General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: If you have a strong moral objection to criticizing, satirizing or mocking deeply held beliefs [View all]Ms. Toad
(34,124 posts)I was one of the most vocal people criticizing the inclusion of Rick Warren in the inauguration - e.g. here and here (as well as an advocate for same gender marriage long before most people on DU jumped on the band wagon e.g. here (one of many times I explained why civil unions were not synonymous with marriage - as the tax follow-up to Windsor proved), and in real life I have been active in the realm of LGBT rights on both the state and national level for 30 years. Our adoption case was the first appellate case in our state, and our marriage is the first in our faith community - two decades ago.
You are way off base when you categorize everyone who is not reciting the "je suis Charlie" meme as having spent years opposing LGBT rights.
It has nothing to do with contempt for LGBT people. I just don't happen to believe that the "je suis Charlie" meme is a constructive response to the murders.
That does not mean I have empathy for the murders - beyond the empathy I have for any human being. It means that I believe part of what is required to be more than just increasingly isolated and polarized tribes with violence a hairs-breadth away is to stop being offensive merely for the sake of offending. The world is a very small place, filled with a multitude of diverse people. We can choose to denigrate and mock others (as people have done to the LGBT community for pretty much forever), or we can choose to try to understand each other and be part of figuring out how to live together peacefully. The latter is, as far as I'm concerned, the more progressive response.