Oh, so Victorian…

Tony Campolo once told a story to his audience that illustrated the point I’m about to make, and it was directed at uptight, lips-pursed church ladies like Peter Sprigg.  It went like this:

“I have three things I’d like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don’t give a shit. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night.”

Anti-gay bigotry and hatred, fueled by Religious people, leaves a bloody bodycount. Religious Right leaders who propagate junk science and lies in the name of conforming the world to their fantasy version of reality where homosexuality does not exist leads kids to kill themselves, tears families apart, and damages our world in the long-run.

So what is Peter Sprigg clutching his pearly white panties about? Well, you see, there’s a homoseckshul activiss project right now called FCKH8, where people from all walks of life say, well, “fckh8.” I like it. It’s funny, it’s a bit shocking, and it gets the point across, sort of like Tony Campolo did when he used the phrase “give a shit” in front of a bunch of uptight fundamentalists in order to snap their skulls to attention.

Whine, Peter:

If you go to the website, you will find a short (two minutes or so) video. It consists of several people ranting and raving against the opponents of same-sex “marriage”–while repeatedly “dropping the f-bomb.”

Is this supposed to be funny? Do homosexual activists really think that the way to persuade opponents of same-sex “marriage” to support it is–to swear at people? Repeatedly?

The fact that he interprets the people in the video as swearing at him is telling.

During the Proposition 8 campaign, one of the most effective issues for advocates of Prop. 8 was the concern that children would be taught to affirm and celebrate homosexuality and same-sex “marriage” in the public schools. Opponents vehemently insisted that same-sex “marriage” would have no impact on schools or on children whatsoever. So then what happened? A class of first-graders was brought to San Francisco City Hall to witness the wedding of their lesbian teacher.

Yeah, marriage equality will have no harm on children.  That was the point.  The reality, Peter Sprigg, is that there are tons of kids being brought up by gay couples!  Also?  Most kids have a gay person in their family, whether or not they realize it.  All marriage equality will [help to] do is teach kids that, hey, this is part of reality.  I know that one of the Five Pillars of Fundamentalist Christianity is a head in the sand, ass in the air [but not for sex!] mentality when it comes to acknowledging reality, but the rest of us out here in Sanity Land at least try to have a healthy grasp on the way things are.

Also, the kids who surprised their teacher at her wedding are, presumably, still alive, but maybe they’re a little more educated and less bigoted than Peter Sprigg today.  They also probably have better hair.

Watch this though:

But what is really shocking about the video is this: three of its participants are children. Not teenagers–young, pre-adolescent children. One is a boy who appears to be about six years old. Another is a girl who looks to be perhaps nine. The third is a girl who is perhaps eleven. And yes–the children drop the “f-bomb” too.

Is this supposed to be funny? It’s not. It’s child abuse.

Uh no.  Telling a child that she’s going to hell for being who she is is child abuse.  Letting a kid get bullied so mercilessly that he sees suicide as the only way to escape is child abuse.  Beating your own child/throwing her out for being gay is child abuse.  People can argue about whether it’s wise to let kids say the word “fuck,” but the fact is that it’s a word they’ve probably already encountered anyway, and will encounter throughout their lives.

This is another part of that reality thing that Peter is obviously so upset about.  In the real world, there is foul language, and that word is extremely common, even among the rubes Peter calls followers.  Oh, sure, they probably don’t say it in front of him, and Sprigg himself might be so uptight with shame that he would turn to salt if a potty word ever came out of his mouth, but he’s the minority.

So, say what you will about the shock value of a few kids, who obviously had their parents’ permission, using a naughty word.  And then put that up against the actual, real trail of blood left by the Religious Right, and then choose what you’re going to bitch about wisely.

Oh, noes!  I used “bitch” as a verb!  Was that child abuse?!