• the217
• LGBT
• Hostile Climate

We are encouraged to respect a number of different backgrounds throughout our lives. But is respecting the same as empathy, or is it just another term for tolerance? Don’t get me wrong, I would agree that people should try their best to respect everyone. However, I also believe, to some extent, respect should be earned.

The problem is that, in my recent experience, people demand respect instantly. For people of different backgrounds and beliefs, that can be infuriating and impede any sort of progress or even discussion. As a society we need to be aware of the affects that seemingly harmless vocabulary can have. Not the idea that we stop being ourselves so we don’t offend anyone. That creates a false environment of security and unnecessary tension. A rising hostility if you will. I feel as though hostility can still be felt in any sort of environment. If allowed to slowly build, fester and rise from the surface like magma, a number of crimes based on sexual identity and orientation can errupt.

If I were to tolerate something, but never address it or deal with a situation that comes my way, doing nothing is almost the same as condemning it. Part of this inclination to stand by is all too commonplace as most majorities will dictate what is considered normal. By allowing things to happen because they are popular or because of fear allows for a “hostile climate” to continue growing.

I wanted to bring attention to a book briefly to finish making a point. Dated but still useful, the 2000 edition of "Hostile Climate: Report on Anti-Gay Activity" from the People for the American Way Foundation chronicles anti-gay activities occurring in the workplace, same-sex unions, hate crimes, adoptions and the list goes on. The book covers all 50 states and even has a number of entries from Illinois. Chicago, Champaign and even my hometown within Cook County are all featured.

I wanted to look quickly at two instances, the first of which occurred in Champaign. It relates to The Curtis Road Church of God. They had organized a “Hell House” that featured a depiction of an AIDS patient. There church purchased a package that had intended for Halloween purposes and modified to fit their needs. Originally, the package had featured a same-sex wedding but was changed to patients dying of AIDS. The connection drawn was that if you were gay (or had an abortion as another scene portrayed) you were abandoned and going to hell. The church ran it for four days before removing it on Halloween in response to opposition.

In Chicago, a Dallas church settled out of court with the management at WGN Radio Station after WGN initially denied airing a documentary the church had paid for, entitled “Holy Homosexuals,” though they eventually agreed to air it at a later time under the title “Cathedral of Hope.”

These two examples speak to an often unspoken and hostile environment that continues to brew in America. Sexuality and sexual identity are hot-button topics, but doing nothing to understand such topics only breed misunderstanding and hate. They are often considered unpopular trends or “choices” in America rather than what they should really be considered, a matter of human rights.