From JoeMyGod:
“The only reason why the number of supporters for same sex ‘marriage’ may be increasing is because people are sick and tired. Homosexuals have made people sick and tired. “
Maine anti-gay activist Paul Madore, in a press release announcing the formation of No Special Rights PAC.
So what do y’all think? Have we homosexuals just worn opponents down? Irritated them into submission?
What would you consider to be the main contributing factor behind shifting polls and growing support?
Did women earn the right to vote because people just got sick and tired? Did African Americans earn their freedom because people just got sick and tired? If so, then maybe.
Or maybe this guy is an idiot. And an embrarassing representation of my home state.
I think he’s just sick and tired of being on the wrong side of right. Maybe he’s figured out he’s making himself ill and wearing himself down by his bigotry.
The single biggest factor in “wearing down” the opposition to LGBTQ equality is the fact that more and more people are out about their sexuality. As more of us come out of our closets, and show our faces to our families, friends, and co-workers, it becomes more difficult for the haters to stand in their ignorance and bigotry. Once they know someone they love or admire is gay, the more likely they’ll come to change their opinions.
That’s one reason we here at QueerLandia are so supportive of the idea that being out is the best form of activism. You can’t change society from inside a closet.
It’s great to be “out” Jim, but it isn’t enough. We need to enroll people to stand with us. As a movement, we’ve never done that. We should start. Now.
Being out automatically enrolls people to stand with us. Very few people will accept second class citizenship for the loved ones in their lives. That translates to votes and social change. Of course that can’t be the only thing we do, but at the grass roots level, it’s the most important. Working from the bottom up, we’ll meet the top down efforts in the middle. There’s room and need for multiple fronts in this battle. “Outness” is our best recruiting tool.
Thanks for your comments.
I think Paul Madore is just another clownish right-wing idiot. He is expressing frustration because his show is closing and he seeks to blame someone, something, anything. Oddly enough the religious man simply lies when suggesting we’ve made people “sick and tired.” I think people have just grown up and learned to understand each other more. Polling data indicates religion (all forms) have less impact on peoples lives and the trend is beyond promising. Nearly two-thirds of Americans under 25 have NO attachment to religion. More great news.
There is a direct correlation to public opinion about LGBT issues and the decline of religion. This should NOT be surprising, religion defined us. The second question about “growing support” is a little more difficult. I think the support we now receive was done by the supporters, not us. The world is changing, not because of our struggle or fight, but because they understand they get it. We should all be thankful for progress made by the changing and evolving cultural conversation. Too many of our efforts have not supported educating and enrolling our fellow citizens. Too much of our money and other resources have gone to playing politics (HRC +$600 million) and other trivial “protests” or “marches.” People know about us. We need to ask for their support. In this regard, we have failed.
Christian clowns, like Paul Madore and his crazy predecessors, are being laughed at by the majority of Americans – we should laugh with them. That should be the only attention we give them – humor. Because the real victory is in having people join and support us, not accept or tolerate us, but simply support the simple human principle of equality. The majority will… and that’s good news. Ask them.
I’m just overflowing with agreement.
I love what you said, Jim. Full agreement that coming out is one of, if not the most powerful tool in our kit.
And I’m in full agreement with Andrew that it isn’t enough. The top-down piece that is vital, and I don’t believe that our institutional tops are nearly effective enough at getting the job done. I feel like individuals at the grass roots, down at the bottom, are doing much better and more important work. While I value the importance of legislative policy alongside cultural change, that political angle should be determining the whole course of our movement, and it certainly shouldn’t come at so high a cost. So what does the ideal institution look like? How should our “Gay Inc” orgs be structured to better support individual grassroot efforts? What could they do better to inspire the cultural change that would make legislative change both possible AND durable?
One point of possible disagreement. I have to keep asking: Does it benefit us to dismiss our enemies as idiots, or dismiss all religious people as small minded? It’s easy, it feels good, but it adds to the crossfire and it excludes a still-sizable demographic which might be receptive to supporting equality if approached with a different attitude.
I didn’t dismiss our enemies as idiots, I said ignore them. They alone will prove whether or not they’re idiots and they’re doing a fine job. But, the highlight of this post – Paul Madore IS an idiot. Thankfully he doesn’t represent all religious people, just the lunatic fundamentalists, but how many mainstream Christians have ever objected to his rhetoric? When was the last time the Pope told the Southern Baptists to shut up?
Personally, I think religion is dis-empowering and on that count it is counterproductive. But, people can worship whatever they want… until they bring it into the public discourse and start making judgements. I have gay friends that go to church every Sunday simply because it’s an opportunity to “dress up.” Good for them. Other friends “worship” at the gym. Good for them, too.
The distinction I make is based on the institution of religion itself and the harm it has done to us a community. Religion made homosexuality wrong – that isn’t debatable. They defined us and none of it had any basis in fact or reason. It was (and is) a story. It’s refreshing that this and other religious “stories” are fading. It also represents an opportunity for the LGBT community. While religion is losing its influence we have an opportunity to redefine ourselves and ask people to stand with us. We’ve never done that.
Just to clarify, I’m not anti-religion and I am not an atheist. I don’t make anything right or wrong. I simply “don’t know.” That puts me in the fastest growing demographic in society – those of us who don’t have the answers or religiously pretend to have them. Those of us who value each other based on understanding, not ancient dogma or a myriad of other dividing issues. Those of us who do not need a political party to accept us or fight for us. We need each other. When we f i n a l l y ask our neighbors, friends, co-workers and others to join us for the single issue of equality, we’ll be a majority. Figure out how to accomplish that – the people are ready.
“So what does the ideal institution look like? How should our “Gay Inc” orgs be structured to better support individual grassroot efforts? What could they do better to inspire the cultural change that would make legislative change both possible AND durable?”
We have never had a strategy to win. Define “win,” and create a strategy. It’s time.
I agree with what everyone else has said here. Especially considering the fact that if you examine his argument in a reciprocal fashion, one would notice that homosexuals are not “sick and tired” despite the fact that homophobic bigots have been targeting them with hate crimes and other unnecessary things for myriad years. Well, maybe gays are a little sick and tired of such offenses, but we haven’t given up – and, as statistics have shown, we have been getting stronger. It’s probably easier for us because we’re on the right side, after all.