1. NAME: Rachel Warners
Current Event Instructions
100 points
Picka topic relatedtothe categoryyou have beenassignedtocover(see back). Findtwo piecesof news
(e.g.newspaperarticle,CNN videoclip) onthistopicfrom2014 or 2015.
 One piece shouldbe froma validsource (e.g.Wall StreetJournal,a University)
 The other piece shouldbe fromaninvalidsource (e.g.Gawker.com, small-scale website)
TYPE your responses/analysistothe questions inthe boxbeloweach associated question. Answers
shouldbe between1– 3 formallywritten paragraphs (responsesthatare informal ordifficulttoread
due to grammar and spellingissueswillearnfewerorzeropoints). Answerswill be gradedbasedon
howwell youdemonstrate anunderstandingof the conceptsyouare discussing ineachanswerso
provide the readerwith enoughinformation tomake thatdetermination. Bringahardcopy to classon
the according due date (listed onthe back).
1. ___/5 Please attachcopies of the newspaperormagazine articlesorinclude the webaddressto
the text,audio,orvideoclipsbelow.
Valid Source
Through My Eyes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QImNx1JA3BI
Capitalism and Gay Identity by John D’ Emilio
D' Emilio, J. Capitalism and Gay Identity. , 239-247.
Griffin, G. (1998). Understanding Heterosexism—The Subtle Continuum of
Homophobia. Women and Language, XXI(1), 33-39
http://ukeke.calvin.edu/cgi-
bin/UDT/driver.pl?query=Gwendolyn+Griffin+&target=ebsco
Non-credited source
Definition of Heterosexual: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIpE0q_raJ4
Westboro Baptist Church: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBA6qlHW8po
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgrRn2XbKFM
2. ___/15 What is your assignedtopic (e.g.racism, sexism)? Whathave you learnedabout this topic
in this course? Define/explainthe topic. Describe relevantaspectsof the topicthatyou
have learnedaboutinthiscourse fromlecture,readings, videos,etc.
HeterosexismandHomophobiais the topicwhichIwas assigned. Heterosexismisthe
assumption everyone isorshouldbe heterosexual becausebeingheterosexualis the
“norm” insociety. Heterosexismoftenincludesdiscriminationandprejudice towardsa

2. personclaimingtobe of anothersexual orientation, otherthanheterosexual. The definition
of homophobiastates, a dislike of ora prejudice againsthomosexual people that canbe in
the formsof prejudice, discrimination, violence, jokes, andorverbal abuse/bashing.
The historyof gayand lesbian isone majorthings Ihave gottento learnand understand
better.Before thiscourse,Ineverthoughttothinkmuchabouthow andwhere
homosexuality/homophobiabeganandwhyexactly. Of course Iunderstoodhomosexuality
and specificallybeinggayanda lesbianwasall the effectsof the fall afterAdamandEve had
sinned,butIdidn’tunderstandif homosexualityoccurred/begansimplyinone specificera
or not. Itturns, outhomosexualityhasbeen anongoingprocessthroughouthistorythathas
arisenandbecome everpresent inthe 21st
century. Knowingthe historyof how
homosexualitygrew throughouthistory makesme have abetterunderstandingof howtruly
heterosexismandhomophobia isembeddedinoursociety, evenbeforethe termsexisted
and whattheymeant.
