he was god's gift to hypocrisy
After hearing many of my family members refer to Miss California as 'that poor, brave girl who was willing to stand up for what she believed in,' I had to think about what I felt about the matter. For those of you who don't pay attention to the Miss America beauty pageant, (and I don't blame you, I don't myself and only hear about it through my sisters and mother,) Miss California answered the question of what she thought of gay marriage with: "I think marriage should be between a man and a woman, and I don't think gay marriage is right.' She's been thoroughly put down by the press, and apparently that comment lost her the crown.
And I felt and still feel no sympathy, or pity. The speaker at my sister's graduation called her someone who was brave enough to stand up for what's right. I think of her as someone blindly bigoted enough to speak her homophobic opinion in the position of a rolemodel. At first, though, the opposing view made me think. Because, despite what I think of her opinion, she did speak truthfully and she didn't lie to hide what she thought. Should that be admired? If I went up and spoke some of my feminist beliefs, I'm sure I would receive some negative press. Did I have the right to dictate what another person should freely speak?
But, then I realized that my opinions, though strong, do not freely advocate the harm of others. They don't attempt to justify the persecution and oppression of others. They don't attempt to strip away the rights of certain groups because of my hateful and discriminative point of view on them. Miss California's was a harmful opinion rooted in homophobia: the same kind that shuts gays off from mainstream society and makes them a dirty secret, that enables gay-bashing and murder. I am by no means saying that Miss California engages in the worst of homophobic acts, but her statement acts as a justification for those who do. While she might not actively cause harm, her speech, and the speech of others who share her mindset, do. So, no. I don't believe she should be rewarded for speaking her mind. I think she deserves the consequences of spewing her hateful opinion in a public forum, and I am glad that the response to her statement was so negative. I don't, however, believe her privacy should be violated, or that the negative response should go any further than the criticism of her homophobia.
And I felt and still feel no sympathy, or pity. The speaker at my sister's graduation called her someone who was brave enough to stand up for what's right. I think of her as someone blindly bigoted enough to speak her homophobic opinion in the position of a rolemodel. At first, though, the opposing view made me think. Because, despite what I think of her opinion, she did speak truthfully and she didn't lie to hide what she thought. Should that be admired? If I went up and spoke some of my feminist beliefs, I'm sure I would receive some negative press. Did I have the right to dictate what another person should freely speak?
But, then I realized that my opinions, though strong, do not freely advocate the harm of others. They don't attempt to justify the persecution and oppression of others. They don't attempt to strip away the rights of certain groups because of my hateful and discriminative point of view on them. Miss California's was a harmful opinion rooted in homophobia: the same kind that shuts gays off from mainstream society and makes them a dirty secret, that enables gay-bashing and murder. I am by no means saying that Miss California engages in the worst of homophobic acts, but her statement acts as a justification for those who do. While she might not actively cause harm, her speech, and the speech of others who share her mindset, do. So, no. I don't believe she should be rewarded for speaking her mind. I think she deserves the consequences of spewing her hateful opinion in a public forum, and I am glad that the response to her statement was so negative. I don't, however, believe her privacy should be violated, or that the negative response should go any further than the criticism of her homophobia.