Try Equality

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force reports that violence against the LGBT community is on the rise, and they’re not pulling any punches about with whom they believe the responsibility lies:

The leaders of America's anti-gay industry are directly responsible for the continuing surge in hate violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. While other forms of crime continued to fall, the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs has documented a 4% increase in anti-LGBT crime in 2004, coming on the heels of a 26% increase in the last half of 2003. This spike in violence parallels the exact same period since the Right went into demonic, anti-gay hyperdrive following the Supreme Court’s Lawrence v. Texas decision in July of 2003. Since then, church pews and the public airwaves have been awash in ugly, anti-gay rhetoric and fear-mongering.

These words obviously do not just vanish into the ether - as intended, they are absorbed and become fuel and justification for violence. To say otherwise defies reality.

The literal blood of the thousands of gay people physically wounded by hate during 2004 is on the hands of Jerry Falwell, James Dobson, Tony Perkins, and so many others who spew hate for partisan gain and personal enrichment.

Absolutely. Their identification of an anti-gay industry is excellent; I can’t even begin to fathom how much money has been raised for churches and conservative politicians on a message of hatred and intolerance toward gays and lesbians. The hate peddlers have found a ripe market for their wares, devotees of a twisted brand of Christianity that thrives on anger and victimhood, waiting to be sold a shiny new supply of anti-gay vitriol, scapegoating, and fear-mongering. The hungry buyers come to the churches and the political rallies with money burning holes in the pockets of their sensible trousers, and they leave satiated, their bellies full of (self-)righteous indignation, a determination to spread the word about the radical homosexual agenda, and a keen eye for the slightest proof that their suspicions about the dastardly fags and dykes who threaten their way of life are all true. This is a booming business, and Falwell, Dobson, Perkins, and their ilk have learned to roll out their product as efficiently as Ford and his Model-Ts.

Well, I’ve got something to sell, too. And unlike alternatives such as Pepsi to Coke, or Burger King to McDonald’s, it’s not an option that’s little more than a distinction without a difference, dooming it forever to be #2. My product is completely different, totally unique from its competitor … and it’s sexy to boot! It’s called Equality (ooh, ahh), and buying into Equality instead of Intolerance comes with some added bonuses:

* Your outlook will improve by 100%!
* You’ll get to vote for candidates with functioning brains!
* Your policy positions won’t require constant mental contortions to justify!
* You won’t need to exist in a permanent state of cognitive dissonance regarding your own peccadilloes and idiosyncrasies!
* You’ll have better skin!

~ and ~

* Your friends will be hip, exciting, interesting, and literate!

Best yet, buying into Equality is in the price range of every man, woman, and child in America, because it costs absolutely nothing! That’s right—it’s free. You don’t need to spend a penny to throw off your prejudices and buy into Equality instead.

So, whaddaya say? Can I wrap it up for you?