This shit still happens

This is so disgusting I feel an expletive is the only appropriate way to describe it. Carl Paladino, GOP candidate for Governor of New York:



Where to start? He rolls out one of the most offensive tropes against gay people: that we're perverts out to get children. He claims to "live and let live" but in the next breath passes derisive judgment on the "option" of being gay, which is of course premised on the ignorant notion that it's a choice. He equates being gay with having one's life destroyed. He attacks gay teachers.

Perhaps most offensive of all is Paladino's attempt at concealing his blatant bigotry: "Don't misquote me as wanting to hurt homosexuals, or people in any way." Is he so naïve to believe that his words can be interpreted in any way other than legitimizing an attitude that permits gay teens to be bullied to committing suicide, and creates an atmosphere where this attack -- which happened in New York days before Paladino's remarks and by itself makes me want to vomit -- is possible. Is he so blind that he can't connect the dots between the derogatory slurs he and other leaders throw at the gay community and the impressionable young people who act upon the cultural stigma created?

I'm filled with so much animosity that I feel I could write for days, but I know I don't need to convince you, my audience of this, so I'll end on a more personal note. I am so thankful to my parents, grandparents, wonderful gay aunt, and everyone else I grew up around for creating an environment free from the hate spewing from bigots like Paladino. I am proud to be gay, a concept which is obviously so foreign to him that it sticks on his tongue. I am hopeful that the tide is turning swiftly, so that hatemongers will no longer have even islands to stand on, much less a plurality of votes. I am inspired by the Trevor Project and Dan Savage's "It Gets Better" project. I despair that this shit still happens, but also see hope and love.