“I’m far less interested in what people believe than I am in why they believe it.”
I think my time in AZ has softened me a bit. Maybe made me a little less cynical, a little less… nah. Those are negative words and I’m about to talk about friends, so I should be as fair as I can.
I saw Gay Meme Thing this morning while I was answering calls at work. I didn’t really think twice about it. Someone asked me, “Do you believe in gay rights?” and I said, “Yes.” I believe in being open and honest about the things you believe in. I believe in wearing my heart on my sleeve. So, naturally, someone asks me if I believe in gay rights, I say yes.
And then, an hour or so later, I saw the response. Like I said, I didn’t really give it a second thought, but others saw the meme as an “us or them” thing. Divide and conquer. Looking back now, I can understand that point-of-view. That’s not how I saw it, but I understand how someone else might.
I don’t second-guess the originators of the meme. I assume they wrote it with the same intention I read into it. “Honk if you heart queers.” I heart everyone, so it wasn’t a big deal for me.
Now, I do know–for a fact–that people on my Friends List won’t post it because they don’t believe in the equal rights gays are looking for. While I respect and love my friends, I do not respect that opinion. I think it’s wrong and I have reasons for thinking it’s wrong. They have reasons for thinking it’s right. And we both have language to discuss our differences.
I guess what I’m saying is this. I respect the intent of asking people to say, “We think this is right.” At the same time, I understand why people saw the question as a divisive measure.
So, instead, I ask this. “Why don’t you believe in gay rights? Let’s sit down and talk about it. I might convince you otherwise and I’m open to the option that I might be wrong.”
An invitation to conversation, I think, is an approach I prefer.