no normalcy

I've noticed that at work it seems there are many open-minded people, and I was thinking about how grateful I am to live in the time that I do.  Granted its not a utopia for "the gays," but there are enough people out there who could care less if you're gay or not that life can resemble "normalcy."

Today I read the headline, "Gay Iraqis become targets after U.S. invasion of Iraq."  Wow, just another of the 101 ways we’ve made life better for the people of Iraq.  There’s a new report that apparently details the “…growing persecution, torture, and killing of Iraqi gays and lesbians.”  Well, at least WE don’t torture right?  Apparently in Iraq a high ranking religious leader said that LGBT people should be killed in the “most severe way.”  This makes me ill…

What makes me even more sick is that our country won’t do anything about it.  Hell, everyone over there is in danger so there’s little chance that a mini-holocaust would be avoided.  And with the current government, they won’t even try to protect LGBT people in our own country.  “The White House says there is no need for the [hate crimes] bill…”   No, just an 18% spike in anti-gay crimes in 2006.  No need.. 

And god forbid people like religious leaders wouldn’t be able to preach their hate so their followers will feel better about practicing hate.  A Bishop in the US said, “We believe that [the hate crimes bill] will criminalize our freedom of speech and our ability to preach the gospel.”  Well, that’s all the Grand Ayatollah was doing when he mentioned that gays should be killed in the worst possible way.  It’s all the same kind of rhetoric when you boil it down…


(sources: Gay Iraqis become targets after U.S. invasion of Iraq, White House threatens to veto hate-crimes bill, FBI: Hate crimes escalate 8% in 2006)