By
Raynard Jackson
Columnist
During the past two weeks Americans have lost their minds
regarding the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) that was passed and
signed into law by Indiana governor, Mike Pence. My readers know I do not support homosexual
marriage or the homosexual agenda of being legally protected as a class based on
their sexual preferences.
My purpose with this column is to bring some sanity to the
debate swirling around the issue of religious freedom. I want to remove all emotion from the debate
and discuss the facts.
The bill in question was Indiana Senate Bill 101, titled the
“Religious Freedom and Restoration Act.”
Pence signed the bill into law and all hell broke loose. Opponents said the bill would allow
businesses to discriminate against homosexuals; supporters said it would protect
business owners from doing things that would put them at odds with their
religious beliefs.
The bill was three pages long and never mentioned the words
homosexual or gay; thus the homosexual community went out seeking a problem
where none existed.
The homosexual community is masterful at PR. When you don’t have public support for your
position, many times a good PR campaign can usually do the trick. As I have written many times in previous
columns, Republicans are horrible when it comes to PR and communications, even
when they are right on the issue.
Gov. Pence in particular and Republicans in general showed
total incompetence in dealing with this issue.
They should have anticipated this type of reaction from the radical
left. This was so obvious that even
Stevie Wonder could have seen this coming.
Nineteen other states have passed similar laws, with several
others considering the same. So you mean
to tell me that almost half of America believes in discrimination? I don’t think so!
This whole debate has absolutely nothing to do with
discrimination and everything to do with forcing Americans to accept the
homosexual lifestyle and their intolerant agenda. Homosexuals don’t deserve special treatment
because of their sexual preferences; but they do deserve equal treatment because
of their humanity.
They would argue how could I, as a Black man who has
experienced discrimination, support the discrimination that they suffer because
of their sexual preferences? Their
plight, according to them, is the Civil Rights of our day. STOP right there!
I find it extremely offensive for homosexuals to attempt to
equate the two. Blacks fought for rights
that were already enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution granted us citizenship,
equality, and the right to vote; the Constitution just wasn’t being
enforced. Thus, the need for civil
disobedience, political and legal action.
There is no such accommodation for homosexuality, NONE. That’s what this fight is all about. They want to be “legally” codified as a
protected class strictly based on their sexual preferences and gender
identity.
Now, let’s assume for this discussion that you are a
Christian and that you believe homosexuality is a sin, thus is wrong. Homosexuals would argue, and rightfully so,
sin is sin. How is homosexuality any
different than lying, adultery, murder, cheating, stealing, etc.? Great question. I have an answer that homosexuals don’t want
to deal with.
Name me one state in the U.S. where they are trying to
legalize lying, adultery, murder, cheating, or stealing? Homosexuality is the only sin that people are
trying to codify as legally and morally permissible. Can someone please reconcile this for
me?
Homosexuals have been successful at getting many courts to
recognize them as a protected class even though there is no legal basis to
recognize someone based on their sexual preferences. It takes a lot of legal creativity to create
a protected class out of nothing.
I find it quite interesting that, as a heterosexual Black
male, that I would not be allowed to join a lesbian group or sit on the board of
a homosexual chamber of commerce (yes, they do exist). Is this not also hateful, bigoted, and
discriminatory?
Why is it necessary for everyone to know your sexual
preferences? If I go to my workplace and
tell women that I am heterosexual and like women; I will be rushed down to the
HR department and possibly fired. But,
if I go to the same workplace and announce that I am homosexual, they close
early and the CEO buys a big cake and we celebrate my courage for stating my
sexual preference publically (i.e. would be N.F.Ler.,
Michael Sam)
Courage is stating that you are homosexual in Saudi Arabia or
Pakistan. Courage is sitting at a
Woolworth lunch counter and knowing that you are going to get the hell beat out
of you because you are Black.
On a homosexual’s worst day, they have nothing to fear in
America; on their worst day, nothing they go through can ever compare to what
Blacks went through from slavery until the present. We didn’t get sold into slavery because we
were homosexual; homosexuals never get pulled over by police because they are
homosexual; homosexuals never get shot by police because they are homosexual;
they don’t get denied bank loans because they are homosexual. So please dispense with the odious
comparisons.
Blacks never sought special recognition as a class, we simply
wanted recognition.
Raynard
Jackson & Associates, LLC is an internationally recognized political
consulting, government affairs, and PR firm based in Washington, DC. Jackson is an internationally recognized
radio talk show host and TV commentator.
He has coined the phrase “straticist.”
As a straticist, he has merged strategic planning with public
relations. Call RJA to discuss how they
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