God help us and our loved ones to make it through this dark time!
I received this email from my state representative a couple of days ago. I am going to pray for him, too, I think.
Thank you for your email. This is certainly a controversial issue and has stirred many emotional responses on both sides. I have gotten copies of the bills which I will study this weekend so that I understand better what the bill is proposing. I am fine with protecting the rights of all individuals. However I am concerned that some bills are more of a political statement than an effort to fix problems. After my review of the bills, I will listen carefully to the debate and get input from both sides so that I can vote in an informed manner.
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18 comments:
Oh. My.
I'm trying to be shocked by that, but surprisingly, I'm not. It's pretty much par for the course with small-minded Utahns.
*sigh*
And I think that your State Representative's e-mail was quite possibly his way of placating you whil he tows the party line.
I'm not surprised...considering that this takes place in Utah. The add looks and reads like something that came out of the 1950's. Anyway, I'm sorry you had to see something like that in your local newspaper...
Unless you want to get really depressed, DON'T blow up the images and start reading the text.
I feel sick.
"Gays will have MORE RIGHTS than anyone else"
I'm going to go lie down.
Check out their AmericaForever.com web site if you want to keep that feeling going :-).
The most amazing part to me was their claim to have the dreaded gay declaration of war from the congressional record, with such gems as:
“Tremble, hetero swine, when we appear before you without our masks.”
Which, after a little googling, is easily found to be from an 1987 editorial attempt at Swiftian satire from a now-defunct Boston gay paper–-one that’s making fun of the paranoia of these sorts of folks. :-)
As I posted on this though, it will be taken seriously by a lot of Utahs and even lawmakers. It's scary raising a family where you know a good number of people will look at this ad and nod in agreement.
"This is not about hate or civil rights!"
If they want to make that point, they should have probably designed the article a little better... it comes off as "hate" right on the first glance.
Sometimes it's nice not to be in Utah.
It's really disgusting that they allowed this to be published, when just a couple months ago, they pulled this add out from printing.
http://blog.gayrightswatch.com/2008/12/salt-lake-tribune-deseret-news-pull-ad-criticizing-lds-stance-on-prop-8/
This makes me sick. Is this real? Ths is like something that would have been published in the early days of Nazi Germany...
Notice how the picture they use has a couple where one partner is black and the other is white. I'm sure this was intentional. Even to this day some people look down on interracial relationships, so this is an attempt to frighten those people.
Also, is it just me, or does the man on the right have facial hair? Again, something not common in mormon culture.
If you think I'm being too sensitive, then just read the rest of the ad. These sickos* are already using fear of the "homosexual agenda" to support their cause, so why not add a little racism and fear of counterculture into the mix?
*Polite version of what I really want to say.
Sorry to make everyone so miserable with this post, but I guess misery loves company, so thanks for all of your comments.
Kengo, I hope you are not right about my representative. He really is a great guy, so I think praying for him could help.
Scot, someone needs to write a letter to the editor of the Tribune about that quote from 1987 to set the record straight, not that it will do much good. Those who believe this junk are not going to read or believe a refutal of it.
O.R. thanks for the additional information. What would change the paper's mind on printing this? Enough $ I suppose might do it.
Ezra and Invisible: I understand the sick feeling you are talking about. I started reading the fine print and decided it was best not to. God help us.
Evan, we can really hope that most people will view this as the hateful thing that it is and hope that it will therefore have the opposite of its intended effect.
But there is no doubt that it is also going to do some further damage in some people's minds.
*sigh*
CR - thanks for your insights on my last couple of posts. I've enjoyed getting to know you through your posts on Beck's blog as well. Welcome to the queerosphere.
Alright, not too much gets me riled. And I try to steer pretty well clear of politics. But the line that really gets me is: "For example: [...] or to present one's self as a homosexual person in the workplace, is stating and displaying that he or she practices sodomy[...]."
That ad truly makes me sick.
New article just posted online for the Tribune about the ad. Apparently the ad ran in both SL papers, but in the Deseret News without the photo.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11717874
Homosexuality is not a race?
Bummer. I've always enjoyed contests.
CR is absolutely on the money. This is an Appeal to Fear aimed right at my Grandparents' (and sadly) parents' generations. What terrifies me is that they're the ones with the political clout in this state because the youth have all been brainwashed our brow-beaten into submission.
*feeling more than somewhat scared just now*
Oh the joys of living in Utah. Yes I live in Utah and I have to deal with the reputation that Utah has grown to have. Lucky me! :)
I'm just at a loss of words. Surely no one will believe all that!!!
Don't kid yourself, Jenz. People are great at believing all sorts of stupid things, for example, that the world is flat, that the astronauts didn't really land on the moon, and don't forget the holocaust deniers.
Believing stupid crap spewed by hate mongers is a lot easier than thinking by yourself.
There's an interesting theory that America Forever has run the ad not because they actually expect many people to believe it, but because by spouting such insanely irrational and ridiculous vitriol they make the (still homophobic and hateful) views of the Eagle Forum (with which they share a tenuous connection) seem downright friendly by comparison.
I don't normally give any credence to conspiracy theories, but...
I'd read that on one of the links, somewhere along the web, and that wouldn't surprise me. I just hope there's an investigation into Ruzika, Eagle Forum and America Forever, because they're not apparently registered as lobbyists ... I'd love to see the go away.
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