Unfortunately, they have a long way to go. April 16, Facebook removed a picture of Richard Metzger kissing his boyfriend from Metzger's Facebook page, according to an April 19 Dangerous Minds article. The men were fully clothed, and their kiss was no less passionate than one that might occur at a wedding.
Facebook's terms of use state users will not "post content that is hateful, threatening or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence." According to its Frequently Asked Questions, a Facebook administrator looks into each report and decides whether or not the content violates Facebook's terms of use.
Apparently, two men kissing violates Facebook's terms of use.
A kiss is not hateful or threatening. The photo did not contain nudity or pornographic material. But in today's society, two men kissing can incite violence.
Rapper Lil B has received death threats following the announcement that his new album will be titled "I'm Gay," according to an April 25 Rolling Stone article.
"People been hitting me up like, 'I'm gonna bash your head in,' 'you f--t,' 'I'm gonna kill you,'" Lil B said in the article. Though Lil B is straight, he named his album to "push less separation" and "break barriers."
He's got the right idea.
Same-sex marriage is frowned upon by some religions, resulting in social stigmas that society struggles to cope with as people tentatively creep out of the closet. While Americans don't have to support same-sex marriage, they should give gays and lesbians one thing - respect.
Gay and lesbian teenagers are more likely to think about and act on suicidal thoughts, especially if they think those around them don't support them, according to opposingviews.com.
Gays and lesbians should not have to feel threatened by society for being who they are. They should not be viewed as inferior. They should not be the target of slurs and hate crimes. No one should be.
America is the land of the intolerant, not the land of the free. Gays and lesbians are kept from marrying and discriminated against in the workforce. Churches tell them they're in a serious state of sin. They're threatened with violence because they do not fit society's version of "right."
Years from now, students of history will look back on the 2000s and say, "How could they ban same-sex marriage? Why did they discriminate against gays? How foolish of those people!"
Foolish indeed.
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