is it truly "the bottom of the barrel"

[smileyeagle1021]

I stumbled upon an interesting letter to the editor this morning
Bottom of the Barrel (http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_11244635)
What I understand the letter writer to be saying is that the low blows the religious right are using against gay rights are them scraping the proverbial bottom of the barrel and getting desperate.

Well, is it?
Is the era of homophobic bigotry really coming to an end and this most recent spout of anti-gay rhetoric the homophobes' last desperate attempt... or is the letter writer way off and is it a sign of what is to come.
I know what I hope the answer is, but please, do discuss.

[Amethyst Hunter]

Possibly both. Society in general is more accepting of gay people now (as opposed to, say, 30 years ago), but there will always be bigoted assberries and some of them are pretty nasty and vocal about their dislike of particular people.

[Boozy]

I think it's a matter of bigots being forced to voice their opposition in more respectful terms than they did before. Society is progressing, and the general public no longer has the stomach for much of the hate-filled rhetoric we used to hear. So the unenlightened among us need to be more careful about how they word things, even if their opinions have remained unchanged since the Eisenhower administration.

It's like using the word "illegals" in that tone of voice - I'm sure everyone has heard it. They want to say "spics" but can't. So they say "illegals", implying that they have no problem with the race, but with their actions. (Regardless of whether the individual they are speaking about is an illegal immigrant or not.)

Likewise, nowadays anyone who says that homosexuality = pedophilia is going to get laughed out of the public arena. So instead, they'll say vague things about not trusting gay men to raise children properly.

[Evandril]

In a society that still has people who believe the Earth is flat...We're not getting rid of idiocy, no matter the flavor ;) Nice to see it's less acceptable, at least, though.

[Sylvia727]

I fully expect the USA to federally legalize gay marriage in my lifetime.

All the women in my family have lived to see their ninth or tenth decade, and I can't even drink yet. So take that sentence with a grain of salt. :p

But as the old generation dies out or retires, and the younger generation starts voicing its opinions, we will see society and the law adapt to the younger generation's views. From what I've seen of my peers, and the half-generation above me, homosexuality is widely accepted. Even those who don't like it don't think it's the government's place to regulate or restrict it. Time moves on, and those who don't move with it get left behind.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Anti-Gay people often state that we are conducting a giant social 'experiment' with this generation, by allowing lots of gay people to raise children.

What many of them don't realize is that this is not the first generation with plenty of gay parents. Mine was.

In the sixties and seventies, many gay people got married because it was the correct thing to do as far as society was concerned. They got married to an unsuspecting spouse, had kids, the whole bit. But as the cultural revolution went on, many of them were exposed to alternative viewpoints in some fashion or another. A lot of them, my great-uncle included, realized they were gay and left their families during the seventies and eighties. Some of them stopped all contact with their families, but others continued to help raise tehir children and some of them even became the main parent.

There were lots of kids in the eighties with gay parents. They were taught not to tell other grownups until their parent said it was okay. It was often hidden from teachers as well. My Mother's 3 cousins grew up with a gay Dad in the seventies. I had numerous friends with gay parents. I knew because my parents were okay with gay people. Eventually kids would figure out that I could be trusted with this information, and I'd be able to go have sleepovers with them and such.

Obviously this was more common in urban places than rural ones, but it definitely did happen all throughout the seventies and eighties. I bet most social conservatives would be surprised how many Gen X kids grew up with a gay parent, or at the very least a gay uncle or cousin they saw regularly.

[Greenday]

Sometime during my lifetime anti-homosexual laws will be removed and homosexuality will be just as protected as race and gender. There are a lot less homophobes in my generation than in my parents generation. I'll be glad when we get over this barrier.

[smileyeagle1021]

I'll be glad when we get over this barrier.

you and me both.

Though I do wonder... throughout history there has always been at least one group that has been demonized to provide unity for a larger diverse group.

who will take the gays place as the demonized outcasts when society finally gets over it's collective homophobia/heterosexism?

[anriana]

who will take the gays place as the demonized outcasts when society finally gets over it's collective homophobia/heterosexism?

social conservatives!

in my fantasy anyway.

[smileyeagle1021]

social conservatives!

in my fantasy anyway.

I like your fantasy... we need a devil smiley in fratching :D

[AFPheonix]

I would guess Hispanics, they still get shit on a fair bit in this country.