Gay hunting season

A message left on a Senator's voicemail suggests a new alternative to tolerance - target practice.

www.wrn.com...

Here's the actual message :

"We gotta stop these queers. There's no question in everybody's mind that this cannot go through. Uh, we, we...this is getting ridiculous. We gotta..we gotta stop this..there's no such thing as queer marriages..we gotta stop it..in fact, no, i think we should have an amendment put on the ballot, a referendum, uh, maybe we should have an open season on those people and just let 'em know how we really think. Okay? Bye."

It scares the $&*@! out of me that there actually are people out there that think like this. I don't see how anyone can live with that much hate in their hearts. Where's that irrational fear coming from? If anything, Gays have much more to be afraid of than "conservatives" - Especially when it comes to attitudes like that one. We're outnumbered, even if we include straight people that support us, we're still outnumbered . . . which makes no sense to me, seeing as how we're all just a few degrees of separation from a "queer" - No matter how homophobic or anti-gay someone is, they at least know, or are related to a homosexual somewhere down the line.

Is the quote above what most "really think" ? Is that the kind of attitude that is prevalant in today's society? Are my friends and family just being polite to my face, and then think/talk about me like that behind my back? That's something I don't think I'll ever really know - which is why I'm pretty much a hermit now. I never know what Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner is going to be like - Am I going to be the black-sheep for not showing up and disappointing Grandma, or am I going to be the black-sheep for being "The Queer that showed up and ruined Christmas" ?

Either way I'm going to be the Black-sheep (Dang, I wish I'd 'chosen' different when they were passing out sexual orientations. . . Idiot!)

I'm just curious, I want to gauge the public opinion of fellow ATSers. I'm getting sick of being nervous about showing up at family functions/friend's parties - or feeling guilty because I didn't go. Let me know what your opinions are about the queer members of the family showing up at functions. This could really help me in my confusion over whether or not to go to Christmas Dinner - My boyfriend won't go with me, but he doesn't mind if I go. I just hate having to show up by myself, and navigating through the Family that does know, and the family that doesn't know - Remembering who I can tell the truth to and who I have to lie to to maintain "family harmony" - all those unanswerable questions "So, when are you finally going to get a girlfriend? - When are you gonna bring a date to Christmas Dinner? - When are you going to tell the rest of these fools that you're queer?"

Is it worth the fight? - or should I just give up, put on a giant Bull's-eye, go sit in the woods and wait for hunting season to come?

The lack of tolerence in the hearts of so many people is astonishing. To actually call for a "hunting season" on homosexuals is one of the most hateful statements that I have heard to date. To disagree with gay marriage or even "gay rights" is one thing, but to actually express a desire to hunt down and kill gays is absurd.

How would one even determine that someone is gay? Unless one came out and announced that he or she was a gay or lesbian, would there really be any way for this "hunter" to know. Or does this person have a genetic advantage? Gaydar?

There are many men , who are NOT gay, who can be viewed as being gay because of effeminate mannerisms or sexual flamboyance. Likewise there are many women who are not lesbians who could be called tom-boyish or masculine. Strangely, even this statement is stereotypical. But the point I would make is that this fellow had better be careful if such a "hunting season" were ever enacted. What if someone thought that "he" seemed gay?

And, as long as we are on this subject, why not extend this "hunting season" to blacks, hispanics, asians, Jews, Roman Catholics, Jehowahs' Witnesses, Scientologists?.....well you get the idea. Why should anyone have to put up with EVERYONE else? I think that this guys view of paradise is one of solitude.

Originally posted by paulthefourth
I'm just curious, I want to gauge the public opinion of fellow ATSers. I'm getting sick of being nervous about showing up at family functions/friend's parties - or feeling guilty because I didn't go.

I'm probably not your average ATSer and I really doubt you'll hear much from the ATS crowd who would like to 'hunt down the gays and take 'em out', as it's really an embarrassing position to be coming from...

I cannot imagine not being myself at a family function! I did choose to give up family functions for the couple of years when I was dating a black guy because my dad said, "either you come alone or don't come at all." So I found other special way to celebrate the holidays. I hear my absence ruined the day for everyone. Good!

