My concern about Warren: Increased violence against us.

[Sub Atomic]

Now that Obama has chosen Rick Warren for the invocation, there's no way he can back out of it without a major backlash against the GLBT community.

I feel that his choice, in many minds, somehow legitimizes discrimination. I fear that we're going to see increased violence against us because of that mindset.

But now that the choice has been made, if he changes his mind and selects somebody else the violence-prone wingnut homophobe contingent is going to be pissed.


I lived in Denver in the early 90s when Amendment 2 passed and then was overturned. I knew somebody that was killed. I knew several that were beaten. I myself was harassed.

I'm concerned that we're going to see more of that. I really thought we had evolved past all this.

[TheWraith]

1. It legitimizes nothing. It's a bone thrown to one of the few church leaders who has committed to

actual acts of social conscience, like fighting AIDS.

I've got no use for Warren, but that's a far cry from him being some kind of bogeyman.

[Sub Atomic]

4. I hope you're right, but my personal experience and history show otherwise.

Whenever gay rights gets the national spotlight, violence against us increases.

Now we've got a fundie preacher with a history of anti-gay rights rhetoric with the national spotlight on an historical election day.

You can pooh-pooh away my fears, but I'm concerned.

[RaleighNCDUer]

10. I'll give you any odds you want, he will not even mention 'gays' in

the invocation.

This is much ado about nothing.

[mitchtv]

12. doesn't matter

what he says. He did before and will again. Your opinion sounds careless, see post #9

[Ms. Toad]

13. Wow.

Would you say the same thing about:

A Nazi party member being invited to give the invocation to a group which included Jews and gays, even if he never mentioned either group?

A nationally recognizable member of the KKK being invited to give the invocation to a group which included Blacks, even if he never mentioned the group's racist agenda?

Sorry, but is is not much ado about nothing.

[mitchtv]

11. the poster makes a cottage industry

of telling Gays how we should view things, pay him no mind

[Maven]

7. You don't get it at all.

And you don't care. All you really want us to do is STFU.

Why are you still posting in GLBT?

[glowing]

2. It was already increased during the elections.. Think of the two brothers

who were attacked for walking arm in arm.. one of the brother's died on the night of the election.

[Ms. Toad]

8. I have to admit to being slightly afraid

every time my teenage daughter grabs my arm when are walking together (which is virtually every time).

I love the fact that, at 18, she still enjoys physical snuggling with me (she says she'll never be too old) - but in the back of my mind I'm thinking - "What if someone doesn't realize we're mother and daughter, thinks we're gay, and attacks us?" (Well, one of us is gay.) My second thought is that not only will someone think we're gay, but because of the age difference they might also assume I'm a child molester.

And yes, people like Warren and his supporters who feel legitimatized and pumped up by recent election wins (or anticipation of wins) make it much worse.

[TygrBright]

3. Which has more influence?

His choice for the invocation, when GWB is still President?

Or his choice for the benediction, the blessing on his new Administration?

curiously,
Bright

[cboy4]

5. I'm not intimidated very easily, but I of course worry about

others.

There are options:

[RetiredTrotskyite]

6. I, Too, Am Afraid..

that we will be seeing more violence. These people hate us and would deny us the air we breathe. Just look at the crap on the gay threads at change.org and the Readback on gay marriage over at Newsweek. I have seen suggestions that we be forcibly imprisoned and re-educated--reparative therapy--sound familiar, anyone?

My husband works at Wal-mart and he has had people stop point a gun at him and then take off..this has happened several times. He looks visibly gay...I look fairly typically gay. It's because these goddamned fundie preachers harp on "teh gay" or "teh homasekshuls". Giving this asshat Warren even 2 minutes of national airtime is only going to encourage these homophobes further. I am very careful about showing ANY affection in public, lest some homophobe take offense and attack us.

We are moving to Arizona because that is where my husband has to go to attend school. Phoenix has a lot of gays and pagans, so we are hoping for the best. Afterwards, we are seriously considering moving to Canada. It's not paradise--we aren't naiive enough to think that such a thing exists--but it's starting to look like heaven compared to the fundie hellholes that are parts of the US. Oh and in Canada, our legal marriage will STAY legal. The Canadaian government might not be perfect--what government is?--but it IS trying to do right by all Canadians.

In short, yes, I AM worried about violence...every LGBT person in America should be concerned.

[QC]

9. {sigh} You people and your pet issues and special interests.

You're not being very pragmatic at all.

:sarcasm: