How dare you not be ashamed!

Since some Fundies are getting tired of being branded as bigots they are trying to craft a more careful message. That message, like the previous version, will -- eventually -- fail.

Fundies are being branded as bigots because they are seen to discriminate on an immutable characteristic. Society now frowns on (alas, no more than that) discrimination based on skin color. Much of modern society now says gays, because they can't change being gay, should not be discriminated against.

This is one reason why Fundies have long made a distinction between being gay and behaving gay. They aren't discriminating against people, they are discouraging behavior.

Fundies, in this instance Peter Heck, know they are losing the argument that gays are bad within the wider society. Heck says the solution is to stress the distinction mentioned above. Timothy Kincaid says the refined argument won't work any better and gives three reasons.

* Everyone already recognizes that gays, as a distinct group of people, exist. Even Fundies have long ranted against gays, so they can't now claim gays don't exist. Even so, they try, using terms such as "men having sex with men" that focus on the behavior.

* Basing the argument on behavior will actually be good for gays. A gay man is a man who likes sex with other men. That's the basic definition. So how does one ban gay sex without banning gay people? But gays haven't been discriminated against based on what they do -- they aren't banned from adopting kids because they access gay porn. Fundies don't care if you do it in the privacy of your own bedroom -- you can do gay acts there as long as you aren't gay when you leave your front door. Many Fundies don't even like gays who are celibate. What Fundies really object to is people who might do that sort of behavior and not be ashamed of it.

* However Fundies refine the twisted message efforts to deny sexual orientation only make them look extreme, hateful, and ridiculous. As more people get to know gays the claim "they're not really gay, they're just choosing aberrant behavior" doesn't match experience and falls on deaf ears.

Anti-gays are losing influence on the culture around them. Alas, they are also tarnishing the Christian message as they go.