I'm in community theatre - guess I'm safe from the draft.
*sigh*
I have tried sooooooooooooooo hard to refrain from just being political on my blog, especially after a random, anonymous radical lunatic stopped through many months ago proving that someone is reading my blog (if only random anonymous radical lunatics doing websearches for "War on Christmas" and becoming offended by my war on the War on Christmas)... but I just can't hack it at the moment. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that I'm a teacher off for the summer, and so I've had more time than during the rest of the year to stay up on current events. But nonetheless, I think this would have affected me significantly at any time of year.
About a week ago, a news article reported on an Arab translator with the U.S. military, Bleu Copas, that has been drummed out of the service for that horrendous, contagious crime of being homosexual. The part of the article that just pushed me one step too far was this:
Well. Hmm. I have a lot of different reactions to this, but first I need to finish describing my research, in the interest of full disclosure. Several independent reporters and bloggers found this to be as simply far beyond the realm of sense as I, and skeptically contacted Bleu Copas himself to verify it; to clarify, in all cases, Copas acknowledged that he is involved in community theatre (making this question less "arbitrary" than it sounds in a news report), but that the question was asked amidst interrogation attempting to find channels of evidence to reach the "outting" conclusion on his sexuality.
It's no secret that I'm very involved in community theatre, and straight and married; I will freely admit, however, that there is a significant representation of the homosexual community in community theatre. I don't know, though, that it's a larger percentage involvement, or just a larger percentage of involvement by people who feel they can be open and honest with their colleagues... community theatre is a hobby-level involvement that encourages a lot of great friendshps and overall inclusion and embracing of all types of people, so I've found that my community theatre colleagues tend to open up to those they are working with about all SORTS of secrets they wouldn't reveal elsewhere.
Now. I'm just guessing, because I am a physically weak person with a couple of personal issues about killing and have never served in the military (and have great respect and admiration for those who do, since they are doing necessary crucial work I cannot)... but shouldn't a profession like the military want to foster that same kind of no-holds-barred trust that COMMUNITY THEATRE fosters? But no, instead, infuriatingly pathetic homophobic bigots infest our government and military, and treat sexual preference like a disease, and persecute and ostracize those unlike themselves.
I do NOT respect a military leader who would treat another human being that way.
If you believe as I do, that sexual preference is not an issue of morality, there is no excuse to let it enter into other issues at all. But I do know that many do not believe as I do, that many believe it is somehow wrong or immoral... of those, there are two types: type A honestly believe that for religous reasons (and I can respect that while I disagree with it) - which would suggest that your religous beliefs ALSO tell you that it is the supreme being, NOT you, who is qualified to pass judgement on the morality of any person's actions, suggesting sexual preference is STILL no excuse to let it enter into other issues at all... type B are just demented, brainwashed fools, who believe it because it's all they have been told by the small-minded bigots they have been most exposed to in places of great power... and it is you that I am most afraid of in our country, as it is you whom have brought us to where we are today... and I am terrified that it is you whom are the majority, going to polls to cast your vote agaisnt gay marriage in 2004 and, while you're there, dooming us to another four years of the horror that is our current administration.
I went camping this weekend to Gettysburg with friends, and tried to put both this latest demonstration of the absurdity of those leading us out of my mind, but this morning as I awoke home again, I found it still resting on my chest, and just had to write about it.
I don't want to debate with you about if homosexuality is "right" or "wrong" (not right now, at least). That is simply not the issue. There are TONS of different choices people make that are considered to be "wrong" at different levels by others. I don't think there is an American that doesn't do something daily that another group of Americans think is "wrong." But... if that action is VICTIMLESS, such as sexual preference... or eating a cheeseburger... or using pants that have a zipper... our government and ALL its institutions have NO RIGHT to persecute the action!
I've only known very few examples of people who have had the nerve to suggest that not only is homosexuality "wrong", but that there are victims. There are always the people who still subscribe to the theory that they are depriving humanity of their offspring (in this day and age, and with overpopulation to boot? Give me a break!), but I remember one other time that I think represents a lot of the homophobia out there itself. Once, many years ago while I was still in high school, I remember going into a Blockbuster Video with a couple friends, and as I picked out videotapes, being loudly discussed (as were my friends, all male) by a couple of other young men hanging out in the store, making crude sexual comments. I remember one of my friends, after we left, saying that he "hates gay people because they do that, making others uncomfortable, and that's wrong." But here's the problem (and I'm ashamed to admit that I was too young to articulate it in response to my friend back then): using such excuses to indict homosexuality is like using the exact same scenario substituting a construction worker and a woman walking by to indict all construction workers (or construction work as a profession)... or any number of other things.
