"Goodwill To All" Doesn't Quite Mean What You Think

Sometimes I hold on to a story to see what comes of it.  In this case, I was sorely disappointed in how small government squashed people and still got away with it.  I fully expected this case to set a new viewpoint of how times were moving forward, because this was so ridiculous I cannot believe it has been allowed to stand.  As most of you know, Virginia Gurrola, mayor of Porterville, CA was ousted along with a fellow sympathizer over an attempt to create a LGBT pride month.  This small town lost its collective mind.  The local government has overstepped themselves to an unbelievable degree, and displayed an ignorance and bias that should not be tolerated in public servants.

For those of you who don't know, here is a snippet from a Huffington Post article:

One LGBT activist who attended the event noted:

That was one of the scariest and most horrific experiences of my life! I have never been in the same room with people (yes, multiple people) that actually called for my death and the systematic extermination of all LGBT people; I have never been surrounded by so many hateful people; and I have never been so proud of the LGBT community for maintaining respect and decorum and civility (and trust me it was difficult).

Following her signing of the proclamation, the mayor was reportedly subject to such an extreme onslaught of homophobic comments from attendees that she was reduced to tears. Attendees allegedly screamed that homosexuals were "worthy of death" while waving bibles in the air.

Just weeks later, Porterville's City Council voted to rescind Gurrola's proclamation, stating that the LGBT community should not receive "special consideration," and replaced the label of "LGBT Pride Month" with a resolution declaring June 2013 "a month of community charity and goodwill to all in Porterville." Gay rights activists protesting the meeting were arrested at the event and charged with disturbing the peace.

That the legal system has been so abused is a case of local government gone insane.  The shutdown has got our attention for now, but this is terrifying.  Government unchecked is a nightmare, especially at the level closest to the people.  And because it's just the gays, it's being allowed to stand.

My own city has gone through similar stupidity, as have many.  Springfield was trying to decide if they should include the LGBT population in non-discrimination verbiage.  The city blew up, with people saying gays don't deserve "special consideration"... though they couldn't answer what that special consideration was, since everyone else is protected from discrimination.  I have had to listen to speeches about how homosexuals are going to set the world on fire, destroy marriages, ruin lives, lead to incest and sex with barnyard animals (I only wish I was kidding).

Part of the problem is that homophobes aren't able to accept LGBT folks as normal people.  That's their problem to bear, they're the idiots who self-inflict that disease.  The second problem is that these people think that making gay and transgendered people live in the shadows is a kind of victory.  By not allowing them to be themselves, and live true to their beliefs (a right the homophobes demand for themselves while denying others) they are living in bigotry at the expense of others.

So forgive me if I'm not buying the "goodwill to all people" line of crap.  It clearly doesn't apply to everyone.  Or are we to believe that fighting against "special rights" and wishing someone would die or burn for eternity are one and the same? Could you imagine your hometown saying you were worthy of death and then claiming they don't hate you when the cameras are looking?  Or sites and comments that suggest you should be drug behind a car until dead?  Stripped and raped until you came around and saw how wonderful their idea of righteous sex should be?  I've heard all of this before, and I'm straight and a known activist.  I can only imagine what people who are forced to hide the fact that they are gay hear every day.

Our LGBT population deserves the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness just like anyone else.  If their life choices are legal, we should have no say in what they choose to do with their lives. In a recent discussion, we were talking about legalizing gay marriage, and what it would mean.  We talked about reciprocal values, where if a law works for one group it should work equally for another.  Until gay marriage came up, that was the perfect solution.  Then a woman who wouldn't even consider it was asked, "so you think gays should be able to tell you that you can only marry women?  That you should only date women?"  The woman was appalled, but when we pointed out she was doing that to others the door to common sense slammed shut yet again and she said it was okay in this one case because "she believes" it is wrong.  The  inability to separate personal values from a national scale of protected freedom will be the ruination of our society, not two women marrying or two men adopting a baby.  Oh wait, it already is.

Judging is wrong.  Treating people badly is always wrong.  Treating people badly in the name of a loving deity is worst above all.  There is something inherently wrong with knowing our country allows freedom, but using laws to force people to a standard that has nothing to do with the welfare of the people and everything to do with control.  These are real people we are talking about.  Because they are often forced to live in silence, we are unaware of many of our LGBT neighbors.  They are your friends, coworkers, that person who ran out of their way to open the door for you, the people who teach your kids and patch up playground injuries, the person who holds your life in their hands on an operating table.  They are people.  Just people.  Just like us.  They deserve the right to make their own personal choices.  Just like us.

It's such a simple concept only a real idiot could screw it up.