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.

Another One Bites the Dust

Los Angeles, CA -- Richard Raddon, director of the Los Angeles Film Festival, resigned over the weekend. Not wanting to bring the Film Festival any more negative publicity or reaction, he stepped down from his post due to overwhelming harassment and intimidation he was receiving for his $1500 personal contribution to the Yes on 8 campaign.

"After Raddon's contribution was made public online, Film Independent was swamped with criticism from "No on 8" supporters both inside and outside the organization. Within days, Raddon offered to step down as festival director, but the board, which includes Don Cheadle, Forest Whitaker, Lionsgate President Tom Ortenberg and Fox Searchlight President Peter Rice, gave him a unanimous vote of confidence.

Yet, the anti-Raddon bile continued to bubble in the blogosphere, and according to one Film Independent board member, "No on 8" supporters also berated Raddon personally via phone calls and e-mails. The recriminations ultimately proved too much, and when Raddon offered to resign again, this time the board accepted.

...

Raddon's support for Proposition 8 has sparked debate within both the gay community and Hollywood, as many publicly worry about punishing people for free speech, even speech they deemed hateful, and his departure has already provoked ambivalence."

Read the full story here at the LA Times.

Martyr McGehee

Fresno, Calif -- There is, in the world of communication, a specific style of unhealthy conversation, aptly named "one-upping," in which the speaker embarks on an emotional telling of his tragic story and, instead of validating it (or in this case, even acknowledging it), the listener tries to trump it. This is the case with Lesbian mom, Robin McGehee, who is being raised up as a martyr for the No on 8 campaign.

Robin, whose 5-year-old son, Sebastian, was enrolled in St. Helen's Catholic School in Fresno, attended a publicized "No on 8" candlelight vigil, on Nov. 6th, following the vote that reestablished marriage as a union between one man and one woman. She is also the Central Valley program coordinator for the Gay-Straight Alliance Network and has been interviewed several times on television. And while she never walked around campus sporting a "No on 8" pin, McGehee was, nonetheless, open about her sexuality.

After her appearance on television and her "No on 8" rally attendance, she was approached by Father Salvador Gonzalez, Jr., of the Fresno diocese, and asked to resign from her volunteer post as president of the PTO (Parent Teacher Organization). Her visibility as an opponent of traditional marriage was seen to be in direct conflict with the Catholic Church's teachings that marriage is between one man and one woman.

That's it. That's the story folks. However, if you read it here, you will get an earful of sentimental background fluff, building up and lauding McGehee for her participation in school projects, her donations to fund-raisers, and her various volunteer efforts with walk-a-thons and holiday-themed parties - efforts that many mothers in this state make on a regular basis for the enhancement of their child's education. We get it, we do; she is a great mom. But this blatant immortalization effort is a transparent attempt to build up a martyr for future, inaccurate claims of victimization. Oh, and let's not forget where the story conveniently breezes over the fact that darling little Sebastian has two mommies AND two daddies:

"[McGehee and her recent bride Kathy Adams] have two children 5-year-old Sebastian and 2-year-old Jackson. Also, two fathers, William 'Aj' Kruth and Aaron Olson, are a part of the family."

Homosexuality or Polyamory? Honestly, I don't know. But it's obviously a hugely altered definition of a family. And this is what we have to look forward to with legalized same-sex marriage. Suddenly we live in an "anything goes" society. I think even those in favor of gay marriage might take issue with this. But, setting random and unsettling redefinitions of family aside, let's forge onward with McGehee the Martyr.

Contrary to popular gay belief, McGehee's story does not compare to the intolerant and bigoted targeting of Scott Eckern which lead to his resignation as artistic director for the California Musical Theater over a $1000 personal donation to the Yes on 8 campaign. Let's take a look at these two cases in a side-by-side comparison, shall we?

Scott Eckern

25 years at the California Musical Theater.

Robin McGehee

Six months as president of the PTO.

Scott Eckern

Forced to resign from his paid position, his job, his livelihood.

Robin McGehee

Asked to resign from her volunteer position.

Scott Eckern

Publicly targeted and forced to resign for the personal, legal donation he made to a cause he believed in.

Robin McGehee

Privately asked to resign from a leadership post for not only living, but championing a lifestyle that is in direct opposition to the teachings of the church she was volunteering for.

Scott Eckern

Vilified for participating in a democratic process and having an opinion.

Robin McGehee

Has not been vilified.
Has not received hate mail or slanderous accusations aimed at her.
Is still free to live her homosexual lifestyle and be involved in her child's education, just like any other parent...just not in an authoritative, leadership role. The church even asked her to keep her son in school, but she and her partner made the decision to pull him.

This is a case in point for the "six consequences" which caution that, following legalization of same-sex marriage, churches will be accused of hate speech and discrimination simply for standing behind their beliefs that homosexuality is immoral. It is already happening even with Proposition 8's success. Robin McGehee was not asked to resign for being homosexual, she was asked to resign for being a vocal opponent of Proposition 8 and a highly visible proponent of the No on 8 Campaign. The Catholic Church is well within its rights to monitor the teaching and volunteer activity and leadership of the children attending its private schools. Thus, the real victim here is the falsely vilified, unjustly slandered Catholic Church, not Ms. McGehee.

And yet....

Collateral Damage: Tolerance vs. Collateral Damage: A young casualty of Prop 8

...notice the "bleeding heart" title of the latter?

The Catholic Church is misrepresented, and yet the gay community cries foul and promptly writes a heartrending, fervor producing, purely sentimentalist story that is conspicuously lacking in thoughtful reasoning. But that is, and always has been, their platform; "It feels good, we feel good, help us to feel good and you'll feel good too. Forget thinking, it's not important. Just feel (*imagine lulling, hypnotic music and the pungent smell of incense*). What we do in our lives won't hurt you in yours." Mm hmmm. Zzzzzz.

NO! BAD! WAKE UP!

Wake up, people of America! Wake up and step away from your collective Id for a moment. Give your Super-ego the chance to sound that warning bell that's saying: "ERRR. Wrong! Wrong! Warning! Warning! Don't try to fix something that's not broken. Don't tamper with marriage!" Marriage between a man and a woman works. The traditional family unit is what society relies on to exist and survive and thrive. Evidence shows the homosexual lifestyle to be dangerous and destructive. Now is not the time to be Id-driven, allowing our feelings to govern and control us. We must give research it's day in our cranial courts. We must allow logic and self-restraint to temper passion and emotion. We must protect marriage to protect our little ones, our innocents, and to ensure the continuation of our society and government.

Image: "Female Martyr" by Jacob van Oost the Elder, oil on canvas.