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One of the issues that’s been presenting itself to me almost on a daily basis has been the matter of Homosexuality. Growing up, I didn’t know such a thing existed. I was raised away from any modern media or news source. I didn’t watch the educational children’s programming, nor did I read children’s books when I could avoid it. I watched Discovery, PBS, Nature, History, etc. I was raised between Air Force bases, between private Christian schools. Every one to three years the family would relocate. As I grew, I was very sheltered from the world and its influences. My world consisted of my family, the Church, and the Military. I was obsessed with nature, obsessed with ancient history, and obsessed with animals. I made very few friends and kept mostly to my artwork and what stories I would write from the back seat of the traveling vehicle at the time.

It wasn’t until my father retired and I entered the public school system that I became aware of any alternative lifestyle. Growing up there was only girls and boys. Girls married boys. End of story. I’d watch nature- males mated with females. There was never a time prior to 2000 that I even considered the possibility of an alternative lifestyle.

My first experience with homosexuals was early on during my freshman year. I took several art classes to start myself on the way towards more advanced classes later on during my high school years. Among the students was a young man (I’ll keep him unnamed) who had been very friendly, very charming, and very inviting of me right off. I would sit at his table and we’d talk about the recent movies, our artwork, and our favorite books. One day after class, he invited me to come with him to an after school club. When I asked what the club was, he told me that it was the Gay-Straight Alliance.

I didn’t know what that meant, so I asked him for more details. He simply laughed and told me what room number to go to at what time on what days and left me with that. I wasn’t a social person, and since I didn’t know the exact nature of the club- I didn’t attend. A short time later, I was approached by some of the members of the club- a pair of girls. They extended the same offer to me, and again- I asked about the club. When they found out that I was unaware of the lifestyle, they proceeded to make out in front of me. Appalled, I simply turned and walked off. Shortly after that, I came to school with GSA posters taped onto my locker. Every morning I’d tear them down and throw them away. Soon enough, the members of the club approached me more and more. Some in my art classes would show me pictures of characters from video games and anime shows of the same gender holding hands or embracing each other. When I showed discomfort and avoided the individuals, they took it upon themselves to approach me once more. This time in a larger group. They explained to me that it was perfectly natural, that they were genuinely in love, and that I was closed-minded for reacting the way I did. They proceeded to touch each other, hold each other, and kiss each other in my presence. Again, I forced my way away from the individuals and went about my day. Frustrated, but I bit my tongue on the matter.

The posters continued to show up on my locker into the next school year. I continued to tear them down. Soon I was called into the counselor’s office to discuss my ‘homophobia’. When I expressed that I was the one being harassed, the counselor said that I was too sheltered, and some exposure to the alternative lifestyle would do me good. She suggested I attended one of the GSA meetings. The first week, I obliged. I went to the room I had been instructed to at the specified time. I did not, however, go into the room. The door was left wedged open so I stood outside and listened.

The meeting consisted of reading off articles or sharing stories of ‘victims’ of homophobia, of bigots, and of how ‘Closed-minded Christians’ were forcing their beliefs on them. Needless to stay, I didn’t stick around to introduce myself. Being one of those ‘closed-minded Christians’.

I was called into the office a few more times, but I stopped showing up. I continued to tear the posters down. In fact, I inspired the print on the back of the posters that read “If you’re reading this, you just committed a hate crime.”

During my high school years, I took to hanging out with the ‘bad kids’ of the school who, I had learned, were equally wary of the GSA. While the posters and direct harassment stopped, I found myself being targeted by the school’s lesbians more and more. One individual followed me through my art classes, took the seat beside me, and frequently made passes at me despite my multiple requests for her to stop. I eventually took a seat beside the teacher’s desk, offering my help as an aide, to avoid the girl. One time in particular, a girl grabbed my backside and I turned to slap her away from me. With my back turned- I was unaware of her gender or orientation, I was simply fending off someone who had openly harassed me. She called ‘hate crime’ once more. Thankfully that time, the counselors were understanding of my situation.