In JohnD ’Emilioarticle, Capitalism and Gay Identity, explainshow he believesgay
and lesbianorientation beganatand froma capitalisticinfluence. Forexample onpage 240
D’ Emiliostates,“The expansionof capital andthe spreadof wage labor have affecteda
profoundtransformationinthe structure andfunctionsof the nuclearfamily,the ideology
of familylife,andthe meaningof aheterosexual relations.Itisthese changesinthe family
that are mostdirectlylinkedtothe appearance of a collective gaylife.”BasicallyD’Emiliois
sayingcapitalismiswhatallowedpeopletomove awayfromthe nuclearfamilyand social
norms,and insteadbegintoopenly identifythemselvesashomosexual,because societyand
life waschanging. D’Emiliobelievesgayandlesbianwomendidn’talwaysexistbutinstead
are a product of history,where itcame intoexistence inaspecifichistorical era.Ibelieveit
existedassoonasthe fall occurredwhichwasinthe B.Cera. He states gay andlesbianism
identityhadn’tbeginuntil the secondhalf of the 19th
centuryand thatthere is a difference
between homosexual behaviorandhomosexual identitywhichiswhyhe believesthere
was a specificerainwhen gayand lesbianwomenhave existed,whichI doagree and
understandtosome extent(241). For example,Romanbathhouseswere simplyaplace
where menof royaltyandhighstatus couldpartake in eroticacts (homosexual behavior) in
orderto show theirdominance andpower whichwas byhavingsex withyounger
men/boys.Theyneverthoughttothemselves theywere gayorknew whatthe term meant,
it probablyhadn’tevenexistedyet. Itwassimplypartof theirculture. People onlybeganto

3. start to identifythemselvesaslesbianandgayby the 1920s and 1930s but eventhentheir
sexual identitywasheldsecretiveforfearof rejectionfromfamilyandfriends.Itwasonlyin
bigcitiessuchas New York and Chicago whichcontainedgayandlesbianbars,where
people couldsimplydomore thanpractice gay and lesbianbehaviorbut mostimportantly,
openlyidentifyandclaimone as homosexualinasafe environment (242).
Despite whaterahomosexualityanditsidentityoccurred,beinghomosexual didn’t
prove to be an easystandardof life inthe early20th
century and before,if one deicedtobe
homosexual. Evenuptothe 1960s, gays andlesbiansdiscoveredtheirsexualityinisolation
and fear.They didn’thave asmuch supportcomparedto people nowadays,aswell as
access to groupsand facilitiesthatsupportedhomosexuals. Gaysandlesbianslacked
resources too, where one couldgeta betterunderstandingof how one felttowards
someone of the same sex andwhytheyfeltthatway.That it’sokif one feelsattractedto
the same sex than beingtoldone will gotohell andisevil.Someone maynotagree with
one’slifestyleandwhattheydecide tobe claimedas,butthat doesn’tmeanwe shouldact
meanlyandbe full of hatredtowardsindividualswithdifferentlifestyles.It’samazinghow
to thisday,homosexualsface discrimination,segregation,teasingandjoking/bashing,
despite howsocietyismore openaboutthe topicthaneverbefore. Homophobiaisareal
and prevalentthinginsociety thatcanbe silent,loud,andevenunnoticedbecause of how
engrainedheterosexualismispracticedinoursocial institutions.Homosexuals cananddo
face beingcalled negativeslangssuch asfag,queer,andhomoetc. The most important
institutionsthatplaya role inour society’sculture of heterosexismare religionandthe
church. These are the institutionsastowhyso manyChristianmenandwomenfeel
conflictedif they decideandfeel they are gay/lesbian.Religionandsociety isthe reason
whyso manyhomosexualsfeel dirty,sinful,and unlovedbyGod.Beingnonheterosexual
come withmany
3. ___/15 SelectONE specificthingyou have learnedabout this topic from the course (lecture,
readings,video) and describe it in-depth. Explainhow it is evidentin,or relatedto these
newspieces. Is what you’ve learnedin thiscourse consistentor differentthan how the
newspiecesare portraying it?
The most salientthingIhave come to fullyunderstandishow muchreligionplaysarole
inthe waysocietyviewshomosexualsand how itactsin a homophobicwaysthatcan be

4. intentionalandorunintentional. Religionplaysakeyrole inhow an individual feels about
identifyingasgay/lesbianinaneverdominantlyheterosexual society.
In the movie, Throughmy Eyes, isa movie aboutteensandpeople intheirtwenties
fromthe U.S and Canadaand theirexperience withthe churchandthe debate on
homosexuality.The movie is mainlyall aboutthe individual’s personal experience withthe
church while beingagay/lesbianChristian. The filmhelpedme gainabetterunderstanding
of howmuchnegative social stigmathere isforgay/lesbianChristianwhichstill occurs
today. In the beginningof the movie, individualstalkabouttheirexperience inmaking
professionof faithorfindingGod.Theywere happy,feltGod’spresence,andmore at ease
withlife,butassoonas theyrealizedandbelieved theyweren’theterosexual butinstead
gay/lesbian,theirviewsonChristianityandthe churchchangedto a negative perspective.
