THE MINDFUL LIFE WITH WAYLON H. LEWIS

An American Bigot

By Waylon Lewis for newwest.net, 8-01-06

Man sees woman, man awkwardly approaches woman, woman gives number, man calls nervously, man/woman go for walk, man/woman go for drink, man/woman go dutch (these days) on dindin, man/woman go on two more dates (that’s the law) and spend a warm, raw, love-filled night together. Man/woman fall in love, get married, have children.

And that’s how the human races perpetuates this tragicomedy known as this precious human birth.

What’s the root of all this? It’s that tender love. And you don’t have to be a man/woman to share it. You can be a mom/baby, a dad/grandma, a boy/dog, a poet/moon. Love makes the world go around—and, like taste, you can’t legislate it.

But you can’t blame our government—by, of, and for (most of) the people, for trying to legislate love. I wish they’d legislate taste, as they used to, and produce lovely government buildings that evoke Rome instead of cheapest-common denominator concrete boxes. But that’s another story.

Go to Washington. Go down South, or across the street. Read the paper. Do anything other than stick your head in the sand, and you’ll notice that we’re trying to figure out if queer folks should have the right to be folks. To love, to marry, to be queer together, to be queer in public view. And that’s what this about: not should they be allowed to marry, but should they allowed to ‘be.’ According to Bible Bigots, they should not. According to good Christians who read the spirit of Jesus’ law, of course they should. 

I’m straight as an arrow. The whole dance around in shirts three sizes too tight thing doesn’t do it for me. But I’ll be first in line at any gay rights event, and I’ll walk the line all the way down the line. Why? Because I’m proud to be an American. An American isn’t merely...for the rest, and to see comments, click here.