Wednesday, December 17, 2003

A not so quick reply to bcr boy's post on Homosexuality

No. Your analogy is specious.

Being open about your sexuality is not akin to being a loudmouth about your mother's hemorrhoids. The reason is that while your moms posterior is rarely prescient (except in so far as your momma's so fat, her ass has its own social worker) sexual orientation on the other hand is. There are measurable differences between how men and women communicate, straights and gays, single people and attached people: tiny things from the length of pauses during the discussion to who should laugh at whose jokes. But even barring the social benefits of honesty, trying to go through your day without accidentally giving away your sexual orientation is nigh impossible. Asking someone to stop giving away hints that they're gay is akin to asking you bcr boy, from broadcasting the fact that you have ill-informed opinions on a wide variety of political issues.

Oh now! Ok. I totally mischaracterized your arguments? Really? Well, let's get to the point at hand: You wanting gays to stop having pride parades. Ok: Did it ever occur to you that if homophobes (you know, the kind that always seem to vote for the same people as you Republicans, even though of course, yours is the party of tolerance) didn't keep bashing on gays, they might be prone to shut up about it? Of course, this is the opposite of the point you brought up, but mine is more prescient since gays aren't the ones going around and beating people up. Oh Shit! If we pick on people as a group they'll suddenly start to organize together! Oh my god, my brain is about to explode!

But Gay Pride parades aren't about putting straight people through the horrible pang of knowing that "Oh my lord! Somewhere in this town some people are marching about something and, no, I'm not being forced to see it, but still it bothers even though it doesn't really effect me in any way." Gay pride parades are political rallies. The people attending it are saying that being gay is not a moral failing and that gays should have the same protection from group persecution as any other minority. "But doesn't everyone already agree with that?" No, bcr boy. "Of course I know that! Stop putting words in my mouth. What I meant to say is that they already have those rights codified into law. Why do I have to suffer the indignity of living in the same universe as a parade that happens once a year that doesn't really affect me?" Well bcr boy, that's not entirely true either. At any rate, there are lots of people, in the Republican Party even (gasp!), that want to remove what partial rights they have.

"But Tommaso, you keep mischaracterizing my argument. The real issue is that gays are too quick to blame stupid pranks on homophobia." Really? Well, I'm not going to defend everything ever gay person has ever done. This is college after all and dumb people are going to join causes and do dumb things. Gays no less than Young Republicans. But is it really so implausible to characterize running through a house yelling "God hates fags", as well... as just the teensiest bit homophobic? Were they just making a joke? Sure, maybe. But were I to run though a Young Republican meeting yelling "God hates George Bush", I think it would be fair to call that a Bush-hating comment.

"But Tommaso, you still don't get it. When Liberals dissent from Bush's policies, and say that Bush is irresponsible and that he should be defeated in the next election, that's political hate speech. When idiots run through a house yelling 'I hate fags' thats an opportunity for me to whine about how gays complain too much."

It all makes sense now. Movement conservatives really will whine about anything.

(Bonus fake quote: “But Tommaso! I’m not a social conservative! My ideas are so much more independent than that.” Yeah, you and Bill O’Reilly both.)

(Change: Corrected poster's identity 10:30)

posted by Tommaso Sciortino at 9:46 AM

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