"Hate Crimes connected to Religious and Political Leaders?"

Harvey Milk: "More people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, my friends, that is true perversion."

          If anybody is wondering why I posted all these articles of hate crimes going on around the country, it is because I am sick of it! Politicians and religious think that what they say does not incite gay bashing's. They say they do not believe in violence, but what if what they say leads to violence? 

         When they preach in religious institutions, on tv and on talk shows, this only affirms and gives permission for those out there to believe that beating or killing an LGBT human is a righteous thing to do. They can say that they are doing what is moral and right. When parents at dinner tables talk about LGBT humans or say "what a fag", "why do they have to be so flamboyant", "God is punishing them with the AIDS virus" or "Damn Gays corrupting this world". What about when Jerry Falwell said the following: 

        "Rev. Jerry Falwell (with Rev. Pat Robertson) blames pagans, abortionists, feminists & gays and lesbians for bringing on the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington" and JERRY FALWELL: "And, I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'"

        When we allow hatred to be spewed out of these people, we are telling children that it's ok to bully and others to think it is normal to be bullied. 

         Along with the bigoted leaders, we see gay bashings with baseball bats, crowbars and other devices used to severely damage and even kill LGBT humans. For some reason, people are getting away with it. Many gay bashings are done in more secluded areas or empty streets and done late at night. What is with the hate and constant threat to LGBT human beings? Why are people so threatened of their own sexuality that they resort to beating and burning God's children? 

        Perhaps it is their own "Internalized Homophobia", maybe that they just do not like others to be happy. It could be that they just hate anyone that is different than them. Maybe they just think that gays shouldn't be treated as human beings? Do people affirm this view? Well, I will never forget when Rabbi Steve Greenberg shared that he was told by a rabbi of a shul that he was not welcome with his other Jewish partner and told us what the rabbi said. The following is the excerpt from the article:

"This past spring, my partner and I moved to Cincinnati. Soon after we arrived, an Orthodox synagogue in town prohibited our attendance. The rabbi of the shul called apologetically to inform us that the ruling had come from a rabbi whose authority exceeded his own. I decided to call this rabbi, who is the head of a prominent yeshiva and a respected halachic authority. I wanted to meet him personally to discuss the decision with him. He agreed to speak with me on the phone. 

He said that he had heard that I advocated changing the Torah. I told him that this is not true, that in fact I am trying to find a way for people who are gay or lesbian to still be a part of Orthodox communities. I shared with him that people who are gay and lesbian who want to remain true to the Torah are in a great deal of pain. Many have just left the community. Some young gay people become so desperate they attempt suicide. 

His reply: “Maybe it’s a mitzvah for them to do so.”

           The above quotes are shocking. How could a religious leader say that LGBT suicides are a positive commandment from God! This only makes me angrier! We have leaders that claim to represent God, but absolutely make religion look evil!

6 STEPS WE CAN TAKE: 

1) Come out of the closet, so people can see the human being. 

Harvey Milk said:

     A. "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door" 

     B. "If people would come out to their families, their co-workers, the people they worship with, that would change the landscape quicker than anything"

2) Educate people you work with and go to school with. 

3) LGBT news- If you don't know about your own people, then how can we expect others to. 

4) Pride in who you are. 

5) Love yourself. If you can't love yourself, how can we expect others to love us?

6) Leadership- in the fight for equality. Who will be the next Harvey Milk? Who are the role models we have? Young people need mentors to show them how "It Does Get Better". 

http://www.thejewishweek.com/editorial_opinion/opinion/cost_standing_idly