A Comparison

All over the US, various bills are making their way through state or federal legislatures concerning the treatment of LGBT people. They are basically either non-discrimination, hate crimes or anti-bullying bills.

Regardless of one's opinions regarding the moral issues surrounding homosexuality/gender issues, the vast majority of people are of the opinion that LGBT people should not be subject to discrimination or violence.

That being said, many people still take issue with making it illegal to discriminate against LGBT's, even going so far as to oppose anti-bullying laws specifically for their LGBT-inclusive clauses. They cite their personal values of homosexuality as being immoral, against their religious convictions, etc.

In comparison, I am a firm non-believer in astrology. The whole "you're going to act a specific way because you were born on a day when the Earth was within a particular rotational angle" baffles me. In fact, I think it's not just a waste of time to give astrology any credence, I think it's a flagrant promotion of outright lies that serves no purpose other than to put money in the pockets of astrologers.

However, if it could be shown that Libras were frequently being denied housing because of their astrological sign, I would fully support legislation to ban such discrimination. If students in public schools were being subjected to verbal or physical harassment because they were born between May 20-June21, I would support legislation that would help keep them safe.

The reason is not because I give any credence to the signs of the zodiac, but rather because people who are systematically treated badly for illogical reasons deserve to be protected from that discrimination. Anti-gay activists should be aware that their positions suggest that by fighting these legislative efforts, they suggest that it is acceptable to dehumanize LGBT people. Meanwhile, supporting these efforts would in no way undermine their theological convictions.