Saturday, October 28, 2006

The Bigot Bishop and the War on Homosexuality













I was rushing to an appointment today, pushing my way through a hideous herd of broker types on their lunch, when a little old woman darted out from behind a pillar. And shoved this Jesus freak pamphlet into my hand. Normally I would have just shaken my head and handed it back. But she was so old. And I was so stunned, and so late. That I just stuffed it into my coat pocket, and rushed on.

Only to spend the rest of the afternoon wondering what was in that pamphlet. And whether it was as homophobic as the one in this postal story.

In a lengthy text with headings such as "Homosexuality is Unhealthy" and "The High Cost of Low Living" the booklet describes the host of ills it says are brought about by homosexuals and homosexual behaviour. In the tract, homosexuals are blamed for the AIDS epidemic, thousands of orphans in developing nations, increases in sex crimes such as rape and contributing to the death of nations.


Because that one made me really mad.... I wish I could be as cool about it as this brilliant gay brother. Who can make me laugh even when I'm angry.

Or as thoughtful and restrained as my blogging mentor. Who believes that hate only leads to more hate. And reminded me to thank those postal workers for being so damm decent and so Canadian. Beacons of hope in a very dark country.That's slowly losing its soul.

If Sebastien was here, instead of so faraway, I'm sure he'd say something like Simon my flaming Scottish comet why burn yourself out for them. Let's just turn the pamphlets into paper planes. And the first one to land one on the bonfire wins. But I just can't be that nice. It sometimes makes me feel really alone. But I can't help it. I hate those wingnut homophobes so fucking much.!!!!

And the reason I do is because the hateful tracts they put out have nothing to do with the argument over gay marriage. They don't even have anything to do with the bloodthirsty Bible.

I don't recall that talking Burning Bush saying anything about AIDS, orphans, rape and the death of nations.

It's just pure evil hate aimed at who we are and who we love. An attack on our very humanity. It insults me and my friends. Those who are alive and those who are dead. It incites violence against us. If it had been Jews, or Muslims, or blacks there would have been a hell of a fuss.

So how come gay people are just supposed to shrug it off in the name of religious tolerance? Or accept it as just another unfortunate fact of life. The price of being second class faggots in a world full of freaky straight bigots.

Well not in my world. And not in my life. I'll never accept to live like that. And all I can say is if one of those homophobic pamphlets materialized in my mailbox, I'd find out who sent it. I'd travel anywhere to meet them. I'd roll the little hate pamphlets into sturdy tubes. And shove them up their asses. Or down their throats. Since they're always bitching about that.

Which means I'm going to be really busy...because the War on Homosexuality in Canada has begun. First there was that Klan Klown party in Ottawa. Then came that filthy pamphlet. Now the most monstrous porker homophobe of them all. The Bigot Bishop Fred Henry, is on the warpath. Again.

"Asked why he is not afraid to say such things in Canada where many voices have been cowed into silence, Bishop Henry replied, "Well I guess it's because I read the last chapter of the book and we win in the end." He added, "I mean if you really believe that the Spirit of God is with you, what have you got to fear?"

Oh I don't know. Maybe of being accused of mixing politics and religion. Like when he demanded that gay people should be thrown in jail.

"Since homosexuality, adultery, prostitution and pornography undermine the foundations of the family, the basis of society, then the State must use its coercive power to proscribe or curtail them in the interests of the common good."

How could I not fight back against a porker homophobe like that one? How could I not want to see him squeal? Or pay taxes.

Although......sometimes I think it would probably be more effective to just encourage him to blather on. And let him hang himself. And the theocon Harper government. The thing about crazy religion is that the closer you look at it the sicker it becomes.

Which brings me back to the pamphlet that I ended up with today. As soon as I got home I went through it carefully to see if there were any homophobic passages in it. In the end I didn't find any. Just a lot of other weird stuff:

"And if your hand or foot causes you to sin cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than have two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire."

Mathew 18:8

Which made me wonder. Does that crazy shit also apply to the filthy tongues of bigot bishops?

And gave me an idea......... Since religion is the root of all evil. And since the little pamphlet was too small to turn into a paper plane. There wasn't much I could do with it but throw it into the everlasting fire. So I did....



















It burned beautifully.

The way I see it the day crazy religion goes up in smoke..

Will be the day the planet stops burning. And the day my anger finally stops burning as well.

That day can't come soon enough for me.

In the meantime, if they want a war they've got one...

8 comments:

scout said...

bishops flogging fags, muslim cleric condoning rape of women not in burkas....hate mail , macka's mouth....it's beeen quite a week for homosexuals and women.

a lesbian hawaiian kahuna told me two years ago that the witch hunt would begin soon...gays, indigenous people, non-religious healers, etc.. those kahunas, they're very strong and see well and far into the future.

what's with the 'family is backbone and everything'? seems every group calls themselves the backbone of nations....farmers do, small business does....are they all going to end up battling each other?

fight hard, fight well my nephew.

