How Many More? A Republican Disgust

On any given day, I can typically argue a policy point on logic alone without inserting any personal feelings. Today, however, I feel compelled to share my feelings on the actions taken by a select group of republican congressmen on the Matthew Shepard Act. It sickens and disgusts me that anyone would possess the audacity to seek to limit or make a mockery of a bill that could very well help prevent violent, bias-motivated crime. Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) and Congressman Steve King (R-IA) sought to stall hate crime legislation in congress by proposing asinine amendments and changes in nomenclature. Gohmert & King, who have been quoted as against all hate crimes legislation, introduced specious amendments to protect “immutable characteristics” such as eye color, hair color - or lack thereof - to the classes covered by the bill in order to make a mockery of the legislation’s purpose to protect actual targeted minorities from hate violence. – HRC Backstory.
In the wake of not one, but two recent suicides of children because of bullying, how can you not take this bill seriously? How can you possibly make a mockery of hate crimes legislation when people are being brutally murdered with fire extinguishers or shot in the head, or robbed, tortured and left to die alone in a field? How many more kids need to commit suicide before you realize that your government bid is not equal to a human life? It is baffling to me that people think their “moral values” somehow give them license to leave minority groups unprotected. You may not agree with homosexuality, but does that mean people should be able to beat LGBT people to a pulp? Is it okay to kill a “perceived” LGBT citizen because they’re immoral in your eyes? What about black people? A little over 40 years ago, racism was a social norm, was it okay, then, for a group of white men to rape and kill a little black girl on the way home from school? What will future generations, those who will most likely see a more equal world, think of your ideals, Congressmen? Why is it so hard for you to get past all the religious, bible-thumping smut and see that whether you like it or not, LGBT people exist and they deserve to be protected like every other American citizen?
The minute an LGBT issue arises, people play the child card. “My children will have to learn that homosexuality is okay”. The fact that this argument is recycled from when schools were desegregated doesn’t change the counter-argument. Adults let their cynical minds get in the way of rationality. Firstly, there are very few schools that actually teach about “marriage” itself. It’s not something kids need to know about at age 3. What they do teach is tolerance; it helps children to interpret the world around them. The idea of right and wrong has no bearing on actuality, and frankly, if children are taught that some families have one dad and some have two, it can only stand to help them become tolerant of people who are different from them. People hear this and think, “I don’t want my kid learning about that.” But what’s so wrong with teaching a child that not everybody is the same, and that we should respect each other’s differences even when we do not agree. Maybe a review of the different types of American families can potentially stop a child from torturing someone who happens to have two moms, or two dads. After all, children learn to poke fun and ridicule differences from none other than their parents. So, Congressmen, can children be tortured, relentlessly, to the point of suicide, all while teachers and administrators turn a blind eye? What needs to happen for you to realize that this is not a joke? People are dying over ignorance and it has nothing to do with anyone’s “agenda”. The Hate Crimes Legislation Bill is ten years overdue; all the while tens of thousands of people have been targeted and brutalized because someone thought it was cool or funny, or their duty under “God’s Will.” It is disgusting that people let their ideology blind them into refusing simple humanity for others. It especially baffles me that people stand behind Christianity-the alleged religion of love-to justify the endorsement of hate and discrimination. How dare you tell someone that they are less of a human being because they don’t believe what you believe? How can you close your eyes to the violence that impacts LGBT families every day? You, Congressmen, and those who support your opinions, are vile, loathsome, detestable human beings and I am absolutely comfortable generalizing all of you with regards to this topic. Wake up!