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Wed.Oct.11.2006

11:43 pm EDT        56°F (13°C) in Glendale, KY

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I am currently on my way into that state down south whose name is a four-letter word. Yes, technically it is north from where I am right now, but from home in Michigan, it is down south. I would of course be talking about O***, a state so evil I dare not type its full name. I don’t know how I’m going to survive this trip into the heart of evil, a place known as Columbus, to drop this load at our company terminal. (Good Lord, we’re still 5½ weeks away from BEAT THE BUCKEYES weekend, and I already can’t hide my contempt for that state down south. wink)

Tonight, though, I am not updating to talk about November 18 and Michigan’s first victory in that state down south in six years. Tonight, I am going to give you, my loyal readers, a little lesson in language usage and the code words and coded meanings used by so-called “fundamentalist ‘Christians’,” specifically those that relate to gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender people. If we are ever going to win equal rights, we are truly going to have to start doing a far better job of defining ourselves and our lives, and framing the discussion of our equality in terms that force people to look beyond the simplistic lies they are fed by so-called “fundamentalist ‘Christians’.”

So-called “fundamentalist ‘Christians’” have truly elevated language use to an art form in the service of all of their Satan-inspired anti-gay causes. Perhaps the greatest example of their choice of language is their near-total refusal to ever use the word “gay” to refer to us; instead, they almost always substitute “homosexual” in its place, even as a noun or adjective. All you have to do to see this in action is to go spend 10 minutes reading one of their propaganda web sites; headlines read along the lines of, “Homosexual Activist Groups Protest,” “Wal-Mart Supports Homosexual Agenda,” or “Homosexual Teacher Not Fired, Still Allowed to Recruit Your Children.” You might be thinking, “come on, Larry, what’s wrong with using the word ‘homosexual,’ because after all, it only means we’re attracted to the same gender?”

The problem is that to so-called “fundamentalist ‘Christians’,” “homosexual” has a coded meaning. The reason why they totally avoid saying “gay” and always say “homosexual” is that they want to put an extreme emphasis on the -sexual part of the word. By using “homosexual” incessantly, they are trying to plant the idea in everybody’s mind that we are all about sex and nothing else. I mean, just listen to how they say it — there is always a barely perceptible, but easily understood (to those in the know), emphasis on the “-sexual” part of the word. With this constant use of “homosexual,” they paint us as some sort of robot programmed to do nothing but have sex, thereby denying our basic humanity — and this denial of our humanity lays the groundwork for all of their Satan-motivated actions against us.

Another very obvious example of “fundamentalist” linguistic programming can be seen in any of their writings on transgendered people. They completely ignore the fact that God made trans people, His children too, with a mismatch between their physical gender (i.e., the presence of either a vagina and comparatively larger breasts, or a penis and a flat chest) and the gender they experience emotionally and psychologically, for some reason only He knows and none of us mere humans yet do. Rather, so-called “fundamentalist ‘Christians’” use language that implies a “choice” to “live in perversion,” as Satan motivates them to put it. They always refer to “a man who dresses like a woman” or vice versa, as if it has to do with nothing more than the clothing they wear.

I have to caution that I don’t personally know anybody who is transgendered, so I’m largely going off what I have picked up from sources that are, at best, third-hand. That said, I think I can safely say that no trans person will ever tell you that there was any choice involved in being trans. Often times, trans people know that they are transgendered at an earlier point in life than most non-trans gay and lesbian people know they are gay or lesbian; this story about a 5-year-old transgendered child is but one example. They will all tell you that it goes far beyond wearing a certain style of clothing, or merely “wanting” to have different genitalia, as “fundamentalists” suggest. Being transgendered is something that cuts right down to the core of a trans person’s identity, just like being gay or lesbian does for non-trans gay and lesbian people.

(I’m not forgetting that “fundamentalists” do the same thing to non-trans gay and lesbian people as well. Their warped world view has them convinced that everybody is “born straight” and that GLBT people have simply “chosen” a “sinful lifestyle.” The very use of “lifestyle,” another one of their constantly-used code words, is intended to convey the idea that we “choose” the core part of our identity that makes us different. If I were to say that everybody is born white and African-Americans simply choose to be black, and that violent crime is part of a “black lifestyle,” that would be a natural logical extension of “fundamentalist” ideology. In the real world of truth, of course, such notions about both GLBT people and African-American people are equally ridiculous.)

Other excellent examples of “fundamentalist” code words are “family” and “agenda.” To “fundamentalists,” “family” does not refer to a cohesive, nuclear unit consisting of people who are (usually) blood-related and bound together by love for one another. Instead, they use it as a code word to indicate heterosexuality and hatred for gays; if they call something “family-friendly,” that’s a giant red flag that says “HOMOS NOT WELCOME.” They use “agenda” (as in the constantly-used phrase “homosexual agenda”) as a code word to rally their own troops; it is intended to get them thinking that we are on the war path, in lock-step, seeking total world domination — or something like that. It is a scare tactic they use upon their hordes of blind sheep to get said blind sheep to viciously oppose our fight for equality.

(The code phrase “religious liberties” is used in much the same way; by convincing their blind sheep that “religious liberties” are under attack from our “agenda,” they can motivate the blind sheep to even greater levels of hate and paranoia. It gets to the point where they honestly believe that our mere presence in the world is “persecution” of them.)

My fellow GLBT children of God, we must start to emulate “fundamentalist” linguistic programming, albeit in a way that achieves our ends. We must find ways to counter the gigantic “fundamentalist ‘Christian’” misinformation machine that spews lies about us 24/7. It is really rather easy to start doing this. Whenever you come out to somebody, don’t just say that you’re gay, tell them that you’re a gay person. The simple addition of the word “person” powerfully re-affirms your common ground as a human being and child of God with the rest of society. Emphasize that your being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender has nothing to do with a broken childhood or a simple choice you made as you rolled out of bed one day; say that only God knows why you are GLBT, because He made you, one of His beloved children, that way for a reason.

Speak out about how abhorrent and sick you find pedophilia to be; so-called “fundamentalists” take every opportunity they can get to tie pedophilia to gay people, despite my having proven that to be a Satan-inspired lie. Emphasize the family relationships you have with your partner and/or any children you may have; use words like “husband” and “wife” to convey the fact that your relationship with your partner is equally as valid as any hetero marriage, and should be accorded the same respect and legal benefits. Above all else, avoid “fundamentalist” code words and coded-meaning words — this just reinforces the warped “fundamentalist” world view, even in people who aren’t “fundamentalists.”

I have given you a few “fundamentalist ‘Christian’” code words here. I know that you all can think of some more of them, and I encourage you to share them with me. If you are reading this here on Larry’s Phat Page, e-mail me; if you are reading this on LiveJournal, leave a comment.