Clueless. Tone-deaf. Repugnant. Classless. Maggie Gallagher’s piece in the New York Post today is all of these things and more!
Do I have blood on my hands?
Yes.
Apparently, either we all agree that gay marriage is good or gay children will die.
No, Mags, we either all agree that gay people are every bit as deserving of dignity and equality as anyone else, or we will continue perpetuating the myth that gay people are Less Than, and undeserving of happiness, as you do, which contributes to the overall climate which leads bullies to prey on gay kids, which, in some tragic cases, will lead to kids taking their own lives.
It’s a horrific charge to levy in response to some pretty horrifying stories. Will gay marriage really reduce or prevent gay teen suicide? I felt a moral obligation to find out.
Oh, boo hoo. So Maggie’s way of “finding out” was to twist other statistics about gay teens to show that it couldn’t possibly be bigots like her doing the damage to gay kids. Here’s what she found:
LGBT teens were roughly four times as likely as other students to attempt suicide in the last year. They’re also about twice as likely to report being in a physical fight at school, three times more likely to say they were injured by a weapon and almost four times as likely to say they missed school because they felt physically unsafe, compared to other teens.
[...]
Gay students are also more than twice as likely to report having had sexual intercourse before age 13 — that is, to be sexually abused as children. They are three times as likely to report being the victims of dating violence, and nearly four times as likely to report forced sexual contact. A majority of LGBT teens in Massachusetts reported using illegal drugs in the last month. (Perhaps most oddly, gay teens are also three times as likely as non-gay teens to report either becoming pregnant or getting someone else pregnant.)
Forced sex, childhood sexual abuse, dating violence, early unwed pregnancy, substance abuse — could these be a more important factor in the increased suicide risk of LGBT high schoolers than anything people like me ever said?
No, Maggie, the point is that, for a number of reasons, LGBT kids are less protected, and have less access to the kind of real-world support and information that their straight counterparts have, since society is so geared toward heterosexuals. The funny thing about these issues is that the Religious Right has been hellbent on making sure that no real information about LGBT people is taught in schools, that gay people are demonized, and that yes, gay people are just generally “less than” than other people — and that includes marriage equality — which contributes to an overall climate which puts kids who happen to be gay at more risk. The rate of homelessness among LGBT teens is also higher, fostered by this very same climate, which leads parents to kick their gay kids out on the street, with tragic consequences. It is the very fact that Religious Right demagogues like Maggie Gallagher waste their sad, pathetic lives trying to hurt gay people on an institutional level that leaves far too many of our kids out in the cold. It is the very fact that people like Maggie Gallagher fight against all reality in resisting the “normalization” of homosexuality that prevents gay teens from experiencing a “normal” adolescence, with all the societal protection and guidance that entails.
The screwed up thing is that gay people come from all sorts of families, and many of those families regrettably fall under the illiterate, uneducated influence of groups like NOM, anti-gay churches, and whatnot, and their kids get hurt in the process.
Not only do you have blood on your hands, Ms. Srivastav, but it’s getting dry and crusty, and at this point, it’s likely to be a permanent stain.
“Gay students are also more than twice as likely to report having had sexual intercourse before age 13 ”
Don’t know how she gets to molestation from that statistic. A 13 year old having sex with an age peer is not necessarily being molested. She’s always gotta put her greasy thumb on the scales.
Every time this woman opens her mouth, her stupidity shows. Obviously, its homophobia that causes every single one of the statistical items she cites. The lack of socially sanctioned outlets for sexual exploration for gay teens leads to gay teens engaging in risky behaviors. The emotional trauma of homophobia on gay teens would naturally lead to higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse. The need to “fit in” and maintain the appearance of heterosexuality explains perfectly the higher rate of teen pregnancy among gay teens. This is all so obvious that every time she speaks she just destroys her own arguments.
But here’s the silver lining for me: the “mainstream” of these nutjobs has accepted the fact that there ARE gay teens. A decade ago, their talking points would have been that there was no such thing as a gay teen. While there are still some whack jobs out there saying that, the “mainstream” of the anti-gay movement has surrendered on this point. And that, my friends, is the battle that will lead to the end of the war. Because if there are gay teens – gay children – then the “its a choice” battle has just been won, too.
Perhaps that’s why their whole house of cards is starting to fall?
The New York Post erased 29 comments, mostly unfavorable to old Maggie.
“We’re extremely honored that Orson Scott Card has joined with NOM in our shared mission to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it,” said Maggie Gallagher, president of NOM, “He is one of the great science fiction writers of our time and a real voice of courage and intellect on behalf of marriage.”
“Laws against homosexual behavior should remain on the books…to be used when necessary to send a clear message that those who flagrantly violate society’s regulation of sexual behavior cannot be permitted to remain as acceptable, equal citizens.” — Orson Scott Card
So how does Mrs. Srivastav explain the suicides of heterosexual kids who are bullied (assaulted, slandered, threatened, literally spat on) for being perceived as gay?
Kind of blows a hole in her theory, doesn’t it? Just when you think she can’t get any more dishonest, or revolting, she pops off with something like this.
I’d never heard of Orson Scott Card but he apparently is some big time Mormon writer. Good for NOM to start coming out of the closet as a Mormon political group. The more people know, the less they can get away with.
I’m still thinking a 50,000 queer march on Salt Lake City might be the most effective way to confront this secretive cult of Brigham Young.
OSC equates (confuses?) bisexuality and homosexuality with pedophilia in his book “songmaster.” It’s considered a classic of science fiction. Shame.
Maggie said “He is one of the great science fiction writers of our time…”.
LOL, sure he is. I’m a long time fan of science fiction and I’d never heard of him before his anti-gay partnership with Maggie was revealed by the LGBT press.
Priya Lynn: You’ve never heard of OSC? That is amazing. Despite his foul attitudes on sex, he’s written some amazing stuff. Lovelock. Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus. Speaker for the Dead.
All stunning work.
I’d heard of Orson Scott Card, but I do not read much science fiction so I have not had occasion to read any of his work. I’d heard it was very good though. No matter; I sha’n't be reading any of it now.
You’re welcome to your opinion Tom, but I won’t be reading any of Orson Scott Card’s books.
I think I recommended it here before but re science fiction I recommend M. Shayne Bell’s “Miss America at the Java Kayenko,” a dystopian vision of a near future where the whole world is obsessed with gays and governments are going after the LGBT community with regulations, blacklists, requiring unmarried people to register with the police, etc. It is a short story that appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 2001 issue. Interestingly enough the story is listed at the Moron Literature web site. I mean the Mormon Literature web site.