Gay marriage in the office

[Hamlette]

Most in my office are rabidly against gay marriage. I can't talk about it at work so we don't.

Today they were gossiping about another, absent, employee who has children who do not live up to the ideal (to say the least): stories about her son and daughter abandoning their own children and spouses (dumping them on grandma, the inlaw with very limited funds and a disabled husband) to run off with people they met on the internet and worse. Of course this woman doesn't seem to think it is wrong for her children to do this, she was just glad to have her grandkid for his 4th birthday while mom was in another state hooking up with a man she'd never met face to face.

I said: "You know what drives me crazy is she is the exact kind of person who thinks the most immoral behavior in the world is gay marriage."

It got a big laugh from the pro gay marriage crowd and an awkward pause, and then a laugh from the anti crowd.

Keep putting the needle in. They might come to see how stupid they are.

[Sapphocrat]

1. Good onya, Hamlette.

Well done. :)

P.S. I needle 'em at every chance, and they don't like their hypocrisy exposed like that, not one little bit. Tough noogies.

[Hamlette]

6. it's easier for me, I'm not gay, so I consider it more important for me to do so

just like I expect all of you Christians to come to the defense of atheists because they think I'm immoral.

[Sapphocrat]

8. Then double goodonya...

...for speaking on our behalf. One straight person standing up for the right thing has far more impact than 100 LGBTs doing the same thing.

What do you mean, "you Christians," kemo sabe? LOL

This decidedly non-Christian lesbian would die for atheist freedom, btw. :)

[MadMaddie]

2. It is such tiring work to make them look at themselves...

[Sapphocrat]

4. And it's easy to get burnt out.

But we can't. We just can't burn out.

[MadMaddie]

5. yea...you are right...

[SouthernBelle82]

3. I think that's the thing

It's just the hypocrisy. Oh the evil of gay marriage and than you hear about things like this and your Britney Spears marriages. :eyes:

[Dhalgren]

7. Yeah, Britney Spears and her LINO children...

(Legitimate In Name Only)... It takes a second...

[torrentprime]

9. Similar experience

From time to time, I grab an after-work drink with a few friends, most of whom are the most non-political, non-involved people you'd ever meet. They are all accepting of me being gay, with one exception (a friend of a friend) whom I didn't know very well. I had heard he wasn't "used" to gay people, and he was a macho, Jersey-type young guy, so I went out of my way to be friendly to him. Over time, we got to know each other, and that was that, to my mind. One night, when I was leaving the bar, I made a quick mention to him that I recgonized that he had always been polite and friendly to me, and that I appreciated that, and that I was glad to have made a friend. It was supposed to be a quick, parting comment just to solidify our nascent friendship.
Well.
After I finished these comments to him and shook his hand, he kept his grip on my hand, and said, "Dude, I don't like gay people. I never have. But since I met you, you have totally changed my impression of what gay people "are" and how "they" act, and I'm really glad I met you, and I'm glad we're friends. Thanks."
WOW! I had never expected this After School Special moment, nor was I looking for a curb-side conversion experience. What a great feeling!! We talked for a bit more that night, we're still friends, and all in all it was a nice little victory. Does it mean he will march for gay marriage rights? Probably not. But he will also most likely not express or show the same animosity, bias or unthinking prejudice against gays in the future.
Baby steps, baby steps. One of those tiny little, face-to-face battles that we have to fight, and win, every day.

[readmoreoften]

10. Thanks Hamlette. That's the kind of work that needs to be done.

Simple, rational, and humorous comments like that are the way to break the ice.

[cboy4]

11. Nice job Hamlette. You were brave to speak up and we appreciate

it more than you can imagine!