Comments on: Besen: Setting the stage for tragedy

By: SteveMD2

SteveMD2 — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 05:07:33 +0000

It is time to make those who incite to riot and murder guilty as if it was their hand.

Hitler didn’t murder any Jews, or anyone else as far as I know. And he was a Catholic who often talked about Providence.

Unfortunately we didn’t get to hang him slowly.

Most of history’s tyrants have either been religious or supported in one way or another by relgion.

And who knows – perhaps 500 million have been murdered by their words.

Time to make the churches who use hatred in the name of God responsible for their speach.

Just as we did with a lot of Hitlers stooges.

By: Wayne M.

Wayne M. — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:33:42 +0000

We cannot just sit back and let the religious right spew out their lies and deceptions without confronting them. LGBT people, especially those of us who are Christian must send letters, e-mails and other communications that politely, but firmly hold them accountable for their lies. Their lies cost people their lives.

They say they are exercising free speech and freedom of religion. They must be told that free speech comes with responsibilities to avoid libel and character assassination or use of speech to raise fear or hate. Freedom of religion does not include the abuse of religion to excuse hate-mongering or a right to misinterpret the Bible to justify hate.

When incidents happen where there are violent attacks on women’s clinics or LGBT clubs and gathering spaces, we must not let the so-called “pro-life” or “pro-family” movements get away with phony statements about how they oppose such violence. They need to be told, bluntly, that their statements and their lies encourage those acts of violence and that they have blood on their hands.

And by the way, when we write these organizations, even if they ignore us, there is always the possibility our letters could give hope to a person working in those organizations who is trying to hide from his sexual orientation or gender identity– and give them the courage they need to come out of the closet.

By: Abaugh Kinney

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 06:39:56 +0000

The scary thing about this scenario is that we even have to worry about it, but we do. I guess the question I have this this: As more and more breeders begin to feel less and less threatened by queers, will these so-called Christians fade into the background like skinheads or the KKK? Having attended Pride in Tuscaloosa, AL and Birmingham, I know that there are decent folks out there that wouldn’t stand with Brown, but would they speak out against him? Hmmm…

By: Jacquemar

Jacquemar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:27:00 +0000

I don’t know what to say about this any more… every day there’s more and more hateful Christian propaganda and rhetoric. What can we really do? UNFORTUNATELY they have the same rights as we do. I support atheist groups that want to take away their tax exempt status; maybe when that goes, so will the Christian Rite.

By: scott

scott — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:22:10 +0000

I, for one, cannot understand how one can be gay and Christian. But, that notwithstanding, it’s hard to disagree with the points made by Besen except for one. It’s not a concept to think about for the future. It’s happening right now. Presently we call them hate crimes and almost always, it seems, they are somehow rooted in religious beliefs. This is a serious problem and will take at least a few generations to cycle out of the mainstream once we get the equality we seek.

By: Drewski

Drewski — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 04:34:14 +0000

This may sound paranoid, but if you’ve grown up around these people, you learn to take their talk seriously. Do I think that there are a significant number of fundamentalists who would view attacks on gays as god’s work? Hell yes. These people are indistinguishable from the hardliners in Iran. Although most aren’t as fixated on gays as they are on abortion, don’t rule it out. To me, they have a shared mental illness, a sick group-think. It’s not about belief–they really believe that a supernatural force endorses their anti-social behavior.

By: inkky jet

inkky jet — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:39:58 +0000

Hey Joey:

Go to “American Family Association”: click on “OneNewsNow”.
These people spend more time on gay issues, than does 365!!
(Read it daily for at least 2 weeks). Lies!!

By: Joey in CT

Joey in CT — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:48:30 +0000

Inkky…those sites are SCARRY!!!

I just went to some CT-oriented site…holy crap. They go on and on about horrible rates and statistics for children living in divirced or single parent households and equate that to the reason to fight for traditional marriage. CRAZY! That is not equal to same-sex marriage…but a non-suspecting reader would think otherwise.

WOW…Im sooo offended!

But…we prevailed (their website is a bit outdated) and now have full marriage equality in CT…so not all is lost.

WOW though. Thanks for sending me looking for that stuff. A real eye opener as to why it is imperative to continue to fight these lies.

By: Kelson

Kelson — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:16:30 +0000

Sarrellec Said – Absolutely!

If one thinks that these people can be talked to then they also believe that a wife beater can be talked to and convinced to stop beating his wife. Yeah, right!

By: Facebook User

Facebook User — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:55:25 +0000

We can wish that this confrontation between christian fanatics and anyone they determine is an enemy would or could be solved peacefully and without loss of life and limb.
History teaches us that this is not going to happen. Christianity must have an enemy in order to exist.
Gays are the enemy du jour.
In EVERY instance of fanatical christian opposition to the rights of their enemy to exist, be considered equal, or to live their lives without the interference of the fanatical christian, VIOLENCE has been the consistent answer of the fanatical christian.
If we do not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. Unfortunately, what this history teaches us is that there is NO WAY to NOT repeat the fanatically violent actions of christians.
So, we should just come to terms with that reality.
We will lose people. That’s a given.
These violent actions from the fanatical christian will, however, work in our favor, just as their insane fanatical violence has eventually worked in the favor of their enemy du jour of the past.
So folks, be as careful as you can, but refuse to live in fear. Be ready for losses and do your best to respond as non-violently as possible.
This will be difficult.
We must simply realize we are in a war we did not start and in which we do not wish to participate, but those who have designated us their enemy simply cannot be stopped UNTIL AFTER they have consummated their fanatacism.
That’s just the way it is.