LGBTQ+ Issues
Warning! This article is laced with a number of colorful profanities, like "LGBTQ", "traditional family", and "dignity and respect". You have been warned.
Let's take a quick look at how each political party views issues surrounding the LGBTQ+ lifestyle:
Republicans: If you're L, G, B, T, Q, or any other letter of the alphabet, y'all need Jesus.
Democrats: My anti-LGBTQ parents think I'm dating my sister's lesbian girlfriend and she's dating my gay boyfriend. The joke's on them.
My View: If you're in a bathroom long enough to worry about a person's genitals, YOU are the creep.
Republicans on LGBTQ+ Issues
The official 2020 Republican Party platform does not contain the terms "LGBTQ+", "gay", or "homosexual", but it does say that "foremost among … institutions is the American family. It is the foundation of civil society, and the cornerstone of the family is natural marriage, the union of one man and one woman." "The data and facts lead to one inescapable conclusion: Every child deserves a married mom and dad." (page 31)
Republicans advocate for laws that uphold "traditional family values," especially those rooted in Christianity. This harkens back to an imagined 1950’s TV-style Christian morality when people didn’t cheat on spouses, when no one was gay, and when certain people knew their place — and knew better than to challenge canonical hierarchies.
"They say there are strangers who threaten us; our immigrants and infidels. They say there is strangeness too dangerous in our theaters and bookstore shelves. And those who know what's best for us must rise and save us from ourselves."
Democrats on LGBTQ+ Issues
The official 2020 Democratic Party platform does not contain the terms "marriage" or "traditional family", but it does say that they "… will advance the ability of all persons to live with dignity, security, and respect, regardless of who they are or who they love" and that they "… will restore [U.S.] leadership on LGBTQ+ issues by passing the GLOBE Act and appointing senior leaders … coordinating with LGBTQ+ issues." (page 19)
Democrats advocate for laws that prioritize the promotion of social programs and equal opportunity. Since they also support the LGBTQ+ community, freedom only seems to apply to individuals as long as they identify with recognized social groups.
"Features distorted in the flickering night. Faces are twisted and grotesque. Silent and stern in the sweltering night, the mob moves like demons possessed. Quiet in conscience, calm in their 'right', confident their ways are best."
My View on LGBTQ+ Issues
Quite frankly, I don't care.
Feel free to use all of the initials you want to use to identify your particular choice of lifestyle, none of it changes my presumption that you are a person and that you (hopefully) have a brain.
How you choose to live your life is your business. Who you choose to love is your business. What you choose to put into your body is your business. Your own health and well-being is also your business - and no one else's. When an individual's actions have no impact on anyone besides themselves, I believe that nobody else has the right to assert any form of dominion over that person's identity or lifestyle.
The Lies We Tell Ourselves
One of the most egregious lies that we tell American children is that "America is the land of the free," but it's not, and depending on your perspective, it never really has been. I think that a more accurate statement would be "America is the land of the comfortable (as long as you believe the same things that I believe)," but unfortunately, that statement doesn't fit well onto a bumper sticker.
One of the great philosophical axioms is that people will do more to avoid something that they fear or that makes them uncomfortable than they will do to acquire something that they like or want. So, if that is truly the case, then I ask, "What the hell is everyone so afraid of?"
"The righteous rise with burning eyes of hatred and ill will. Mad men fed on fear and lies to beat and burn and kill."
It doesn't seem to matter what reasoning these people use to justify their actions. ALL of their justifications are derived from their esoteric fears. So, to make themselves more comfortable with the world around them, they have resorted to not just avoiding what they fear, but wanting YOU to avoid what they fear as well (even if it doesn't necessarily scare you).
"Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand. Ignorance and prejudice and fear walk hand in hand."
No matter how you choose to express your right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", we must embrace and celebrate the diversity of Texas and Texans by honoring and respecting each individual's right to be who they choose to be, to love who and how they choose to love, and to live how they want to live.