Shocking Ignorance Characterizes Some Lawmakers’ Views on Gays (Edge)
In a healthy democracy, room for debate is part and parcel of public discourse. Such debate might include strong language, rhetorical flourish, and even the personal views of its participants, such as religious faith or an individual’s sense of aesthetics. But debate is only useful to the extent that it is relevant and informed.
When it comes to gays and lesbians, America’s lawmakers routinely demonstrate a profound and even shocking lack of factual knowledge. In some cases, the anti-gay claims put forward by the people in charge of formulating the nation’s laws rely on stereotype and myth; in others, the opinions of lawmakers seem to have been formed according to shallow conceptions of the people whose lives are targeted by discriminatory laws.
Legislators such as Sally Kern, a Republican state representative from Oklahoma, or Chris Buttars, the notoriously anti-gay former Utah state senator, make headlines with sweeping--albeit erroneous--claims that gays will be the downfall of America because, they assert, gays destroyed ancient civilizations.
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Complete article at Edge : http://bit.ly/ffyuT9
