“We need to keep them out of here.”
These words were from Commissioner Fugate, who is trying to make Rhea County in Tennessee essentially gay free. Queen, please. Guess you are going to have to take “Will & Grace” off the local affiliates, not to mention “Queer Eye For the Straight Guy.” In fact, you probably would have to remove BRAVO, HBO, Showtime, PBS, IFC, Sundance, if you want to keep “them out of here.” Then you have to dismantle all satellite dishes, outlaw all television, radio, music, internet access, dancing, art, fashion – and just forget about Pottery Barn. Abercrombie and Fitch would have to close its doors, as would every theater, nightclub, restaurant, boutique, salon, accounting firm, gift shop, dog groomer, army recruiting office, travel agency, museum, landscaper, hospital, contractor, learning center for the developmentally disabled, school, home for the elderly, church, and temple. The entire county would have to relocate and only let avowed ‘heterosexual’ (assuming this is ‘us’) citizens in after a rigorous and thorough cavity search, and even then, how could you be sure? There is no real way of knowing, because you cannot keep ‘them’ out of here. You cannot keep ‘them’ out of anywhere. Because ‘them’ is you. ‘Them’ is us.
You have no idea who lives amongst you, what gayness this way comes. This is like Salem, but this time, it’s Gay-lem. Why are we trying to do a revival of “The Crucible?” Did Goody Proctor witness a man professing fuchsia the color he could absolutely not live without? Did he know for a fact that he was getting manicures AND pedicures once a month, which is proof enough? Is he being burned at the stake? The witch hunts proved to be murderous genocide of innocent women, a disgusting stain on the flag, which you weren’t ever able to SHOUT out. So why do you think that this isn’t going to leave another mark? Also, if you are actually remembering that we live in the United States of America, there is this thing – weird really to think about now in this day and age – it is called freedom. Yeah. This country is supposed to be a free one. Isn’t that a hoot? I know. It was a long time ago, but it still holds up in court. We are all created equal, and that includes who you so ridiculously refer to as ‘them.’
A special message to the guy that needs to come out to his homophobic father: Tell him what is happening in Rhea County. Tell him that you are being referred to as ‘them.’ Ask him if he would consider the boy he raised, his own child, his creation, part of his body, his life, his everything – ask him if he would think of you as less than human because you choose to love someone. Someone who would also be referred to as ‘them.’ Ask him if he understands that you have the ability to love, that was passed down to you through him, and since he was successful in teaching those difficult lessons, if it would mean any less if you were loving a man?
This ‘Them’ shit has got to go. I really feel sorry for the population of Rhea County. This prejudice, ignorance and hatred is merely a symptom of the ignancy epidemic that is sweeping the nation. It is the Plague all over again, but this time, it’s personal. What are they planning to do to rid the community of ‘them?’ Or will they accept them, as long as they stay in the closet, get into false and unfulfilling marriages, have confused and broken families, maintain gender identity consistent with the social laws of the status quo? Perhaps they would be begrudgingly tolerated if they gave terrific facials, but did wrist exercises to keep them from bothering the locals. Could you imagine if the situation were reversed? “I don’t mind heterosexuals, as long as they act gay in public.”
Oh by the way, thank you for the Bloggie. I am honored.