Sebastien Moore
smoore46@uwyo.edu
Homosexuality or any aspect of LGBTQ+ is a lifestyle that I do not view as acceptable. However, by the time you finish reading this piece, you will see that I am a bit different than many individuals who agree with my opinion. I am a transfer student from the University of South Dakota, however, my permanent home is in Southern California. I study International Relations with a minor in Philosophy and I have grown up in a Christian family, but have had many personal experiences with the LGBTQ+ community. I have many male friends who are gay and many female friends who identify as lesbian. On April 12, many individuals gathered by Prexy’s Pasture to hold a protest consisting of those for LGBTQ+ rights and for those against LGBTQ+ rights (mainly religious individuals.) These protests were in accordance with the Shepard Symposium, which is a way to promote learning and engagement in the pursuit of justice. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to attend the symposium, but I did have the chance to observe the protest. Many people in support of LGBTQ+ rights held the pride flag and some of the flags mimicked the American flag by replacing the normal red and white stripes with the pride colors. On the opposing side, many individuals held signs stating something to the degree of ‘homosexuality is a perversion…’ and I even received a tiny card that stated reasons for why people will go to hell.
I did not go to the protest to take a side, but I went to the protest to observe and interact with different people to learn more about why they believed what they did. I had great conversations with those supporting LGBTQ+ rights and I had great conversations with those opposing LGBTQ+ rights. There was a lot of tension between both sides during the protest because there was some yelling and a few insults of the religious protesters. I noticed that both sides attempted to keep the protest from escalating to a hostile situation by saying, “we love everyone” or “everyone is accepted,” but this lasted for only about a minute before more insults were thrown around from both sides. On both sides, people were proud to support their beliefs and that was empowering to see no matter how many people pushed back against their own views or beliefs.
I always believed that homosexuality was a sin and that those who practice such behavior would be punished for it. I already stated that I disagree with homosexuality and the homosexual lifestyle. Today many LGBTQ+ supporters are forcing their ideology down other people’s throats, forcing them to accept something that does not have to be accepted. It is the same for religious people as well and it is not acceptable for that individual to shove their religious ideology down our throats. I disagree with the Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage because marriage is a right delegated to the states (10thamendment.) The Supreme Court ruling gives the feeling that every state is being forced to recognize a union in which they may not necessarily agree with. I also agree that small privately-owned businesses have the right to refuse service to any customers that they want to. I believe that because those in charge of their own small private business have the right to run their business the way that they want to. There are a variety of other businesses to go to that will not refuse service to LGBTQ+ individuals. This brings me back to the idea of LGBTQ+ supporters attempting to force others to accept their beliefs and that creates a dangerous situation.
In the beginning, I said that you may find me a bit different than those who agree with my opinion on LGBTQ+ issues. I said that because, even though I spent a lot of time speaking with individuals opposed to LGBTQ+ rights, they never suspected that I am gay. My unique views and experiences made it interesting to attend the protest and to talk with everyone who partook in the protest. I enjoyed the protest and I look forward to having many more similar events on campus.
