If you haven't heard of A Few Hundred Moms That Think Their Opinions Are The Only Ones That Matter Because They Are (Not So) Secretly Pieces of Shit (AFHMTTTOATOOTMBTANSSPOS for short, although I prefer to just call them nothing) (a spinoff of the "American Family Association") they are this group that goes out of their way to harass companies, etc that dare to agree that yes, same sex couples do in fact exist and shouldn't be something that is hidden from view because a bunch of know-nothing know-it-alls don't like it. Their latest target has been this Disney channel show, Good Luck Charlie. The big offense of the show? Two women that are in a loving relationship and are parents to a child on the show. EGAD, MAN! TO THE PHONES!
I'm not going to write about the fact that the whole "homosexual agenda" thing is a joke, or that one person's religion should have absolutely no bearing on the beliefs of others, or any of the other many things that can be said about AFA and similar groups. I have learned long ago that if someone has an opinion about something (especially if that opinion is based on their religion) you are never going to change their minds. It's a futile effort. Besides, there are many people that can explain why the AFA and whoever else are complete pieces of shit much better and with more eloquence than I ever could.
What I mostly take offense at is the way these groups use their (and others!) children as shields to hide behind while spewing their hate speech. They use whatever mental gymnastics they can to show why someone that is gay is evil, or someone that isn't christian is evil, or that someone that disagrees with them is evil, or what the hell ever, and hide it behind a wall of "oh, it's for the children!"
First: children are not stupid. Sure, if you hear something enough while growing up, there is a good chance that you will (at least at first) believe it yourself. I had beliefs as a kid that I wouldn't dare agree with now. I'm sure many would say the same. But that's the thing: you grow, you become exposed to a new way of thinking, and you develop your own thoughts and beliefs as you gain more experience and more knowledge.
Second: children, even if they are your own, are not tools. They are human beings, that will hopefully grow up to realize that there is nothing wrong with being gay, or Muslim, or black, or whatever else people pretend is an affront to god.
The problem arises when you have groups like the AFA or OMM or anyone else that use their children as shields to hide their bigotry behind. They specifically add the word Family, or Mom, or Dad, or whatever because they believe that as precious as children are, nobody will ever try to say anything against them. If they do, well, they're just not focused on the children that matter! Or they use America in their name so if you say no, what you're spewing is bullshit, they can label you as un-American. It becomes nothing but a smear campaign, where they say "well, see, of course I'm on the right side! I'm doing this for the children!" but they're not. They are doing it for their own selfish inward hate. And to hide behind children, the ones that they say they are so focused on, is not only cowardly, it's absolutely disgusting.
I guess what I'm saying is Fuck You, AFA.
Footnote: This is why groups like this are complete garbage: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20784127,00.html
A five year old getting death threats because the character she plays on a tv show has gay parents. So much for it being "for the children", huh.
