On July 16, The Blaze featured Sara Gonzales commenting on a recent incident at a Pride Festival in Fort Worth, Texas. Among those in attendance were Christian preachers intent on expressing their objections to certain aspects of the day’s events. As one was venting his views, a female officer named Sarah Stogner threatened to charge him with “offensive speech” should his words hurt the feelings of those he was addressing. Outraged by what they saw as a violation of America’s First Amendment, the clergymen confronted another cop and asked him if addressing a Trans Female born with a penis as “He” was also subject to criminal charges. His answer was Yes, it was obviously “Hate Speech.”
Ms. Gonzales insists such public Pride events frequently include sexually explicit references and attempts to indoctrinate mere children, both of which she finds obnoxious. Were this the case in Fort Worth, I would absolutely have agreed with the preachers’ outrage. Were they of the opinion that all deviations from the heterosexual norm are somehow sinful, however, I would utterly disagree. Christianity ought long ago to have acknowledged the obvious Biological Diversity of the species, and the vast majority of Christians, I believe, have done so.
Yet however valid or irrational the message of the Fort Worth preachers, that they should be punished for hurting the feelings of others is absurd. Hurt Feelings as a legal principle is absurd!? Nothing better illustrates this than the double standard with which it is presently being applied by the Left. The “hurt feelings” of heterosexual White Males don’t count; nor those of “privileged” White “Karens;” nor those of the Wealthy and Successful.
Sara Gonzales cites the importance of America’s First Amendment to this issue. Free Speech was defended by the country’s Post Enlightenment founders in the belief that Man’s capacity for Reason must forever lead him forward, that opinions rooted in ignorance or bias must inevitably be vanquished. The cultural evolution of most Western Democracies over the last 100 years would seem to validate this belief. Hopefully millions of Muslims have come to reject their religion’s truly vile oppression of both Women and Gays throughout the past. Reason forever leads us forward and attempts to stifle Free Speech at the behest of Hurt Feelings simply stifles this process.
While I fully support all legitimate Gay Rights, I am appalled by 200 lb. Trans individuals born with penises who insist on their right to compete in Women’s sports. That their feelings might be hurt by my opinion is irrelevant. That they are self-centered children utterly indifferent to the rights of others, is self-evident. Reason and not Feelings must be our guiding light. I am a Conservative because this is Conservatism’s defining principle!