Disrespect and Other Things I Am Sick And Tired Of

I mean no disrespect when I say this:

I don't care who you are, who you think are, what you believe, or what you think you believe: show some respect.

It grosses me out to see people on different sides of an argument hold themselves up on a pedestal and claim superiority. Does anyone realize that superiority is a fairly standardized form of pedestal? If both sides of an argument claim superiority over the other and both stand on superiority pedestals, they are eye to eye, equals in their arrogance.

Each is just as ignorant, and just as intolerant.

I'm not saying that there aren't incorrect ideas floating about in the universe, and I'm certainly not saying that I have all the answers. That is my point. No one has all the answers. No one hasn't had an incorrect idea in their life. It all comes with time.

I used to be one of those kids that believed that you couldn't be gay and Mormon. The fact that I believed that for years in childhood and in adolescence is tragic. I have grown a bit, and I have a bit of life under my belt, and now I can proudly say that I am a gay Mormon. And you know what? I love that title.

My point is that people grow. Can we not show respect for the process? Humans are beautiful vines that, in their ideas and opinions, will grow together and they will grow apart. All are entangled in a beautiful living web. We can disagree and still respect each other when we recognize that every human is a growing and developing being, and that they have the right to be just so.

So let's recognize both sides of the coin and recognize its worth, okay? I'm so tired of the hate and the laughter that seems to come with the division of opinion.

I'm also sick and tired of blogs that censor comments that represent valid viewpoints, the terms 'same-sex attraction' and 'same-gender attraction', the idea that a gay person is afflicted with homosexuality, bipolar Utah weather, navajo tacos, research papers, and cute straight guys. (What can't they just be gay?)

...There, after a deep breath, I feel cleansed. I hope you do too.

On a completely unrelated note, David Archuleta will be signing at the Festival of Books at BYU on Saturday. I practically peed myself when I heard (I'm exaggerating, calm down). I, of course, want to go... but alas I will be at Pride in Salt Lake City!

Tough decisions like this will put me in an early grave...