Donna Fletcher’s May 1st letter in the Rapid City Journal denouncing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender inclusion in hate crimes legislation displays classic prejudicial reasoning.
Her comment that “HR1592 would give elevated status to certain citizens based on how they have sex and how they dress” reduces individuals to a single, distorted, inaccurate stereotype robbing them of individuality and identity making it easier to justify prejudice and hatred.
Would Ms Fletcher define herself by her sexual activities? Does she change genders by wearing a pair of pants? Why does she reduce me to a single negative stereotype?
Even if I never engage in sexual activity, I’d still be homosexual because that’s how I was created. And I’d still be a target of homophobes and bigots and subject to hate crimes.
When individuals are singled out for attack based on a label, characteristic, the group to which they belong or a negative stereotype, it’s not just an attack on an individual. It attacks the entire group. It’s intended to create fear and anxiety in the minority group forcing them into silence and an inferior, subservient status. It’s insidious, Un-American and Un-Christian and attacks the basic premise of fairness and equality on which this nation was founded.
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