JJ said...

Simon - the other day I saw a rainbow flag that made me think of you, it said under it "You may have noticed this flag isn't white".

Keep fighting the good fight, kiddo. You have more support than you know.

Mark from Slap said...

Before moving to Montreal this summer, I lived in Calgary for almost 3 years. (I affectionately call it Bigot Haven. Ah, memories...)

Now, sharing the same city as Fred Henry guarantees that you'll hear the highest concentration of Henry-isms than anywhere else in Canada. Ah, what a joy it was to wake up and find his face on your morning paper! (If only I had kept that issue... I could've cut out the eyes and made one kick-ass Halloween mask.)

Anyway, right after he made that comment equating homosexuality to prostitution, there was a poll on A-Channel (a local news station), asking viewers to log on to their website and answer the question "Is homosexuality the same as adultery, prostitution, and pornography."

I logged in, voted, and was presented with the results so far: 73% Yes, 27% No.

No joke! I took a screenshot for posterity. I hope to submit it to the Museum of Unfathomable Bigotry after someone conceives of and builds such a place.

Anyway, it made me angry as hell and motivated me to get off my ass and do something. So, while I don't typically respond with the same anger that motivates me, I definitely feel it. We're with you, brother! Keep up the good fight!

scout said...

"Is homosexuality the same as adultery, prostitution, and pornography."

OMG WTF, what ever are they getting at? I mean, if they're going to be full of hate and venim, at least have some intelligence!!!!

Scott in Montreal said...

The heat is definitely on. Fight the good fight, Simon. There are many of us here who share your rage and we've got your back. We can't let the bigots win, for all our sakes.

Simon said...

Hi Scout! I agree it was a terrible week. I just can't believe how ruthlessly Harper is playing to his base. How meanspirited and ideological they are. But what I want to know is did that lesbian Hawaiian Kahuna tell you when we're going to win???

Hi JJ I just luv that slogan!!!!I wish I could just Iron it on to my flag. But the last time I tried to do that I burned a hole in the t-shirt!! Although....with all the fire the crazy wingnuts are directing at us these days, a flag with a hole in it kind of sums up our situation :)

Hey Bruce! I was kind of wondering what you'd think of the word mentor. And no I don't know you at all, and all the jackassery on this site is strictly my own. But since you were the first blog by a gay man that I ever saw, and that inspired me to start blogging myself, I couldn't think of another word than mentor. Although maybe Inspirer would be better!

Hi Mark! Wow! I had no idea you had lived in the gay gulag of Alberta instead of the gay paradise of Montreal. Although while I was doing some research on the porker homophobe I came across some of your posts and drawings on him, complete with little moustache. I can't wait for a repeat appearance!! :) As for that radio station poll. The fact that they would even ask the question is bad enough.But the response is absolutely nauseating. I'm always looking for nice things to say about Alberta. But it's so damm hard!!! What he really shocks me though about this latest offensive is how blatant and aggressive it is. And how it's now aimed squarely at who we are rather than at the question of gay marriage. But the main thing is that it got you and me and hopefully it will get more of our brothers and sisters to stand-up and fight back. The last thing we can ever do is let them get away with it. And meekly accept our second class status without striking back.
I always think about what the murdered gay poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca had to say about that:

"To keep still when we are on fire is the worst punishment we can inflict on ourselves..."

Stay still? Not a chance. Like you brother I'm not quitting until we win our rights and the bigotry ends... And I haven't got the slightest, microscopic, shadow of a doubt that in the end we will win. What a glorious day that will be!

Hi Scott...yeah we've all got to do something. The progressive forces in this country have to put the interests of Canada above partisan politics. As I mentioned above I can't friggin believe that this is happening in Canada. The anti-gay stuff is unfortunately par for the course. No surprise there. But the assault on women's rights has shocked me to the core. It's so rabidly ideological and meanspirited it enrages me. I don't understand why more Canadians aren't angry as well. I only hope that the opposition parties can rise to the occasion and bring these nazis down long before the Spring...

JJ said...

LOL, careful with that iron, Simon.;) A nice bright flag is the right attitude, no burn holes. I'm sure now that Bruce made that gorgeous new graphic you'll be able to print it out and take it to a T-shirt shop and they'll be able to do something with it.

Anonymous said...

simon, the kahunas and the medicine people here, all the indigenous people's prophecies are in line with the end of the long mayan calendar, which is 2012. THAT''S when they 'way of the white man' meaning this ruthless system, will have ended.

but things are going to get tougher and rougher then they are now. buckle up, this is the nearing of the end of the transition...and we all know what it's like when a boil bursts.

along with many others , i've had visions of whats to come. it ain't pretty. but 2012, how exciting!!!! and all the new, better, circle and consensual ways will be firmly embedded by 2025. don't ask me, i'm just the messenger :)