And How Was Your Wednesday
So up until yesterday, I was pretty much done with the whole Chick Fil-A saga. Others had said what needed to be said, and I had moved on.
That was until yesterday.
I wasn't aware of this Chick Fil-A support day from Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum (that should've been your first clue you were on the wrong end of the argument right there), but I had several people yesterday come out of the woodwork to track me down to tell me that I'm going to hell, that I'm a sinner and I'm an abomination to God. And of course the second I actually defended myself, they cried about how they were oppressed because how dare they express their opinions and have to deal with others doing the same.
This Chick Fil-A has actually been a blessing in disguise because many so called friends and loved ones have shown their true colors and have proven to be following anything but Christ like love.
So a few points.
1) This isn't about religion. Contrary to popular opinion Christian and gay are not mutually exclusive and there are countless gay Christians doing God's work. So if you're using a Bible as an excuse to discriminate, pick another one.
2) This is not about the First Amendment. Chick Fil-A is well within their rights to express their views and their opinions. However, free speech works both ways. So when you discriminate against a group of people who are met with bigotry and violence on a daily basis, don't act shocked if they express their first amendment rights and speak out also.
3) This isn't about gay marriage. At least not solely. This is about a company that purports to believe in "Christian values" but has given millions of dollars to hate groups.
4) I had enough on my plate to worry about, but now that real life peeps have made it a point to be vocal about discriminating against me as a person, I'm gonna be that much more vocal about speaking out.
5) You have the right to eat at Chick FIl-A if you so choose. You have the right to believe that gay marriage shouldn't happen. However, you can't have it both ways. So upon eating at Chick Fil-A and knowing the issues, you are making it clear that you support a company that supports discrimination and if your gay son, friend, co-worker, etc. are angry with you because of it, they are entitled to do so.
And finally as stated previously:
if you support a politician, a religious belief, political party, an ideology, or A RESTAURANT that:
a) co-signs on discriminating and oppressing the rights of minorities.
b) actively denies the existence of said oppression
c) all of the above
Do not be shocked or offended if said minorities don’t want to have anything to do with you or your bigotry.
If you believe that LGBTQs shouldn’t be allowed to serve in the military, shouldn’t be allowed to marry, shouldn’t be allowed to raise their kids, shouldn’t be entitled to the same basic rights and liberties that cis straight heterosexuals take for granted, and/or you support candidates who actively work to oppress LGBTQs, you don’t get to get mad if LGBTQs don’t want to deal with your garbage. And not even LGBTQs. Don’t forget there are plenty of straight allies who have LGBTQs for children, siblings, loved ones, who they will give their lives to protect and defend.
And spare the Bible thumping, because last I checked Jesus was about love and wasn’t about hate. Many of you straight Christians need to be taking notes from gay Christians (yes they do exist) because they’re out there living the Word and doing God’s work more than you ever will.
Furthermore I’m gonna also give “Christian” homophobes the side-eye because most of the same religious fallacies they used to justify oppressing LGBTQs are the same arguments racist white “Christians” made justifying slavery and denying blacks Civil Rights.
See for you, it may just be abstract ideas or political beliefs or spirited debate. I’m not a politic, nor am I 3/5 of a human being. Those politics determine whether or not I can serve in the military or whether or not I can marry someone outside my race or if I even have protection under the law.
Let me also be clear. You ARE ENTITLED to your opinion, your beliefs, however warped they may be.
What you ARE NOT entitled to is my space, my friendship, my time and my energy. I reserve that for people who respect me (all of me) as a human being.
You can’t have it both ways. You can’t support oppressing a marginalized group and then expect to be loved by them unconditonally. So if you’re drinking the Kool-Aid that is say Fox News or co-signing to a former child actor from an 80s sitcom turned religious bigot, don’t be shocked or outraged if some of your best friends ARE NOT black people.