Pocahontas may be an odd choice for a title of a blog entry about equality, but I think that it has a valid point. "They're not like you and me, it means they must be evil." "They're not like us, it means they can't be trusted." "Savages, savages, barely even human." I think that's how some people VIEW anyone who isn't straight and doesn't fit in the cookie-cutter one man/one woman mold. They're different, therefore they are evil. They're savage, because they have "THE GAY!" OH NO!
In all honesty, I don't care if you think being gay, trans, bi, and everything in between, inside and outside the box is a sin. I really don't care. That's not truly the crux of the issue. Thing is? They are human beings, just like you and me. Just like your church pastor. They bleed, they laugh, they cry. They have beating hearts.
Fine, you think being gay is a sin. I don't think that abortion is always the right choice, but I don't think that it should be outlawed. It is not my place to decide what someone else does with their body. My personal views don't jive with abortion. Your views might be "I want an abortion, and so I am getting one today. End of discussion." And while I may disagree with you, my religious views shouldn't trump your freedom, your rights. I think the same can be said for homosexuality.
A few years ago, I thought that being gay was a sin. I didn't think that anyone should be gay. I was squicked about by people being trans. I can't say I'm proud of things I said or things I wrote. But I watched people I care about deeply struggle. I saw how hard it was for them and the way they were treated by something that isn't their fault. I saw their struggles, and it broke my heart. It changed me. I saw the struggles in their lives, and you know what? It's not fair.
It's not fair that because of who they love, they can't get married. It's not fair that because of who they love, they can be discriminated against in the workplace. Oh, I know some Americans will say that "Well, I'm a Christian and I get bullied/I get ridiculed/etc". Know what? It's not the same. As Christians in the US, we are damn lucky to be living here. Sure, we may get "persecuted", but we keep using that word. It doesn't mean what we think it means. Just because our children can't pray in public schools, doesn't mean anything bad. Just because they don't teach creationism, doesn't mean anything bad. Doesn't mean we're some kind of martyr or that everyone is out to get us.
Back when Jesus was on the Earth, he hung out with the undesirables. The tax collectors. The ones that society threw the stink eye to, both proverbially and literally. If he were here today? I imagine He'd be hanging out with the homosexuals. Because my God, my Jesus, is a God of love. He doesn't condone hate.
I don't want to make anyone change their views about homosexuality. You may think it's morally wrong, and you have a right to think that. Your neighbor may think it's morally right, and they have the right to think that. The person across the street may fall in the gray area between, where maybe it's okay but certain aspects aren't. But the heart of the matter is that we live in a country where certain rights are for ALL people: Christian and Atheist, gay and straight, male and female, and every other living person has this promised to them: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Thomas Jefferson didn't write "Oh, but not woman" or "Oh, but not homosexual people." ALL MEN.
I am a Christian, and I support human rights. I support equality for all. I think that they should have the same rights as any of us, because we live in the "land of the free, and the home of the brave." It's not just the people who fit our mold of Christianity, it's everyone. Everyone. We can't pick and choose who gets the right to marry, the right to this and the right to that, because that's not what this country was founded upon.
"Oh, deep in my heart. I do believe... we shall all be free someday."
