The "gay agenda"

By Joey Heath

Since the march on DC I have been watching the coverage the weekend got. The hate-crimes bill is also set to pass Congress and so after ten years of struggle it will become law. I keep seeing a phrase pop up here and there around the conservatives view of the weekend. I keep hearing the word gay agenda. I know I have written on this before and so have many others. In some ways I feel like I'm beating a dead horse by saying “What gay agenda???” but here are my thoughts on the subject.

I have heard it said that the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) rights movement is not a civil rights movement and that is really just some “gay agenda” to get special rights. People claim that no one is oppressing LGBTQ people so this must not be about civil rights. I heard it recently said that no one is forcing LGBTQ people to sit at the back of the bus or to go to segregated schools. They are right in saying this. The oppression that LGBTQ people are facing is different from that of the 1960's civil rights movement but that does not make the LGBTQ oppression any less real. The truth is that LGBTQ oppression is alive and well and preventing countless numbers of individuals from living the dream that so many dream of as small children.

So here is the real gay agenda, the real reason we struggle for equal rights. Are you ready?

It's about not having to hide the fact that the person we go home to after a long day of work is a person of the same gender, hiding this because we fear losing our jobs by being fired or forced to resign. It is about having protection from losing that house we go home to simply because our landlord doesn't want to rent to LGBTQ people. It's about being able to start a family with kids that may not be biologically ours but we will provide the much needed love and care just as if they were. It's about not having to fear walking down the street with our loved ones for fear of personal injury. It's about being able to officially declare our love for one another and have it recognized in the same way our heterosexual counterparts are recognized for their love. It's about not having to watch every move we make in public life for fear of the backlash of people finding out about our private lives. It is about being able to serve and protect the country and values we hold dear. It is about being able to openly move through society as the people we really are. I guess you could say it is simply about being seen and treated as an equal.

So there you have it. That is the infamous “gay agenda”. Now that we all know what is going on, how are we going to move forward? Are we going to work for hope or hate? It's your choice. I choose hope and a world where no one needs to live in fear. Now it's your turn to choose.