National Coming Out Day

10.11.12 is National Coming Out Day.  Therefore, I am coming out.

I am coming out as a compassionate supporter of LGBTQ+ rights.*  Gay rights are not just gay rights.  Gay rights are women's rights.  Gay rights are human rights.

Let me explain my premise that gay rights are women's rights.  Many people I know who are against gay rights are repulsed by the idea of men having sex with men. Women get a free pass for the most part.  Why?  Besides the fact that many men in the Bible had multiple wives so there was likely some kinky stuff happening in the bedroom,  the idea of a man acting like or taking the "role" of a woman in a relationship is degrading.  Again, why?  Simply put, it's misogyny.  In their minds, being a woman is degrading.  Women are second-class citizens merely by being born with a vagina instead of a penis.

Gay rights are human rights.  In the U.S., the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are guaranteed in the Constitution.  My spouse and I got married in the course of living life because we had the liberty to do so, and because it was in our pursuit of happiness.  Everyone should have that same right, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

Gay marriage is not an attack on traditional marriage.  If anything, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," and traditional marriage proponents should be honored and flattered that people with same-sex attractions want to get married.  Christians especially, who hold that sex outside of marriage is a sin, should be thrilled that LGBTQ+ individuals want to marry instead of being content with co-habitating.

Honestly, anyone's sexual orientation shouldn't even be part of our conversation.  It is not my business if you like men or women.  It is not your business if I like men or women.    The only reason it is part of our conversation is because the rights inherent to the very fabric of the existence of our country are being denied to certain individuals based on sexual orientation.

And that is wrong.



*For those of you wondering how I, as an Evangelical Christian, can support gay rights, I answer this:  Jesus treated everyone with whom He came in contact in a loving, compassionate manner, Pharisees occasionally excepted.  Surely He would not expect less from His followers.  I think too often, Christianity gets overly focused on "the cause" and forgets about fulfilling Christ's command to love God and love others.  Forcing our morality on those who do not share our beliefs is not loving, nor will it do anything to further our cause.