Is the anti-gay attitude growing?

sleepydvdr

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Up until this year, I thought the LBGT community was making progress toward being accepted. This year has been shown some extremely anti-gay attitudes. Earlier this year, in NC, I started seeing all these "Vote for the marriage bill" signs all over the place. It was some kind of anti-gay law they were proposing (I'm not sure what it is supposed to do). Even my best friend put one of those signs in his yard. I was disappointed, but not too surprised since he goes to church.

The owner of Chick-Fil-A recently made an unsolicited statement that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. Yesterday they had an appreciation day for the restaurant and people came in record numbers. I read comments on Yahoo articles and it was horrible how ignorant people are. I posted a few comments saying I think that it doesn't matter what other people do and it doesn't affect straight people's marriages. Of course, I got nothing but nasty comments and lots of thumbs down.

I haven't heard so much negativity about LGBT since the early 80s. Has it just been lying dormant or has it become worse? This is a disturbing situation because I believe in what the Constitution says: everyone has the right to pursue happiness and everyone should be treated equally. Shunning people's lifestyles/choices and blocking their ability to marry goes completely against that.
 
it's not growing. it's just more in the media.
I agree that increased media attention has played a large part in the anti-gay sentiment we've seen of late, but at the same time I think there's more to it than that. I think us queers were better tolerated when we were nothing more than oddities to most folks and didn't ask to be treated like 'normal' people. In fact, it used to be quite the thing in the 50's/60's to have a token homo at your parties because we were just so entertaining (I'm thinking Capote generation here). It was like a gay minstrel show. It's when we started pushing for equality that some of the same people who at least tolerated us in the past, began saying WTF??? So I think it's more than just increased media attention, I think it's public sentiment itself and folks think we're just asking for too much. We crossed the line.
 
Because many people can only see the "extreme" parts of the LBGTQ community.
 
I agree that increased media attention has played a large part in the anti-gay sentiment we've seen of late, but at the same time I think there's more to it than that. I think us queers were better tolerated when we were nothing more than oddities to most folks and didn't ask to be treated like 'normal' people. In fact, it used to be quite the thing in the 50's/60's to have a token homo at your parties because we were just so entertaining (I'm thinking Capote generation here). It was like a gay minstrel show. It's when we started pushing for equality that some of the same people who at least tolerated us in the past, began saying WTF??? So I think it's more than just increased media attention, I think it's public sentiment itself and folks think we're just asking for too much. We crossed the line.

so, you don't think as it's more in the spotlight that the anti's are also more in the spotlight? perhaps all the involved elements are just that more at the forefront..
 
No, I do agree that since it's more in the spotlight now that the anti-gay folks have a bigger platform... but that's not the entire story.
 
No, I do agree that since it's more in the spotlight now that the anti-gay folks have a bigger platform... but that's not the entire story.

you could be right. i dont hear much anti gay rhetoric like i did years ago, but things have changed in my life and that may be why. but, things are cyclic. so...
 
I think that the bigots are now more visible because of all the debate.

But I also think there are a number of people around who are happy to work with gay people or even have them in their family, but dont agree with gay marriage, and I think they are becoming more visible now too. I think that there is a pretty historic thing happening right now, so opinions which were previously rarely discussed, are becoming aired in public.
 
I agree with Digger.

Something similar happened when the civil rights movement gained momentum - people who were O.K. with African Americans as long as they *stayed in their place* started turning ugly.
 
I agree with Digger.

Something similar happened when the civil rights movement gained momentum - people who were O.K. with African Americans as long as they *stayed in their place* started turning ugly.
but i wonder if it's more to do with people being annoyed at the disturbance more than the actual event? i can see that happening with many things, including veg stuff. People dont' like change...
 
but i wonder if it's more to do with people being annoyed at the disturbance more than the actual event? i can see that happening with many things, including veg stuff. People dont' like change...

I agree people don't like change, on many levels. It's threatening. But people really, really seem to believe that same sex marriage endangers something they hold dear, as difficult as it is to understand that on any logical level.

There's a new Lutheran denomination, which consists of congregations that have left the ELCA because the ELCA voted to permit same sex wedding ceremonies to be performed. Both of the local ELCA congregations voted to leave the ELCA, but only one went through with it. The other rescinded their vote, because the pastor said he could not stay as their pastor if they left the ELCA.
 
oh yes, the religious thing. forgot about that.

a tough fight there. going against religion is always a rough battle.
 
As has been said, I think that the general attitude is shifting toward the left, which is causing the right to become more vocal and crazy because they're scared of more progress.
 
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An important concept discussed in the Art of War essentially states that you should expect an opponent to fight most ferociously when backed into a corner. If the intent is to finish them off for good, so to speak, then this part of the battle is unavoidable.
 
The worst aspect of homophobia in the West has already begun its gradual and permanent decline. Like a frightened animal, the religious right (and let's call a spade a spade. It's the religious right primarily) is getting louder. Most of those people who lined up at Chik-Fil-A to support their donations to groups that promote the slaughter of gay Ugandans (I did not make this up, by the way) were old, paranoid white people. The same as the ones who used to oppose interracial marriage back in the day. This, too, shall pass.
 
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An important concept discussed in the Art of War essentially states that you should expect an opponent to fight most ferociously when backed into a corner. If the intent is to finish them off for good, so to speak, then this part of the battle is unavoidable.

Wasn't that one of the things it was recommended not to do?