We are currently in homosexual pride month or as many would prefer to say, LGBTQ month. Now, here is the thing. I am not even going to get into Sodom and Gomorrah or Paul’s letter to the Corinthians regarding sexual morality. I am addressing this from a worldview perspective that both conservatives and libertarians can agree on and that is individual worth. Every human being has intrinsic worth. By that I mean, our worth is separate from our performance and characteristics. Our founders understood this when they said we are all created equal endowed with certain inalienable rights including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Some founders like to include the right to own property.
Now, this is a distinct and defining worldview statement. I recently heard a sermon on Cultural Marxism which instead of valuing individuals based on who they are and by their intrinsic worth instead identifies people based on the group or groups they associate with. Cultural Marxism pushes a narrative insisting that there are power struggles amongst groups while citing marginalization against those who are deemed to struggle in society. This is true which I will later explain.
With this month of June being LGBTQ month, we must remember that setting people aside because they fall under various categories is nothing new. People have been set aside for being part of the Christian Right, a member of a labor union or a teacher’s union, a member of Black Lives Matter, a socioeconomic group (Top 1%) the list goes on. Additional group identity in society furthers societal friction often leading to resentment and additional prejudice and racism. However, when we see one another as individuals, more acceptance is seen amongst people in society thus reducing conflict. We see rights as something that applies to everyone without giving special recognition to groups as seen with hate crime legislation for example. In fact, to that end, we embrace the protections found in the Bill of Rights designed to protect people regardless of the group or groups they belong to.
It so happens that June is ‘Pride’ month because of a tragic event that occurred involving homosexuals at the Stonewall Inn night club in New York early June 28, 1969. New York City police raided the Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City. A riot followed among bar patrons and neighborhood residents as police roughly hauled employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes with law enforcement outside the bar.
What is the real reason for all of this? Some will point to the immoral behavior practiced by the bar patrons. Well, there is no doubt that immorality must be dealt with in society. However, state officials, in this case local police neglected their intended role which is to protect our rights as the founders understood while refraining from monitoring our behavior provided it does not infringe upon the rights of others.
Homosexual activity was treated much like alcohol consumption in the 1920s. For instance, solicitation of same-sex relations was illegal in New York City. For such reasons, LGBT individuals flocked to gay bars and clubs, places of refuge where they could express themselves openly and socialize without worry. However, the New York State Liquor Authority penalized and shut down establishments that served alcohol to known or suspected LGBT individuals, arguing that the mere gathering of homosexuals was “disorderly.”
Thanks to activists’ efforts, these regulations were overturned in 1966, and LGBT patrons could now be served alcohol. But engaging in gay behavior in public (holding hands, kissing, or dancing with someone of the same sex) was still illegal, so police harassment of gay bars continued, and many bars still operated without liquor licenses—in part because they were owned by the mafia.
So, what started off as violations of individual liberty including the right to assemble, has resulted in a huge expansion of a societal group whose influence has grown substantially. This influence has impacted school curriculum, corporate policy, rules for adoption, and the issuance of marriage licenses. All the while, enormous strife has erupted amongst LGBTQ organizations and faith-based organizations who have opposed the LGBTQ efforts every step of the way.
Some say Cultural Marxism is a conspiracy theory. Going by this example, it appears this clash of societal groups ultimately began with a disregard for individual liberty. Another example is the historic clash between skilled and unskilled labor or big business v small business. In either case, the more influential (Big labor and Big Business) have the resources to stifle the little guy’s ability to compete and thrive.
When asked what the greatest law was, Jesus summarized the 10 Commandments saying, love God and your neighbor. If we are really loving our neighbor, shouldn’t we respect people’s liberties including the right to assemble and at the same time respect the values people want taught to their children? What about the right to engage in free enterprise? Should the well-connected create roadblocks for the less influential to make a living?
Finally, we must see individuals as God does. In Psalm 139:13-14 the Psalmist approaches God by saying: For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. By God’s declaration in Genesis 1:27 we are told: So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
We must also see God as sovereign. Romans 8:28 tells us, and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. A favorite verse, Colossians 1:17 also speaks to God’s sovereignty, and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
So, if we love God and our neighbor, recognize God’s design for individuals, and submit to His sovereignty, there is no reason we should not be a liberty loving society.
In His Image 