The gay agenda

The word "agenda" certainly has come to have a negative connotation in our society--specifically when used in a political context.  So, when I hear the phrase "the gay agenda", I think of a secret council of gay people meeting in a secret room somewhere secretly devising a plan to overthrow heterosexual society and replace it with an entire world filled with gay people.

So, what is this "gay agenda" that Christian fundamentalists keep talking about?  What is the hidden objective behind asking for social and legal recognition for gay couples?  Do gay people secretly want to make everyone else turn gay too?  If so, I'll let the cat out of the bag now--gay people understand that sexual orientation isn't a choice, so they know that making straight people gay is impossible.  So, that can't be it.  Ok, do gay people secretly want to take over the world and make straight people subservient?  It's possible, and I'm sure some of them want to if for no other reason than to get revenge for how gay people have been treated in the past, but I also highly doubt that there's any real reason for concern there.

I'm racking my brain and I'm not coming up with any other things that are allegedly on the "gay agenda".  I've heard that gay people want to legalize gay marriage so that they can destroy straight marriage.  I have yet to hear a logical argument as to how that happens.  The only argument I've heard to that effect is that gay people marrying each other means less people available to marry straight people.  Well, I have news for those who think like that (i.e., those who encourage gay people to marry straight people).  Mixed-orientation marriages often end in a great deal of pain and sorrow.  Those of you who have your own daughters, just ask yourself "Do I really want my daughter to marry a man that is not sexually attracted to her?  Do I want her to go through all of the psychological trauma of realizing that her husband isn't interested in her?  Do I want to damage her self-esteem that much?" and then tell me that you still want to encourage gay people to marry in heterosexual marriages.

If there are any other things that I've missed--anything else that's allegedly on the "gay agenda" that I haven't listed, please let me know so I can address that.  I'd be happy to write another post about this.

Now, I will state what I believe is on the gay agenda.  I can't speak for every homosexual, so I will speak for myself only.  What is on my agenda:

1. I wish to be able to marry Conrad (legally) because I love him.
2. I wish to live in a state where that marriage is legally recognized.
3. I wish to adopt children with Conrad and raise them to be good, upstanding citizens in the community.
4. I wish to end all of the misconception and prejudice against gay people.
5. I want gay youth to be able to grow up in a community where they are not afraid to show their true feelings, not afraid to walk the halls of their own school, not afraid to date other gay people.
6. I want to establish a community where love and mutual understanding wins out over closed-mindedness, lack of communication, and hasty judgment.  

Things that are not on my gay agenda:

1. I do not wish to ruin marriage for anyone--gay or straight.
2. I do not wish to break up any families.
3. I do not wish to tell other people whether they can marry the person they love or not.
4. I do not wish to dictate to other people what their religious convictions should be.
5. I do not wish to impose my own religious convictions on other people.
6. I do not want to force churches to perform gay marriages, if that church believes that gay marriages are evil.  I believe in the right of free exercise of religion.

(More pro-gay campaign signs like the one embedded above can be found here.)