‘In November 2003, after a court decision in Massachusetts to legalise gay marriage, school libraries were required to stock same-sex literature; primary schoolchildren were given homosexual fairy stories such as King & King. Some high school students were even given an explicit manual of homosexual advocacy entitled The Little Black Book: Queer in the 21st Century. Education suddenly had to comply with what was now deemed “normal”.’ (O’Brien, 2012)
Cardinal Keith O’Brien wrote an article against same-sex marriage and outlined his views on homosexual relationships and how a change in marriage laws would affect society. His views against homosexuality may claim to be religious, however, as a man who speaks on behalf of ‘God’ I do find it very ironic that he seems to be able to speak on behalf of the church and ‘God’.
I was a church goer when I was younger, and although I didn’t face any homophobia in church, once I was out of the loop I realised what a closed circle the church is. Much like any community, including the gay community, they can oust those who do not fit or disagree with what they stand for. There is also the split within the community. Of course, there will be Catholics who disagree with O’Brien and there will be gay people who disagree with same-sex marriage as they have civil partnerships which are enough for them.
I have also felt a sense of negativity in the gay community. It isn’t the most accepting community, and I have often felt that I was not accepted when with other gay people. Maybe that is because I was simply just not like them, and they strived to be the well known members of the gay community who would then have more influence over others. Although this is may be because of the small gay scene in Lincoln, but it seems surprising that a minority should be hostile towards other gay people just because they don’t live up to expectations.
It seems to me that the gay community needs to be much more positive about the future, and not allow negative influences, within itself and external influences such as the church, to destroy it. The gay community has come a long way since the 1960s, and it shouldn’t double back on any advancements towards equality.
Works Cited
O’Brien, Keith (2012) ‘We cannot afford to indulge this madness’, The Telegraph [Online]. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/9121424/We-cannot-afford-to-indulge-this-madness.html (Accessed: 9 March 2013)
