No Homo

**I planned on writing this post in August, but I completely forgot. I often say, the readers are the ones who help to shape the content of the blog. Recently, I was reminded to tackle this subject.**

     I honestly don’t know why people care about things that have nothing to do with them. If two people of the same sex decided to be intimate with one another, let them. Their lifestyle does not interfere with anyone else’s life.

I will be the first to admit, gay jokes are funny. Straight men call each other “gay” all the time, and it is done in jest. (Please don’t tell me that I am wrong, and that gay jokes are hurtful to gay people. I am not politically correct. Stop being so sensitive and tell straight jokes! For more about the jokes, read my previous entry, titled Six Flags, posted on August 10^th.)

The problem with these types of jokes is when people use gay slurs to put down homosexuals. Homophobia is unacceptable. People who say homosexuality is unnatural are under-informed. There are many species which practice gay sex; it is natural. (This is an irrefutable fact!)

That being said, there is a dumb quote being floated around Twitter. Allow me to paraphrase, “Homosexuality exists in over 1500 species, homophobia only exists in one.” Like any other genius Twitter quote, this one is unfounded. Yes, homosexuality is natural, but how can we possibly know whether or not homophobia exists in other species? For all we know, straight lions give gay lions a hard time! (I believe straight lions are homophobic creatures, and their behavior has to be stopped!)

Homophobia is something that doesn’t make any sense to me, especially when blacks and Jews are homophobes. How can you know the history of the struggle to overcome the slave trade and the Holocaust, and allow yourself to support any form of discrimination? (As a History Major, these are the people who truly baffle me. And I consider myself “un-baffle-able!”)

Sometimes, the biggest homophobes are people who are desperately trying to remain in the closet. Comedian Ron White tells a great joke about homophobia. Ron’s brother is anti-gay and an outspoken homophobe.

Ron: “All men are gay to some degree.”

Brother: “Bullshit!”

Ron: “Ok, I’ll prove it to you. Do you watch porn?”

Brother: “Hell yeah!”

Ron: “Do you only watch lesbian porn?”

Brother: “No. I like to watch a guy bang the crap out of a slut.”

Ron: “When you watch porn, do you like to see a guy bang a chick with a limp dick?”

Brother: “No, I like a hard cock!” [The brother realizes what he just said. Ron White is hilarious!]

I grew up a Catholic and my upbringing taught me to believe that gay people were sinners. Part of my road to atheism was paved by the realization that gay people are simply people; an individual’s sexual preference has nothing to do with who they are. History has taught me that homophobia is a fairly recent phenomenon. The Greeks and Romans practiced homosexuality on a regular basis. I am not going to get into the historical record, but basically the ancients were mostly bisexual. Even the leader of the Olympian gods, Zeus, slept with men. Are you not familiar with the story of Zeus and Ganymede, the Trojan boy? (Feel free to research the information if you have an interest in the topic!)

It was difficult for me to consider someone unmanly, when history’s greatest conqueror was gay. Of course, I am referring to the Macedonian leader, Alexander the Great. One of my favorite professors at UMass Boston is named William A Percy; he is openly gay and in his seventies. His classes were always interesting because Professor Percy spoke his mind and refused to be politically correct. As you can imagine, there were some students who complained, but his tenured status made him untouchable. (The guy needs his own reality show!)

Another former professor, Michael B. Chesson, endorsed a book called The intimate world of Abraham Lincoln. The book was written by C. A. Tripp, who concluded that Abraham Lincoln was a homosexual. (That’s something that the conservatives would probably kill over!)

My time at Seton Hall University also opened my eyes to the realities of the world. One of my good friends shared a suite with “Gay Dan.” At first, I was uncomfortable with Dan, but I quickly realized that he was just a student like any other. Getting to know people is the best way to break down ignorant stereotypes. At the gym, there was a gay guy who was a pretty good basketball player. Some of the people gave him a hard time and refused to pick him, but I always welcomed him on my five and we won most of the games. It’s a shame what ignorance can do to people. (The old adage, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” has been around for ages because it’s true. Get to know people and you’ll gain a better perspective on life!)

