Most of us are familiar with the words of Jesus spoken in the Sermon on the Mount, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43-44)
Here in the West, we don’t experience much physical persecution, but some of us do have quite a few enemies because of the religious and moral stands we take. And so, as 2011 comes to a close, I would like to take a moment to express my heartfelt sentiments to those who might consider me their enemy.
Of course, all of us who engage in public discourse will receive our share of hate mail, especially if we tackle controversial issues, and isolated expressions of hatred and anger are to be expected.
For example, one pro-pedophile reader was not happy with my article about the alarming push for pedophile rights, writing: “Go and [expletive] yourself you uneducated [expletive] for brains. You are a brainwashed fool who knows absolutely nothing about the topic of human sexuality. Views like yours are going the way of rocking horse droppings whether you like it or not. . . . You would have to have [expletive] between your ears not to realise this. Oh please, just put a gun to your head and spare society from your evil propaganda.”
Some readers took exception to my articles about Rush Limbaugh, sending me comments like these: “You’re an idiot. You throw words out there without listening to your target for more than 10 minutes.” And, “What’s your angle here you moron; by the way who are you, never heard of you and never will read anything from you again. Another 4th string writer taking a shot at Rush. . . . I can only assume your motivation is via money ‘under the table’ being sent to you. Good luck to you Pal; perhaps you should start looking at retiring.” There was even one reader who accused me of being a “foolish brain dead liberal.”
But these are isolated emails as opposed to concerted and consistent attacks. In contrast, with my outspoken opposition to many of the goals of gay activism, such attacks from LGBT readers are hardly isolated, and quite understandably so.
A leading gay blogger blasted my recent article on Hillary Clinton’s “gay rights” speech, eliciting comments like these: “That clown is a total fool, and yes a[n expletive].” And, “Michael Brown is one of the biggest [expletive] [expletive]s in the country, someone to be reviled by fair-minded people everywhere.” And, “Yes, Michael, you are the moral equivalent of a slave trader or a slave owner.” And, “Well, I think the [expletive] is right: he is morally equivalent to a slavetrader.” And, “Mr. Brown just doesn’t want to admit he is a blackhearted evildoer.” And, “Get used to it, you filthy [expletive] witchburner. Your days of hating with impunity are over.” And, “As for that Fascist named Michael B., keep promoting violence towards and persecution of innocent LGBT HUMAN BEINGS. Fair notice, it’s your prison cell.” (The fact that I renounce violent actions and words against LGBT people and that I call for equal protection for every human being failed to impress these readers.)
Earlier in the year, I was graced with an article entitled, “Michael Brown Is an Anti-Gay Monster” – an unusual honor, to be sure – while readers of one of my other articles wrote, “Dr. Michael Brown is truly a heartless monster!” And, “You, sir, are a monster. . . . It is a shame that you [evangelical Christians] cannot be the victims as well as the perpetrators: that would save the rest of us a lot of grief and despair.” And, “You are an idiot. You are a bigger reason for this type of crime than any gay rights activist. . . . You’re a narrow minded, ignorant bigot.” And, “The level of sheer satanic evil demonstrated in this ‘article’ is mind boggling.” And, “What a worthless stain on humanity you are.”
One writer at the Daily Kos website referred to me as a “viciously anti-gay personality,” while others added, “Evil and disgusting,” and “Michael Brown is one sick . . . oh, h-ll, there aren’t enough expletives in the world to describe what he is.”
I think I can safely say that such people count me as their enemy, feeling that I am an intolerant bigot who opposes their rights, opposes true equality, and opposes all that is good in the world, to be likened to the KKK, the Nazis, and the Taliban.
To each one individually, and to all those who write or post on some of the more vocal websites – from JoeMyGod to TruthWinsOut and from RightWingWatch to ExGayWatch – and to their ideological colleagues who add their comments here, I wish you an extraordinarily blessed new year, one in which the love of God touches every area of your lives in a way beyond your wildest dreams. And thanks for reading!
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