I’m not judging…there’s plenty of people doing that these days…no, I feel the need to call a spade a spade.
Specifically, some narrow-minded, scared, uneducated, backwood Indiana legislators and the ignorant people they represent. Because whether I’m allowing myself the leeway to judge someone or something, doesn’t mean I have the right to…in any way…impose limits on their rights…on their rights as humans.
Whether I believe in gay marriage…whether I believe in inter-racial marriage…whether I believe in the right for someone to alter their gender in name, dress, or even surgically…which I do!…doesn’t matter.
Whether I believe that everyone should have the religious freedom to pray to whatever makes them a better person…whether I think the assumption that a man should be paid more has anything to do with the fact that men are making the rules and are scared of how smart we women really are…whether I think the color of a person’s skin doesn’t make them more or less likely to commit a crime – that it’s their socioeconomic status that most likely does…whether or not I think your judgement of another human is because you secretly hate some part – or all – of yourself…which I do!…doesn’t matter.
It simply.doesn’t.matter.
It doesn’t matter what I carry in my heart any more than it matters what you carry in your heart. It only matters what you think or how you judge when your beliefs start limiting someone else’s rights. When your beliefs start to position one type of person as better than another. When your beliefs give you rights and benefits and advantages that are purposely withheld from another. That is when it matters.
When that starts to happen, someone needs to start asking why? How are any of us that different from one another? Why should the color of someone’s skin…the amount of cash in their bank account…the god they pray to…the person they love…who or how they have sex…matter????
Why do YOU give a shit about any of that? Are you really that scared??? Do you think you’re going to “catch” being black…or poor…or a member of some other faith…or gay??? Are you really that stupid? (#factnotjudging)
The people that claim they have the right to judge because of their religious beliefs…the people that claim they have a right to refuse service to someone or discriminate because of religious beliefs…the people that do anything to limit, hurt, or stand above another human being and do so in the name of a religious belief…To those people I would like to politely remind that it’s not your job to judge another human’s worth. It’s not your God given right to decide who is good…worthy…better.
You weren’t nominated by God…or whoever you believe in…to make any of those decisions. That’s way beyond your pay grade, even if you’re a man making a higher wage than me. You still didn’t qualify for that promotion.
If you want to talk to people to find out why they act, feel, love the way they do, fantastic. I’ll even go so far as to say that I’m ok if you want to try and talk someone out of acting, feeling, loving a certain way. I think debate is healthy. I think arguing your point…making your voice heard…is your right.
But when you retaliate against someone that isn’t exactly like you…or exactly like you want them to be…or exactly that you wish you were (because we all know you aren’t perfect either), that’s when you’ve crossed the line. When you start to treat others differently than how you expect to be treated, that’s when you’ve placed yourself…your needs…your wants…your fears…above those of another human. And that’s when I have a problem with you.
I’m not a socialist. I don’t think everyone should be rich. I do think, though, that everyone…every single person in the entire world…should have the right to be rich. Whatever “rich” means to them. I think that every single person in the entire world has the right to be free…to love…to worship…to marry…to shop…to [fill in the blank] because like me…like you…they are human. And that makes every single one of us equal.
It’s time we stop hating so much and learn to be a bit more tolerant of things we don’t understand. Different does not equal bad, people.