Because societysocial constructsindividualstobe heterosexual,peoplebelievebeing
homosexual issinful,unrighteous,andevil.The individuals nolongerfeltpure,righteous,
and lovedbyGod andthe church. Theybelievedif theydecidedtocome outas gay/lesbian,
theywould goto hell. One personsaid,“Ifeltlike afraud.” Meaninghe couldn’tlive with
the ideaof beingagay Christian manbecause thatmeanthe wouldgo to hell andwasevil.
Or howanotherman put it,“I stoppedcaringaboutmy faith,myprayertime,because Ifelt
unrighteousandpeopletoldme Iwas…Iwas disqualifiedforbeingaChristian.”Thisisasad
reminderof howmuchsocietydoesn’tunderstandsexualityandhow toaddressthe topic,
especiallywhensomeonedecidestoclaimtobe non-heterosexual. One person sharedhow
herSundayschool teachersaw twogirlsof the same age holdinghands andsaid,
“somethingmustbe wrongwiththemandwhat they’re doingissick”whichis howshe
simplytoldherlittle grandson,thusconditioningthe childata youngage to believe
heterosexualityisthe dominatesexuality.The grandmais creatinganegative and
homophobicattitude towardshomosexuals,atanearlystart. The most salientof remarks
by someone abouthomosexualswasthe partwhere someone thoughtitwasagood ideato
say andsuggestthat all the homosexualsbe linedupandshot,whichwould thusend
homosexualityandpreventothersfromwantingtobe one.If that doesn’tspeak
homophobic,thenIdon’tknow whatcouldbe worse that suggestionandbelief. Itblowsmy
mindhowthe church, who teacheslove andGod’sgrace for all,isapparentlyonly for
certainpeople.The treatment,lackof understanding andlove forhomosexuals surprises
me as how people can be so contradictingtowhatone preachesandbelieve. Hearingthe

5. painin lackof social acceptance andlove these peoplereceivedwhentryingtofigure out
theirsexuality/comingout,makesme have abetterunderstandingof how trulydifficult itis
for people whodon’tidentifyas heterosexual, tobe acceptedbythe church andsociety.
No one choosestobe homosexual whichoftenconsistof being,teased,pickedon,
neglected,ostracized, andsegregatedandbe atarget forhomophobes. Somany
homosexualsevenbegGodandpray forhimto take awaytheirfeelingsbecause theyfeel
theirthoughtsaren’tpure andright accordingto the “norm” whichproveshowmuchthey
wantto be includedandjustacceptedbysocietyandthe church.Homosexualityis nota
thingwhere a person canbe fixedwitha“magic”pill andtreatmentthatso manypeople
believeandstate.It a product/effectof the fall. Homosexualsare peoplewe shouldlove,
respect,accept,andinclude insocietydespite how we personally feeltowardsthemform
our narrowand lack of understandingof non-heterosexualpeople.
Gwendolyn Griffininherarticle,Understanding Heterosexism—TheSubtleContinuumof
Homophobia stateshow she feltdiscriminatedandunacceptedbyherreligiousschool just
like manyof the people inthe movie Throughmy Eyes.Griffinattended areligiousschool
called, PrincipiaUpperSchool.Attendingthisreligiousschool causedhertohave lotsof
struggle withherlesbianismandsexualidentity(35). Griffin’sautobiographyshowshow
societyandreligiondoesn’thave agoodunderstandingof sexualityandacceptance of
people whoare homosexual. She mentionshow she feltlove andattractiontowardsher
friendsKatyandKarenat an earlyage and how conflictedshe felt. How she wantedtokiss
themand keptjournalsof herromanticdreamsand wishesaboutthem. While Griffinhad
these feelings, the girlsatherschool wouldbe talkingabouthow manydatestheyhad on
the weekendorwould have linedup,whichdidn’tinterestheratall.Because herschool
and societyaroundhervaluedheterosexism asdominate insociety anddidn’taccept
homosexuals,alongwithlackof support, she thoughtshe wasdoingsomething“wrong.”
