Hey Gays, Stop Acting Like Bratty Children (Christians Too)

On February 26th, highly conservative Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed Senate Bill 1062, the so called religious liberty bill, which would have granted any religious business owner the right to refuse service to any LGBT person citing religious reasons. The history of the bill was ridiculous. Arizona Conservatives in the Legislature banded together to protect the religious freedoms of the majority of Arizonans in what would have been a sweeping rollback civil rights in the U.S. They appear to have never believed that they’d get it to pass because at the last minute many of those same Conservative legislators who pushed the bill, argued for it, and insisted that it was needed did something totally ridiculous. They went directly to Governor Brewer and begged her to veto it, their own bill. And she did because it was an unmitigated horrorshow of a disaster.

But here’s the thing, this issue isn’t as simple as Christians oppressing the LGBT community. I mean, in this specific case it is but in the larger nationwide cases it isn’t. And in a lot of those other cases you’ve got Christians and members of the LGBT community who are acting like absolute assholes. Let’s start with the Christians.

Hey Christians, Stop Acting Like Assholes

You’re already the majority. Your rights in almost every respect are not being threatened in any way at all. It is not your right to refuse to serve homosexuals. It just isn’t. I don’t care if they make you feel icky or if they make you feel feelings you’d rather not confront or if you have made up flashbacks of your vacation in Sodom. You have no right to refuse service to gay couples or singles just because they’re gay. It’s business and you’re supposed to be a professional so be one. Your doing business with people you disagree with is part of having a business and doing it the right way contributes exactly zero to determining whether or not someone is going to continue to be gay, bisexual, transgender, or straight.

Just do what you’re supposed to do and shut up.

Besides, we all know that the real reason Conservative Evangelicals want to deny general service is because their faith life must be terrible. Refusing someone a meal or a ticket or a whatever shouldn’t even enter in your hateful little punishment happy brain. You can’t hate someone into agreeing with you! If your faith life didn’t suck then you wouldn’t be all about pearl clutching “I’ll pray for you” hate the sin, love the sinner, confrontations.

Hey Gays, Stop Acting Like Assholes

Yes, I know that a lot of you got treated like crap by your Christian schoolmates growing up. Yes, I know that sometimes the bullying was off the charts and then you grew up and it often seems like it’s still there. But for fuck’s sakes, stop trying to make Christians be a part of your wedding. Even a lot of ‘keep it to themselves’ type Christians actually believe that homosexuality is sinful even if they don’t think that makes you an awful person. They believe it’s bad for you and regardless of the truth of that belief you’re asking them, nay, suing them into engaging in the celebration of your gay wedding. Why do you think you have the right to force someone to take part in what they view as a perversion of a holy and religious institution? Why in the world do you even want them there? You’re suing bakers, florists, and photographers now in an attempt to force them to acknowledge you? Sorry, no, forced conversions aren’t the way to go.

Really? It’s worth it to you to either put people out of business out of religious conviction or cost them tens of thousands of dollars in government directed fines? Really?

This Is Only About Rights On The Margins

This garbage is all about score settling and bullying on both ends. It’s a culture war.

I hate culture wars and I hate people that engage in culture wars. If you believe that you have the right to refuse to do business with someone simply because they’re a homosexual then you don’t understand the Constitution and you’re a poor example of a Christian. You’re full of bile.

If you’re a gay person and you want to get revenge on all the mean evangelicals you grew up with or think that because you don’t believe something then no one else has the right to believe it either then you don’t understand the Constitution and you’re a poor example of an adult human being. You’re full of bile.

The truth is that 90% of the rest of us just wish you’d all go off on an island somewhere and fight it out. We’re sick of this latest bout of trying to make each other into things you’re not while the rest of us who actually know how to get along with others shut our mouths, go about our business, and respect one another’s personal limitations.

Enough with the stereotypes. There are many Christians who are LGBT and there are many members of the LGBT community who respect the beliefs of Christians without feeling like it’s something personally against them. There is no us against them. There’s only us. Now get poppin’, assholes.

Think I’m the asshole? I’m not, read this.