Les Pensees Dangereuses: Dangerous thoughts about life, love, pets, friends and depression by Sharon Cathcart

Read more of Sharon's thoughts about marriage equality in Les Pensees Dangereuses.

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I'm exhausted.

There.  I've said it.

I'm talking about a lot of things, but I realized that being a straight ally for LGBT equality for the past six years has worn me out.

I can't even imagine what it must be like for someone with a dog in the fight!

For six years, I have:  countered every Biblical argument; explained equal protection under the law; explained that no, in fact, I was not a lesbian; asked where the law required procreation for marriage and vice versa; responded patiently to every asinine "slippery slope" argument about marrying children, pets and even lamps; presented the real "slippery slope" inherent in being able to vote peoples' rights away; marched in rallies; written letters.

I have been:  banned from commenting on a blog, even though I was consistently more polite and articulate than the anti-equality posters; cyberstalked, requiring the intervention of law enforcement; threatened with physical violence for refusing to remove a pro-equality campaign sign from my own lawn.

I find myself not even wanting to read the various fora in which I participate because the hate speech directed toward my GLBT friends is hurtful to me.  I am particularly fed up with those who use their faith as a bludgeon:  a "prettying up" of their bigotry in the guise of "loving the sinner and hating the sin."

I am also tired of explaining that no, Rabbi Yeshua ben Yussef did <u>not</u> make that statement.  It's a quote by Mahatma Gandhi.

You would think that self-proclaimed Christians would know their scriptures better than that.

I am worn out by the hatred I see every day.  By the negativity and lies about my LGBT friends delivered in the public square by people who know nothing but the worst stereotypes -- none of which apply to anyone in my circle.

Among my GLBT friends are three ministers, a piano teacher, several Reiki maters, three physicians, parents (one family has adopted five special needs kids), airline employees, computer programmers, people who are unemployed, people who are disabled, people with health issues, authors, actors, singers, composers -- in other words, a group just as varied as my straight friends.

I am exhausted with explaining that my LGBT friends' "lifestyle" is no different from mine, especially to people who cannot explain what they mean when they say they don't approve of the "gay lifestyle."

I'm exhausted with explaining that gay men do not constitute the largest growing group of HIV/AIDS patients; that would be straight women of color.  

I'm exhausted with asking why, if it's all about HIV/AIDS, the anti-equality folks also disapprove of lesbians, since that is the <u>smallest</u> HIV/AIDS patient population.

I'm exhausted with facing down bigotry, lies, hatred and threats of violence.

I just want to lie down now.

 (Originally posted to my personal blog.)