Thomas Jefferson once declared that all
men are created equal, not all
straight men. Gay rights have been a controversial debate since the early
1920s. There has been a long strive for
equality, but as of 2015 the LGBT community still suffers harsh discrimination.
It’s sad to say that after 95 years, we Americans still cannot accept equality.
My purpose today is to convince YOU, the future of the United States of
America, that we are all created equal; gay or straight.
I’ll
be honest with you guys; it’s hard for me to stand up here and try to preach
gay rights to people of my age group for the simple fact being that the
majority of you in here were raised on the bible, the other fact being that
some of you could care less how this mind-set can affect people. Little did you
know suicide is the leading cause of death among the gay community. 30% of
these deaths are attempted at age 15. They are around the same age as most of
the people in this room, ready to end their lives before they've even
begun. It is because of OUR rejection
and close mindedness that our surrounding youth is decreasing. Words like “faggot”, “queer”, “dyke”, and
“fairy” can do a lot of damage to someone already on the verge of breaking. You
may not agree with same sex relationships however you have to take into
consideration the fact that they are still human and deserve the same amount of
respect as anyone of us.
Now from a political stand point. I
would like to inform you that in 29 states out of 50 it is legal to deny
service to a person based on his or her sexual orientation. This includes a woman being denied a table at
a restaurant because she’s a lesbian.
This includes a man being denied a room at a hotel because he’s gay.
This also includes a person being denied a seat at a concert because they are
transgender. The problem we are facing
is not denying a customer a table or seat. The problem we are facing is denying
a PERSON their civil rights. And
according to the Civil Rights act of 1964 this is the type of discrimination
our government should be protecting us from. And if they won’t protect us, who
will? As a result of this negligence and
discrimination, it is now legal in some states to discriminate against the LGBT
community in public accommodations, work places, and even housing.
The biggest argument I now face is
religion. 83% of Americans identify themselves as Christian. Over half of this
83% use Christianity as an excuse to discriminate against the Gay community
because of their interpretations of about 20 verses in the bible, overlooking
the fact that there are around 31,000 other verses. .The problem occurring is
that we often times find ourselves preaching the bible, but not the whole
bible. We read a verse or two about God saying homosexuality is sinful, but
brush past the verses about not judging others. We use the bible to preach our
hate for sin, but overlook the fact that God commanded us to love the sinners.
We need to stop using religion as an excuse to discriminate against the LGBT,
and open our eyes to realize God created us all. Christ himself died for ALL of us and ALL of
our sins. At the end of the day whether
you are gay or straight, you’re worshipping the same God as any other
Christian. I’m not asking you to hold hands with next gay person you see, I am
asking you to remove the beam of biasedness and intolerance from your eye so
you can see and understand people the way you should before judging them. In closing
if you guys don’t mind I am going to read a verse from the King James bible.
Matthews 7;1-3. Judge not, that ye be
not judged.
2 For
with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete,
it shall be measured to you again.
3 And
why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not
the beam that is in thine own eye?
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