My first job was at a home for the mentally disabled. I worked as a graveyard assistant. My job was to clean the small home that housed five mentally disabled individuals, listen to their monitors, and ensure that if they got up, they would have assistance. One of the staff was a very outspoken lesbian who would constantly share her sex stories and views. I kept my head down much of the time, but eventually I grew tired of hearing of her ‘playtime’ with her girlfriend. I told her that I was a Christian Conservative, that I would rather her keep her lifestyle away from the work place, and that her sex stories- be them gay or straight- were inappropriate.

Shortly after that, I was fired. The woman who had dismissed me refused to give me an explanation as to why I had been let go.

One job later, I was at PetSmart as a Pet Care Specialist. I was working in the fish, birds, and small animals department. I learned quickly and I did the best job I was able to do. While I was very slow in learning the specifics in the fish, birds, and small animals- I knew the ins and outs of cat and dog care. Customers were always very happy to speak with me. I learned what I could by reading the monthly fish and reptile magazines that came in during my breaks, and I was always willing to take on extra jobs. I was the person they called for when someone was sick or they needed an extra hand cleaning tanks. I got along well enough with those in my department.

The first snag in my job was when I was invited to a party by one of my Co-workers. She and I hadn’t been getting along very well to begin with, but I wanted to try to remedy that so I agreed to go to the party. When I arrived, it was far from what I expected. I had thought perhaps a bunch of friends, chips, movies, soda, and pizza. Instead it was a fund raiser supported by a lesbian organization. I obliged for a time, sat down at one of the tables, and listened to part of the opening speech. The two ladies at the table began talking about defining myself as a woman, being better than ‘those pigs’ (IE men), yadda yadda. I grew uncomfortable, got up, and left.

This offended my co-worker. She approached me soon after that and asked if I had a problem with the homosexual lifestyle. I told her flat out that it wasn’t a topic I was comfortable discussing at work but yes, I was uncomfortable with it. Weeks following, the girl went out of her way to speak with me on the matter. At one point her and another female co-worker approached me and asked if I’ve ever been drunk. I said no. They asked if I’d had sex. Again, I said no. Apparently “That was my problem!”. The first co-worker exclaimed (loud enough for a pair of customers nearby to overhear) “Well we’ll get you drunk then laid! Then you’ll loosen up!”

I ignored the comment and went back to work. A few months later, I was helping set up a Christmas display for the store when the manager of the department, a very openly homosexual young man, approached me and asked if I attended church. I answered that I did and let that be the end of it. A week after that- I was put on cashier.

I worked for months after that, training people that went on to become product experts, specialists, someone to replace me in the fish department, and even a grooming assistant. At one point I had to train one of the managers to use the cash register. One of the cashiers that I personally trained went on to become a lead cashier. My hours were cut down to anywhere between five to nine hours a week.

Our store Blue Buffalo (dog food company) rep had overseen my time in PetSmart and agreed that I was being discriminated against. A few of the employees of like minds had already quit their jobs or had been terminated. She offered me a position with her company and I gladly accepted. While it offered a maximum of 15 hours a week, it was better than I was getting at PetSmart. I gave my two weeks notice and started in Blue.

Since then it’s been the same thing at nearly every place I’ve worked at. When I lived in Boston, I worked with a lesbian who was soon changing her gender. During working hours she would discuss her sexuality, give us all updates on her upcoming surgery, and even look up lesbian porn on the computer. (We knew this because the computer got a virus that our repairman traced back to a homosexual pornography site, we also found several sites in the history when we looked back shortly after that.) However, when a fellow Christian co-worker and I discussed the Bible during a lunch break, the two of us were pulled aside shortly after by the owner of the store and rebuked. We were told that we needed to tolerate this individual and keep offensive talk away from the work place.

Online has been hell for me. I’m an artist, I display my art through a few websites and artist communities. Time and again, I have been rebuked and harassed for the lack of homosexual content in my gallery. I put neutral, gentle notices in my commission info and on the front of every gallery explaining that I will never accept a commission or request that promotes the homosexual lifestyle in any way, shape, or form. Because of this, I have deviant art stamps countering the single one stating “This gallery is proudly yaoi/yuri free”. I have been flamed repeatedly, I have had my artwork taken and used as banners for yaoi related guilds and clubs. When I approach these people, I’m called a bigot and a hater despite the legitimate complaint that they were violating the terms of usage I have clearly posted.

