I’ve been hearing about the ‘gay agenda’ (and the boycotts) for as long as I can remember.  I’ve of course, never heard a word about the Christian agenda, even though it exists.  I think it’s worth examining this list, that is very typical of the Evangelical Christian Complex’s (ECC) feelings towards non-straight people.

Look at #4.

“We oppose the homosexual movement’s efforts to convince our society that their behavior is normal because we fear the judgement of God on our nation.”

They fear God’s judgment on America.  Honestly, I just don’t even know any more with this one.  Read some Zinn.  Get a healthier view of God.  My goodness.  I don’t think God has judged a nation since the Romans sacked Jerusalem, has he?  Putting up such a strong resistance to people because an event that there is no evidence for ever happening might happen is crazy.

#6.

“The homosexual movement’s promotion of same-sex marriage undermines the God-ordained institution of marriage and family which is the foundation of all societies.”

The foundation of all societies.  Really?

The foundation of society has been pharaohs and emperors, militaries, laws and codes, slavery and patronage.  A society’s rise and fall has never depended on their marital statuses.  It’s depended on size and wealth and military might.

The foundation of America is not marriage and family.  It is our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, our 3 branches of government, and yes, our army.  There are definitely socio-economic issues related to family and stable employment, but none of it has to do to do with being straight or not.  The foundation of David and Solomon’s empires, the glory of the Old Testament was not their marriages.  The foundation of Jesus wasn’t even his marital status, obviously.  (I find it fascinating that his ancestry includes so many people who did not fit the typical marriage scenario!)

Heterosexual marriage has never been the reason that a nation has survived or been destroyed.

#7.

“We oppose the efforts of the homosexual movement to force its agenda on our sentiments in schools, government, business and workplaces through law, public policy and media. Our strong opposition is a reaction to the homosexual movement’s aggressive strategies.”

But the Christian agenda is ok to use these methods.  Got it.

Look, both sides have an agenda and the activism necessary to advocate.  One side’s agenda is implementation of a selective interpretation of the Bible.  The other side’s agenda is to live, and live safely, to have the same ability for success that any other citizen of a civil society has.  Their ‘strong opposition as a reaction’ is a flat-out-lie.  The ‘aggression’ by the gay community only occurred because of how Christians and society treated them as they were dropping like flies.

#8

“We oppose the effort to convince our culture that because individuals participate in homosexual behavior, they have earned the right to be protected like racial and other minority groups.”

Why do Americans (humans!) need to earn the right to be protected?  Shouldn’t it be automatic that if you are a citizen of a country founded on the principles of freedom, justice, and equality, that you deserve all those things?

As a society progresses, and it’s revealed that because of our human tendency to exclude, discrimination occurs, we create laws that reaffirm and ensure the values we cherish are put into action.  Laws keep our harmful human tendancies in check.  Everyone has ‘earned the right’ to be protected by virtue of being a citizen (resident!) of a civil society.  If the ECC wants to live in a country strictly governed by religious laws, then move to the Mideast region of the world!

The ‘gay agenda’ began, not out of a desire to end ‘Murica, but because gay men were dying.  It took the FDA 2 months to change drug packaging laws after 7 people died from Tylenol.  And yet when gay men were dying by the hundreds and thousands, it took years, protests, arrests, and massive organization to get the FDA to change drug trials from 8-10 years to 2 years, to end double-blind studies, and to stop price-gouging.

When the horrific death of Matthew Shepherd dominated the news, and suicide stories of LGBT people, youth, are common – of course there is going to be a push for acceptance!

When parents stop financial support, kick kids out of their home, reject them, when they have to flee the churches they grew up in, all because ‘sin’ – then yes, bring on the agenda that seeks to ‘live the life they love’.

The ECC’s agenda is one of fear and discrimination.  Their desire for ‘religious liberty’ trumps human lives, and yet they claim to act in love.   Is there a difference between love, the feeling, and love, the action?  What about hate, the feeling, and hate, the action?  I keep saying this evangelical Christian world is spreading hate, even though they don’t see it that way.

But if your actions come across as hateful to someone else, shouldn’t you love that person enough to examine what you’re doing?  When you insist on using terms that dehumanize, like homosexual, lifestyle, and gay agenda, how is that loving?  It feels a lot like an abusive partner who insists that they love the person.  If what you are doing does not feel like love, then perhaps it is not actually loving.  Perhaps we need to get a social justice edition of the 5 Love Languages.

I understand the fear of losing religious freedom.  That clearly has happened in history and in other countries now, and because of our human tendencies could happen here.

But the beauty of a nation founded on specific values, and then enshrining those values in law, coupled with a system of checks and balances, ensures that it will be very difficult to erode freedoms.  And ensuring that people can’t be fired because of who you are attracted to or identify as does not come close to restricting liberty.

There’s a sort of romantic nostalgia about looking at the past.  The good ol’ days seem so perfect, our sins so diminished.

Look at Act-Up and what they accomplished.  That must’ve been so empowering.  Yeah, it’s a shame the FDA was so behind the times, but look at it now!  They made drugs easier to get and it impacted cancer drugs as well, and what a great story that makes.

30 years from now are we going to look back at this era and say that legislation that has been trying to get passed for 20 years should have been passed, but Congress just wasn’t with it and look, the Christians were behind the stoppage again, and look at the great story the HRC and GLAAD and everyone else gets to tell?

30 years from now are we going to look back at Africa and think it’s such a shame so many people died and horrific laws were passed and gosh, yeah, we should have said something, but it’s all in the past, so it doesn’t even matter?

30 years from now, is this agenda of hate and fear going to make our children feel even more alienated from Jesus and the church?

Gays, AIDS, and the Church

My Story: Part 1
Fear and Silence: Part 2
The Religious Right: Part 3
Oh, the Humanity: Part 4
Modern-Day Colonialism: Part 5
Africa, Russia, the Past, and Now: Part 6
The ‘Gay Agenda’: Part 7
The Rest of My Story: Part 8
Resources: Part 9