At first I was afraid that bringing the topic of gay marriage to such a boiling point would result in an even bigger push-back by those against it. I’m not afraid of that anymore. All that they’re doing is exposing their ignorance and hate. All they can attempt is to stall equality and reveal their own homophobia and bigotry. Case in point: Liz Lemery Joy wrote on her Times Union blog that she was opposed to homosexual marriage. She begins her prejudiced story (yes, Ms. Joy, there is a ‘D’ at the end of the word “prejudiced” when you’re using it as an adjective) with a disclaimer. (All spelling and grammatical errors are her own):
“But, just because someone doesn’t support gay marriage, doesn’t make them a hater, evil, prejudice or a denier of other people’s rights. Nor does it make them homophobic. We can be against it, because God is very clear about homosexuality in His Word.”
Let me be very clear about this too. Ms. Joy is absolutely entitled to her beliefs on gay marriage. She has every right not to support it. However, the moment a person takes those beliefs and begins actively working to prevent gay people from getting legally married, is the moment that person becomes homophobic and bigoted. It’s that simple. When you work to deny the rights of someone based on their race, creed, gender, religion or sexuality, it is bigotry and discrimination.
Ms. Joy goes on to write, “I don’t believe people are born gay. How can I say that? Because God is a good God. He doesn’t purposely create people to be genetically homosexual, and then tell them to live in a way they are not physically or mentally capable of living. That would be cruel and unloving. God is not like that. That would be like saying- God created some people to purposely be stealers, liars, gossipers, adulterers, killers, idol worshipers, slanderers, or drunkards…
However, I do believe there can be strong tendencies towards certain behaviors from one person to another. I may need to resist the temptation to lie more than you. Another person may need to resist the temptation to drink alcohol more than me. Someone else may need to resist the temptation to get into adulteress affairs, or pornography.”
(Sorry, the English major in me has to correct “adulteress” ~ I really think she means “adulterous” in this context.) If we are to buy into her reasoning that it’s not homosexual tendencies that are wrong, but rather the acting on them, then we must apply that same argument to her: it is not the belief against gay marriage that is homophobic, but rather the action of working to prevent it. That is where the real bigotry resides.
She concludes, “I’m urging my legislators to vote no on gay marriage. I’m going to stand by God’s Word.”
Ms. Joy, you can stand by “God’s Word” all you want. That is your right. But by urging your legislators to vote no on gay marriage, and by posting these words in a public forum, those actions are homophobic, hateful, and bigoted. There’s no way around that. Show me the passage in the Bible that says you should be working to prevent gay marriage. It’s not there. See, we can go around and around in these Biblical arguments, but nothing I’ve done in my entire gay life, and in my marriage to another man, will ever come close to the pain, anguish, and suffering you have inflicted on innocent people whose marriages would have absolutely no effect whatsoever on you or your marriage. Where is the Christian love in interfering with two people who love each other? Marrying the man I’ve been with for over ten years did not infringe on your rights or beliefs. Stop infringing on mine.
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