On gaia, I am constantly harassed for my view. While you can hardly go a single page, even in places with animal-based role play, without seeing a pro-gay character, signature, or post- the small link in my sig to silencing Christians.com has ignited angry pm after angry pm. Athiests are going out of their way to mock my beliefs openly or sending me condescending pm’s.

So here’s my question- Where’s my protection? Why is none of this considered a hate crime against me?

I was unaware of the lifestyle until I entered a public school. I watched history, nature, and discovery and never once saw a mention of it. I never once assaulted someone, directly and intentionally insulted someone for their lifestyle, and I was harassed constantly when it was discovered that it was a topic that made me uncomfortable. In one case I lost my job, in another I was demoted and cut back on hours. People got away with insulting me in public. I have one statement in my signature or in my journals on my public galleries and I’m flamed as a hater or bigot.

The homosexual lifestyle is -not- about love or tolerance. It’s about sexual immorality. It’s about behaving in a way that is completely unnatural and unintended both by God and nature. It’s scientifically been proven that there is no common gene, no common mental disability, no hormone imbalance, or any other element outside of human control that ties homosexual individuals together. It’s a choice. It’s a choice that people are instinctually guilty of because it’s -wrong- and unnatural. But they want to justify themselves, so they equate it to something completely out of the court- the civil rights act. Never once did homosexuals have to drink at separate fountains, sit in the back of the bus, or live in slavery. Secondly, they were born male or female. They were not born gay, it was a decision they made. Thirdly, it’s not the people that Christians or anyone else is opposed to- it’s the -behavior-. The mentality that if we do not see what they’re doing as normal, as right, and completely natural- we’re a hater and a bigot. If we label them it’s a crime, but we can be openly labeled as haters, homophobes, and bigots and that’s perfectly acceptable. They cry out when one of them is attacked, but they act out against Christians, churches, and anyone of opposing beliefs openly without fear of rebuking. Why? Because if we act to defend ourselves, if we open our mouths- they turn it on us. We’ve committed a hate crime. So where’s the tolerance? Where was my protection?

I chose to be a Christian. I chose to believe the things I do- just as anyone else. And I choose to reject a sinful lifestyle. I’ve seen what it does to people. No one in my life of that lifestyle has been happy or felt complete as a person. They lashed out against people who were of a different mindset to elevate themselves, to justify themselves.

In closing, I’ll say this:
I am not a homophobe. I’m in no way, shape, or form afraid of homosexuals. I am uncomfortable and repulsed by the lifestyle and the acts involved. It’s unhealthy, it’s unnatural, and it’s very offensive.

I do not -hate- the people. I have many homosexual/bisexual friends and acquaintances that I care deeply about. I hate their behavior, I hate the sin that is homosexuality, and I hate that I, like many other Christians, am being targeted to lift homosexuals up as martyrs.

I am very aware that there are extremists out there that have harmed people of this lifestyle, I am aware that there are Christians that hold up untruthful signs that read “God hates Fags” or “Gays go to hell”. There are just as many homosexuals holding up equally hateful signs or committing equally hateful acts. Homosexuals justify this by saying “You can’t judge the entire movement by the actions of a few individuals”. Well let’s say the same for -both- sides, mister and misses equal treatment.

I will not argue with -anyone- over this anymore. Time and again I have tried to carry on a calm, intelligent, respectful debate and time and again the people I argue with turn to insulting me rather than answering my questions. It’s not worth my time anymore.

If you want examples of the crimes against Christians in this movement, feel free to surf through the following links:
SilencingChristians.com
Christians attacked during Outfest
Homosexual Christophobes
Athiests want a holiday to attack Christians
Homosexual activists attacking an elderly woman
Homosexuals demanding that opposers are penalized
Hate crime protection not for Christians

Any further PM’s or attempts to contact me on this matter will be ignored.

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