Anti-Gay Marriage Amendments Spark Distress Among GLBT

"WASHINGTON – Amendments that restrict civil marriage rights of same-sex couples – such as Proposition 8 that recently passed in California – have led to higher levels of stress and anxiety among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults, as well as among their families of origin, according to several new studies to be published by the American Psychological Association."

The studies go on to reveal that not only do homosexuals feel higher levels of distress, but family members and friends and acquaintances too. Every now and then I read an article or research study that leaves me scratching my head in complete bewilderment. This is one such article. Did it really require three full-fledged research studies to come to this conclusion? Was it really necessary to expend all that time and energy to produce findings that any layman could have predicted? And what did they really hope to gain by publishing these results? If the desired outcome is to appeal to the collective public's sense of compassion, then truly they need look no further than the hundreds of thousands of religious and non-religious, concerned citizens who voted for traditional marriage. They are not anti-gay, just anti-gay marriage. And any number of them would readily open their arms wide to embrace a weary homosexual who is experiencing distress and anxiety from one of life's many upsets and disappointments.

Or maybe these research conclusions demand that politicians and legislators and informed citizens everywhere weep, gnash their teeth, rend their clothing, and vow never again to bring any type of protective legislation before the greater American society in order to spare the tender feelings of the homosexual community.

"'This information is especially timely, as we see the emotionally charged reactions from GLBT people in the wake of the Proposition 8 passage in California,' said Brent Mallinckrodt, Ph.D. editor of the Journal of Counseling Psychology. 'Psychologists serving GLBT clients and their families need to be aware of the real impact of these political forces on the everyday lives of the people most directly affected.'"

Whatever the desired outcome, it is painfully transparent that this article (though, I allow, not necessarily these research studies) does a superb job of securing a patent for victimization for homosexuals and excusing them from personal responsibility and accountability when it comes to post-anti-same-sex-marriage amendment reactions. Here are some participants' feelings toward anti-GLBT marriage legislation and my interjections (in brackets) of equivalent (and now supported) fears belonging to the heterosexual community:

"Participants reported feeling not just alienated from their communities, but fearful that they would lose their children [Christoffersen, Raddon, & Eckern lose jobs over Prop 8], that they would become victims of anti-gay violence [Anti-religious violence directed at Mormon and Catholic churches] or that they would need to move to a more accepting community. Some of these anxieties were mitigated by social support [It's difficult to hear heterosexual support amidst all this homosexual ruckus due to the main stream media bias ensuring that society never hears about the need for support]."

"For instance, one interviewee said he became 'petrified …of being raped or roughed up or killed, you know, for doing nothing, basically. I worry about being picked out as a gay guy because my mannerisms are not entirely masculine' [Yet it's the pro-traditional marriage teens in high school who are being picked on and heckled and ostracized for their beliefs; and young Christian adults being fondled and grabbed at and whistled to as they were escorted by police out of Castro and to their vehicle]. Another said the marriage amendment supporters were using the Bible 'like a brick on us. They are beating us with it' [Since when was citing religious beliefs, 'beating' someone with a Bible? Ironically, it was a gay man in the Castro district who literally beat a Christian girl over the head with a Bible, 'At one point a man tried to steal one of our Bibles. Chrisdene noticed, so she walked up to him and said 'Hey, that's not yours, can you please give it back?' He responded by hitting her on the head with the Bible, shoving her to the ground, and kicking her.']."

"Social support from religious institutions, families, GLBT friends and heterosexual allies led most of the participants 'to greater feelings of safety, happiness and strength,' the researchers wrote [Duh]."

In the end, no matter the intended reaction to these research studies, the evidence remains that when we couple APA-enabled victimization with society-enabled entitlement, and throw a good old-fashioned marriage amendment in the mix, we learn that "hell hath no fury like a [homosexual agenda thwarted by democracy]." This is evidenced by the ranting, raving, extremely emotionally-driven arguments being postured in defense of gay marriage of late.