Changing times

The world is changing quickly to become more of what it should be. Despite all the hatred and bigotry we see every day, it is nevertheless true that the world IS moving forward, and nowhere is that clearer than on LGBT rights.

The video above is of Michael Sam learning he’d been drafted by the St. Louis Rams, meaning he will, indeed, become the first openly gay NFL player. Last week, some far-right christianist political activists threatened that for any team that drafted Sam, “there will be a terrible financial price to pay”. Fortunately, no one much listens to such far right lunatics anymore. Michael Sam will be the first openly gay NFL player, and that Leviticus-obsessed activist can shake his fist in impotent rage as the world leaves him far behind.

In Arkansas, same-gender couples were legally married Saturday (US time) in the brief four-hour period that county clerks were open. The day before, an Arkansas judge struck down that’s states ban on marriage equality. The state’s Attorney General—who supports marriage equality—will appeal and has asked for an emergency stay of the decision, but it couldn’t happen on a weekend, giving couples the chance to legally marry. Again, the Leviticus-obsessed activists are left behind.

Meanwhile, in New York State, a Methodist Church is going out of its way to support LGBT people, which Roger Green just wrote about. This is part of a growing trend among US Christian Churches. Many are declaring that they, too, have religious freedom, and that freedom is being denied when they cannot solemnise same-gender marriages. That debate is also moving forward, and our Leviticus-obsessed friends on the Christian far-right are being left far behind on this issue, too.

Even in Europe, a “gender fuck” bearded drag queen, Conchita Wurst, won this year’s Eurovision. There were at least ten good reasons for people to vote for her. As a bonus, it did stick it to the notoriously anti-gay bigots in Russia and Eastern Europe. They, too, are being left far behind.

The fact that the bigots on the right are being left behind is good news because it means the world is moving forward. However, this also means that the increasingly embittered right will lash out at every opportunity. Sometimes, it’s laughably crazy—like them calling gay people “Nazis”. But the far right bigots still have a lot of power and will for quite some time.

So, there will leaps forward and the occasional step backward, but the overall direction is forward. Changing times are a great thing. Some day, even our friends on the far right will realise that—their children and grandchildren already do.