Although the worst of homophobia I experienced in teenage was not in Utah, it was near enough, with a large portion of the religious cult population that chimed in on the bullying. I'm certain by now enough gay members of that cult have enlightened the zombie-esque sort like I experienced, unwilling to listen to or treat a "faggot" as a human being, that their behavior is reprehensible, out of line, and certainly completely opposed to the teachings of the Christ.
I was even somewhat shocked recently to discover that there are nowadays, openly gay mormons.
I had met some of that cult so ignorant that my response "I like your Christ, I don't like your Christians, they are so unlike your Christ" with some sort of shocked look that garnered even more stigmatization. It makes me wonder if any of them whatsoever ever became enlightened to the utter ignorance that attitude held. I admit I didn't attempt clue them in, I only said that is quote from a famous person, read a book someday, idiot. I tend to believe many of them, who I never saw come into the school library anyway, still only listen to some bent preacher and like the our dysfunctionally illiterate president, haven't cracked a book since high school (many of them refused to do so then)
It is doubly ignorant to believe that either laying on some religious guilt trip or treating anyone as a sexual object without regard to complex and long term naturally developed attractions could ever be successfully applicable without causing the victim severe emotional and self-esteem complexes, so often ending in horribly tragic circumstances. It is to the sort so devoutly religious that actually celebrate the suicidal termination of a person's existence as something to be celebrated, especially after the role they played in creating a horrific, isolated and terrifying environment for someone?
These religious cults owe some of us far more than apologies.
It wasn't the Mormons in that community that started my road to homelessness, dumpster diving and street life to survive for over a year before I turned 18, it was the long arm of the Westboro baptist family. But the local Mormons did nothing but chime in to their hateful chorus.
And if there was a mechanism, a chance for a person to sue for making my latter teenage years a living hell, compromising the start on my adult life to the point I'm still making up for an ostracized and impoverished commencement of my adult years at 60 years
old even with an above average income? I'm certain there are numerous victims to their early hateful and murderous crusades among those who survived who would join me in suing them right out of every ill gained dime.
Okay, rant off.
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