The human angle
Rethinking your position on gays and lesbians
December 10, 2004
iranian.com
When it comes to homosexuality there are many opinions
ranging from the thoughtful and sophisticated to too-narrow-to-mention. One
thing is certain, this issue and certainly the current sujet
de jour, "gay
marriage," turns up the heat on both sides of the
spectrum.
Yet what the conservatives and liberals effectively have failed
to do is to point out the truth.
In short, it's not adequate to say that you are for or against,
we are still patiently waiting for those articulate reasons that
would convince us beyond reasonable doubt that same-sex relations
is sinful, or on the other hand an absolute right for anyone to
establish a truly equal society where human beings are not degraded
for what is considered by many a bilogical tendency.
The issue is more serious than the mere Yes-or-No game. As a
straight person I can vouch for the fact that mainstream heterosexuals
are rather indifferent to homosexual
rights. It's a sad scenario. But the bottomline is that since
it doesn't directly affect them, heterosexuals turn a blind eye.
Therefore what we are left
with are hard core liberals and conservative hicks (Republicans)
to battle it out in the most unthoughtful ways.
 Sadly what gets forgotten in this battle of the brainless is
the humanity underlying this entire issue. Gay and
lesbians cannot be reduced to their sexual behavior; these are
people with dreams and hopes and careers. They are people whose
intelligence
and determination takes them to the Senate, and whose keen artistic
ability lands them roles on Broadway plays.
They are also people you pass every day on the street. People
that like any straight person contribute to making the society
function. And
in limiting the rights of gays and lesbians we are absolutely
undermining their humanity, we are indirectly calling them second-class
citizens, who will never have the same status as heterosexuals
simply because
of what they do behind closed doors.
So my advice to mainstream heterosexuals,
especially the Persian-American community, is to take a stand.
Look at these issues more seriously, understand the
human angle, and do not allow extremists to make up
your mind for you. Changing society towards a
moderate, accepting and tolerant one depends on you.
*
*
|
