The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are mine
and mine alone. I am entitled to these and I acknowledge others may not agree
with them which is perfectly fine. I would ask if you do not share my views and
opinions, however, that you at least respect my right to hold and voice them. I
further remind you this blog is a “hate free zone” and I will not tolerate it.
Therefore, any disrespectful comments will be deleted.
When I came out of the closet as Bisexual, I thought I was
finally free to be completely open about who I really was. Imagine my shock
when I found myself, in safe LGBTQ spaces, having to hide a part of who I
really was again. No, I’m not hiding my bisexuality at all. While in these
spaces I find it necessary to keep quite about being a moderate to conservative
Christian.
As one might expect, most people in the LGBTQ community are
very liberal in their thinking when it comes to politics and religion. Holding
liberal views is certainly well within a person’s right, and I won’t ever deny
anyone that. Since I discovered my sexuality I am no longer as conservative as I
once was, however, I am still far more conservative than most people I meet in these
circles.
As I said everyone is entitled to their opinions.
Furthermore, I also believe having a diverse cross section of opinions makes
the world a better place. If we all believed and expressed the same views and
opinions, there would never be any growth in society and we would all likely
still believe the world to be flat. This model works best when everyone remains
open minded, of course, and the world remains a perfect place.
Since that will never be the case, I find myself once again
in the closet while in LGBTQ spaces. The issues which bother me the most are as
follows:
People, regardless of which way their political and
religious views lean, who disrespectfully bully others in order to manipulate other’s
views.
People who use vague unproven facts in argumentative ways
when discussing these topics.
People that believe being slanderous towards government
leaders, as well as, resorting to name calling rather than having a respectful
bipartisan conversation that may actually help the person they are speaking with
understand their point of view.
People who deem your worth as a person based on one or more
of your religious or political beliefs.
People who pick one issue as a deciding factor when
selecting a candidate to vote for, rather than looking at the candidate’s whole
platform and political history when making their choice.
Finally, my biggest issue of all are people that not only
expect but demand tolerance and respect for who they are as a diverse
individual, yet are completely unwilling to return the favor to anyone who
doesn’t share their beliefs and opinions.
For example, people who are ballisticly offended because you
wished them a Merry Christmas while they were shopping in December because they
don’t believe in God. They will go on to say that we should be excepting and
tolerant of all religions, etc. etc. etc. However, what they fail to realize is
in standing on their soap box about being inclusive and tolerant of others, at
the same time they are being intolerant and excluding Christians. Please
practice what you preach!
In one church I attended the hymnal had politically correct
Christmas Carols. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” had been changed to be gender
natural. I personally fail to see how, after hundreds upon hundreds of years,
where the terms man or men have been used to mean mankind and that anyone could
think a Christmas Carol which was gender specific in that way would need to be
changed in order to prevent someone from being offended. I find it quite
insulting actually, that someone thought I wasn’t intelligent enough to know
the use and meaning of that term and that I would indeed be offended by it. I
am offended that they changed it in the first place.
I’m sorry if I digressed a bit while making my point, I
should be getting back to my main thought of this whole issue which is, I
shouldn’t have to feel like I can’t share my own religious and political views
without being treated badly or looked down on because I don’t agree with the majority
of opinions in an LGBTQ space. Nor should I have to be bombarded with well
meaning statements from others that unknowingly belittle and demean my
conservative religious and political views. It is no different than being in a
non LGBTQ space and having to listen to homosexual slurs, or someone going on
about how marriage should only be between one man and one woman.
I should say while it seems I have to put up with this more
often than when I am not in an LGBTQ space it is far from making me feel
unsafe, unloved, or like it would have been better if I had never showed up. It
does, however, seem a bit ironic that I would have to worry about being
accepted in a room full of people who know all too well what it feels like to
be looked down upon for being different.
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