She experiencedwhatshe callsasubtle continuum of homophobia,“heterosexismcreates
the climate forhomophobiawithitsassumptionsthatworldisandmustbe heterosexual
and itsdisplayof powerandprivilegeasthe norm”(34). WhenGriffinstatesthisshe simply
issaying,heterosexualityanditsdominantinfluenceinsocietyisasystematic wayof
showinghomophobiainsocietiesinstitutionswhetherintentional orunintentional.

6. Russell Brand,acomedianandshow host hadan interview withtwoWestboroBaptist
Church (verycontroversialchurch) members onthe topicof homosexualsandwhattheir
opinionwas.One thingthatwasverystronglystatedwas how gaysand lesbiansare fags
and that theyare for sure goingto hell. AccordingtoWBB Church,fags are people who
advocate sin,are sinful, thushell iswhere theybelong. One guyquotes,“Godhatesfags
and itsays itin the Bible.” This isonlyone example of how churchespractice/encourage
homophobia,becausetheystronglybelieve theyare right accordingtotheirliteral
interpretationof the Bible.InfactWBB Church preacheshow we are to hate and dislike
people whoaren’theterosexual orquote onquote,“unrighteousfollowersif Godand his
laws”accordingto WBB Church’sstandardsthat is. Notonlyhas society,the Bible,and their
translationsof the Bible poweredtheirhate towardshomosexuals(gay) butithasbecome a
social constructionandnorm forthem. Hate anddisdainishow theylive andbelieve tobe
the correct way of addressingsin. The commentthatI find soshockingandsad ishow one
guy quotes,“gaypeople are filthypeople”thatisliterallywhatone guysaidas soonas
there were gaymenwhostood behindthemata close distance.Theydidnotfeel
comfortable beingaroundthemandtheydidn’tlikeitatall.The listof hate words,slangs,
and sayingstowardsgaysgo on andon withWBB Church. Thisvideoclip shedssome light
on howthe church and religionscanbe harmful whenaddressingcontroversialissue such
as homosexuality.Homophobia truly doesexisttothisdayand alwayswill because of sin
and people’sstrong,someonearrogantopinions/beliefs.
What we have learnedfromthiscourse defiantlyagreeswithwhatthe producersof the
movie, Throughmy Eyes and authorGwendolynGriffin’sautobiographystatesabout
heterosexuality/homophobia.Theyshare whatitis/orwaslike tobe treatedasa
lesbian/gayfromasocietal beliefthatheterosexismisthe “norm.”They wantdrastic
change if theyare t feel acceptedintoandbysocietywithoutfearof homophobic
treatmentone day. The YouTube videosaboutWestboroBaptistchurchhoweverdoesn’t
evencome close towhat we have learnedinclassandare beingtaughtinhowto view
homosexuals.Westboropreachesandteacheshate,homophobia,anddisgusttowards
people whoare gay/lesbian.There isnohintof love,respect,andacceptance towards
people whoare homosexual.The churchisflatout condemninghomosexualsandmany
othersnot like themselves,tohell withoutacare withtheirwordsandactions.

7. 4. ___/15 Selecta SECOND specificthing you have learnedabout thistopic from the course (lecture,
readings,video) and describe it in-depth. Explainhow it is evidentin,or relatedto these
newspieces. Is what you’ve learnedin thiscourse consistentor differentthan how the
newspiecesare portraying it?