I'm pretty much a hermit now, too. People who would judge me for some of the ridiculous stuff don't deserve to have me as a friend. I have VERY few friends, but I know they love me for who I am, and there's nothing like that.

I'm not gay, but I'm weird. IF I was gay, my whole family would know, no exceptions, no reservations. And if they didn't like it, and didn't want me around, I'd happily leave and find other people who did like me for who I am.

The sentiments of this 'queer-hunter' show a great fear in my opinion. Who needs people like that?

Don't bother with the bull's-eye; just get a 30.06 of your own in anticipation of open homophobe season.

Anybody that cares what you're doing in the privacy of your own home, in my polemic opinion, should be therefore disqualified from holding public office.

And as for your family, if I were you I'd tell them. If they get upset, the fault is on their end, not yours.

I wish you luck in gaining the acceptance you as a human being deserve, and I look forward to the day when people don't have to watch their backs every moment lest they let their true self show in front of a discriminatorily-minded person.




...(is 'discriminatorily' a word?)

Well I think that many of the most radical homophobic people are guilty of some deviant one way or another or they just are not very comfortable with their own sexuality.

One thing is to disagree with their life choices be in a religous or just persoanl level and that is perfectly normal but another one is wanting them death.

I think I read something like that somewhere.

I don't personally agree with homosexuality (it disgusts me and don't ask why) but I don't agree with hunting gays or lesbians down.

However, no matter how hateful his view is he should be allowed to put it out there. Don't whinge about it, go and publish something decrying his position (but not him or he will win the argument).

On another note, gays shouldn't be allowed to marry (marriage is defined as between a man and a woman in the UN declaration of rights but they shouldn't necessarily be taken into account) but they could have civil unions (just for them) if the majority decided that they should.

Here we go again... LoL...

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

Originally posted by paulthefourth
I'm just curious, I want to gauge the public opinion of fellow ATSers. I'm getting sick of being nervous about showing up at family functions/friend's parties - or feeling guilty because I didn't go.

... and I really doubt you'll hear much from the ATS crowd who would like to 'hunt down the gays and take 'em out', as it's really an embarrassing

Actually there is a person on ATS hunting homosexuals right now. Thrival. You'll find his hateful posts over at the Science & Tech forum (of all places!). Reading through is snide remarks you'll find out exactly what kind of people the real "homophobes" (anti-gay people) are. It's frightening how people cannot look past their own little ideas in their own little minds.

But let's not start that again. I'm tired of arguing with ignorance.

Paul, I know where you come from and from the little we spoke I know that accepting you sexuality was extremely difficult on you. Something most (heterosexual) people will never comprehend.

In the end you're stuck between making your family (and other people) happy, or being happy yourself. Why do you want to go to Christmas dinner? Because it's tradition? Because YOU want to be with your family? Because your family (or at least mom and dad) want you there? Christmas is a day for celebration. Being with loved ones. If you're going to be miserable to please other people, then you know the answer.

People should really learn to accept you (and other people) for who you (they) are. I'm blessed with loads of friends and family. Every single one of them knows that I'm gay. Those who didn't like the idea removed themselves from my life. The others that don't approve but still want to be with me, merely ignore the fact that I'm gay and avoid any related topics altogether. The rest (and this is the majority) couldn't care less if I'm hetero/homo/bi or asexual. They accept me for me. If people don't like you for who you are, then they can go [insert forbidden word here] themselves. Full stop.

I think people are more accepting of you than you would like to believe.

And concerning homo-hunting season? Bring it on boys. If they think they're going to take my sexuality and who I am away from me with force, then they have another thing coming. They'll have to rip it out of my dead lifeless body. (Where ever the gay organ is.)
I'm no gay activist or fighter for human rights, but I am not going down without a fight. I welcome any US senator to take me on. The USA can actually learn alot from South Africa. 14 years ago the world (and most of all the USA) frowned upon South Africa because of Apartheid. Now South Africa is the leader on human rights. The world can learn a lot from us about equal rights for all.