International Day Against Homophobia

If you didn't catch the headline, today is international Day Against Homophobia. In an age where we have black history month, woman's history month and aboriginal history month we get a day where we disclaim homophobia. Oh sure we have Pride week. If you didn't already know, the Pride Parade(no it doesn't stand for people reducing impaired driving ever where) was started on June 28, 1970 in response to the Stonewall Inn riots that occurred a year earlier. You can Wikipedia the riots here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots If you are too lazy to research, basically the story goes the police raided a bar called the Stonewall Inn. It was the only “gay bar” that allowed dancing. It was run by the mafia as being gay was very illegal. The bar got raided and men and women were taken into a back room and checked for the correct parts. Women who were not wearing at least 3 pieces of typical feminine clothing were arrested and men in drag were also arrested. While searching the female customers the police were inappropriate touching the women causing tension to an already tense situation. While escorting a “Typical New York Butch” and “a dyke–stone butch” she had resisted arrest and when complaining the cuffs were too tight was struck on the head with a police baton. She instigated a riot when she shouted to the bystanders who were singing “we shall over come” to do something. Do something they did. They set fire to garbage cans, broke windows in the bars and toppled over Police paddywagons. The police then became trapped in the bar. It was the first time that the gay community struck back. Violence is a terrible thing, but what is worse than violence is the NEED for violence. When an oppressed community has no other option but to fight back with equal violence it is a tragedy.

So today on this international day against homophobia I remember those men and women who's lives have been taken under the guise of homophobia, a word that I really hate. Homophobia according to the Merriam - Webster dictionary is “an irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals. Except that it's a load of malarkey. I have arachnophobia, I run screaming in fear from spiders, I don't tie them to a fence and beat them and leave them to die bleed out from their injuries. Lawyers use the defence of “gay panic” to defend those cowards who seek out weaker people and abuse them. On this day, remember that words hurt, that your actions influence children, and to look with in yourself and question why you are so set against homosexuals? Is it because the bible says so? Consider this, the bible has over 100 passages that deal with slavery and only 5 to 8 (depending on which version you own) that speaks anything remotely about homosexuality or sexual immorality which is often confused with homosexuality. Let he is with out sin....