Breaking Stereotypes: Why I'm the last person you would expect to support same-sex marriage

I am a straight, white, southern, Christian male from the state of Virginia, who votes more often for Republicans then Democrats, who thinks society is to politically correct, who "reads" Playboy, and likes to look at beautiful women.

Suffice to say, I am, stereotypically speaking, probably the last person who would support equal rights for everyone, regardless of their sexuality, and has no problem what so ever with two adults of the same gender marrying one another.

Now I use to be against same-sex, and I admit I was wrong. The reasons why I was is mostly because of two things:

Peer pressure from an homophobic culture, and bullying from said culture during high school.

I was bullied throughout my entire school years. At first it was because the kids just wanted to pick on someone, and I was seen as the easiest target, and it continued even into high school, and in high school many people were claiming that I was gay, and were using that as a "reason" to continue to bully me (because apparently when you get older you need an "excuse" to torment a person who won't fight back). So this left an impression on me for several years on me that homosexuality and bisexuality was wrong (don't ask me why, it just did) and that same-sex marriage should never be legalized.

Eventually I got over this, and after interacting with gay and bi people and talking to gay and bi people, I realized that there is nothing wrong with gay and bi people, nor is there anything wrong with being gay or bi, and that it is the bullies who have something wrong with themselves, and that I don't have to hate, or dislike, or try to deny a group of people rights that they should already have because they are of a different sexuality than me in order to feel secure about my own sexuality, and that there are gay and bi people out there that most people would never think were gay or bi unless they either told you, or introduced you to their partner.

In fact one of friends, Sean Munger, is bisexual, and I didn't even know it until he announced he was getting married to a guy. Heck, I didn't even suspect that he was bisexual at all, mainly because he loves heavy metal music, and he writes zombie fiction (which at the time I thought that only straight guys were interested in)!

Basically, he is not what I thought a stereotypical, bisexual guy would be like, and that's a good thing too, because it helped destroy some stereotypes that I still had in my own mind.

The fact is that I no longer see homosexuals and bisexuals as being wrong, or wicked, or even abnormal. They're normal people, and just because they are attracted to people who are the same gender as they are does not mean there is something wrong with them. Heck, there are some women that I am attracted to that other straight guys would believe I am wrong for being attracted to. Does that mean that I truly am wrong for being attracted to said women? No, it's just a matter of that other person's personal preference, and their inability to get over the fact that not every other guy thinks like them, or has to think like them, and in the end it just makes them look like a jerk.

The same applies with people who think that homosexuality and bisexuality is wrong. They just can't get over the fact that homosexuals and bisexuals are not attracted to the people that they feel they should be attracted to, and in the end it just makes them look like jerks.

These people need to get over their insecurities like I did, that they don't have to be a societal stereotype, and that believing that someone that is different from them should have the same rights as they do doesn't make them a bad person, it makes them a better person.

Embarrassing Conspiracy Theories: Homosexual Agenda

There is this conspiracy theory that's being floated around by the Conservative Christian movement known as the "Homosexual Agenda". What this theory is based upon is the belief that homosexuals are actively trying to destroy what is consider traditional morals and values, and them remaking it into their own.

The reason for this conspiracy theory is probably because there is this continuing belief that homosexuality is a choice, and not something that someone is born with, as many psychologists and biologists contend. Because of this belief it is believed that homosexuals must "recruit" people into homosexuality, and that they target children for this, as they tend to be vulnerable. This has also led to the belief that homosexuals also have a higher rate of being or becoming pedophiles. This belief is not supported by any credible studies, and the only studies that do claim this are done by organizations that have a real anti-homosexual agenda, and are very biased in nature.

Because of this belief that homosexuality is a choice, in their minds, homosexuals must be actively trying to change society into something that is corrupt and perverted. It is believed that homosexuals are trying to do this through getting the government to legally recognize same-sex marriage and increasing legal protections under the law. From what I have seen, this isn't true at all. They just want society to accept them equals, rather then reject them simply because they're not sexually attracted to people of the opposite gender.

There is also this belief that homosexuals are trying to create laws that are aimed at destroying Christianity. This comes from the belief that homosexuals can not be Christians. Neither of these beliefs are true at all. In fact there are many homosexuals who are Christians, and in fact there are several homosexual, Christian preachers, who do preach in mainstream, Christian church denominations.

The biggest problems with these beliefs is that not only is there no proof that legally recognizing same-sex marriage and increasing legal protections is actually damaging to society, not doing so might actually be more damaging to a society which is changing it's attitudes towards homosexuals, not to mention the fact it's basically treating a certain group of people like second class citizens. This, and anti-homosexual propaganda spewed out by politicians, makes some homophobic people feel justified in committing acts of violence towards homosexuals, most especially homophobic teenagers, who might already live in a homophobic environment.

Homosexuals don't want to destroy society, and they don't want to destroy Christianity, they just want to be accepted and treated like equals, and not like second class citizens.

Is There Anything Positive about the Anti-Homosexual Movement?

For the past couple of weeks I've wondering if there is anything positive about the anti-homosexual movement?

This whole wondering began after hearing about the death of Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year old boy who committed suicide after being bullied and tormented for years because he was homosexual. What is even worse was that even after this some of the bullies continued their bullying of him even after his death by chanting "you're better off dead" and "we are glad that you're dead" at a recent school dance when a Lady Gaga song was played (Jamey was a big fan of Lady Gaga).

If one person had done this chanting, it could easily have been explained as being the actions of one very disturbed student.

But it was several.

This comes to reason that these kids are being influenced in some way to think that what they have done is perfectly acceptable.

And this gets back to my question: Is there anything positive about the anti-homosexual movement?

The answer to that is: None.

Everything it has done has been pretty much negative from what I've seen.

It's created a situation that has led some kids to believe that it's perfectly okay to harass, torment, and abuse other kids whom either are homosexual, or are suspected of being homosexual, which interns leads to depression and sometimes suicide.

It has created a situation where some people now feel (or made known) that they are not welcome amongst their family, or even their community, because they are homosexual.

It has created a situation where some people believe that violence against homosexuals, and vandalism against churches and other establishments that openly welcome homosexuals, is okay.

It has created a situation where some people believe that homosexuals are either very hostile, and/or are sexual deviants and pedophiles whom actively try to turn children into homosexuals.

It has created a situation where some people believe that homosexuality is a choice, and that a homosexuals can become heterosexual through therapy and prayer.

It has created a situation where some people believe that many of the rights that homosexuals have recently gained should be reversed.

And finally, it has created a situation where people in the anti-homosexual movement are viewed as being a bunch of bigots who are exploiting the Bible to justify their own bigotry, and has also lead to an increased negative view of Christianity.