I think the problem for people like Linda Harvey is that they can’t admit the truth, that they WANT the bullying to continue, because they believe that anything that dissuades people from being homosexual or transgender is a good thing. When gay or transgender students harm or kill themselves as a result, people like Linda Harvey can always justify it to themselves by saying that we (LGBT people) are such screwed up freaks anyway, that of course we’d “act out” in that way. They subscribe to George Lakoff’s Strict Parent model of childrearing, and believe the adversity of bullying makes children stronger and doesn’t really hurt them.

Our very existence as proud unrepentant sinners is offensive to her.

She doesn’t believe in gay people (remember its not an orientation but a temptation) so the fact that people who commit sins together have pride in themselves is shocking and terrifying to her.

She doesn’t really attempt to understand why gay people are acting like they are & instead just assumes they must be opposed to everything which “holy righteous people” stand for & which she refers to as Jedeo-Christian Morality. Voila! Hate.

Then she tries to apply what she thinks our morality is to other moral questions. Voila! more fear. I imagine it to go something like this:

If these unrepentant sinners are proud they must have an “anything goes” morality. If “anything goes” society collapses. We must oppose their legitimization because we cannot grant their morality legitimacy.

Notice how she never talks about rights but instead legitimacy?

Notice how her focus is always on a clash of morals?

Notice how the rabid anti-gays make strange leaps in logic to bestiality? (“well if anything goes…”)

Notice how she talks about the “agenda”?

Notice how to her what distinguishes a good act from an evil act is the righteousness of the act?
Hence she can encourage a child to tell another child that they’re evil & don’t deserve equal rights.

Some have compared her rantings to one addicted to power. A more apt comparison is to a conspiracy theorist.

She doesn’t fear that children won’t grow up hating homosexuals because in her worldview there are no homosexuals. She fears that our mortality as she misunderstands it will replace judeo-christian morality because in her worldview we’re in a zero sum game and only one moral code can win.

I wouldn’t call people like that stupid, more like irrational, maybe even A-rational if that’s a word. They’ve been taught to act on feelings, and logic and rationality and thinking often don’t even enter into it.

I can’t imagine going through life acting mostly based on my feelings and impulses, let alone thinking that this is God talking to me or something outside of myself.

Gods, it’s no wonder my ex was crazy.

I dated a (Turkish, international student) Muslim girl for a few years while she was over here and I was finishing up my degree and you’d think I was the antichrist because of it to hear my ex speak at the time.

If I had a dollar for every false prophecy I heard from her I’d be rich.

“God” told her she basically owned my ass, I swear.

Addiction, entitlement, fear, manipulation, that’s how it works. You summed it up perfectly.

Not necessarily stupid, but emotionally stupid in that way that panic can make a person. I’m sure some of you have experienced that look that happens when someone doesn’t know how to answer or have a spontaneous thought to contribute. Or even a different perspective in the slightest. There’s an addictive quality to what they want to believe and in which way to believe it. And without that belief coming in a certain kind of formula, they are afraid of losing control, or function among those who aren’t like minded. There are people who choose a religious path, find their own levels in Buddhism or B’hai which emphasize methods of meditation. That is, as a means of getting whatever chaos in their souls and lives under PERSONAL control.

And then there are those, who use their religious belief as a means of controlling OTHER people who don’t or can’t feel or think the way they do.

The way an addict wants to share and engage other people in their addiction.
The fact remains that it’s still a choice, it’s not an enforced part of one’s life, and being in denial of the DESTRUCTIVE and CRUEL aspects and what it does to those others, is exactly what addicts do as well. Addiction to power is nothing new. Neither is scapegoating and targeting the easiest and most vulnerable for abuse.

I can’t pity people like LH because they aren’t helpless or hapless, nor are THEY at risk. They KNOW that in some quarters they DO have a lot of support and EXPECT it and feel entitled to it.
It’s when they are refused or challenged in anyway, they claim the whole world will fall apart.
Addicts are never comfortable with people that have their shit together, and can resist that addiction. Addicts don’t like not being able to affect you, and will spite you because of it.

I’ve seen what Tim has seen as well and haven’t had a chance to voice what my own observations have been about Harvey in particular.
She’s sicker than a rabid dog, for sure.

As for grammar, I’m always happy to have errors pointed out so I can correct them; poor grammar can distract from the message. But my eyes can miss an error I wrote, so its best to be specific. Thanks.

I apologize for being rude but Grammar Nazis really cook my grits when they post to the comments sections rather than sending an e-mail to the editor.

Back on point:
I wonder if LH has pity on us? Regardless, you didn’t address what is really at the heart of the disagreement about what is appropriate regarding discussions of sexuality in front of the “fragile fragile” children. It all hinges on their understanding of sex & thence sexuality. A different anti-gay put it more succinctly:

…treat homosexuality [not] as a sexual orientation but instead as a “temptation”
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/ex-gay-homosexuality-demoted-pluto

Linda Harvey sees us as weak little human beings who can’t resist our temptations. So to her every bit of gay advocacy is encouraging others to give in to their temptations. From LH’s perspective if society “encourages” homosexuals to not resist their temptations than society cannot tell anyone (murderer, alcoholic, drug addict, larcenist, grammar Nazi) to resist their temptations & chaos will reign because Christian Morality = not giving in to temptation & Secular Morality (from Linda’s Perspective) = Giving into all temptation! This is why she sees any sort of gay advocacy as an attack on her whole moral structure.

Of course she’s a fool, but Fear keeps her from seeing her own illogic. And her illogical & misguided conclusion is shared by a great many the anti-gays & their disciples. We have to address this fear as well. It does no good to convince someone that you’re a decent person & concerned with their first amendment rights if they still think your very existence encourages societal breakdown.

Finally, Hate. I don’t think it is wise to think of Hate as something aside from fear. As you put it above: Hate + Fear = Linda Harveyesq attitudes. But I think that arithmetic is too simplistic. In my opinion hate arises from fear. You can’t have one without the other. & I’m starting to doubt the premise that one can be motivated by hate. I think the fear is the real motivator & Hate is just the outward expression of that fear. So.. to continue the analogy: Hate = Fear + outward expressions. Then as people react to the outward expressions in a hostile manner more fear is created & hence the cycle: Fear breeding Hate breeding Contempt breeding Fear breeding more Hate breeding more Contempt ad infinitum.

It’s a shame that some people can’t see the message because they’re too obsessed with the unimportant details of a couple of misspellings and grammatical errors.

For the record, Box Turtle Bulletin has never claimed to be the New York Times or Washington Post. It’s a BLOG, written by a few very dedicated, hard working contributors who have FULL TIME JOBS on the side. I may have the occasional falling out with Timothy over opinion and temperament but I’ve NEVER questioned his commitment to the community or his quality of work.

If I’ve never said it before, THANK YOU Timothy and Jim and the other contributors to BTB for one of the most amazing blogs on the web! Keep up the great work!