Here's a couple examples from my own beliefs. I truly hate it when people inconsiderately litter public areas like streets and parks, spoiling those common areas for the rest of us. One of the most common examples of this litter I see is the moron who tosses spent cigarette butts out his or her window while driving, because it's too inconvenient to cope with the messy and smelly leavings of their habit properly. But that doesn't make SMOKERS bad in general, nor does it make SMOKING "immoral" - it just means that there are some morons out there who demonstrate their self-centeredness through what they do with their cigarette butts, since some morons just happen to smoke. To spin it around: I like classical and jazz music a lot, and volume can really make a big difference in the enjoyement of some pieces... but you don't hear me tossing on the "Lieutenant Kije Suite" by Prokofiev at earsplitting volume in my car and then rolling my windows down as I drive through your neighborhood... but even if I did, it wouldn't make people who like classical music automatically bad... similarly, people who like rap and hip-hop should not be indicted for their tastes just because there happen to be some morons who will drive around with it at earsplitting volumes with their windows down.
It's all a big logic puzzle, you know... some objects are blue and some objects are cars, and there are sometimes blue cars, but that DOESN'T mean that all blue things are cars or all cars are blue.
It sounds soooooo easy when we say it that way, and even some of the most simple people can grasp it, so why can't they understand it the other way?
You know, that some people are attracted to the same sex, and some people are inconsiderate @$$35, and there are sometimes inconsiderate @$$35 who are attracted to the same sex, but that DOESN'T mean that all homosexuals are @$$35...
nor does it mean that all people who are @$$35 are homosexual...
...as proven by the @$$35 who are leading our military and our government and insist on this ongoing persecution, even as we have so many other issues to deal with that are ACTUALLY IMPORTANT.
I have tried sooooooooooooooo hard to refrain from just being political on my blog, especially after a random, anonymous radical lunatic stopped through many months ago proving that someone is reading my blog (if only random anonymous radical lunatics doing websearches for "War on Christmas" and becoming offended by my war on the War on Christmas)... but I just can't hack it at the moment. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that I'm a teacher off for the summer, and so I've had more time than during the rest of the year to stay up on current events. But nonetheless, I think this would have affected me significantly at any time of year.
About a week ago, a news article reported on an Arab translator with the U.S. military, Bleu Copas, that has been drummed out of the service for that horrendous, contagious crime of being homosexual. The part of the article that just pushed me one step too far was this:
"On December 2, investigators formally interviewed Copas and asked if he understood the military's policy on homosexuals, if he had any close acquaintances who were gay, and if he was involved in community theater. He answered affirmatively."
Well. Hmm. I have a lot of different reactions to this, but first I need to finish describing my research, in the interest of full disclosure. Several independent reporters and bloggers found this to be as simply far beyond the realm of sense as I, and skeptically contacted Bleu Copas himself to verify it; to clarify, in all cases, Copas acknowledged that he is involved in community theatre (making this question less "arbitrary" than it sounds in a news report), but that the question was asked amidst interrogation attempting to find channels of evidence to reach the "outting" conclusion on his sexuality.
It's no secret that I'm very involved in community theatre, and straight and married; I will freely admit, however, that there is a significant representation of the homosexual community in community theatre. I don't know, though, that it's a larger percentage involvement, or just a larger percentage of involvement by people who feel they can be open and honest with their colleagues... community theatre is a hobby-level involvement that encourages a lot of great friendshps and overall inclusion and embracing of all types of people, so I've found that my community theatre colleagues tend to open up to those they are working with about all SORTS of secrets they wouldn't reveal elsewhere.
Now. I'm just guessing, because I am a physically weak person with a couple of personal issues about killing and have never served in the military (and have great respect and admiration for those who do, since they are doing necessary crucial work I cannot)... but shouldn't a profession like the military want to foster that same kind of no-holds-barred trust that COMMUNITY THEATRE fosters? But no, instead, infuriatingly pathetic homophobic bigots infest our government and military, and treat sexual preference like a disease, and persecute and ostracize those unlike themselves.
I do NOT respect a military leader who would treat another human being that way.
If you believe as I do, that sexual preference is not an issue of morality, there is no excuse to let it enter into other issues at all. But I do know that many do not believe as I do, that many believe it is somehow wrong or immoral... of those, there are two types: type A honestly believe that for religous reasons (and I can respect that while I disagree with it) - which would suggest that your religous beliefs ALSO tell you that it is the supreme being, NOT you, who is qualified to pass judgement on the morality of any person's actions, suggesting sexual preference is STILL no excuse to let it enter into other issues at all... type B are just demented, brainwashed fools, who believe it because it's all they have been told by the small-minded bigots they have been most exposed to in places of great power... and it is you that I am most afraid of in our country, as it is you whom have brought us to where we are today... and I am terrified that it is you whom are the majority, going to polls to cast your vote agaisnt gay marriage in 2004 and, while you're there, dooming us to another four years of the horror that is our current administration.
