Friday, June 25, 2010

The Neanderthals' Effort to Marginalize Same Sex Relationships

Tamara Dietrich at the Daily Press did a follow up opinion column on the City of Hampton's meeting with representatives of Hampton Roads Business OutReach which, like the earlier Daily Press article, was positive and supportive of the City's endeavor and listed all the reasons that courting the gay community makes sound economic good sense. The comments on both articles are split and what's amazing/disturbing is that all of the critics of the City focused on one of two things: Bible beating religious beliefs and/or marginalizing gay relationships to a physical sex act. While my experience with educated residents of Hampton has been very positive, there obviously remain many knuckle draggers within the city's population base. In summarizing, Ms. Dietrich noted as follows:
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Facing backward attitudes like this, it takes intrepid entrepreneurs, indeed, to want to invest the money, time and talent it takes to terraform urban cultural wastelands. And no small amount of chutzpah for city officials to enlist the help of "deviants" upon whom — if times were flush — they likely wouldn't risk their political capital.
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Professor Florida says the three Ts of economic development are technology, talent and tolerance. And all three are necessary to attract creative people, generate innovation and stimulate economic growth. Others can provide the technology and the talent, but only if residents contribute the tolerance first.
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The level of bigotry of some of the comments was stunning. And I would ask why are same sex relationships limited to a focus on mere physical sex acts when heterosexual relationships get no similar treatment? I believe that the haters need to dehumanize us so that their treatment of us as less than thinking, feeling, fully rounded humans can be rationalized in their own disturbed minds. When I look at the boyfriend, I see one of the sweetest most wonderful individuals that I have ever known - something his clients (both male and female) recognize and why many seem to nearly worship him. Our relationship involves far more than just physical contact - as does any legitimate soul to soul relationship. Those who would marginalize it and denigrate it demonstrate their own perverse sickness, not ours. Indeed, together with my children, I deem the boyfriend among the most precious gifts that life has given to me.
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I cannot stop the haters from making their sick and disgusting remarks. I can, however, live with dignity and prove them wrong on a daily basis. Living out and proud is the best defense to such religious based and warped psychological hate and marginalization efforts.

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