In addition to pushing to redefine marriage in different states around the country, homosexual activists have spent the last year or two pushing for censorship of free speech under the guise of “anti-bullying” campaigns.
There is a serious problem with the very idea of “anti-bullying” campaigns which often culminate in legislation or policies geared specifically toward protecting those who say they are homosexual from criticism or offense. These laws routinely violate the First Amendment because they not only restrict some free speech but create a double standard which allows offensive and demeaning criticism of groups that aren’t protected by the “anti-bullying” statutes or policies.
For example, when homosexual activist Dan Savage—who created the “It Gets Better” anti-bullying campaign that has been commended by President Obama—spoke to students gathered at NSPA/JEA’s annual High School Journalism convention, his opening words were, “We can learn to ignore the bulls**t in the Bible about gay people, the same way we have learned to ignore the bulls**t in the Bible about shellfish, about slavery…[and] about virginity.”
Savage went on to say that because (in his opinion) the writers of the Bible got so many simple things wrong, “What are the odds that the Bible got something as complicated as human sexuality wrong?” He answered his own question with, “100%.”
Savage is correct that the Bible teaches that homosexual behavior is wrong, but he purposely takes the teachings and historical records of the Old Testament out of context in order to deride the Bible’s teachings on sexual morality. Christian students in the listening audience walked out in droves. And once they’d walked out, Savage looked at the remaining audience members and mocked the Christians as “pansies” (among other things).
This is a perfect example of the anti-bullying campaign double standard. While homosexual activists contend that anti-bullying laws should protect people who practice homosexual behavior from hearing the negative opinions of others regarding that behavior, and shield them from the Bible’s teaching on the subject, activists like Savage (and many others) want to be free to call Christians names and debase and mock the Bible. Savage’s hypocrisy was even more egregious than typical student to student speech because he is an adult who used his position of authority to vilify kids who disagreed with his anti-biblical views, but had no way of responding.
Savage’s rant demonstrates that he and his colleagues want Constitutional protection to offend and criticize people of faith who believe homosexual behavior is harmful, but are pushing for laws that criminalize any speech they find offensive.
So the truth is that there is a hierarchy of acceptable and unacceptable views on the issue of homosexual behavior. For homosexual activists, the number one protected viewpoint should be theirs, and any groups who might not take too kindly to the activists’ pursuit of special rights should lose their constitutionally protected freedom.
This means Christians can be criticized and vilified all day long by those who so frequently lay claim to “tolerance.” But the pretense of tolerance is long over. Profane tirades against Christian students by people like Mr. Savage unquestionably demonstrate that this has always been about foisting his beliefs on people whether they like it or not, and silencing any opposition. No one should be bamboozled by the anti-speech policies they promote ever again.
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