A day in which I am somewhat disappointed in people

So I was reading today about the sermon given by Pastor Curtis Knapp of the New Hope Baptist Church of Seneca, KS today.  He called from the pulpit for the government to execute gay people, because it had been sanctioned by the Bible.  This was on the heels of Rev. Charles L. Worley of the Providence Road Baptist Church in NC calling for us to be put in concentration camps and kept there until we died.  He later told the press he was "just joking".  I just don't understand how a man who puts himself forth as a religious leader could speak of such things.  Oppose them?  Well I guess so if that is how you feel led, but for a church to call for executions or to embrace the 'final solution' of the Nazi party?  I just don't understand it.  It upsets me, and it makes me sad.  The thought that someone who has never met me wants to see me dead is I suppose understandably depressing.  Sometimes the world just makes me tired.  Folks is hard.

All this kind of led me to contemplate how I feel about my dignity as a gay man.  I've been talking to people about this recently.  In the old days, there wasn't much call for it, because folks were just worried about surviving and keeping a roof over their head.  Of late though, it's a barometer of acceptance that there is more contemplation of equality.  I enjoy Will & Grace, and certainly don't discount what that show did for the gay community - it was important.  But at the same time, re-runs already appear dated to me.  I have a feeling that future generations will cringe when they see the shows.  In a way W&G was our Amos 'n' Andy.  And like Amos 'n' Andy (who were portrayed by white people), the characters weren't played by gay people.  That doesn't invalidate what they did, it's just telling that the only way to make gay people palatable to the masses was to have them played by straight people.  There was also the valid criticism that the primary relationship in W&G was between a man and a woman.  Will was by and large asexual (you could argue that Jack made up for that). 

On the whole, I'd rather be seen as a potential lap dog than as the spawn of Satan.  But the tendency to for society as a whole to dismiss gay men as potential side-kicks for the leading lady, hairdressers, or waiters (to in no way denigrate those professions) chafes a bit.  Again, better than being seen as sexual predators and/or paedophiles (which is how some still view us, discouragingly), but I'd rather not have to be minimized to be acceptable.  I don't spend a ton of time contemplating my dignity as a human being.  But it's been rattling around on the back porch of my mind lately. 

In other disappointing news, I bit the bullet and sent my whole T to Bob yesterday via email.  Crickets.  I guess it is disconcerting to find out that much up front about someone that you are still in the opening stages of talking to, but for him not to reply at all just seems cold.  He is not the first guy to run screaming for the hills, and I don't guess he'll be the last, but it is discouraging.  It is just so hard to keep reaching out to people and getting my feelings slapped.  Sometimes I think I should just stop and resign myself to being single.  I'm not quite there yet, but today I feel closer.

But enough whining.

Work was work.  I did get some last-minute requests in for write-offs, but was able to get them processed with no problem.  They're in CA now for approval, so it's out of my hands.

After work I remembered that I hadn't put the lamp shade I needed to return in the boot, but I didn't feel like going home just yet.  I ran through another Ross Dress for Less to see if they had any more of the Rhonda mugs, but no dice.  I did pick up some socks, but virtuously refrained from any further purchases.  I also went in Marshall Home Store for a rummage 'round, ostensibly to check for Rhonda mugs, but really just because I felt like going.  I felt like I needed the lift.  I also ducked into Petsmart to look for a new comb for Crooner.  I bought one, but it wasn't the kind I wanted and ultimately proved unsatisfactory. 

By the time I got out of there I was hungry and my feets hurt, so I headed for home.  I fed the cats and ate dibs and dabs out of the fridge for supper.  I put in a load of laundry and vegged in front of the boob tube, taking in some Family Guy re-runs and Taboo, which was pretty interesting tonight - infantalism, cosplay and Japanese 'maid cafes' that were staffed by guys (always reassuring to see people kinkier than I am).  (Speaking of which, I need to do a bit of reading on zentai - there was a guy at Frolicon doing that this spring and I didn't even know what it was.  I inadvertently found out what it was called tonight in the promos for future episodes of Taboo.) 

When the washer cut off, I put the wash in the dryer and went to bed. 

The nice thing was, just as I was turning in, I got a text from Logan.  I am invited to celebrate Russ's birthday this weekend with a flea market run Saturday morning (to make up for the one we missed last week) and a trip to see Snow White and the Huntsman, which I have been really looking forward to seeing.  I am as excited as if it was my birthday!  (And actually it's a little bit better, because I don't even have to get older.)  It was a really nice way to end the day.  I fell asleep in pleasant expectation of the weekend.