Empathy for a Hater!

This article stirs up different emotions in me.

Donors supporting Prop. 8 are upset that it's been revealed by public records about their financial contributions. They cite that due to this companies have been boycotted, death threats have been made, and fliers spread around town calling one a Bigot.

Which is no different than the queers that have been isolated, physical assaults they've taken, and you know daily confrontations of 'Die, you fucking faggot.'

It appears that in their quest to remove basic civil rights from queers, these donors have simply been confronted with what they've put out there. What goes around, comes around, my friends.

Yet, I do feel some empathy for these haters. As Paulo Freire taught me that it's not about removing the power from the oppressor and turning them into the oppressed. This creates a power imbalance that can be as devastating as the original situation.

I empathize with somebody who stands up for what they genuinely believe in and who now faces hardship over it. I call out ignorance as being the main reason for people who blindly give away their money citing religious belief. Many people voted for this Bill on the idea that their churches would be forced to conduct gay marriages amongst other ridiculous scare tactics. The other side won by offering The Stupids a 'legitimate' reason to vote against them.

The no on Prop 8 side would be wise to empathize with what's happening to those who financially supported the Bill. To compare their plight to the plight of many queers on a daily basis. One of the campaign's biggest failure was taking the Gay out of a gay issue.

No one should face retribution for believing in a cause, they should face compassion and our continued attempt to show them that our side isn't deviant.

To campaign against the dark, one should offer light.