Why gay rights matter to me

I went back and forth about whether or not I should post this. 

Ultimately, someone being GLBT does not affect me.  It makes no difference in my life if the two old ladies in my complex are life partners or just trying to stretch their Social Security checks by sharing a 1-bedroom unit.  Which restroom my waiter uses doesn't matter, as long as they wash their hands afterwards.

I have the luxury of being part of the status quo.  I am a woman married to a man.  Up until about a decade ago, in all fifty states this was the only legally recognized form of marriage.  There were other restrictions if you go further back--when President Obama was born, there were still states that didn't recognize his parents' marriage as being valid.  Now?  Interracial marriage is legal, and churches are still not required to perform interracial ceremonies (or mixed-faith ceremonies, or any other marriage they disapprove of). 

So people got comfortable.  They grew compliant.  They didn't think about their privilege.

And marriage is still considered the highest standard that all relationships should aspire to.  Just ask anyone who's still single after 30 and has parents pressing for grandchildren :). 

Yes, people who are against homosexual marriage are painted as bigots, intolerant, etc.  And it's hurtful.

But homosexuals face active discrimination, are assaulted for their sexuality, rejected by their families, forced into abusive conversion therapy that has been proven to nothing more than damage people.  Some like to pretend that they don't exist.  Homosexuals are compared to pedophiles and those who would have sex with animals.  Yes, really.

In some countries, homosexuality is punishable by death.  The American Family Association and Exodus International ACTIVELY WORKED TO GET BILLS PASSED IN UGANDA THAT WOULD CALL FOR THE EXECUTION OF HOMOSEXUALS.  Who supports the American Family Association?  Well, Dan Cathy of Chick-Fil-A, for starters.  Which puts the boycott in a whole new perspective.  Congress in 2010 considered a bill that would condemn this action.  The Family Research Council lobbied against it.

I acknowledge that it's frustrating to have your beliefs labeled as narrow-minded, bigoted, etc.  However, please consider the bigger picture.

The Distress of the Privileged.  Fantastic article.