Heretic? It's nice to hear from a Christian who wouldn't call the Sermon on the Mount leftist propaganda. While I don't believe in the supernatural, I do believe that Jesus was considered a heretic by -- who else? -- the religious authorities of his day.
I fully agree with Swift that they should not be criminalized for expressing their views, even if their views are intolerant. Who has gone to jail for expressing their dismay at the existence of drag shows where children are admitted? A list would be helpful so we can determine just how widespread such abuse of power has become. As for being considered intolerant, which is a very different thing than having the state criminalize your expression, some people will consider you intolerant when you say things they consider intolerant. Not a thing you can do about it, except, in the event you find such people reasonable on other issues, perhaps you might examine why they consider your statement intolerant. In the alternative, of course, you can just ignore them, since, unlike the way gay people used to be bullied, those expressing anti-gay views are unlikely to experience bullying.
Swift,
You are right that there are laws against physically harming others. These laws have varying degrees of selective enforcement, largely depending upon community and police attitudes.
What else is harmful? Were you ever bullied growing up because of who you were? Have you ever known a child who is afraid to go to school for fear of respected kids using slurs against them? Have you ever known someone who is aware that they will be followed around by security whenever they enter a store? Who always dresses impeccably so that they will be recognized as "a good one," and convince themselves they are making themselves safer? Who worships in their car so their colleagues won't be aware they must prostrate themselves several times daily to conform to the requirements of their religion? Who is terrified of being stopped by police for a broken taillight? All of these situations really occur on a daily basis.
You can be in the mainstream and truly be unaware of the burdens our society places on those who are different in some way, because it never happens to you. And often, when diversity begins to be represented, the very oddity of seeing the sorts of people the media hasn't shown with any dignity in the past may make it seem as if that's all you are seeing. It's an illusion, I think.
Dear Julia and others,
Here is a link to a PBS NewsHour clip in which you can see excerpts from a Drag Queen Story Hour. The point, well-made in my opinion, is that it helps children to understand that some folks can be different and still be accepted and fun, not that anyone SHOULD be different. Knowing that some people are different, and just fine, seems like a pretty important liberal principle. I think, at root, teaching tolerance of differences frightens some people, not because they worry that it will sexualize their child, or turn them Jewish or Black or gay, but that their child might grow up to be more inclusive than they are themselves. But, personally, I think a world more inclusive of people who don't harm others, and less tolerant of people who DO harm others, would be a great thing.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/drag-que…
Oh, Bugs Bunny appeared in drag forty times, if you can believe Wikipedia. I don't worry that he (?) sexualized any child. Do you?
I don't doubt, Thyme Machine, that when a "godly" household kicks its child to the street, that increases the risk that child faces, even beyond the risk the child would have faced from their priest or other "godly" religious advisor. It is seriously twisted to turn that statement around and say that means LGBT folks are more likely to abuse.
Here: https://www.barcc.org/assets/pdf/Statistic…
Yeah, well if you're going to rely on facts you'll never know as much as the folks who ask their guts what's true.
Re: “Inside Bayview Heights”
By what insane logic is it deemed appropriate that 25 veterans and 20 formerly homeless people should be terrorized by five people who are unable to control their behavior?
Shouldn't DHHS' leadership take those five people to a different space? Or, if they care enough, shouldn't DHHS leadership put them in their own homes, rather than someone else's home?
I'm amazed this is legal.