Rant time?

Now, i am going to write a disclaimer at the beginning of this entry.  if any of you do not like what i am about to discuss, or have objections to this topic, please send notes.  i am all for open discussion.  however, i will not stand for sexist remarks, or rude and improper behavior regarding this topic.  I will report any who I think violate this simple request

that being said, here goes.

in my state (Washington State) we currently do not have any laws protecting homosexuals from discrimination.  for instance, an insurance company can refuse coverage on the basis that you are gay in this state, as well as landlord’s legally have a right to refuse lodging if they find homosexuality offensive.

for more than 20 years a bill has passed the State House of Representative’s 60-37, to move on to the Senate, which has in the past voted it down.  thus, for the 20 some odd years that this bill has been trying to be made legislation, it has been knocked down everytime.

this year is different however.  a state senator has decided to change his vote, which means the bill has a very good chance of passing into law.  needless to say, this pleases me very much as i have always voted no to people who were against it.

however, this isn’t the topic i had in mind.  it was just designed to show you where this argument is coming from in our State.

my rant begins with the fact that i had several people shout me down a few days ago concerning gays pushing or making others accept their lifestyle.  i have two thoughts on this (and for anyone that disagrees with me, please let me know, i would really like to get a better perspective of why people think this way).

1) which is more invasive?  someone fighting for their own rights, or that of other people telling you that you are not allowed those rights?

according to the bill of rights, all people are to be treated equally.  i don’t remember it ever saying "All men are created equal, except gays and lesbians."  matter of fact, homosexuality is not a new thing, and as far as i know (please tell me if i’m wrong about this) it has not become a problem until the last century.  granted we could have just been focused on other problems.  *shrugs*  to be honest, these people are fighting for their existance.  its bad enough people look down upon you, lets make it so you can’t live or get health care in the process.  i have a bigger problem with the fact that people think they are being forced to accept homosexuality.  no one has asked you to accept it.  all they are saying is that you shouldn’t be able to treat them as less of a person.

2) if people have a hard time with homosexuality, or with their own sexuality for that matter, just ignore it like you always do. 

no one is asking you to go out there and give it a chance.  it is so frustrating to think that people are against homosexuality so much that they would attempt to pass laws to ban gays and lesbians from being people.  why not just pass a law that states "If you are a homo, you are a demon."  then at least you won’t have to use the word homosexual, or gay, or lesbian for that matter. 

this lifestyle, which a good portion of people lead, might not be palatable to you (you in a general sense…) but that doesn’t change the fact that they exist, and will always exist.  it is a way of life, just like being black, asian, hispanic, caucasian, male, female, christian, hindi, jewish, or a muslim.

anyway, if you have any thoughts on this, please leave a note or feel free to email me at:

tom_bombadil19@yahoo.com

again, i ask… no beg of you, i’m not looking for a fight.  however if your opinion differs from mine, i would like to hear your thoughts.  this is a very sincere and serious subject to me as a great many of my friends are gay, not to mention the community in which i live and work.

and for all intensive purposes, i don’t want to hear what the bible says about it.  i want your own reactions… not those dictated to you. 

– noah