Ignorance = Cash Payouts

I'm not 100% sure on how I missed this story, because it sounds like it's right up my alley, but I sure as hell did. This gentleman, Raed Jaffar, boarded a JetBlue plane back in 2007 wearing a shirt that read "We Will Not Be Silent" in both Arabic and English. He was then taken off the plane because some passengers and crew were all afeared of the Arabic man wearing a shirt that has any pro-ethnic message.

Obviously, as is American custom, Jaffar sued both the TSA and JetBlue for discrimination, and the ACLU jumped in to help out. Today he was awarded $240,000 in a settlement from both groups. The only thing unfortunate about it was that the settlement wasn't higher.

My mind can't even begin to comprehend why anyone could ever think that it would be OK to kick Jaffar off the plane simply for wearing a shirt! Seriously?! Oh, that's right, he's one of them there brown-skinned peoples, they all want to kill whitey, right? Stupid, ignorant fucks.

WE CANNOT ACCEPT DISCRIMINATION AND INTOLERANCE ON ANY LEVEL!!! It's not OK. The man was equated to a terrorist because he was wearing a shirt with an obvious political message, which is odd because the shirt has nothing to do with terrorism. Had I been wearing the same shirt, a pale-ass white boy, would the same conclusion have been drawn? Nopers. Some douche bag skin-head could probably get away with wearing rebel flags and swastikas on a plane, obvious signs of hate and intolerance, but heaven-fucking-forbid an Arabic man wearing something with Arabic writing on it!

This is so beyond sickening. If the TSA and JetBlue were allowed to get away with this behavior, just imagine what else might happen! No more rainbow flags, because there might be heteros around that think we're all militant gays. No more churches because they lead young queers to kill themselves. No more minority PACs because someone might think they are planning on hurting the old, white people on Capital Hill.

Good god damn, this is ignorant. We need to get over it, people! For example, I HATE Christian Churches (if that isn't obvious, you haven't read enough of my blog). However, I will always support the rights of someone to practice their Christianity. The amount of psychological damage that has been inflicted upon the LGBT set due to constant berating of ignorant, Crazy-Ass Evangelicals is immeasurable, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to exist. They shouldn't be allowed to shape policy, but they can believe what they choose.

Thank you to whomever forced this settlement, it was truly well-deserved. I would contend that financial reparations are due to Jaffar from the "frightened" passengers as well, but ultimately, it was the airlines fault for not standing up the bully fucks that were all sorts of scared by a man not-ashamed and proud of his heritage.

I Am Me First, Intolerant Second

I have a tendency to be pretty intolerant. Well, at least that's what the conservatives of the world would like people to think. I am gay, therefore I am intolerant. However, I'd like to point out that I am intolerant of many, many things, but it has nothing to do with my sexuality, it's all to do with my personality. And try as they might to pigeon hole me based on who I'm born to love, I have to point out that there is a difference between the two.

Here's the thing. I do not tolerate what I perceive to be ignorant. Here are a few things that I have decided are ignorant:

• Using religion for the basis of an argument. Just about any argument, with the exception of religious/theological arguments, in which case go for it.
• Justifying hatred of a minority group based on lies and fallacies.
• Demoralizing people through the anonymity of the Internet.
• Reducing an argument to insult simply because you have nothing left to banter with.

This is just a very short list. When I witness people that do these things, I will judge them and treat them accordingly as fuckinig idiots, whether overtly or not (usually overtly though… I'm not the most subtle person either). I realize that it doesn't win me any arguments. But I also realize that I have very little time in the world, and for me to even bother acknowledging someone who is a fucking idiot is wasting that precious time. They are obviously not going to change their perspective, because they base their ideals on flawed concepts.

Elitist? Probably. But to be honest, I'm pretty accepting of most people. I've forged relationships with people of all walks of life. I feel it's important to have varying opinions in your life, as long as they are reasoned and not idiotic.

I fully support people's rights to believe what they believe. I do not, however, support people's rights to use their religious and theological beliefs to enforce their belief system on others. Please, by all means, go to church on Sunday and tell your "flock" about how evil the gays are. That's your right, even if it leads to mental instability in young queer people that happen to be there. My right is also should be to do the same thing. My right is should be equal to your right.

I could honestly care less what the evangelical whoo-doo preachers like to do with their time, but when their ignorance impacts my freedoms, a line has been crossed. Truthfully, not all Christian Evangelicals are evil bigots. I'm serious when I say that. A few of my friends from my old Pentecostal days agree with me that our rights should be equal, regardless if they somehow believe I'm going to hell. But sadly, the loudest faction of their movement are haters. And when presented with a hater, I will most certainly be intolerant of their attempts to restrict my rights and quell the fire inside me. It is, after all, their movement that fanned these flames.

So when you want to call me intolerant, I am more than happy to lay my bias on the table for scrutiny. I am aware of who I am. But if you want to start throwing out labels and degrading titles, be prepared for the same to come back to you.