This Isn't Popular.

Human rights are important. I fully believe in the rights of every person in America I believe that any person is equal to any other person. That being said I also believe that just because you are gay/lesbian/straight, Christian/Muslim/Jewish/Atheist, white/black/asian/ hispanic you doesn't mean that you are any more open-minded than anyone else. I base this assumption on what I see on TV. Particularly TV that caters to 20-somethings, like, say, MTV and their news guy Gideon Yago.Today as I was flipping through the channels I was that the story MTV News was reporting on was about a bus full of modern-day freedom riders. When I say freedom riders I say it is the most incredulous tone I can muster because although that is what it is reminiscent of, this isn't at all what civil rights are about.
What I see it as being about is oppression. The interesting part of this is that these kids also see it as being about oppression. But that is where the commonality of our thoughts diverge. What they see as freedom from what they think is oppression, I see as the oppression of religious differences. Let me explain:
It is a bus of kids who are travelling to right-wing conservative schools to protest the fact that these schools don't allow gays and lesbians into their programs. Not only that, but if a current student "comes out" that student is expelled. Now, I don't entirely agree with that position, but I do think that these schools have every right to expell any student that doesn't embody the values that these schools hold dear. That is what I mean by oprression of a right to freedom of religion. Because the religion that these schools are founded on is also expressed in the rules and ethics the school places on it's students these kids are protesting. Now I don't have any problem with protesting, I think it is a good way to fight something you think is wrong, but I don't like double standards.
To me double standards are when something is wrong for one person, but is right for another. Take this for example: 50 gay people show up at a bible college that disallows gays and gather in an open area. They then give speeches, shout slogans, have demonstrations or whatever. How is this any different than 50 of Jerry Falwell's follower showing up at a place that is predominantly gay or atheist or whatever they don't agree with and doing the same thing. It is good that the gay protestors stood up for thier rights but how dare those crazy right-wing Christians oppress people!
I would feel different if these schools were public, state universities or what-have-you, but they aren't. The people attending these schools know from the start what they are getting themselves into. They aren't attending Jerry Falwells' Libery School (which, I do realize, is an ironic name under the cicumstances) because they are sure that THAT will be the open-minded place to grow as a person. No, they are deciding to attend a college that is quite famous for its right-wing philospohies.
I am not saying that gays and lesbians don't have a right to the same education, and I am not saying that they shouldn't have the same rights as everyone else (that is a whole other blog-post!), but I don't think that it should every be open season to protest a person based on what they believe, do, look like, or want. To me that means that if Jerry Falwell's private university (keyword private) doesn't want to accept gays and lesbians, that is fine. If BYU wants to expell Julie ( you remember, from the Real World) for not following that specific university's rules, that is fine. It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that religious university's have rules, regulations, morals, and ethics that are not going to make everyone feel welcome. And if it does, well, maybe you should research your next school a little better.
Basically I get frustrated when people assume that one way of thought is the correct way of thought. I myself am pretty conservative, I don't agree with gay marriage (although I don't agree with alot of straight marriages either), I don't agree with all abortions (please, explain to me, a person who can't concieve why you wouldn't want to give a child up for adoption), and I don't agree with the ERA (although this isn't republican of me, I just don't see hiring a woman or a black man because you HAVE to as particularly equal). I think that for America to truly be free people have to be able to do or think exactly as they please. I relish the right that I have to speak my mind about hings like this, just the same as anyone else. Because I am republican doesn't make my ideas any less valid or open to discussion, just as your democratic ideas (or whatever they are) aren't any worse or better than mine.