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02/20/2009
Most frustrating job in America: Utah tourism board's gay outreach director
Salt Lake City's ABC 4 has been bringing us all kinds of gay (or rather anti-gay) news this week. On Tuesday we learned of UT state senator Chris Buttars' incredibly homo-hostile comments because of audio posted by the station. Now that same newsroom brings us this little nugget from a gay rights debate that was held last night at the University of Utah:
Meanwhile, the Sutherland Institute [a conservative think tank] said people seeking gay rights are not living in reality.
"Your idea of rights is an illusion. With the backing of every miserable misanthropic philosopher on the path of the post enlightenment era, your initiative feeds on the unreasonable notion that you have these magical organic rights to do whatever you desire," said Paul Mero, Sutherland Institute
Mero also said Sutherland Institute doesn't just disagree with the idea for gay rights; it disagrees with every assumption underlying the gay rights initiatives.
Advocates clash in gay rights debate [ABC 4]
Yes, that's right -- to Mr. Mero, our civil rights are apparently an illusion. Also, it's somehow misanthropic to think that your LGBT identity deserves the same rights, benefits and protections as hetero humans. And whereas things like civil marriage are "magical" when dealing with gay people, it is perfectly ordinary to invoke completely-faith based allusions to an all-knowing God in order to deny the same. How thoroughly logical. </snark, snark>
Oh, but that's not even all Mr. Mero had to say. Check out the following, brought to us by The Salt Lake Tribune:
"The gloves must come off," declared Sutherland director Paul Mero, in his opening remarks.
Mero insisted the two sides operate in two different realities: "truth and illusion."
"You play house as only a dysfunctional household structure can allow," he said to Equality Utah and its supporters. "You think a piece of paper magically bestows on you a marriage ... You think love, alone, makes a family."
Gay-rights advocates, foes face off [SL Tribune]
And you, Mr. Mero, think being a tough guy who attacks homosexuals makes you more "moral," that your version of truth is right because you say it's so, and that your state's reputation is somehow emboldened by bias. Brand us as "dysfunctional" all that you want -- we'll take comfort in knowing that we stand in opposition to your views regarding society's proper functioning!
Your thoughts
Mero insisted the two sides operate in two different realities: "truth and illusion."
Well, he does have a point there! It is just that he is to delusional (or perhaps more disingenuous) to realize that it is his side that is illusory.
And, on the misanthropic topic, I doubt that the religious can point to any incident in history where gays slaughtered unbelievers in the name of philosophical adherence. But I can point to dozens of incidents where the religious have waged all out war on humanity, just because of religious differences - not to mention all of their other (less bloody, but altogether misanthropic) "moral" wars.
Posted by: Dick Mills | Feb 20, 2009 4:07:35 PM
"You think that love, alone, makes a family."
Um... what's wrong with thinking that? I thought that's how it worked...what exactly "makes a family" in this dude's eyes? Heterosexual binds? Heterosexual sex?
Thank you, I would take my one mother, one sister, and me family that is full of love over a drunken bitter mother, workaholic dad, neither of whom even like me very much anyday.
Love makes a family, not gender. You don't need to have both a penis and a vagina present to have a family.
Posted by: Stef | Feb 20, 2009 4:39:43 PM
Boycott Utah!
The final h in the word has always gotten on my nerves, and it's time to put the State into receivership.
Posted by: Wilberforce | Feb 20, 2009 8:43:22 PM
Boycott Utah! What do they make there anyway? Besides assumptions, judgements, child brides and babies?
Posted by: Tom | Feb 20, 2009 10:13:44 PM
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