It seems two candidates for United States Senate this year may agree with the whole “PrayAway the Gay” thing. Two candidates seeking federal office in this country are likely proponents of this theory. Of course, we won’t know for sure because one refuses to talk to the media at all, and the other is too confused to answer any questions correctly. Christine O’Donnell, the Republican Senate candidate from Delaware, was the leader of The Savior’s Alliance for Lifting the Truth (SALT) before she became a career candidate. The whole scam of praying away the gay has been debunked by many reputable organizations, including the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association. Wade Richards was a spokesman for SALT’s anti-gay program. He was an “ex-gay” that traveled with O’Donnell claiming to be cured of his “gayness”. However, in private, Richards wasn’t so sure it was working. “I told her, ‘You know, Christine, I’m still super struggling with same-sex attraction,’” he says. “‘I don’t really know if this is real, if I can really be this changed person that I’m going around the country speaking and saying that I am.’” She paid little attention, he says. Campaigning against gay rights was too central to her mission. Richards eventually found his way and decided he could not run from who he really was.
After about a year, Richards told The Advocate that he is “uncured,” has a boyfriend, and is a whole lot happier. After Richards shared his feeling with O’Donnell, she “totally turned her back on me. I never heard from her ever again. That’s been my experience with the Christian community in general. The minute I was struggling and saying, ‘Hey, listen, I don’t know really where I am with this,’ that’s when everyone really turned their back on me.” Now, we have Joe Miller. Joe Miller, the extremist-Republican-Sarah Palin-endorsed candidate from Alaska, the same one who refuses to speak to any reporters, also has ties to the hurtful movement. He hasn’t said much about his views on homosexuality. Then again, he hasn’t said much of anything recently.
He has tried to stay away from values, maintaining the central issue of his campaign is the federal debt and government spending. But, in a July letter to Alaskan voters, he noted that "the traditional Christian view" is that "homosexuality is a sin, and therefore immoral." Miller isn’t talking much about gay rights, DADT, or any other important issue this election year? I think who he associates himself with might give us a clue as to how far right Mr. Miller may be. Among his campaign staff is one Terry Moffitt. Moffitt isn’t a political but has a host of other talents. He once called out Rush Limbaugh for “hobnobbing” with gay Elton John. He is the chairman of the Family Policy Network, a group that is very anti-gay.
The Family Policy Network runs a project called, “Hope for Homosexuals”, pretty much another cult preaching that "practicing homosexuals (should) ‘come out’ of that destructive lifestyle, and to ‘come home’ to the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ” and “While the homosexuals celebrate their perversions, they are confronted with the truth that there is hope for deliverance in Jesus Christ." Mottiff’s group hired an airplane to fly a banner over Disney World during a gay outreach day that listed their website. The group’s guiding principles, according to its website, include opposition to all fornication and homosexuality. It denounces "any efforts to convince society that homosexual behavior or ‘being gay’ is somehow normal or natural." Although we don’t know how Mottiff is assisting Joe Miller, the presence of this man on any political campaign is scary. Clearly, he is not assisting Mr. Miller on financial matters.
The acceptance of gays in our society is one that should not be divisive. There should be no question. Equality isn’t just about race or religion. Equal rights are for everyone, every American. I am sorry if your religion doesn’t accept being gay. You should honestly look for a new religion. Don’t tell me that you are Christian and don’t like gays. There are plenty of Christian churches out there that accept everyone, love everyone and took Jesus’ messages seriously.
If you are a Christian and not in one of those types of churches, you are to blame for the recent gay suicides. If you believe being gay is a choice, you are to blame for the recent gay suicides. If you don’t think that gay soldiers should be allowed to serve in the military, you are to blame for the recent gay suicides. If you don’t think gay couples should be allowed to marry, you are to blame for the recent gay suicides. If you think or infer that there is something wrong about being gay, you are to blame for the recent gay suicides. This is not a debate. Humans are humans. Equal rights cannot be a debate; it cannot be up for popular vote. Equal rights often require the government to step in and do the right thing. There is no legitimate reason to discriminate against gay people just as there are no legitimate reasons to discriminate against Muslim Americans, African Americans, or any other race or religion. None. If you are a bigot, either obviously or still in the closet, you are passing this bigotry on to your children. That isn’t fair and the hate will never end.
Please, can we stop noticing everyone’s differences and instead focus on the similarities? We are humans and we all have basic human rights. Asking someone to change who they are because you think they should is not fair, it is destructive, and it is killing our youth. Stop preaching about what you don’t understand and stop using fear to control and manipulate. We are all humans.
the ignorance demonstrated by these people is dangerous!