Sorry Harry Jackson, but your mess ain't real

Dear Minister Harry Jackson,

I read with great interest your column asking me to join you in the cultural fight against the gay community.

With all due respect, I am going to have to pass for a myriad of reasons.

In the first place, gay marriage has not contributed to any type of decline in the African-American community. I noticed that you made that claim but didn't give any reasonable degree of proof backing it up.

Secondly, I have heard your rhetoric before. Unfortunately, in the wake of the civil rights movements, there has risen a class of black leadership willing to stab their brothers and sisters in the back for a little face time and some public influence.

I might remind you, before you leaf through your Bible to the verses that supposedly speak against homosexuality, the Word of God has been pervered to justify slavery and segregation. It always amazes me that folks like you always seem to forget that.

There seems to be this claim that the African-American civil rights movement and the movement for lgbt self-determination cannot be thought of as similar. You may have a point there. As a matter of fact, let me further make more points as to how the two are different:

No, gay people have not been beaten and murdered because of their orientation. Sakia Gunn accidentally slipped on that knife belonging to that young black man. And those parademics who should have been helping Tyra Hunter after her car accident rather than laughing at her for being transngender were just doing their jobs.

No, gay people have not had our lives devalued by the fear and ignorance of others. It is rather fun to be judged by someone's fevered imagination of how I have sex.

No, gay people have never been made to sit on the back of the bus. That being the case, legislation created to devalue us and our families is no big deal.

No, gay people have not been insulted and spiritually beaten down by name-calling like African-Americans have. I rather think that the "f" word is a term of endearment, especially when it is said by a group of young men carrying baseball bats or boards with nails in them.

You are so right, Minister Harry Jackson, the fight for self-respect and your God-given rights cannot be seen as universal. Some people deserve rights more than others. And those who have the rights should get to judge the lives of those aren't so lucky.

But let me tell you what is universal, Minister Harry Jackson.

Presumption is universal,

Ignorance is universal,

Self-righteousness is universal.

And you have just proven that these things also know no color.