Anotherveryinterestingthemewe talked aboutinclasswas the social constructionand
ideaof how gayand lesbianpeopleare supposedtoactand portraythemselves.Forgay
men,they are labeledandseen aseffeminate withataste for more feminine activitiessuch
as cookingand decoratingthe house.Forlesbian,theyare labeledasmasculine.These
societal constructionsof how lesbiansandgaysshouldbe isa narrow understandingof
homosexualityandsexualityingeneral.Justbecause amanis gay,doesn’t meangayslike
fashion,designing houses,smalldogs,and tocleanor cook because these are all “feminine”
things. Justbecause awomenisa lesbian,doesn’tmeanshe isstrong,manlooking,and
prefer“men”activitiessuchassports,hunting,wrestling,mudding,shorthair,andhas little
emotions. There are manyformsas how homosexualswanttolive theirsexual identityand
it maynot fitthe status que of what itmeansto be homosexual.We don’t have the rightto
categorize andplace homosexualmenand womenwhere we thinkis“correct" andthe
“norm.” If one doesn’tfollow the social normsandexpectationsof whatitmeansto be
gay/lesbian,thenpeople getthoroughlyconfusedanddon’tknow quite how toact and
respondtosomeone because the individual doesn’tmatchuptothe typical socially
constructedideasof what it meanstobe homosexual. AnimportantthingIhave learned
fromthiscourse ishow we shouldneverlabel onesgenderunlessthe personlabels
themselvesacertaingenderopenlyandsaysitsok forothersto…the powerliesinthe
individual. Take the showsModernFamilyandthe oldshow Will &Grace. These are two
verycommonshowswithgay people inthem.However,mediahasdepictedgaymentobe
femininebyenjoyingfeminineactivities.InModernFamily,the one husbandlovesdressing
nicelyandhavingthe house cleananddecorative.He isalsoveryemotional andhasmood
swings.Hispartnerplaysthe more masculine role suchasbeing notas emotional and
feminine.The showWill &Grace,theywere alsomockingandsharingtheirideaof how
gays shouldact,theyhad gay menportrayas feminine andveryemotional.Thisshowshow
much stereotypesisembeddedinourculture andinstitutions because we neverthoughtto
be sensitive andaware of how gaysand lesbianswanttobe viewed,we chose forthemhow
theyshouldandshouldn’tbe.
Thisobservationof mine isn’trelevanttomynewspieces.Griffindoesn’tmention
anythingabouthowsocietyviewsgays/lesbiansshouldbe if one Istolabel themselvesas

8. such.Her article isabout herpersonal storyinfindinghersexual identity(lesbian) andadds
some facts anddata from credible sourcestobackup herclaims.Here maintheme inher
article stateshowheterosexismissopresence inoursociety,thatithas a powerover
homosexuality,ratherthanhow if societyisokwithhomosexuals,theyhave toact andbe a
certainway. The YouTube videowithRusselBrand alsodoesn’trelate tothisobservation
fromclass because the WestboroBaptistChurchhate homosexualswithsuchdisdain,there
isno mentionof whathomosexualsshouldbe andact. WBB Church simplypreachesand
teacheshowhomosexualityissinful andthatall people wholive itand are enablersof
homosexuals,thushomosexualsandsupporters/enablersare goingtohell.
5. ___/15 Explainwhy you considerthe one newspiece to be VALID. What sources ofinformation
were used to provide support the message (e.g.,surveydata,interviewswithexperts,
interviewswithpublic,reporterinvestigation,reporteropinion)?Discussthe qualityof the
source(s). Is itverifiable(meaningare youable togo to anothersource andconfirmthat
the informationisaccurate?)? Unbiased? If biasedstillaccurate?
The article, Understanding Heterosexism—The Subtle Continuum of Homophobia
by Gwendolyn Griffin is validdue to the author’s well-roundedreferences tobackupher
claimsand statements. A validsource oftenmeansthe article,journal,book,website,and
videoclipoftencome from reliable sourcesandhassupport/sourcestobackupone claims.
GwendolynGriffin’sarticlecontains19referenceswhichprovesastrongsupportin her
claimsas well as validityof the amountof work that wasput intoherautobiography.I
foundherarticle onthe CalvinCollege HeckmanLibrarywebsite whichisknowntobe full of
onlycredible sources andarticles. Byhavingagoodamountof references, Gwendolyn
provesshe hasresearchedandlookedintoothercrediblesourceswhoagree withher
claims.Herarticle is backedup by othercreditedsourcesinsteadof beingquestionableand
not supportedby othertrustworthysources. Herarticle doesappearbiastinmyopinion,
due to herarticle beinganautobiographyaboutherpersonal experience withfiguringout
hersexual identitybutherarticle isstill accurate because she incorporatesfactsandinfo
aboutheterosexuality/homophobiainherarticle otherthan justherpersonal story.
