Hey, Ryan Anderson: LGBT folks have our own families
By D’ANNE WITKOWSKI
Speaking at Cleveland’s Right to Life: Bringing America Back to Life Convention in early March, Ryan Anderson, author of “Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom,” basically said, “Hey, we’ve got crisis pregnancy centers to stop pregnant women from getting an abortion. What would the functional equivalent look like for people with same-sex attractions?”
Let me just stop and point out that he says “people with same-sex attractions” in order to make clear that “gay” is something people do, not something people are. It’s an important distinction when your goal is to dehumanize.
Anderson continues, “If we’re not in favor of same-sex marriage, what are we in favor of for people with same-sex attractions and how are we helping them live out their vocations?”
An interesting question. Particularly be- cause he’s implying that gays need help from straight people, anti-gay straight Christians especially, to live their lives. It’s a weird claim. But when you see gays and lesbians as isolated perverts trying to make their way through this world one hookup at a time, it makes a kind of sick sense. You don’t need legal protections for your family.
“When Thanksgiving comes around, when Christmas comes around, are you inviting a same-sex attracted colleague or friend or member of your church who isn’t married and doesn’t have a family of his or her own; are you inviting them into your family to share Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner? Are there ways in which we can show that there are other forms of community that matter, that are important, that are meaningful, without having to redefine marriage?”
In other words, silly gay or lesbian, marriage is for heteros. You don’t need a family at all!
To everyone who thinks Anderson has a great argument here, I say please, please, oh please invite me to Thanksgiving. Because I would have to decline since I have my own very real family, fuck you very much.