ABC's 20/20 and Gay Public Displays of Affections

25th of April 2008

20/20 Brings Attention to Gay Public Displays of Affections

Bravo to 20/20 for objectively showing the two sides of gay public displays of affection. It is still disturbing just how many people showed hate even to the point of calling the local police.

To view this story, follow this link:
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/WhatWouldYouDo/story?id=4725740&page=1

What about this image is disturbing? How can two people in love harm those who witness such acts like: holding hands, kissing or showing affection in public? Society at large should be happy to bare witness to any displays of affection considering it advertises love. Even though it is sad that when two men (actors hired by 20/20 for this episode who happen to be in a relationship with one another) are accosted as they kiss, hold hands, cuddle and kanoodle on a public bench in the center of Birmingham Alabama. Their affection to each other was met with sneers, glairs, harsh comments by citizens and even one woman who called 911 complaining of such a loving site. She became more enraged when the police department told her that there was no law that could be used to stop two beautiful men from displaying openly the love in their hearts for one another.

Regardless of the fact that these two men were not breaking any laws, a Birmingham police officer showed up and began shuffling these two men away while attempting to break them up from showing any affection in public when this officer received a cell phone call halting his bigotry. This loving couple was not bothering anyone and kept to themselves on the bench and the hatred held in the hearts of so many couldn’t just let them alone. Had his cell phone not rung, the Birmingham officer would have completed his hate filled task by forcing two grown adults to remove themselves from displaying such disgusting affection in public.

It was not all bad on the streets of Birmingham as many people didn’t see anything horrible, and acknowledged the beauty of love they witnessed being shared by our two devoted partners. That is the true meaning of love regardless who is displaying it.

20/20 also showed how they set a heterosexual couple together in a restaurant who started by kissing each other and ended with some pretty heavy petting. Some patrons of the establishment commented how they should get a room, but not one verbalized their loathing for the site of these two lovers displaying their affection or by quoting the Bible at how wrong their displays were. It was tolerated and even showed to be contagious with other tables surrounding the couple. Other couples joined in with their own displays of affection calling that part of the restaurant the “Lovers Section”.

Like wise 20/20 followed-up the gay male couple in Birmingham with a lesbian couple who also openly showing their affection to one another. 20/20 found two women who are actually in a relationship with each other and seemed to just be enjoying the peace of their conversation. There were fewer reactions of disgust and loathing by the local citizens and in fact there was an awkward group of men who lingered and paid close attention to the two sexy women as they exhibited their love.

Birmingham is not unlike many places in North America where small minded mentalities, but broad on what scares them. The largest question that not one Christian, Heterosexual or person has yet to explain with suitable clarity to me is what about homosexuality causes such fear and hatred in the hearts and minds of so many people?

Before I get another hundred emails telling me how the Bible says it is wrong, that is not an argument, it is an excuse for why ignorance proliferates and more to the point a pretext for why you want to hate as apposed to Love your neighbor. Jesus never once denounces homosexuality or anyone for that matter setting forth the cornerstone of his church to be Love. If he found it within his heart to accept everyone, then stop pointing at words in a book written by fallible men, collected and edited by a group of over 300 religious leaders and politicians some 325 years after the crucifixion of Christ. If you’re going to hide behind anything come to me with something substantial as to why hate is what you choose while claiming that God told you too! Let God judge these two men or women when they get to heaven and you need to worry about the judgments you’re going to receive for being so filled with such loathing and hatred.

HATE IS NOT A CHRISTIAN VALUE or a FAMILY VALUE - - LOVE IS

Let me know what you think about this story and my blog.

Your humble servant – Todd M. Dobson