First of all I want to say that were I a resident of California, I would have voted "no" on Proposition 8. In other words, I am in favor of gay marriage.
However, I get the feeling the homosexual community believes they now have a monopoly on non race related discrimination.
Excuse me, but last time I paid for a sandwich I didn't see any catchy pro-heterosexual slogans on my money. "I'll have a turkey club on whole-wheat and a small soda. Four-fifty, no problem, let me just pull out a five spot with, 'Sex Between a Man and Woman Feels Great!' printed to the right of Honest Abe's nose, and then you can give me back two quarters, each with 'Heterosexuals Do It With Natural Lubrication,' printed underneath George Washington's chin."
Yet, 'In God We Trust' remains on all U.S. currency.
With all due respect to the homosexual community, the fact that they have civil unions or domestic partnerships instead of marriage really doesn't make a whole lot of difference as they're basically the same thing.
Especially in California, where the domestic partnership law is very strong, gay couples really don't face obstacles other than the tears that come from the emotional strain of not being able to introduce themselves as husband and husband, or wife and wife.
Perhaps I'm a little jaded when it comes to this issue, but after being left alone to fight against the rights of atheists being trampled in a nation that overwhelmingly believes in the existence of a deity, I am not ready to have sympathy for another group who claims rampant bigotry.
President-Elect Barack Obama, a man who I support, is not even progressive enough to cease the practice of ending his speeches with "God Bless America." Sure, I'd be more sympathetic to the gay marriage struggle if Mr. Obama instead concluded his speeches with, "God bless Americans in heterosexual relationships." If that were the case, perhaps we could even team up!
And don't get me started on hate crime legislation.
President-Elect Obama has indicated he will quickly expand hate crime laws to include sexual orientation. While I applaud this, I wonder why he hasn't declared his desire to see the law expanded to include atheists. (Sure, hate crime laws already include religion, but we all know it means theists harming other theists for believing in the wrong deity.)
The expanding of hate crimes legislation would mean that if me and a homosexual are standing at a bus stop together and I am beaten beyond recognition by a religious fundamentalist because I am an atheist, and the homosexual is beaten beyond recognition by a religious fundamentalist because he or she is a homosexual, the person who had unleashed fists of fury upon the face and body of the gay individual would receive more time behind bars than the person who disfigured me. Heck, they'd probably let my tormentor off the hook with a, 'Thank you for doing to that atheist what this badge prevents me from doing!'"
Again, I don't oppose hate crimes legislation being expanded to include gender, sexual orientation and gender identity; I simply want it expanded to include gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and atheism. And until those pressing for the passage of an expansion include atheists, I'm not too interested in helping them out when I've suffered so much since publicly declaring my atheist beliefs.
Let's examine the struggles we atheists go through on a daily basis: Reading about all the past theist leaders of America in our history books, our future progressive President choosing to exclude us at the conclusion of his speeches to the country, the money we exchange for goods and services being plastered with religious phrases, and having to watch nearly every sports figure in America point to their god in thanks after doing something good on the playing surface.
Being an atheist I normally take liberal positions, and that's why I favor gay marriage. So why write a column critical of the homosexual community when all they're doing is fighting for equal rights, you ask. Because atheism is a lonely life; and our isolationism makes us prone to take our own stance, regardless of whether or not it puts us at odds with people with whom we usually agree.
Perhaps I should be a big person and reach out to others who face discrimination, but the pain in my heart causes me to be constantly fearful said outreach will only be met with more bigotry.
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