Mr. Bryan Fischer:
Please explain to me how you can say, "Public policy should be based on reason, not emotion," when you attempt to scare the public into adopting your point of view whenever you speak publicly about homosexuality and/or gay marriage. Aren't you guilty of trying to sway public policy through emotion rather than through reason?
I want to believe that at your core, you are an intelligent, honorable man, but that is very difficult to do when you preach such hate and untruths. You talk about the "Laws of Nature and Nature's God," but homosexuality exists in species other than our own. I'm sure you would say that we are above animals and should be able to "control" ourselves, but if everything is created in God's image, especially the human race, then why would homosexuality exist in any part of nature in the first place, let alone in us?
You believe that homosexuality is a matter of choice and that we can choose not to be gay, but let me ask you this: When did you choose to be straight? Yes, I know that that question is a cliché that has been posted all over the Internet, but it's a very valid question. If I chose to be gay, then surely the same reasoning can be applied to you and others like you.
And, honestly, why would anyone choose to be gay when we all grow up hearing horror stories about what being gay means and what gay people allegedly do? We read about how homosexuals have been persecuted throughout history. Add to that being told that we will burn in hell. Do you really think that anyone, after knowing all that, would still choose to be gay? Would you choose to be straight if you knew that you would be treated poorly for it? I don't think you would.
Please don't think that I'm naïve about what the Bible says. I made a point of educating myself in that area. I have read all the passages that you and others like you use to condemn me. But those passages, like all in the Bible, were translated over and over again by human beings and reflect the beliefs and biases of each translator regarding the topic at hand. So aren't you basing your entire argument on emotions that have been passed down over millennia?
I do agree that public policy should be based on reason, not on emotion, but until then, it's the government's responsibility to ensure that all citizens of the country are treated equally. The way that government officials must do that is by evolving and realizing that their personal prejudices don't belong in policy making.
Yes, I know that you might say that someone like Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) is now doing precisely that, because he reversed his stance on gay marriage, but I respectfully disagree. What learning that his son is gay did for him was show him that his prejudices would affect his son. His son is still the same person he was before he revealed that he is gay, so why should that revelation change what laws and protections he is allowed? It shouldn't.
So, Mr. Fischer, please, if you want to say that emotion should not play a part in deciding public policy regarding homosexuality and gay marriage, then please stop playing on the public's fear. In case you didn't know, fear is an emotion.
If you would like to know more about my marriage, feel free to read about it at Diary of a Drag Queen's Husband.
Sincerely,
Mr. Von B, a drag husband
