What the WTF? - Gay Exorcism

As Laurie Perez says in this clip, this video speaks for itself. And what it says disgusts me.

It's not the kind of disgust that you get when you see a sorry piece of shit of a human being doing some sorry shit and you look down on him. No, that kind of disgust is pretty disgusting in itself. The disgust I feel is the disgust that comes from that knowledge that these assholes were probably honestly trying to help this kid. And that we're all fucked.

I'm trying not to be a downer here, but evil shit like this--and it is evil shit--fucking low down deep evil shit--depresses the hell out of me. I ask myself why this kid had to have his "soul murdered," to paraphrase the hyperbolic-in-any-other-context words of True Colors executive director Robin McHaelen, and I come up with one thing: human nature.

It's just fucking human nature. It's the way we are. Try to follow me here: We have a natural desire to fit in coupled with an innate distrust of people or things or ideas that are new or different, so when a group of people (cr8zy church people) are confronted with something different (a gay kid) they don't know what the fuck to do. They look at their little "instruction manual" and find the passages that fit their prejudices (gays are icky) and then act out the silly little rituals (or fucking intense exorcism rituals)their elders taught them until the problem is solved (the kid runs away, commits suicide, or pretends he's not gay). This has happened over and over again throughout history, probably because thousands and thousands of years ago it helped us survive as a species, and these people probably honestly thought they were doing this kid a favor. Maybe they're just evil fucks out to make a quick, crass name for themselves, but I've seen this kind of stuff firsthand. I'm pretty sure they thought they were doing the right thing.

It's because this evil impulse to change someone can so easily be seen as the right thing that it's so depressing. How do we get rid of it? How do we stop this stupid, destructive cycle? How do we know we're not falling into this trap ourselves? Maybe someday those who question authority, tradition, and ritual as a matter of course will outnumber those who blindly follow those they trust, whether it's a religious institution, political party, or quack doctor. Maybe someday some real forward-thinking motherfucker will realize that we should just let each other be.

That's the only answer I see. Let each other be. Sure, let's stop people from stealing and killing and stuff like that, but let that kid down the street be gay. You may think he's going to hell and you need to save him, but if you follow the "let him be, he's not hurting anybody else" mantra, you'll avoid the awful, inevitable realization that you were a real dick to a kid for no good reason. Let those weirdos downtown walk around naked. They're not hurting anyone. Let that creepy guy film himself masturbating. You don't have to watch it. See, everyone can benefit.

And what about that poor kid in the video? It must be pretty awful to be caught up in some crazy bullshit that assumes an essential part of your personality is just plain evil--that the only reason someone would be the way you just are is because they were possessed with pure evil. Pretty fucked up when the only way you know to think tells you to hate the only way you know to be. Fucked up and depressing. I hope this kid learns to just let himself be. If he can do that in spite of that experience--in spite of being on YouTube for all to see and mock and publicly condescend to and sympathize with--then maybe there's hope for all of us.