6. ___/15 Explainwhy you considerthe other newspiece to be INVALID. What sourcesof
informationwere used to provide support the message (e.g.,surveydata, interviewswith
experts,interviewswithpublic,reporterinvestigation,reporteropinion)?Discussthe
quality ofthe source(s). Is itverifiable(meaningare youable togo to anothersource and
confirmthat the informationisaccurate?)? Unbiased? If biasedstill accurate?

9. The YouTube videosaboutWestboroBaptistChurchandwhat the membersof the
church thoughtabouthomosexuals,is aninvalidanda non-academicsource.The reason
being,there isno sourcesto back uptheirstatementsandclaims otherthanthe Bible,
whichissupposedtobe a goodsource,butthe waytheyinterpretedit(literal anddramatic
way) isnot howmost Christiansdo,thusmakingitinvalidandveryopinionated. The only
waysomeone canview the membersof WBBChurch and whattheysay to be creditable isif
the WBB Churchmembersthemselves decide toletgoof theirarrogant beliefsandopinions
and mostimportantly,getridof the communityof hate and disgusttheysospreadand
encourage. There isnoway to verifywhatthe people of WBBChurchare sayingisaccurate
because itisall opinionatedandclose minded,there isnoroomfordiscussionanda wayto
validate theirpointsare accurate. Theyhave noothervalidsourceswhowill supporttheir
claimotherthan otherhomophobicchurchesandorganizations/individuals.The topicof
homosexualityisaverycontroversial andopinionatedtopic,sotosayand judge whetheror
not a personisgoingto hell and sinningif one choosestolive ahomosexuallife,isn’tan
individual’s/organizationsdecision.Godultimatelyis the onlyone whocanjudge and has
the final sayon the stance of homosexuality andthe individual whodecidestobe one. The
source WBB Church isverybiast ontheirstance of homosexualsbecause theyare only
takingtheiropinionsbasedonaliteral translationof the Bible insteadof consideringothers
ideas,andallowingotherstohave anopinionandan influence onthe WBBChurch. They
are verystuckin theirstance andneverwill change how theyview homosexualityandother
controversial topics. Theywill foralongtime be homophobicandkeepspreadingit.
AlsoYouTube isn’treallyconsideredavalidsource comparedtoacademic
articles/journals.Majorityof YouTube videos are highlyopinionated,made up,andbiased,
thusit isnon-academiccomparedtoan article,book,orjournal.Itis more difficultto
validate YouTube videossimply.
7. ___/20 Based on all of the informationyou have learnedfrom these newspieces,listtwo or three
of the most salient(e.g.important, interesting,new) thingsyouhave learnedabout this
topic. Discuss why you believe thisinformationto be accurate (i.e.if someone askedyou
aboutthisinformation how wouldyoudefenditsvalidity?)
