State Congressional Stupidity

Today it was announced that not one but two congressional people from my state were proposing bills to discriminate against gay people. One bill would allow parents to send their minor gay kids through conversion therapy. Two bills are about limiting gay marriage. The other bill is about allowing business to refuse service to gay people. On one hand, I'm somewhat flabbergasted these are actual bills being proposed in 2015. On the other hand, I'm not.

There was a time when 'religious freedom' meant that we worked to insure that people didn't oppress people with religious convictions. These days, it seems that 'religious freedom' is about being allowed to oppress people who don't share your religious convictions. 'Oh, you don't want me to limit marriage to just the people I approve of, so you're oppressing me.' I just don't think that's how it works.

To be fair, one of the congressional darlings isn't JUST targeting gay people with his bill. It would require anyone who wants to be married to have the approval of a religious leader of the Christian or Jewish faith. You'll notice that takes out quite a few people who really don't want religious folks involved in their matrimony. He didn't seem to care though. Way to represent ALL the people, man.

As scary as the marriage laws are though, they're no where near as bad as the minors being legally forced into conversion therapy by their parents. Considering that conversion therapy is something done by people who are quacks and charlatans (because it doesn't work), at the very least, these families will be tossing money at something that won't intrinsically change.

At the very worse? Well, all kinds of horror stories about conversion have come out over the years. Some people are forced to take drugs that make them physically ill while shown pictures of gay acts. Others are beaten. Some are raped. For a lawmaker in my state to wish for this to be a legal thing to do to kids is disturbing.

I think the one about not doing business with gay people is just stupid. It isn't like bakeries and florists are just up to their armpits in orders most of the time. Anyone who comes in and would like your services should be seen as a good thing. If you don't work with gay couples, not only will you never have their business, but you'll also lose the business of anyone who sees that as a dick move on your part. And a lot of people will.

As for refusals at other establishments, this one is also just plainly not fair. It's all about appearances and really ONLY appearances. Two very traditionally masculine gay men could walk in and everyone would assume they're just two buddies there to talk about beer and women. Two rather nonmasculine straight men could walk in and get denied. I could walk in with my gay roommate and no one would say anything. They would assume he was straight. And what happens when a large group of people walk in? What if one of them is a choir director? You just really can't tell at face value.

I am hoping none of this nonsense will pass, but with my state, you never know. Maybe they'll surprise me and fire up that collective brain cell. I doubt it, but maybe.