I not even sure if Westboro are a genuine religious group or not.
They are so extreme it's tempting to see them as a Swiftian Pastiche of a church.
My neighbours are from a Catholic background but it's never been an issue for them as far as I know. They are great neighbours. Indeed most of the Christians I know never bring up homosexuality... If they know you are homosexual.
I have encountered people you might consider pleasant, respectable , not otherwise incendiary who in their ignorance of my sexuality have said that gay people should be locked up, or hung using the Levitican defense either as a Christian, a Jew or even as an agnostic.
It's such an intrenched idea that you don't have to actively believe in the biblical God to use biblical teaching as an excuse for being an evil jerk.
All of the Western world has had cultural exposure in the past to that section of the Bible so it's become one of those religious traditions where the religion element is no longer obligatory but as you can tell from the video it bugs religious people still too.
The religious instructor in my school claimed it was a mental illness that caused homosexuality.
When you grow up noticing that you are attracted to the same gender and politicians and teachers and parents and strangers say stuff like that by the time you get to being my age you just haven't the time for it any more.
Imagine as a young man you heard this sort of crap. How does that make you think about the human race? I've had bricks thrown at me, not mention the verbal abuse and you tie that to news stories like this.
It has an accumulating effect to have general prejudice coupled with spiritual people seemingly in agreement.
Its not just traditional Christians. I've mentioned at length Orson Scott Card's views and Michelle Shocked (once the poster girl for lesbians in need of a poster girl) has said some confusing and bizarre things on the subject from a Mormon background though Darth Editious has pointed out this isn't representative of an actual Mormon approach to the subject but I bought his books, friends of mine collected all he records and I'm left wondering what the hell happened there?
It's genital rubbing between consenting adults. It's the most idiotic prejudice I can think of an I have a proven record of thinking of some pretty strange stuff.
The supreme irony is that as a middle aged man in a monogamous relationship with a man with a bit of a drinky problem (largely stemming from a very screwed up childhood along the lines above) I haven't had sex for two years if not more.
It was a major feature of our relationship at the beginning but I'm not with him for the orgasms. It all adds to the general feeling of 'fuck of and leave me alone' I have on the subject. Whenever it's raised I feel less for the species I really do. My zest for life depletes.