Amazing and disgusting. You can’t have equality when you have classes of citizens with special protections.
House approves sweeping bill to expand gay rights
I'm Above the Law, AND Better Than You, sucker!
House approves sweeping bill to expand gay rights
Do you feel the same way about laws that prohibit religious and racial discrimination?
Dear
TheProgressivePatriot
1. I DO believe the equivalent approach is to treat LGBT orientation, beliefs, expression and practices
with the SAME respect as religious freedom and faith based beliefs about spiritual identity and process.
That being said, we don't have MUSLIMS demanding that ISLAM be specifically protected
because of backlash going on against MUSLISMS.
We don't have FEMINISTS or CONSTITUTIONALISTS demanding specific protections for
THAT line of faith or belief/identity because of harassment and oppression of THOSE group members.
All other BELIEFS are already protected and included under FREE EXERCISE OF RELIGION.
Atheists, Buddhists, etc.
The problem is making a Protected CLASS out of a particular set of beliefs or cultural practices and identity.
When CIVIL RIGHTS laws were passed they were for people of ANY race, not just Black.
Laws on GENDER don't specify women only.
Harassing someone for their cultural identity doesn't apply only to Asians or Whites or Jews.
The problem with pinpointing beliefs about LGBT is that these laws are ONE SIDES
and not protecting ALL BELIEFS about LGBT orientation, only the BELIEFS THAT SUPPORT ONE SIDE.
How would you like it if laws were developed that only protected
people who BELIEVE in Christianity but not people who DON'T BELIEVE in it.
Would laws be fair if they only protecting "Pro-Buddhist" beliefs and practices
but didn't extend the same protections to "Anti-Buddhist" beliefs and practices??
I would think that a NEUTRAL law would clearly protect ANY person from discrimination
over their BELIEFS - REGARDLESS what is the subject of the belief or conflict over them.
If it's really deemed necessary to make laws regarding BELIEFS about sexual orientation and identity,
then these protective laws should be NEUTRALLY WRITTEN AND APPLY to ALL BELIEFS on this subject, either for or against,
where NOBODY should be subject to harassment or discrimination regardless what they believe!
TheProgressivePatriot that's what I find so conflicted
about such legislation - it is basically abusing govt to
ENDORSE ONE SIDE'S beliefs about LGBT orientation and identity
and discriminating against if not penalizing people of OTHER beliefs about this,
when BOTH SIDES ARE EQUALLY FAITH BASED CHOICES.
2. as for race
A. Race and PHYSICAL gender would both be determined by genetics.
Most people I know are not arguing over these distinctions because they are clearly not
a "choice of behavior"
B. Sexual orientation and INTERNAL gender/identity are not genetic like race is.
So this is why it is argued and based on faith whether this or not these are
a CHOICE of behavior that can change
C. Again, even if these can change, that is why I would categorize
and treat B as an extension of spiritual beliefs and religious freedom
so these are still protected from discrimination as a CREED.
I would make a clear distinction between A and B.
So no, I would NOT treat INTERNAL gender identity or sexual orientation
as the same level of RACE or PHYSICAL gender that is genetic and proven by science.
The Sexual orientation and INTERNAL gender identity are not proven scientifically
and thus remain FAITH BASED. So these would be more like protecting one's
"spiritual beliefs, expression and practice" from discrimination, harassment or denial of equal rights.
TheProgressivePatriot the beauty and advantage of
treating LGBT beliefs as a CREED, is that we
1. don't have to PROVE what is true or not by science to protect such beliefs
2. don't have to AGREE with each other's beliefs to protect them from each other
3. don't have to argue over creating new laws or a new class of protected status
for every type of variation that comes out, but can agree to use existing laws to protect people.
What's missing from protecting people from discrimination is
people AGREEING TO ENFORCE THE GIVEN LAWS WE ALREADY HAVE.
The same education and training it will take to teach RESPECT for people
of diverse beliefs can be done using the existing laws against discriminating
by religion, belief or creed. It's the same process of forgiving past conflicts
so we don't harass each other or other groups, back and forth, because of differences.
This is not something that can be legislated away, but is taught
by example and experience. Another reason to teach this mutual tolerance
as part of respect for beliefs and creeds of others; so it applies to all other situations,
not just to LGBT beliefs and not just one side!