My letter to the editor was published in BR’s Advocate on Friday, Nov. 20, and was the latest in a chain of letters discussing gay rights and discrimination. Here are the links below to the first few letters, and the link & text of my response. Thanks to everyone for the positive response!
Letter: Reader sees lack of tolerance in BR
Ms. Laura Jones – September 29th, 2009 - Letter #1
It’s no mystery to me why educated adults are leaving the Baton Rouge area in greater numbers than any other part of the state. As reporter Stephen Ward notes, it’s not economic. It’s a simple matter of tolerance, or in our case, lack thereof.
Letter: Tolerance and common sense
Mr. R. Glynn Kelly – October 14th, 2009 - Letter #2
The letter to the editor, on Sept. 29, written by a self-professed lesbian Baton Rouge educator was a real eye-opener for me. Apparently educated people are leaving Baton Rouge in droves because of a lack of tolerance. I have to admit that I was unaware of this problem.
Letter: Line was drawn; letter crossed it
Mr. Kevin Serrin – October 27th, 2009 - Letter #3
A letter to the editor on Oct. 14, written by a local area resident of Irish heritage, is a sad example of the intolerance and lack of understanding that many area residents and elected officials feel toward this city’s sizable gay and lesbian population.
Letter: Homosexuals seek special rights
Mr. R. Glynn Kelly – November 7th, 2009 - Letter #4
A letter to the editor on Oct. 27, written by a local area homosexual resident, Kevin Serrin, as a rebuttal to me, is a sad example of the modern-day definition of “intolerance,” which says, “If you don’t cater to me and my ilk, then you are intolerant.”
Letter: Gay rights are not special rights
Ms. Rebecca Marchiafava – November 20th, 2009 - Letter #5
I am writing to address some assertions made by R. Glenn Kelly in a letter to the editor published Nov. 7. In this letter, Kelly dismissed discrimination against gays as essentially non-existent. This view is incorrect and governed by emotion and, frankly, indicates a lack of critical thinking about the issue.
Mr. Kelly argues that gay citizens are seeking special rights. This assertion is absolutely false. Example: after centuries of shameful and legislated discrimination, anti-miscegenation laws were declared unconstitutional in 1967. Every single Southern state maintained these laws until that point when they were forced to repeal them. Was an interracial couple seeking special rights when they argued for the right to marry? No. All citizens were granted that right, whether or not they chose to exercise it.
Gay-rights proponents, regardless of their personal sexual orientation, are not advocating special rights. Rather, they are protesting the injustice of present discriminatory laws or actions that currently limit the ability of members of a minority population to: be granted equal civil rights within a marital union, discuss their home life at work, serve in the military, attend a prom with a significant other, hold hands with that significant other in public without fearing physical or verbal attack — the list goes on.
Arguing that these are special rights is as absurd as arguing that women were granted special voting rights in 1920, but, be assured, people vehemently espoused that argument. Personal discomfort or disgust aside, homosexuality is a part of human nature and human society. Ignoring that truth is a sign of blind bigotry, which can only result from faulty logic. It is this type of prejudice that causes the arc of history to take as painfully long as it does to bend toward justice.
Last, Kelly argues that gay rights would trample on the rights of others who don’t want to work with or who fear the ‘influence’ of homosexuals on their children. Sorry, but in the end, the right to be prejudiced does not trump others’ civil rights. You don’t have to like it, but civil rights legislation historically corresponds with the philosophy that humanity should transcend narrow-minded and destructive beliefs, and we will continue down that path.
As for me, I hesitate to bring children into a world that is still so populated with close-minded individuals. However, as those people are a natural part of society, I guess I just have to live with it — even if it disgusts and offends me. It’s just unfortunate that so much vitriol be directed toward, simply, love.
Rebecca Marchiafava, board member
Baton Rouge Progressive Network
Baton Rouge
*Find out more about the Baton Rouge Progressive Network (BRPN) at www.brpnonline.org and on Facebook.