The National Organization for Marriage brought its antigay “One Man, One Woman” bus tour to Indianapolis on Monday, and the news from the Hoosier State is that it was something of a fail. Only about 40 wingnuts showed up, and the LGBT supporters outnumbered them by over 200. So that’s a bit of good news for you to savor, since it’s only downhill from here.
I come from a very religious background, so I know firsthand that there are wingnuts – and then there are wingnuts. And by wingnuts, I mean scary and potentially dangerous people (not that all religious fundies aren’t scary and dangerous, but most of them don’t publicly carry it this far). Meet Larry Adams:
Larry is an ardent NOM supporter and a believer in “traditional” marriage. And he apparently represents Cross Bearer Ministry in Indianapolis.
This is how Larry feels about gay people:
If that wasn’t summation enough for you, here’s more about how Larry (who, based on his own statements, has experienced his share of homosexual feelings...but he apparently had the willpower to resist…uh huh) feels about gay people. The interview with Larry below was done by the Courage Campaign:
One good thing about this incident is that NOM’s true colors are on full display in that one sign. This isn’t about “protecting” marriage. It’s about a virulent hatred for gay people – a hatred deep enough and poisonous enough that NOM supporters like Larry would not only not object to, but would advocate for, murdering gay and lesbian people. And Larry said it best… “Can’t be all about love.” That it isn’t, Larry. It’s about hate, pure and simple. What other emotion would drive you to spend the time to create a sign displaying two empty nooses as the “solution to gay marriage”? No, this isn’t about love or “traditional” marriage or "protecting" marriage or anything else the fundies claim they're about – it’s all about hate. And NOM can try to distance itself publicly from scumbags like Larry Adams, but it needs to know that Larry Adams is not an anomaly. Larry may be different in that he would take the time and have the balls to construct and publicly display a sign calling for the murder of gays and lesbians, but I’m convinced that Larry’s brand of antipathy toward gays and lesbians is shared across the board at NOM.
And this is what we have in America, it seems. One side of the argument recognizes that all people, regardless of sexual orientation, should have the right to marry. The other side opposes not just marriage equality, but gay and lesbian people. They want gays and lesbians to die, per their holy book.
This is why marriage equality is not something that you can debate easily. When God is on your side, you’re always right, and the people that your God calls an “abomination” must die. It's not just about marriage rights - it's ultimately about the very existence of gay and lesbian people.
I’m just glad that the tide appears to be slowly turning here in America and around the world...and that dinosaurs like Larry Adams are indeed on their way toward extinction.