A Mississippi memory stirred up here

[dsc]

I remember sitting in a class one day and watching a video of the famous lady who did the blue eye/ brown eye experiment about discrimination appearing on Oprah. During the interview she had teared up while talking about discrimination against sufferers of AIDS. After the video was over the professor told us the woman had to be a lesbian because only a gay woman would care that much about AIDS. Given where I was, and that she would be giving me a grade, I swallowed my pride and kept my mouth shut. But, not here.

This poll:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x409593

How many outraged with Kerry’s stand on gay marriage are straight?

Is every bit as idiotic, hateful, and bigotted as that professor's remark. It tells every gay and lesbian on this forum that our rights are so unusual, and so hard to stand up for, that only people who directly benefit would care. That is profoundly insulting. I felt I had to be quiet then. I won't be now. It is this mindset that makes people afraid to stand up for gays for fear of being smeared. It is this mindset that makes gays afraid too. It has no place on a liberal board.

[janx]

1. You're absolutely right, of course.

It is bullshit slamming of gays and lesbians and the hets who *have* cared, and it is posted to try and make some kind of ridiculous political point at your and my expense.

[jansu]

2. I am not gay and I support all Human Rights for everyone! NOW!

We should be expanding human rights, not being quiet and sitting down and not bringing up now, because it might not be a good time! Anytime is a good time! It is far too late for this to be fixed!

All marriages are Civil Unions....there is no such thing as a Religious Marriage....you can not get married in a church without a License from the State.....this makes it a Civil affair.

What other license can the State not issue based on sex or sexual orientation? Driver's license, hunting license?

[maxanne]

3. it's sickening

dsc. It's insulting to suggest that straight people aren't concerned about discrimination against our fellow humans.

Civil rights issues matter deeply to me, and have since I was about 8 years old and became aware of the civil rights movement of the sixties.

My daughter is bi. A lot of people I love are gay. Why the hell wouldn't I be concerned? We should all be concerned, instead of sliming around trying to have it both ways. Democrats used to stand for some things. I'm ashamed that we don't seem to any more.

[leyton]

4. What is this experiment with blue/brown eyes?

Just curious, I'm wondering if this is the same one that I'm thinking of (with a teacher and elementary school kids).

[dsc]

6. Probably

she has all the blue eye kids discriminated against for one week and then all the brown eyed ones the next. It is a very telling experiment.

[slinkerwink]

5. again, it is sickening, considering the attitudes of some DUers

[Duder]

7. People are people and...

No one should be made to ride in the back of the bus.
Human rights should not be a matter of political convenience but of national conscience.
I'm not gay but the propagation of ignorance, fear, intolerance, and prejudice, is wrong anywhere.

[w13rd0]

8. I won't say I don't have personal issues that drive my opinion...

...namely family members, but I'm not gay, and I'm for equal rights.

[regnaD kciN]

9. I don't even have to go back to distant memories...

As I mentioned here a couple of days ago, I got into rather an interesting situation on, of all things, a filmmaking board, where someone had started an off-topic thread on same-sex marriage. I had posted an anti-homophobia message when one of the reactionaries, henceforth to be known as "The Jackass," who had already asserted that homosexuality was a perversion and that science will eventually find a cure, chimed in with this reply:

Hey, JD. You're gay, aren't you?

I thought that the question was ridiculous enough to brush off with a joke, so I replied:

I'd normally ask my wife to answer that, but she just left for work.

No more than five minutes later, The Jackass was back for more:

I see. So, not only are you a closeted homosexual, you're also such a weak little man that you need your wife to do your talking for you. How sad.

I replied that maybe he might want to try actually making a film once in awhile (he talks a lot about it, but never does anything), instead of just making an idiot of himself on the board.

A few hours later, he comes back announcing that he has visited my website, and from my picture there, there's "no doubt" that I'm gay.

