Copping Out

Recently it has come to my attention that some of our SA girls are still having difficulties with transphobia. Yes, I know - it isnt exactly a new thing. Like homophobic hate crimes, transphobia (fear or loathing of transgender people) still exists and inspires hate crimes of its own. However, it seems people exposed to transphobia are either keeping quiet about it or the authorities are refusing to do something about it.

Civility Costs Nothing

Centuries ago, people were more isolated and clustered together in like-minded groups. For example, whole countries and even continents followed just one religion, or spoke one language, hardly ever setting eyes on anyone who followed another or spoke other languages.

Though we may not really recognize it today, significant population shifts and migrations often led to conflict and political upheaval. It seems to be a basic human instinct to fear the unknown and even loathe it - but with knowledge and understanding come tolerance and enlightenment, but to get to that stage people first have to get past their fear and loathing.

The idea that all people can and should live together in peace is not really a new one -

but yet in practice, it is very young indeed.

Humans Are Funny Animals

Many detractors of the gay rights movement have spent the past thirty years or more criticizing it as somehow asking for "special rights".

George Orwell in his masterpiece "Animal Farm" which was a pertinent statement on the turmoil of post fascist western society and differing political ideologies (and almost a prequel to "1984") stated "All animals are equal - but some animals are more equal than other animals".

One can see warning signs of a harsh resentment and bitter distaste and disrespect for the humanity of other people in statements like "gay rights are 'special' rights". Often the fights in the past against slavery and racial prejudice are compared with the modern struggle for GLBT equal rights and all manner of interesting comparisons are drawn. There are in fact many similarities.

Pearls Of Ignorance

Somebody made a statement today that showed me the prevalence in flawed thinking in the general population. Flawed thinking and ignorance - and what a potent pair they make indeed. People who probably do not even know one person who falls within the GLBTI spectrum, nor knows anything about them beyond the standard rhetoric in circulation out there telling people how "wrong" it is to be gay or that it is some kind of "sinful lifestyle choice" are advocating anti-gay measures and even taking an anti-GLBT stance in politics, ostensibly in the interests of what they call "morality".

What did they say? Well, here it is, folks:

"There is certainly a logical link between homosexuality, incest and beastiality and other deviant behaviour".

Huh?

Where on earth do these people get their facts from?

You Are Not Alone

Nice bigot folks always seem so concerned about the youth - but never seem to care a damn about the GLBT youth who get bullied, sidelined and forced into heterosexual pigeon holes - and show nothing but intolerance, complete disregard and blatant hostility for their well-being, inborn traits and sexuality. In fact some anti-GLBT groups have even publicly advocated bullying of GLBT youth to "encourage" them to "turn straight". Instead, today we see proof that this results in tragedy, such as the spate of recent juvenile suicides across the USA.

Through their shortsightedness, intolerance and incitement to hatred these nice people have even caused heterosexual teens to commit suicide out of the misery caused by bullies who mistakenly targeted them for being gay.

Pink Eyes Are Watching You

Just a few days ago, post 2009 Elections, the president of the ANC made speeches encouraging unity in South Africa. Jacob Zuma is of course South Africa's future president who has already skillfully evaded being brought to trial for nearly 800 charges of corruption and racketeering, made homophobic slurs in the media, offered talks to religious right wing parties on bothersome issues such as gay marriage and whose signature tune (which he often performs live on stage at gatherings) is "bring me my machine gun". (Nice guy - I can see why so many people voted for him.)

Now the question I and many GLBT people are asking is whether or not this "unity" also includes the same folk whose rights he seemed all to keen on selling out for a few extra votes less than a month ago? Or, are we the ones he's referring to when he sings about his machine gun - or at least, amongst them?

After his address given at the Rhema cults venue, radical fundamentalist religious (and unavoidably anti-GLBT) political parties were virtually breaking the doors down trying to invite themselves in to do some follow-up electioneering of their own. It really was quite pitiful and embarrassing for their part.

Gun Crime And The Scourge Of Pink Dinosaurs

Last night I read a news article on Pinknews about some bright spark who has claimed in a press release that there is a direct link between the gay rights movement and an increase in gun crime.

Gay rights are responsible for gun crime?

Huh? What?

Everybody Is An Agnostic - Even If They Don't Know It Yet

I have always wondered why people's IQ's drop the minute somebody takes out a book and claims: "God says..." and "God hates..."

I mean, HOW does ANYBODY know? How can anybody CLAIM to know? How can THEY claim to know? And yet they stake their own and other people's lives on this magical certainty... They judge and condemn other people (who generally are just minding their own business) out of some warm fuzzy feeling and go forth to beat them over the head with it like a weapon.

What it comes down to is this: Organized religion was and always will be about POWER and CONTROL.

In my time as a human rights activist have found it near impossible to engage persecutors without involving religion for the following reasons:

Whatever Floats Your Ark

I read that the most banned book in the USA today is a children's book. Now what, I hear people wondering, could have parents in such a state? Is it nudity? Violence? No, nothing so mundane and ordinary I'm afraid. They have banned a beautifully illustrated children's book about two gay penguins who adopt an orphaned chick. Quite a sweet touching story, except that it teaches tolerance for diversity and that same gender couples are also families.

"Oh dear," said the bigots - "We can't have that - it could threaten the traditional family!"

Poor Taste In "Men"

Last year a transwoman in the US, 23 year old named Angie Zapata who had not yet completed her transition, was brutally and mercilessly beaten to death by a man she met and entertained at home. 

According to the police interviewed in a media article at the time, he suspected something was amiss because she hadn't allowed him to touch her genital area and because of some of the pictures in her apartment. When she admitted to him she was transgender and pre-op, this man picked up a fire extinguisher and bludgeoned her over her head with it. 

She awoke some time later while he was going through her things and he finished her off with the same weapon. Afterwards he left the scene in her vehicle. When arrested by the police he had the arrogance to say to the police that "I killed IT".

It.

Like he was talking about putting out a cigarette.

Let us put it into perspective. Angie Zapata - much loved by her friends and family as a warm and caring human being - a woman - is dead, brutally slain for no good or justifiable reason at all. Another individual - I shall not call him a "man" because a "man" does not behave like that - is on trial for his crime. And if there is justice in the USA - and I believe there still is - he will pay for his hate crime.