coping. Everywhere we turn there is nothing but hatred, hypocrisy and cruelty. The everyday message is that gays are less than human; that we don’t deserve to live and that we should (and will) burn in hell.
It is really should come as no surprise that growing up and living under such conditions would make it hard for anyone to have a healthy psychology. We are born into and subject to the capricious sadism of a diseased society. We cannot escape it and its effects are indelible.
Change in America is slow when it comes at all. The only thing we can do to counter the devastating impact on our community by the hateful rhetoric of a cruel and sick society is to send a message of our own.
Those of us who can must speak out. We must tell our brothers and sisters, young and old that we are a proud, worthy and dignified people. We are as deserving and capable as anyone. We must stand up for ourselves and each other against these bullies and bash back like our lives depend on it—because they do.
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1 comments:
"We must stand up for ourselves and each other against these bullies and bash back like our lives depend on it—because they do"
Exactly. I've hinted at it before, and will clarify; smear the kids of the bigots until nobody knows who is what and they, by sheer necessity, have to stop the attacks because it's their own kids being attacked as well. Nevermind if it is true or not, you have the right of free speech too. Use it to good effect.
I should add that this goes totally against my real thinking, as I really love people (in general) and feel sorry (to some extent) for the bigots (who must be in much inner turmoil) and those who need religion to feel even moderately worthy as human beings. I don't really believe in attacking anyone, either verbally or physically, but just laying down by killing yourself is no answer. For whatever reason, might makes right in America, so anything short of a full blown retribution attack is simply considered weakness.
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