I couldn't have put it more perfectly. This is from an article in Parade. It sums up my feelings exactly without being all wordy as I normally am.
“It’s ridiculous that Prop 8 took away gay people’s right to marry! I have no understanding of that kind of hatred. Maybe it’s fear of difference or of the unknown. If you feel belittled, maybe you need someone else to belittle to feel powerful. It’s the only way I know how to explain it. You’ve got religion telling you what to think about homosexuality, about marriage. They say homosexuality is a choice, a lifestyle, something you can be cured of, and that isn’t true. But if you’re tucked away and have no friends who are gay, you’ll believe what the preachers say. Just think of it in terms of being in love–how would you feel if someone told you that you couldn’t be with the person you loved?”
Isn't that what this is all about? Bullies taking out their feelings of inferiority on others? I have explained this to my son a thousand times when he struggled to understand why someone can hate him for no reason.
It sickens me that people can be discriminated against because they are outside of someone else's comfort zone. They justify it by saying it is the law or the bible says it isn't right. I think it is pure ignorance and stupidity but I truly believe people can change and evolve with awareness. Put yourself in someone else's shoes and adhere to the Golden Rule. The truly absurd thing is that everyone knows someone who is gay but they probably haven't been told because of their narrow mind.
I can't change everyone's minds but I know that by speaking out loud instead of keeping quiet it will make a difference. Racism and discrimination feed off silence. The mentality is that if we don't really say it out loud then it doesn't exist. That is all changing now. The chatter started as a whisper and I hear it getting louder.