I went camping this weekend to Gettysburg with friends, and tried to put both this latest demonstration of the absurdity of those leading us out of my mind, but this morning as I awoke home again, I found it still resting on my chest, and just had to write about it.
I don't want to debate with you about if homosexuality is "right" or "wrong" (not right now, at least). That is simply not the issue. There are TONS of different choices people make that are considered to be "wrong" at different levels by others. I don't think there is an American that doesn't do something daily that another group of Americans think is "wrong." But... if that action is VICTIMLESS, such as sexual preference... or eating a cheeseburger... or using pants that have a zipper... our government and ALL its institutions have NO RIGHT to persecute the action!
I've only known very few examples of people who have had the nerve to suggest that not only is homosexuality "wrong", but that there are victims. There are always the people who still subscribe to the theory that they are depriving humanity of their offspring (in this day and age, and with overpopulation to boot? Give me a break!), but I remember one other time that I think represents a lot of the homophobia out there itself. Once, many years ago while I was still in high school, I remember going into a Blockbuster Video with a couple friends, and as I picked out videotapes, being loudly discussed (as were my friends, all male) by a couple of other young men hanging out in the store, making crude sexual comments. I remember one of my friends, after we left, saying that he "hates gay people because they do that, making others uncomfortable, and that's wrong." But here's the problem (and I'm ashamed to admit that I was too young to articulate it in response to my friend back then): using such excuses to indict homosexuality is like using the exact same scenario substituting a construction worker and a woman walking by to indict all construction workers (or construction work as a profession)... or any number of other things.
Here's a couple examples from my own beliefs. I truly hate it when people inconsiderately litter public areas like streets and parks, spoiling those common areas for the rest of us. One of the most common examples of this litter I see is the moron who tosses spent cigarette butts out his or her window while driving, because it's too inconvenient to cope with the messy and smelly leavings of their habit properly. But that doesn't make SMOKERS bad in general, nor does it make SMOKING "immoral" - it just means that there are some morons out there who demonstrate their self-centeredness through what they do with their cigarette butts, since some morons just happen to smoke. To spin it around: I like classical and jazz music a lot, and volume can really make a big difference in the enjoyement of some pieces... but you don't hear me tossing on the "Lieutenant Kije Suite" by Prokofiev at earsplitting volume in my car and then rolling my windows down as I drive through your neighborhood... but even if I did, it wouldn't make people who like classical music automatically bad... similarly, people who like rap and hip-hop should not be indicted for their tastes just because there happen to be some morons who will drive around with it at earsplitting volumes with their windows down.
It's all a big logic puzzle, you know... some objects are blue and some objects are cars, and there are sometimes blue cars, but that DOESN'T mean that all blue things are cars or all cars are blue.
It sounds soooooo easy when we say it that way, and even some of the most simple people can grasp it, so why can't they understand it the other way?
You know, that some people are attracted to the same sex, and some people are inconsiderate @$$35, and there are sometimes inconsiderate @$$35 who are attracted to the same sex, but that DOESN'T mean that all homosexuals are @$$35...
nor does it mean that all people who are @$$35 are homosexual...
...as proven by the @$$35 who are leading our military and our government and insist on this ongoing persecution, even as we have so many other issues to deal with that are ACTUALLY IMPORTANT.
posted by Greg J. Hipius | 3:14 PM
2 Comments:
insightful stuff.
just to make myself feel better, i feel led to say something that i believe.
Being a Christian, I believe that homosexuality is a sin, and not something that should be looked on as a healthy practice to enter into.
I'm not trying to say that homosexuals are people who should be shunned by the general public and stoned to death, but i am saying that homosexuality is comparable to any other "sin" (if i may), in example, adultery or stealing or lying.
To put things in the christian perspective, God sees a homosexual in the same light as anyone else who has ever done anything wrong, because the Bible seats homosexuality right beside adultery, stealing, and lying.
thats all im sayin'. hope that made any sense at all.
Greg, I found your blog while looking around and am enjoying reading it...I actually started my own blog at:
http://bwweston.blogspot.com
Anyways, on the subject at hand, I completely agree 1,000,000%+ with this viewpoint...especially since there are so many other important issues that the current administration has either (1) ignored or (2) botched up so bad that your and my generation will NEVER get to enjoy life the same way again. He just infuriates me.
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