Republish article from 2016 titled: Hate is unproductive, homosexuals are not our enemy

This article takes a deep dive into the complexities of rights, social perceptions, and the role of government in personal relationships. It wrestles with the tension between moral convictions, public health concerns, and the undeniable principle of liberty. While the author acknowledges their personal reservations about the impact of homosexuality on society, they come down firmly on the side of individual freedom—pushing back against government interference in marriage and questioning the necessity of special legal protections.

At its core, this piece reflects the libertarian ethos: government has no place dictating personal relationships, and equality under the law must remain just that—equal. The author’s stance on marriage is particularly refreshing in its consistency, resisting the fickle winds of political convenience that have guided figures like Hillary Clinton. Instead of pandering, this perspective is built on decades of engagement with the issue, rooted in a belief in personal responsibility and constitutional rights.

The discussion on HIV/AIDS statistics is bound to raise eyebrows, and while the data itself may be accurate, it’s critical to approach such topics with nuance. Public health challenges require solutions beyond just pointing at the numbers. The argument that stable, committed relationships—regardless of gender—could lead to better health outcomes is a logical one, but the real takeaway here is the broader principle: people should be free to live their lives without government interference, whether that means the right to marry or the right to say “no” to officiating a ceremony.

In the end, this article is less about homosexuality and more about the never-ending struggle for true liberty—ensuring that all individuals have the same protections, without tipping the scales in favor of one group over another. It’s a reminder that rights are not privileges to be handed out at the whim of the state, but inherent freedoms that belong to everyone.

This article was originally published on April 7, 2016. The original source can be found on the Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20160507230343/https://opinions.clovisstar.com/hate-unproductive-homosexuals-not-enemy/

Hate is unproductive, and homosexuals are not our enemy. I have had years to consider this. I have had many homosexual friends, starting with my lesbian cousin that I grew up with. I have often been accused of being an enemy of homosexuals, and especially by my gay cousin. Despite all of my efforts to resist laws that punish homosexuals over decades, and even after having good close friends who were gay. It’s not that I approve of, or condone the gay lifestyle. In truth, I think that the homosexual lifestyle is counter-productive in society. It’s not that it is all bad. There is nothing wrong with loving someone. I think that love in itself is a noble cause, and even justified, and there is no reason or justification for me or anyone else to judge the worthiness of the love between two people. Love is complex and deep, and there is nothing simple about it. I won’t pretend to put myself on a judgement seat that I do not belong in, to analyze or judge the love between two people.

But with that being said, I think that there are negative attributes of the homosexual lifestyle in the USA, and in other areas of the world. When I look at the AIDS contagion, it is an epidemic that primarily affects the gay community. It also is found within high rates of intravenous drug users, and even slightly in the heterosexual community. By simple means of deduction and reason, it is clear to see that HIV/AIDS is found in gay populations around the world in higher rates than in other demographics, specifically in gay males. I have researched the United States CDC (Center for Disease Control) studies, and studies from other areas from around the world. The results in almost every study show that gay males make up around 2% of the population, and that they have over 50% of all AIDS infections in almost any given population, and that they have more than 60% or 70% of new HIV infections.

Study data:

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) represent approximately 2% of the United States population, yet are the population most severely affected by HIV. In 2010, young gay and bisexual men (aged 13-24 years) accounted for 72% of new HIV infections among all persons aged 13 to 24, and 30% of new infections among all gay and bisexual men. At the end of 2011, an estimated 500,022 (57%) persons living with an HIV diagnosis in the United States were gay and bisexual men, or gay and bisexual men who also inject drugs.

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/group/msm/

In Africa, where the first known AIDS contagion was located it is known that new HIV cases are found in gay sex participants, but many studies ignore this fact, and some completely fail to report the facts on this. Reference a New York Times article in 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/21/health/21glob.html?_r=0.

Now with my personal beliefs, and my personal mission. I have fought back on resistance to gay marriage for decades, because I believe that a committed relationship is much better in many ways than a non-committed relationship, especially among people who are known to have a high contagion of AIDS. For decades I have made social media videos, wrote legislators, and petitioned as much as possible to reduce laws and restrictions on gay marriage. This was not as a favor to people that I know, and it was not a way to seem compassionate. I believe that scientifically speaking and in regards to freedom and liberty, it is the right thing to do.

I know many people who go along with popular opinion, and people like Hillary Clinton who at one time was completely against gay marriage, and now that popular opinion has changed, she is completely in favor of gay marriage. This change in her happened over a very short time. I have also seen this type of change in friends and family of my own. My sister and even my mother have gone through this transformation.

However, I have always, bar none, been in favor of gay marriage.

In the ongoing saga of “rights”, “special rights”, and now “gay rights”, I have never had a neutral position on this issue. Or the issue of any “special rights”. From the time I was 15 years old, I have expressed my opinion. Some folks find it to be dangerous territory, a taboo topic, or simply not worth their time.

But I think this is one of the most important issues that our nation discusses. “Rights”

Not necessarily “gay rights”, or “minority rights”, or “majority rights”, but “civil rights” in general.

Even though this topic is already settled in our constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Where as “all men are created equal” (in the eyes of the law), and the 14th Amendment gives these parameters;

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on July 9, 1868, and granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States,” which included former slaves recently freed. In addition, it forbids states from denying any person “life, liberty or property, without due process of law” or to “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Yet we continue to bicker about “rights” and who should be “more protected” or have “more rights” than the other. Why? Again this has already been decided, and fairly in my opinion.