He then spends literally the next two days posting message after message about how he "outed" me, and how it's now "proven" that I'm a homosexual. Futhermore, one other wingnut joins The Jackass and starts going through all my past messages on the board, claiming that every one that included a "smiley" indicated that I was trying to flirt with the guy whose post I was responding to, congratulating each other about how their work was helping other male posters be warned about how I was trying to hit on them, etc., etc.

The thing that makes this kind of crap especially awful is that it's a double-edged sword for the recipient...for, if you protest too angrily, it will draw the inevitable rejoinder, "So, you admit that being homosexual is such a disgusting, perverted thing that being called gay is a horrible insult...otherwise, you wouldn't mind it!"

This poll is no better.

:grr:

[frustrated_lefty]

10. Yes

Your point is very valid.

[frustrated_lefty]

11. dsc

My kids are homeschooled, in Louisiana. My wife and I both ask these kids "what is wrong with people caring for each other?" Every one of my kids thinks people loving each other is a good thing. Even the south moves forward.

[AntiCoup2K4]

12. It's totally pathetic.

Other boards where I post at, the right wingers call me "fag" and "homo" for supporting civil rights. They aren't even trying to neccesarily be assholes, they just don't compute in their minds why a heterosexual would give a shit.

But I expected better on a board full of supposed Democrats. Hey, I'm a recovered homophobe myself. I know people can be raised with all kinds of bullshit ideas programmed into their heads, even from parents who aren't Republicans.

I guess it fits the whole mentality of the DLC set when you think about it. Never question what they tell you. Even when Stevie fucking Wonder could see how stupid and wrong it is.

There's a certain segment of the right wing population who always needs a target to hate. Blacks, Jews, immigrants, women. Of course none of those are legal to discriminate against anymore Well, by God them damn commies aren't gonna take away my God given right to hate queers! I gotta hate somebody, godddammit or I might have to look at my own pathetic sheep molesting self....

And the only mentality worse than those inbreds is that of sellout "democrats" who think they have to sellout entire segments of their own base to pander to the trailer park mentality.

[dsc]

13. kick

[revcarol]

14. I must be totally insensitive,

but I thought it was a good question to ask.
The results showed that A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE STRAIGHT FAVOR GAY MARRIAGE. And that's important to know.

Women didn't get their rights by themselves. They got them because men came around to see their point of view. Gays aren't a large enough group to get gay marriage by themselves. They need straight people to be part of their drive for real equality.

That said, I see how others could view this.It could be construed as an insult. Don't know what the original poster had in mind, maybe mobilizing people against Kerry's half-way stance or really trying to find out if there was widespread support.

I have ALWAYS favored gay marriage. Luckily no one in my church hierarchy has ever asked me about my personal views.

[dsc]

15. He clearly didn't mean it that way

which any reasonable look at his context makes clear. He clearly meant it much closer to the way I took it. It should be noted that in his own thread he said "all of the people outraged are non gay Dean supporters". This was over 20 posts after I pointed out what he had did.

[revcarol]

16. I don't support Dean,

but I do support gay marriage!!

OOH, gotta hide under the bed. I'm beyond the pale!!

Seriously, I understand how I and others could have misinterpreted. I didn't follow the thread, just voted.

I'm for a candidate who does support gay marriage. Guess who.

[KaraokeKarlton]

17. I'm outraged and I'm straight

Some people are just idiots, dsc. Don't let the assholes get to you so much. I've always admitted that I've got my own personal hangups when I see public displays of affection between same sex couples, it's just weird to see I guess, but at the same time I have always been a fierce defender of gay rights ever since the whole Take Back Vermont broo-ha-ha. I really hadn't thought about it much prior to that, but all it takes is seeing the hatred and bigotry of a few people displayed to wake up and see how important this issue is. Anyone who dismisses it's importance or acts like it's only an issue for homosexuals are just full of shit, period. This affects ALL of us because if one American doesn't have their rights protected then we are no better than those before us who turned a blind eye to the oppression of others.