The year is 2022, and bigotry is alive and well in America.
There are those who can’t accept the fact that gay and transgender people exist. They have been labeled monsters, pedophiles, groomers, and child abusers simply for being who they are.
They have endured unprecedented hatred, lies, and propaganda by right-wing media figures, resulting in harrassment, suicide, loss of jobs and death threats. And some have been victims of hate crimes based on hatred spread in the media and online through social media.
Then there are those who claim that the gay and transgender culture is toxic and somehow privileged, apparently because they have the audacity to demand to be treated equally. Some of these people are themselves, gay/and or transgender.
In a game over this past weekend, certain players with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays made the decision not to wear a harmless logo designating pride in LGBTQ.
One of the players, Jason Adam, told the Tampa Bay Times, they couldn’t wear the logo because it went against the Christian faith.
“A lot of it comes down to faith, a faith- based decision. So it’s a hard decision. Because ultimately we all said what we want them to know that all of them are welcome and loved here. But when we put it on our bodies, I think that a lot of the guys decided that it’s just a lifestyle that maybe – not that they look down on anybody or think differently – it’s just that we don’t want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who’s encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior, just like Jesus encourages me as a heterosexual male to abstain from from sex outside of the confines of marriage. It’s no different.
“It’s not judgmental, it’s not looking down. It’s just what we believe, the lifestyle he’s encouraged us to live, for our good, not to withhold. But again, we love these men and women, we care about them and we want them to feel safe and welcome here.”
A lot of gay men and women don’t feel safe in America because of the way they’re viewed and treated by certain individuals.
A.J. Gonzalez writing for EnFuego.com, points out the flaws in Adam’s argument:
"First of all, Jesus never said a word about encouraging heterosexual males to abstain from sex outside the confines of marriage. Adam contorts his words into a toxic pretzel that contradicts itself. If the players truly want them to feel and welcome here, then you wear the logo. Putting on a logo doesn't encourage Adam to commit adultery. This is a cop-out from what they really want to say - that they don't accept the LGBTQ community... I also refuse to stand on the side of the oppressor,which is what these players have chosen to do... By denying the rainbow flag, you are actively saying you do not value that community and that they are not welcome."
When Colin Kaepernick took a knee in silent protest of unjustified killings by police in 2016, his critics and haters expected him to shut up and follow the rules. By not standing and putting a hand over his heart for an anthem that didn’t include black Americans during the time it was written, he was falsely accused of being anti-patriotic and disrespectful to the veterans who allegedly gave their lives for the flag.
It’s not judgmental to refuse to wear a logo that doesn’t affect you at all? It’s not looking down? But that’s the point of not wearing it, to be judgemental, to look down in judgement, religious fanatics who believe their religion and chosen lifestyle are superior to anyone else’s, and that includes the LGBTQ.
Sources: The Week, Tampa Bay Times, EnFuego.com
The Weekly News 