I'm sure one of the most galling things to religious extremists is the ever increasing "coming out" of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) people. Many religious extremists may sincerely believe, naively and ignorantly, that LGBT people are as they are by sinful choice and that they should hide their shame in their closet. But we who are LGBT know we are who we are, not because of choice, but because we simply are. Religious extremists and even many mainstream people will simply have to deal with our existence.

 

Like any disparaged minority, we suffer from stereotyping, which is why so many LGBT people successfully can remain closeted. I have many dear male gay friends who are stereotypically gay men, swishy, loose wrists, lisps, cannot throw a baseball if their lives depend on it. I also have many dear female ...

 

I was raised in a family that went to a conservative Baptist church. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior when I was 8 years old. I was baptized (dunked) when I was 12 years old.

 

When I was 16 years old I had a spiritual awakening after watching Charlton Heston's Ten Commandments – February 19, 1973 to be exact. I went into a frenzy of religious activities then. I became much more active in my church and formed a close relationship with my pastor. I was a leader in the youth group at church. I started “preaching” to my friends at school, especially my poor “lost” Roman Catholic friends. I even started carrying my Bible to public school.

 

I led one of my Roman Catholic friends to Christ (to the chagrin of his parents ...

 

The year 2000 saw something unprecedented in American government when the state of Vermont implemented a new law, a civil union law, which would allow gay couples to have the trappings of marriage without actually being married. Governor Howard Dean, personally opposed to marriage for gay people, signed this compromise bill.

 

The events in Vermont were preceded by events in Hawaii and Alaska nearly a decade earlier. In the early 1990s the Hawaii state supreme court ruled it was unconstitutional to not allow gay couples to get married. They ordered Hawaii to implement marriage equality for gays. The people of Hawaii were not ready for this and responded by passing a state constitutional amendment against marriage equality for gay people. Shortly thereafter a similar thing happened in Alaska.

 

Vermont also was ordered by their state supreme court to ...

 

Homosexuals are an abomination before God! Homosexuals have an agenda to destroy society, to destroy marriage, to destroy the family! Homosexuals are nothing more then drugged out sex crazed hedonists only interested in their own pleasure. Homosexuals choose to live a homosexual lifestyle. God showed his wrath toward homosexuals in no uncertain terms in Sodom and Gomorrah. Homosexuals will be damned for all eternity if they do not repent! We must protect our children from those evil molesting homosexuals!

 

If one repeats lies often enough, it becomes truth. Homophobes can make the same argument. We humans have many needs, physical, mental, emotional, even spiritual. One deep need is to be loved, to be accepted, to be wanted and needed. When society has determined a certain way of life needed to perpetuate itself, for whatever reason, it will create powerful ...

 

Queer - to be different. This once offensive term has been adopted with pride by gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered and any other people who are not what society says people should be.

 

As I continue my journey, and it is a journey, discovering the real me and coming to terms with who I am, I take time for careful thought.

 

I cannot fully understand why society is so threatened by queer people. Queer people really are a rainbow, but not much less then other people.

 

Yes, there are the extremely colorful flamboyant loose wrist gay men of great creativity and a flair for art, decorations, fashion! I personally know several. Yes, there are the toughest no nonsense football loving tool carrying lesbians one would not want to offend in a dark alley! I know some of ...