I was incredibly put off by the last sentence. Before I get my ass flamed off... I'll try to explain again.
I specifically removed the last sentence so that you wouldn't feel that you had to explain. :) I am not in the business of making my flist feel that they have to follow what I say or label themselves in an untrue manner.
I also took issue with the last part of the post, though I know that others have interpreted it to mean "if you don't agree, just ignore it and don't start a flame war over this." To me, it read rather black and white: If you agree, you will repost. If you don't, you will ignore. As someone who rarely returns or posts "forwards" in either email or LJ, I can understand how some people were made uncomfortable by this. And as I said in my post and told Isil in the comment above yours, living a tolerant lifestyle is equally or more important than participating in "chains" like this.
At the same time, I do not mean to imply that people who pasted the whole post meant to be hurtful or make this an "either you're with us or against us" sort of issue. There seem to be two ways to read the last part of the post; I walked on the safe side and cut it out entirely. :)
Because whatever cause you are supporting: everything is equally important.
True that. ann_arien said that the post for her is not about gay rights but human rights. For me, my specific support of GLBT issues comes back to your next point:
Maybe in the States it is completely different.
It is. It is very different here. We had a Congresswoman not too long ago stand in front of the nation and say that the biggest threat this country is facing is gay marriage. Because being involved in a ne'erending war, having an economy in the toilet, an administration that routinely lies...none of those things are threats. It's the idea that people of the same gender might be extended the same rights to marry as hetero couples. Really?
So while I am so pleased to see the huge steps that have been made in Europe and elsewhere in the world, for me, the issue is far from over. My own country remains a nation trying to legalize bigotry.
Also, this issue is very personal to me because of my sister. One of the people whom I love most in the world cannot even live freely in her own country right now because of the person that she is. She has to fear holding hands with her wife because if she gets beaten or killed over it, it isn't considered a hate crime and is treated the same as a bar-fight gone bad. She can't marry or adopt children. And there are many jobs where she wouldn't even be allowed to reveal her "identity" as a bisexual woman.
So, yes, I will admit that I will shout louder about this issue than almost any other. And I will probably get on the nerves at times of my European friends who live in more progressive nations. But I ask everyone to keep in mind that, for me, this is an issue very close to home. Someone I love is being attacked every day in this country because of narrowminded views of a few, and so yes, I will speak out, and I do think that it's important. When Sharon can move home if she wants to and live with her wife as a married couple, then maybe I will shut up. But until then, no.
Of course it is, but be careful the way how. You can overdo it.
Well, I'm not really sure that I agree that posting a quote in my journal that totals twenty-one words (including Mr. Gaines' name) and asking people to be aware of how they treat human beings different than themselves is exactly "overdoing it" but okay....
Children of war is an important issue for me too, btw. It was actually my specialty in uni: post-traumatic stress disorder in childhood victims of political violence. I will check out the organization you mentioned. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-10-05 01:05 am (UTC)I specifically removed the last sentence so that you wouldn't feel that you had to explain. :) I am not in the business of making my flist feel that they have to follow what I say or label themselves in an untrue manner.
I also took issue with the last part of the post, though I know that others have interpreted it to mean "if you don't agree, just ignore it and don't start a flame war over this." To me, it read rather black and white: If you agree, you will repost. If you don't, you will ignore. As someone who rarely returns or posts "forwards" in either email or LJ, I can understand how some people were made uncomfortable by this. And as I said in my post and told Isil in the comment above yours, living a tolerant lifestyle is equally or more important than participating in "chains" like this.
At the same time, I do not mean to imply that people who pasted the whole post meant to be hurtful or make this an "either you're with us or against us" sort of issue. There seem to be two ways to read the last part of the post; I walked on the safe side and cut it out entirely. :)
Because whatever cause you are supporting: everything is equally important.
True that.
Maybe in the States it is completely different.
It is. It is very different here. We had a Congresswoman not too long ago stand in front of the nation and say that the biggest threat this country is facing is gay marriage. Because being involved in a ne'erending war, having an economy in the toilet, an administration that routinely lies...none of those things are threats. It's the idea that people of the same gender might be extended the same rights to marry as hetero couples. Really?
So while I am so pleased to see the huge steps that have been made in Europe and elsewhere in the world, for me, the issue is far from over. My own country remains a nation trying to legalize bigotry.
Also, this issue is very personal to me because of my sister. One of the people whom I love most in the world cannot even live freely in her own country right now because of the person that she is. She has to fear holding hands with her wife because if she gets beaten or killed over it, it isn't considered a hate crime and is treated the same as a bar-fight gone bad. She can't marry or adopt children. And there are many jobs where she wouldn't even be allowed to reveal her "identity" as a bisexual woman.
So, yes, I will admit that I will shout louder about this issue than almost any other. And I will probably get on the nerves at times of my European friends who live in more progressive nations. But I ask everyone to keep in mind that, for me, this is an issue very close to home. Someone I love is being attacked every day in this country because of narrowminded views of a few, and so yes, I will speak out, and I do think that it's important. When Sharon can move home if she wants to and live with her wife as a married couple, then maybe I will shut up. But until then, no.
Of course it is, but be careful the way how. You can overdo it.
Well, I'm not really sure that I agree that posting a quote in my journal that totals twenty-one words (including Mr. Gaines' name) and asking people to be aware of how they treat human beings different than themselves is exactly "overdoing it" but okay....
Children of war is an important issue for me too, btw. It was actually my specialty in uni: post-traumatic stress disorder in childhood victims of political violence. I will check out the organization you mentioned. :)