![A967x100](https://www.advocate.com/media-library/a967x100.jpg?id=32733544&width=1200&height=1656)
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
The Cold War is alive and well, except now the forces of LGBT equality are fighting it against the forces of antigay theocracy. Remember the Cold War? Remember how many Americans believed the Communists were the ultimate threat to our way of life because coexistence wasn't enough for them? Over and over we were told that they wouldn't stop until they'd taken over and destroyed us.
They didn't, of course, but now we have the fundamentalist Christian movement, and as Michelle Goldberg reminds us in her terrifying and essential new book, Kingdom Coming, they don't just want a voice in government. They want dominion. They want their religious beliefs to become law.
And that's why they're just as dangerous as the red menace, if not more so. They tell us over and over that freedom of religion is an essential element of American democracy--and we agree. But when the expression of person A's religion impinges on the civil rights of person B, then freedom of religion has overstepped its bounds in a free and democratic society.
The theocratic menace does not agree, arguing instead that freedom of religion means the freedom to mistreat and discriminate against any fellow citizens they disapprove of--in employment, in housing, in schools, everywhere. Hard-line rapture righters are going to court to sue for what they believe is their constitutionally protected right to express their religion-based homophobia in public, to deprive gays and lesbians of equal rights, and to advertise their vile and misleading "ex-gay" programs. Religion, they say, frees them from the requirements of a civil society, such as bans on discrimination or harassment.
In reality, religious freedom has always had its limitations. The Mormons had to give up polygamy before the United States would allow Utah into the union. And "religious freedom" arguments in favor of slavery, segregation, and the subjugation of women ultimately failed to prevent past strides forward in civil rights.
Fundamentalist religions do have the right to despise and deplore homosexuality, or pork, or whatever. But when they take their hate to the legislature or the courthouse, they must be barred at the door. Fair-minded Americans need to join their queer brothers and sisters in fighting this new Cold War.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
After 20 years, and after tonight, Obama will no longer be the Democrats' top star
August 20 2024 12:28 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Judge partially halts Idaho’s anti-trans care law
September 05 2024 2:30 PM
Female couples are helping to keep Portland queer
September 05 2024 1:27 PM
How 'Skincare' tackles women's aging, consent, and othering a queer-coded Latino
September 04 2024 8:00 PM
Here are the 25 transgender Americans lost to violence so far this year
September 04 2024 3:35 PM
Ben Platt marries Noah Galvin in New York celebration
September 04 2024 3:15 PM
53 years ago, Jack Baker and Michael McConnell became the first same-sex couple to wed
September 04 2024 2:27 PM
Even Republicans are against Tennessee’s trans health ban
September 04 2024 1:05 PM
And they're off! 8 things to watch for as the 2024 presidential election kicks into high gear
September 04 2024 10:00 AM
Tim Walz to honor LGBTQ+ community at Human Rights Campaign National Dinner (exclusive)
September 04 2024 9:00 AM
A Virginia college bans transgender students — based on language from the year 1900
September 04 2024 5:39 AM
Harris campaign, others call out Trump for holding events in towns with racist histories
September 04 2024 4:57 AM
Candace Owens claims TikTok makes men gay and causes women to hate them
September 03 2024 6:27 PM