Bi views on "gay" rights

[smokey]

I posted the following on the GLBT A global View thread:

"At the risk of offending alot of people I am really not into this whole gay rights thing. Why?

First off what gays, lesbians, transgender and bisexuals want (or should want) are the basic human rights that are afforded all other people i.e. straight people or closeted bi's or gays which leads to:

second of all: Most staight people simply do not understand and when they hear "gay rights" the general impluse is to think that something special is being demanded and that is far from the truth, SO in this context anti-gay activitists use that ignorance as a dividing wedge. They have made gay marriage such a devisive issue that it would simply be wise to drop the whole thing and to focus on partners rights. When phrased in this context most straights see no problem with it...marriage can come later. Trouble is the so-called gay leadership is so full of itself and so insistant on the world accepting them as gay that they have become their own worst enemies and hurt their (our) cause more than they help.

What we should be stressing is our normalicy and going out of our way not to alienate the very people we need because everytime we do, we play right into our enemies hands".


I fully expected to be chastised for my opinion (though that was not the reason I posted it) but to my surprise I found a couple anyway who agreed with me:

To be honest--I don't care much about gay rights or black rights or such-I care about human rights and hold to the dictum that "rights denied to the one or the few are rights denied to all..."

12voltman59

Precisely, couldn't have put it better.

Azrael
Which makes me wonder...from a bisexuals prespective what are "your" views on the so-called "gay" rights issue?

[Azrael]

Not entirely sure. As I stated, I'm into the concept of human rights, which I feel should include the freedom to love whoever. Everyone (the masses)thinks special treatment when they hear the words gay rights, but I think of it more as not living in fear of "sodomy laws" or whathaveyou. I mean, from what I hear from my conservative father the "sexual deviants" are taking over the country. If that's the case, why am I still afraid to walk down the beach holding my boyfriend's hand? I mean, part of it is just me being a pussy, but for the most part we still live in darker times than most realize. I've lived in fear for many years and avoided confrontation, who's to say I won't just snap one day and end up hurting someone or getting hurt myself? I am not a Homosexual, but I am currently with another man. Perhaps people just need to learn to be civil in general. There will always be some twits out there who don't get it, and that's just the reality we're stuck with. I honestly don't know what to tell you. I am for gay rights in the sense of fighting for basic human dignities, but where does one draw the line?

[JohnnyV]

For me it depends on the issue. Most of things that the gay movement wants are human rights issues: marriage equality, non-discrimination, health care, etc. It just so happens that these broad, human issues, have a special relevance to gays and lesbians sometimes, because of their unique situation.

Where the gay movement is asking for human rights and their position makes sense, I throw my support behind them. For instance, I contribute to the movement for gay marriage, I support laws that protect GLBTs from economic discrimination, I think hate crimes and harrassment against gays have to be punished, etc.

On some issues, like gay adoption and the science of homosexuality, I waver. My objections to the gay movement's position usually relate to subtle problems with the way they represent reality. For example, I don't think it's so easy to say that two men can have a baby and that their parenting of a baby is the same thing as a man and a woman conceiving a child. I think gay male couples should be given a chance to experience parenting, but I wish the movement would at least acknowledge the complications involved. Another example is the common claim among gay activists that homosexuals are genetically different and therefore like a racial group, similar to African Americans. Or their claim that it is impossible for people to change from wanting one gender to wanting another. There are just too many real life examples that fly in the face of their claims.

And most of all, I am uncomfortable with the fact that the gay movement is often hostile to the idea of bisexuality.

I suppose on the basics, I am on board. It is when you get to the finer details that I sometimes argue with the gay movement; though the finer details, to me, are always important.

J