To hear activists on the Christian right tell the story, the
conservative Christian American—especially the male conservative
Christian American—is the most oppressed, victimized person in the
country, and perhaps the history of the world. It’s all utterly
disingenuous, of course: painting themselves as victims creates a cover
to actually victimize other people, usually by imposing their fanatical
religious views. Here’s a rundown of various ways Christian
conservatives paint themselves as victims, and who the real victims
actually are.
1) The issue: Whether or not states should ban “gay conversion therapy” for minors who cannot, by definition, give their consent.
Who the right claims is being hurt: Christian
parents whose supposed “freedom of religion” requires that they be
allowed to try to force their kids to be straight. Matt Stave of the Liberty Counsel denounced
banning this practice, calling it a “slippery slope of government
infringing upon the First Amendment rights of counselors to provide, and
patients to receive, counseling consistent with their religious
beliefs.”
Who is actually being hurt: LGBT youth, whose actual rights to be themselves are
being threatened by parents whose poor parenting decisions are
tantamount to child abuse. Gay conversion “therapy” isn’t therapy in any
real sense; actual therapy is about helping people become whole and
well, which can only be achieved by gay and queer people by learning to
accept their sexuality for what it is. These programs don’t actually
convert anyone, something that even prominent “ex-gay” organizations
finally had to admit. At best, they shove young people into the closet.
The American Psychologial Association came out against gay conversion in 2009, and cited its use as a contributing factor to depression and even suicide.
But even if therapists did “convert” young people from gay to
straight, that would not justify these programs. Religious freedom is
something an individual possesses; if a young person decides to reject
her parents’ religious teachings on sexuality, that is her right. Gay
conversion non-therapy is not just an assault on young people’s right to
wholeness, it’s an assault on their right to determine for themselves
what religious beliefs to hold.
2) The issue: The new HHS regulations requiring
insurance plans to cover, without a copay, an assorted list of
preventive care, including contraception.
Who the right claims is being hurt: Religious
business owners, whose “religious freedom” the right claims includes
being able to deny earned benefits to employees, if they disagree with
those employees personal choices. When Hobby Lobby sued to be exempted
from the mandate, the suit cited the family that owns the business’s religious beliefs:
“The administrative rule at issue in this case runs roughshod over the
Green family’s religious beliefs, and the beliefs of millions of other
Americans, by forcing them to provide health insurance coverage for
abortion-inducing drugs and devices, as well as related education and
counseling.” (“Abortion-inducing” is a bit of rightwing speak that
should be translated to “pregnancy prevention”.)
Who is actually being hurt: Everyone who pays into
health insurance systems. The reason the Obama administration decided to
make copay-free preventive services a benefit is that it maximizes the
return on people’s healthcare investment, both in terms of their own
health and saving costs down the line by preventing unnecessary health
problems in the first place. Childbirth is incredibly expensive, and
preventing unwanted childbirth promises to save both the immediate
expenses and allow families to better prepare financially for when they
do want children.
Again, the “religious freedom” argument being advanced by the right
falls apart upon close inspection. Religious freedom is a right held
primarily by individuals; having your boss impose his religious beliefs
on you by manipulating your compensation is an infringement on your
right to work without religious discrimination.
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