A Few Words about the Gay Issue, The Laramie Project, and My Goat

What is the “Gay Issue”? Well apparently, not everyone believes that everyone, no matter their sexual orientation, has a right to be together.

In high school, when I’d learn about a person’s …preferences, I would not treat him or her any differently than I had before. They were still the same person.

If we want to talk in terms of religion, then let me say clearly and plainly: I don’t know much about religion, but I’m pretty sure there’s nothing saying that gays are going to Hell. Killing a person, that’s bad. Liking a person, not so bad. The “rules” of religion were established long ago, before over population and that important thing called free will. Religions wanted straight people so that they’d end up with more people in that faith! Okay…I’m not using 100% fact here, this is merely speculation that my Dad has told me. Sounds pretty believable though.

There’s an incredible modern play called The Laramie Project. It was a play put on by Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theatre. These actors interviewed people in a small town in Wyoming after a brutal accident occurred there. A man, Matthew Sheppard, was killed on October 7th, 1998 because he was gay. The play is incredible and stirs many feelings; hatred toward the murderer, compassion for the friends of the murdered man, sadness for the loss of a great mind. I hope this is one medium that will teach the leaders of tomorrow some acceptance.

And then, there is my goat. I don’t have Billy anymore, but I do remember what a character he was. This goat was a little confused to say the least. My goat, my male goat, had feelings for my dog…my male dog. Maybe Billy was just confused, and that could explain why he was humping the wrong species. I didn’t shun my goat because he, um, hit on the dog.

Reverend Fred Phelps: Do you believe the Bible? Do you believe you’re supposed to separate the precious from the vile? You stand over there ignorant of the fact that the Bible--two times for every verse it talks about God’s love it talks about God’s hate….. (The Laramie Project, Pg. 77-78)

Do we want to be like Fred Phelps? The man who, in the Laramie Project, protests outside the funeral of Matthew Sheppard?

Reverend Fred Phelps: Is homosexuality--is being a fag okay? What do you mean it’s not for you to judge? If God doesn’t hate fags, why does he put ‘em in hell?….You see the barrenness and sterility of your silly arguments when set over against some gospel truth? Barren and sterile. Like your lifestyle (pg. 79)

Oh shut up, Phelps. What do you know? What does anybody know about God or religion or sexual orientation or what we should or shouldn’t do? Nothing, that’s right. We can make our arguments, and we can quite the Bible until all that’s left is the copyright date. There is no solid gospel truth that is solid gospel truth. How do we know how the Bible has changed over the years? And I dare anyone to show me a direct quote that says that gays are evil…or whatever it is you’re trying to prove. Heck, you were rock-solid on that whole “the world is flat” thing, weren’t you?

Weren’t you?