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|  | Kowtow or Fight? Dear Editor,
Utah is a state synonymous with extensive and relentless homophobia. Behind the camouflage of religious superstition and rightist extremism bigotry against gays and lesbians is widespread and sometimes brutal.
Is it any wonder that gay and lesbian students rate Utah on a par with Mississippi or even Texas? Recently, smirking administrators at Copper Hills High School found a way to stop two young men from attending their prom by refusing to protect them from homophobes who ‘might’ jump them, abetted by a lack of sufficient specific state law to protect students from homophobia and violence. They’re trying to isolate and belittle these fine young men, when they should applaud them and if necessary, protect them. The same narrow minded bias was evident earlier when an anti-smoking campaign aimed at gay and lesbian students at Hillcrest High School was shut down. Later the state health department maliciously cut all funding for the gay aimed campaign statewide. This is not what you expect from a state that proudly leads the nation in this effort.
When bigotry runs schools, it can metastasize into violence. In truth, these attempts to isolate and intimidate gay and lesbian students are playing with fire. They lend legitimacy to and excite homophobic pig-bigots, of which Utah has its full share. They are used, ruthlessly, to prevent health care campaigns against AIDS and smoking.
This is doubly dangerous because right wing and religious fanatics no longer find it so easy to be openly racist, as they were just a few years ago, and even misogyny is frowned upon in these ‘degenerate’ modern times. So, searching for a new target for their irrational hostilities, they’ve aimed their obsessive anger and paranoia at gays and lesbians.
Note that there is method to their madness. At a time when union-busting, poverty, AIDS, out-sourcing, unemployment, war, and other major problems confront working people, these bigots whine and whimper about the dangers of gay marriage, and school being disrupted by two guys dancing, or alerting young men and women to the dangers of smoking with gay themed materials. Their anti-gay bigotry serves the same purpose that racism and misogyny once did – to divert and divide attention from the challenges and struggles we face. (Anti-Semitism played the same role for the Nazi’s in Germany.)
The recent votes on gay marriage and in other recent elections prove that the madness of bigotry is a weapon for the religious and extremist right. One can say that the flip side of Abe Lincoln’s statement is also true – you can fool a lot of the people, but not forever. All across America, more and more people are rejecting homophobia. They see it for what it is – a smoke screen behind which are hidden child abusing priests, money grubbing televangelistsm, and right wing extremists who can’t get elected without a diversion. Sooner rather than later that process will occur in Utah. What the last few elections shows is a nation in flux on gay and lesbian issues, but with continuous progress.
I’m sure the young men and women at Copper Hills and Hillcrest and other schools in Utah will be put up a gutsy and committed fight, because they don’t have much choice. They can either kowtow to bigotry or join the long line of resolute and courageous young men and women who smashed the redcoats at Bunker Hill and Yorktown, who crushed the Confederacy underfoot and ended slavery, who made sure Custer got what he deserved, and who fought and died for labor unions, and the rights of women and African-Americans. That, and not fear of bigots, superstition or extremism, is their authentic American heritage. And sooner or later, you’ll win. Bill Perdue Kiss the Best Man Dear Editor,
With the recent election and passage of Amendment 3, I was very disheartened. I was not surprised, but I was still saddened by the outcome.
I was then uplifted to learn some of the statistics like Grand and Summit counties actually defeated it. I actually started looking into moving to one of them, but that went by as quickly as it came. Now my reaction is one of anger, spite, and vindictiveness.
So, I have been thinking. Nowhere does it say that I have to love my wife. After all there is no measure of love that one could surely use. Everyone’s love is different. Nowhere does it say that I have to live with my wife in the same residence. Nowhere does it say that I have to have sex with my wife during our marriage. And nowhere does is say that I even have to be attracted to my wife. Well with Amendment 3 it states that my wife and I just have to be 1 man and 1 woman. This was to supposedly protect the “sanctity” of marriage. I won’t even start to bring the statistics of divorce and all that, because we know the heterosexuals are destroying the “sanctity” of marriage themselves.
Here is what I propose. For those that want to make a point, make a protest, make Gayle Ruzika and all those that are so petrified of Gay marriage have a coronary. Want to see what a threat to the “sanctity” of marriage is? Watch this!
Picture this...
Pride week 2005, outside the City and County building a lawn full of wedding gowns, tuxedos and fabulous flower arrangements. A hundred couples getting married in front of TV cameras, reporters, families, and friends. Men and women about to get married EXCEPT the men are wearing the Vera Wang chiffon wedding gowns and the women are wearing the Bill Blass shawl collared tuxedo (nowhere does it say you can’t get married while cross-dressing). Gay men and lesbians getting married to each other. And when they are pronounced man and wife they respectively turn and kiss their “maid” of honor and their best “man” instead of each other.
I now share the rights of a married couple and with my lesbian bride, and we can make sure that our partners receive them too with simple pre-nuptial agreements.
Could you imagine the pure horror that would be going through the Eagle Forum, Mr. Buttars, and Mr. Christensen? Amendment 3 did nothing to protect marriage, it only made it more about status then it did about love, companionship, and honor!
I giggle out loud when I think of the panic that scene would send throughout the state (Except in Summit and Grand Counties). B. Lewis
Salt Lake City | | |