GwendolynGriffin’sautobiographystates, “The overbearingpresence of heterosexism
withinoursocietyonlyhighlightsthe hierarchyof heterosexualityasapowerover
homosexuality.”Ibelieve andsupportthatherquote is accurate and verytrue because
there ishard evidence andsourcestosupportthisclaim.Mostpeople don’tunderstand and

10. thinkaboutthisstatementbecause noteveryone thinksabouthomosexualityand
homophobiaona dailybasis,whichisthe reasonwhysomanypeople are ignorantof how
heterosexualityisdominate insociety. There are multiple examplesof how Ican prove
Griffins validity. Forexample,highschoolpromsare all aboutfindingone of the opposite
sex to go withandhopefullydate if one isn’tdatingaperson.School promswouldnever
thinkto promote homosexualitybecausethatisn’tthe social “norm”or whatwas initially
rooted/practiced inhistory. Orthe exampleof Calvindormdates/dinnerdates.Although
thisisa goodway to getgirlsand guysto getto know each otherand maybe findtheir
significantother,thisshowshow Calvinisheterosexualandisstatingthisisthe social norm
and whatis right.Noway wouldCalvineverpromote gay/lesbiandinnerdatesordorm
datesbecause thatwouldbe too “odd”and not the social and Christianwayof life.Another
wayis howthe constitutionisconstructed.Judgescanchoose todecide whetherornot
theywantto marry a gay/lesbiancouple,theycandenyservice of marriage tohomosexual
people simplybecause itmaynotagree accordingto theirfaith.While thisisavalid
argumentandtheirreligiousright,denyingapersonmarriage because someone is
gay/lesbiandue tohow societyhasanegative social constrictiontowardsgay/lesbians,
doesn’tgetusanywhere.Itdoesn’tgetridof how heterosexism dominatesandrules
society.Rather,itencourageshomophobia andmakes itcome acrossas okto be
homophobicandnotthe social “norm.”
In the film, Throughmy Eyes, the mostsalienttheme thatcaughtmy attentionwashow
much the church actuallyharmsa homosexual’sfaithandwalkwithGod.I knewthe
churchesviewonhomosexualitywasthatitwasevil andsinful,howeverwhatIdon’tnot
fullyknowandunderstandwashow people preachingthe same wordsabout love,respect,
caring,and showingcompassiontowardsyourneighbor,forsome,itis only applicableto
those wholive the same lifestyle apparently. I’vehadmultiple peopletell me andsayflat
out,“gays/lesbiansare goingtohell if theydon’tchange theirlife.”Justlike people inthe
filmwere taught andtoldoverand overuntil theybroke downandgot depressed. Many
lefttheirprayerandwalkwithGod or at leastpracticeditway lessthanbefore.Oftenmany
feltdespair,shame,like afraud,unlovedbyGod,andtheyhadsome sickness.Some would
getso lowon themselvesbecauseof societiesandchurch’sview onhomosexuality,they
wantedtogive up onlife.Yesgay/lesbianinitself isasindue to the fall,butI say thisagain,
we still needtoshowlove,kindness,respect,compassion,andacceptance towardspeople

11. whoidentifyashomosexual.Thereisnopossible wayforthisearthtobe more equal,
peaceful,andbettertolive in,until we all decide togive upoursociallyconstructedviews
of people whodon’tfitintothe social “norm.”
The last piece of newssource,WestboroBaptistchurch clipsjustamaze me at how
much hatred,disgust,andprejudiceagroupof professingbelieversandfollowersof God
couldhave towardsa group of individualssuchasgays/lesbians.Theyshow homophobiaat
a whole newlevelanddon’tcare that theyare beinghomophonic.Simplybeingaroundgay
people makesthemuncomfortableandonedge whichisproveninmultiplevideos.Iamnot
simplymakingthe factsupabout these groupsof people butotherChristiansandnon-
Christiansare sayingthe same thingaboutWBB Church. For example RebeccaRooney
teamedupwiththe PatriotGuard Riders(motois“Respect”and protectthose mourning
the lossof fallensoldiermembersfromprotestorssuchasWestboroBaptist) andleda
teamof people inWeston,Missouri toblockthe WestboroBaptistChurchfromprotesting
at a funeral of a fallensoldier.Thiseventmade newsandheadlinesdue toWBBChurch
actionsbeingso disrespectful andconfusingforall.AccordingtoFox17News,WBBChurch
has no logicintheirprotestandhatredagainstLGBTQ+, soldiers,Jews,immigrants,and
politicians,whichwasprovenwhentheydecide itwasagood ideatoshow up at a funeral
of all places. Theysimplydon’tunderstandwhentogive peopletheirspace andrespectat
sensitivetimes. People mourningadeathof a lovedone (especiallyaone whosacrifices
theirlife) shouldbe givenandshownrespectandgratitude fora familymember.There isno
reasonto have a hate groupshow up and feel theyhave toprotestrightthenandthere.
Total Points Earned