We have heard it before: "Gays can't reproduce, so they have to recruit."
The "Recruitment" myth, and the "gay agenda" lie writ large, have done much to detriment any chance of a fair and equitable society here in the United States. In the 1970's a two bit beauty queen sought to destroy any chance for equality for the GLBT community, and she did it with statements like this. Much like Sarah Palin today, Anita Bryant was a conservative celebrity and anti-equality activist trotted out by anti-gay hate groups all around the country. She was popular with the American people, and brought them a message that they could understand: "Gay people are out to molest your children, and turn them gay." And it was amazing to see how many people bought into the lie because of the familiar face telling it. It has been proven, over and over again, that this lie has no basis in reality or fact, and yet the meme continues to spread.
The Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality law is justified by the "Recruitment" myth. The bill's creative inspiration came from one man, David Bahati, who thinks that gays and lesbians pose a risk to his children at their public school in Uganda. He says that the United States government is flooding the public schooling system with cash to recruit little kids into "their lifestyle". Even though anyone watching the interview on Rachel Maddow's show (see my previous diaries on the subject!) could tell that David Bahati was lying through his teeth about gay "recruitment" and could not produce one shred of evidence to back up his claim, the bill will go forth unabated, based on a myth perpetuated by the religious right in this country. And gays will suffer for it.
But the "recruitment" lie doesn't only affect those in the Ugandan GLBT community, it affects us here at home as well. Numerous propositions, ballot measures, court cases, bills, laws, and policies have been justified by this lie that gays and lesbians are out to recruit kids into their "lifestyle". Most recently, the proponents of Proposition 8 in California used this myth to justify their effort to ban gay marriage in the state. In Florida, this myth has been used to argue that gay and lesbian parents shouldn't adopt. In the 90's and early 2000 in Oregon, there was a ballot measure 9, whose stated purpose was this:
All governments in Oregon may not use their monies or properties to promote, encourage or facilitate homosexuality, pedophilia, sadism or masochism. All levels of government, including public education systems, must assist in setting a standard for Oregon's youth which recognizes that these behaviors are abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse and they are to be discouraged and avoided.
(emphasis mine)
The bolded part of the overview to Ballot Measure 9 really sums up the pervasiveness of the "recruitment" myth perfectly. Not only does the measure equate homosexuality to pedophilia or S&M, but it also says that the behavior is "abnormal, wrong, unnatural and perverse". This is the "recruitment" myth at work. Because the bigots who wrote this ballot measure believe that gays and lesbians use sexual molestation to recruit kids into their lifestyle, homosexuality is as perverse as pedophilia and no government funds should go into teaching our kids about it.
That means that if a teacher wanted to teach acceptance and love towards the GLBT community, they couldn't because they are being paid with public funds. The "one man - one woman" campaign used the recruitment myth to justify this ballot measure in '92 and '00. Luckily it failed statewide by 200,000 votes, but succeeded on an individual basis in 5 counties.
In a lot of ways, stuff like DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) and Don't Ask, Don't Tell are justified by the recruitment lie as well. The "gay agenda" doesn't stop at children, oh no, the bigots posit that gays are trying to recruit adults into their insidious plot to destroy the institution of marriage. And they use the wholly unsupported by science and fact "recruitment" argument to back up their bigoted proposals.
The APA, an authority on mental illness and disease in the United States and publisher of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Illness has said time and time again that there is NO link between sexual molestation or rape and homosexuality. Further, they say there is no link between exposure to homosexuality at any age and becoming homosexual. Not one shred of evidence exists to support the bigots claims, and yet people all over the United States and internationally have bought into the religious right's arguments that gays and lesbians actively recruit into the lifestyle. Its bullocks, and the smarter bigots know that, which makes their arguments that much more disingenuous.
This whole myth is based upon a precariously built house of cards that falls apart any time someone simply examines the arguments a little deeper. It has been proven that being homosexual is not a "choice" that someone has any more than being straight is a "choice". Sexuality is a combination of genetics and unique personal experiences, that once integrated into a person's identity is impossible to change. You can hide your sexuality, repress it, go into the closet so to speak, but you cannot change it. And yet, everything from the "Kill the Gays" bill in Uganda to California's Proposition 8 have been built on the foundation that gays and lesbians can willingly change who they are at society's behest. And to that end, bills have been written and enacted to persuade gays and lesbians to join the heterosexual club. That is the only rational explanation I have for these bigoted laws. Through legal coercion and harassment, the bigots want to fundamentally change who you are and what you do in your bedroom.
The religious right in this country can scream and yell "BUT THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN!!" all they would like, but smart, equality minded citizens of this world will always see their thinly veiled bigotry for what it is. There will always be some dupes out there willing to believe anything that justifies their hatred and misunderstanding of the GLBT community, but on the whole, I think that acceptance of homosexuality in society is moving in the right direction, with a few darks spots in between. As long as there is someone there to call the bigots out on their fantasy driven hatred for gays and lesbians, their arguments will fall apart every time, whether it be in court or on the street.
Eventually we will live in a world where one's sexual orientation has no bearing on how they are viewed in society, law, and goverment. Until then, I will keep calmly pointing out how ridiculous and bitter the haters sound when they stupidly argue for laws that would discriminate against my GLBT allies.