Censorship, Sarah Palin and an Island for GLBT Individuals

I used to go to a lot of different forums. Some of them I was welcome at and some of them, only some of the people on the forums seemed friendly and nice. On one of these forums, there were many political debates. A favorite topic amongst the locals was that of GLBT rights. It’s no secret I’m transgender. It’s no secret I believe in the scientific research that is pointing towards differential brain structures in those who are transgender and those who aren’t. I believe in the fetal hormone washing theories. I know it is not a choice. It’s just who I am. I also know that not everyone feels that way.

Some people seem to think (illogically) that a person could want to go through a lifetime of hormone treatments, multiple surgeries, and spend more money than any person should have to, to become the person their brain says they are; the person their brain reflects. These people also believe being gay is a choice. I’m not sure why they believe millions of Americans would “choose” to be persecuted willingly. It’s not like we’re trying to hack a limb off or anything .We just want to love, marry, and be who we are. No harm, no foul.

One day, when I went to a certain forum, I saw what true hatred was. A man wrote his true feelings about those who are GLBT or otherwise non-conformist when it comes to gender and/or sexual orientation. The only thing that’s valiant is that at least he’s honest. It’s harder to see those who keep silent, then go out and shoot up a club with gay people in it. That’s the worst kind of hatred. Still, I’d always found this man’s rants and ravings to be bothersome. I wanted to know how he came to such illogical conclusions about people he admits he didn’t even know.

On this day, his post was all about his plans for the GLBT community. He wanted those of us who identify as GLBT (or otherwise) to know that he detested our presence. Not only that, but he felt that the United States Congress should pass a law. All people who were GLBT should have to be sent to an island. The island should be moderated to keep all the “deviants” from leaving the island. Then, the rest of the world could live in peace. Children wouldn’t be tainted by supposed “GLBT propaganda”. Eventually, GLBT folks would die off and the whole world would be straight.

My initial thought to this was, ‘Does this moron forget that straight parents have made gay and lesbian children? Both my parents were straight. I’m transgender (and yes, I identify as straight). Most of my gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, etc. friends have straight parents. Removing GLBT people from society will not eliminate GLBT people. It’s just ignorant and somewhat nazi-ish in theory. In fact, his post even mentioned how total obliteration of all GLBT folks on the “island” could eventually become a possibility. This modern day, wannabe Hitler seems to truly believe the crap spewing from his fingertips and onto this forum.

I should say that many people from all walks of life disagreed. I saw plenty of “I don’t agree with GLBT issues, but I don’t want to kill or segregate these people” posts. I also saw many posts supporting those of us who are GLBT or posts specifically from the GLBT community. It was interesting though to see that there was a minority who did, in fact, support this man and his vision. It was actually quite scary to realize that this kind of hatred still exists. Not surprising, but scary nonetheless.

This brings me to my point. A bit long-winded I know, but I promise I’m going somewhere.

Since John McCain has announced Sarah Palin as his running mate, I’ve been scared. I have the same scared feeling that I felt when I saw this post on this forum. I’m not exactly afraid that Sarah Palin is going to be sending me to an island. I think she’s too shrewd and power-hungry for that. I do think she’ll be trying to make my life miserable (and those like me) in other ways.

While she doesn’t support GLBT rights, she is willing to follow the law. With her vice presidency, she is in a position to try and change the law. I feel that she’d take full advantage of that. This is what terrifies me! I don’t want to be afraid to wheel down the street in my wheelchair because I’m transgender. I have other things in life I’d rather be worrying about.

To add some credo to my fears, let us look at a few, quick facts about Sarah Palin.

#1 – Sarah Palin does not support GLBT rights. She has flat out stated she doesn’t support rights for GLBT folks because they cannot get married. By the same token, she doesn’t support GLBT marriage. It’s a revolving cycle that can never be fixed. Additionally, she had no choice but to sign in a bill on domestic partner benefits. These are things like health care and pension benefits. Sarah has said she doesn’t truly support this. This means she’d be willing to take away health care from GLBT people because of her beliefs, if given the chance. The only thing currently standing in her way is the law.

#2 – Sarah Palin supports the ADA wholeheartedly. She thinks it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. As someone in a wheelchair, let me just say that this is one of the most archaic laws in effect. The ADA NEEDS to be updated. It was a nice first step, but it is pretty much obsolete at this point. This makes it clear that Palin isn’t exactly up to date on her information concerning social issues.

#3 – Sarah Palin has already tried to ban books. There is no disputing that. She was willing to fire a town librarian for not removing books from the town library that she deemed offensive. That is censorship. That’s a violation of the first amendment. These authors have the right to free speech and we have the right to read said speech. If censorship about books is something she was willing to do, why wouldn’t she try to censor GLBT folks or anyone else with whom she disagrees?

Have you ever walked out in public, afraid? I have. It is not fun. I fear that with Palin in office, this will be a world in which I’m forced to live, on a daily basis. She may not want to send us to an island, but I have no doubt that Sarah Palin will try to create a prison for those of us who don’t agree with her values.