That being said, there was one incident at the park here in Roxbury. A guy showed up with no shirt on and cyclist tights. Let’s just say, he scored every time he touched the ball; there is such a thing as tolerance, but wrong is wrong. (Wearing nothing but tights to play basketball is plain old wrong!)

The bible is very clear when it comes to the subject of homosexuality. In the book of Leviticus, chapter 20 verse 13, it is stated clearly, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them shall be put to death for their abominable deed; they have forfeited their lives.” The problem is the fact that the bible was written by man. If you understand the history of the people who wrote the “holy book,” you would understand why homosexuality is banned. The Hebrew cities were often ransacked by the ancient Greeks. The women and children were captured as slaves, while the men were raped in order to emasculate them. (If the men in your tribe were raped, you would probably be against homosexuality as well!)

Religion is the great separator of man. Believers are taught to hate anyone who is different. There are too many parents who disown their children once they announce their true sexuality. I could never be a part of a faith that teaches me to hate my child; hate speech is wrong, even if the guy spewing the venomous talk is wearing a cross on his fancy robe. (Don’t ever forget; he is just a guy!)

At the end of the day, most of the people who are against homosexuality do it out of fear. I am not talking about the fear of gays; I mean the fear of their own hidden desires. Ask the disgraced former Evangelical pastor, Ted haggard. He hated gays from the pulpit, but was caught paying a man for sex while using methamphetamines. (Do you ever wonder what secrets are in your pastor’s closet?)

There is much debate over the “gay gene.” I don’t believe there is a gay gene, but scientists will eventually solve the mystery. I just don’t think that people are born gay. Humans will adapt to their environment. People who live in Japan love eating raw fish because they grew up in an environment which accepted the practice. Someone who lives in a rural town in Mexico may be repulsed by raw fish. The difference is the fact that the “good book” doesn’t speak negatively about eating raw fish, so sushi may seem foreign and weird to some, but it doesn’t get the Jesus-folk riled up. If the bible had a verse which disallows the eating of uncooked fish, sushi restaurants would be targeted by most Christians. (I haven’t looked into it, but there probably is some verse about not eating raw fish, or at least there is a verse which can be translated to mean such!)

Intolerance comes from ignorance. I am talking about the Lack of knowledge. People often use the word ignorant to mean, asshole or jerk, but that is a misuse of the word. Gays often say, “I didn’t choose to be gay.” That may be true, but I never understood the reasoning for such a claim. Choosing who you want to be intimate with does not give people the right to be hateful. Just because you don’t like something, doesn’t make it wrong. (Isn’t it funny how most religious people will hate gays because of the bible, but will have unprotected sex without blinking an eye?)

As far as gay marriage is concerned, I don’t have a problem with two people of the same sex getting hitched. The reason most people are against gay marriage is due to religious beliefs; I guess I just don’t have that problem. If two people fall in love and want to spend their lives together, who cares if they are homosexuals? “But ‘god’ created Adam and eve, not Adam and Steve.” That would be great if “god” existed! Most of the anti-gay marriage talk comes from people who are unhappy with their own love-lives so they try to prevent others from being happy. (I thought marriage was about falling in love; I guess I was wrong!)

Furthermore, when it comes to a gay couple adopting a child, I’m all for it. There are too many children in this world who lack the necessary unconditional love and parental guidance. Why not allow gay couples to adopt? What’s the worst that could happen; the child grows up to be gay? The only problem with being gay is the fact that most straight people are hateful. A child will be better off with gay parents, than some of the children who are born to a straight couple. I would personally prefer two gay dads, to a drug addicted/prostitute mother and a drug dealer/pimp father. (I’m weird that way!)

Being tolerant doesn’t make you gay; it makes you a decent human being. Allow people to be themselves and treat everyone with respect–unless you’re a god-fearing person. It’s perfectly fine to hate others as long as it’s done in the name of the “almighty!” (There’s a reason the last statement sounds ridiculous!)

My favorite Christian anti-gay slogan is, “I don’t hate gays; ‘god’ does.” What a wonderful and peaceful ideology. Another great quote from the book of Leviticus is, chapter 19 verse 18, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” (I guess the part about, “unless he or she is gay,” is understood!)

I’ll leave you with a joke for all of the homosexual citizens of the world. It goes like this, “god” is good; all the time!

@PeteTeix617