01.01.70

It is an charming time for gay rights activists in the U.S., this month we have seen Washington express legalize gay marriage, New Jersey, despite Chris Christie's prevent, pass a gay marriage bill through its house and senate, Proposition 8 once again be overturned and merry andrew Ellen DeGeneres backed by JCPenney despite vocal detractors. In fait accompli, retrospectively this last 10 years or so has shown constantly accelerated stirring for gay rights nationwide, all to the chagrin of right-wing and "family-values" factions. A lot of this progress has to do with the greater relevance of gays and lesbians in pop culture, the media, music, and tube. I'm not interested in talking about those things.

I want to talk about the other, less obvious play on the movement for gay rights: vocal anti-gay hate. The figures of this drive who immediately come to mind are Fred Phelps, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, fitting to name a few. They are most famous for their hate-laced signs, slogans and comments against gays in across the board, "God Hates Fags" being the most infamous. The last twenty-five years have shown their messages seeping into parallel culture. I believe the reaction of the general American public to these bigots is what has helped the gay rights machinery overcome its initial inertia.

Source: UConn Daily Campus