Thursday, July 9, 2009
40 Jealous Whores / Around Town / Kotz / Law and Order / Politics Gay Rights Are Coming to Nashville, Whether We Like It Or Not
Posted by Pete Kotz on Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 5:27 AM
Most people already know that gay rights are here to stay. The tradition of discrimination in America always follows the same path. We start out deciding that [Insert Name of Oppressed Group Here] is inhuman or unholy. Then enough people wake up and think, "Naah, I really don't have a beef with those guys." The old guard, the conservatives, and certain religious groups fight back, clinging to prejudice until they're finally overrun by public opinion. It happens the same way every time. And when Tim Gunn is shilling laundry detergent, you know it's happening right now for gay rights.
Which is nice for Nashville Councilwoman Megan Barry and her cohorts. She's about to launch a new attempt to extend employment rights to gay and lesbian metro workers. The last one went down in smoke in 2003. And once again, all the guardians of virtue will rise up against it. But this time it will be different.
Gay rights are commonplace in cities across America. And they'll soon be commonplace in Nashville. That's because rights always triumph in America. They may take a long time, but they do triumph. Ask a history book. So the only question now is whether we're going to look good and get out of the way, or keep looking like morons for prolonging the inevitable.
Comments (8)
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I blame religions for instigating and perpetuating hate/bigotry and discrimination. This is WHY I got away from religion...all it is is a Power trip to keep the SHEEPLE in line and donating money outa' fear $$$ - tho you wouldn't catch me in Tenn.,that hateful state...I stay away and do NOT give bigoted states my tourism dollars....so as an American I barely go anywhere is this country......in 2009, there should be NO question that ALL Americans should be Treated EQUALLY! NONE!
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What they opponents don't realize is that adding sexual orientation to the non-discrimination clause is that it covers everybody including straight folks who others presume are gay. Oh and it will eventually pass and more private businesses will add it. Some like Vanderbilt already have. Then one day the State will add it and life will go on as usual.
Of course many of the people who are against this are also against affirmative action because they claim that whoever is best qualified for the job should have it. yet they see nothing wrong with firing people if they are gay and lesbian or just suspected of being gay.
Christian,
Of all the rights, the gayest is definitely the right to not have soldiers quartered during peacetime.
The Third Amendment is the constitutional equivalent of a Pride parade mixed with an ABBA concert and an appletini.
Stereotyping, FTW!
To Disgusted American;
I have to agree with your post, in general. It is difficult to see any good to come out of an organized religion, when all you can see is discrimination, histories of war and conquering, greed, avarice, negligence, arrogance and piety. Few people realize that the Bible, most quote today, was written as used today, by The Catholic Church. Martin Luther had a problem with the Catholic Church getting rich off "selling salvation for profit." And so it has been for hundreds of years. It is a ploy to get people to behave a certain way, dictated by hundreds, even thousands of years of oppression, ignorant ideology and a basic need to "worship" something other than ourselves. I don't know which is worse: A God made in our image, or making ourselves into the image of a God that may or may not be there.
The main anti gay groups are the Catholic church - the people who gave the world the hatred of the Jews, Jesus own people.
And this Catholic church hatred gave hitler the lever to gain total control in germany, and the rest is history - the ugliest history since the 14 crusades against the Muslims by the church combined with corrupt kings. Societies never forget. And we were reminded of that on 9/11
And the southern baptists - the church set up to be the prime supporter of slavery, and then segregation. America's worst crime.
Nice people - they make a mockery of the meaning of God. To hell with them. God, are you listening, and increasing the size of your re-education camp?
And all you gay folks - what are you doing to actively politically support tearing down homophobia and the laws that support it?
A good post; accurate, succinct, and well expressed. Things are gradually improving in terms of attitudes and legal protections, but there is still a long way to go. The sad fact is that a sizeable segment of society, largely those who constitute the religious right and persons who are influenced by them, still regards gay men and women as second-class citizens -or worse. That is the salient point of my recently released biographical novel, Broken Saint. It is based on my forty-year friendship with a gay man, and chronicles his internal and external struggles as he battles for acceptance (of himself and by others). More information on the book is available at www.eloquentbooks.com/BrokenSaint.html.
Mark Zamen, author
