I lurk on the Facebook page of a Canadian queer activist. I never knew he existed until he appeared unexpectedly on my news feed. I am a liberal-minded man; I believe in liberalism, pluralism, and equality in law and opportunity instead of collectivism and diversity, equity and inclusion. I don’t like what he says, and I find his attitude and behaviour contemptible. He makes me think of my fieldwork when I studied the sociology of religion and religious studies at Queen’s University in the 1980s. I interacted with various Christian faith communities, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestants. I met many people, some of whom were the worst hypocrites. The man in question is the archetypal example of a religious hypocrite. His smug self-righteousness is insufferable. He reminds me of Jerry Falwell’s unctuous self-righteousness; he is unbearable. What is worse is his bigotry. He does not listen to his critics. He dismisses them as anti-queer chauvinists and haters, promptly blocking them. If push came to shove, he would happily try to cancel them.

I am not an activist. I am a mature gay man who lives openly and tries to lead by example. I publish my blog and my hunting diary to show my readers that being a homosexual is ordinary; there is nothing unusual in having a homosexual orientation. You can lead a happy life and choose any pastimes you want. You are not expected to think or behave in any particular way because you are a gay man. I sincerely hope that I set an upright example for gay youth. I would happily try to talk things over with this man, but I know from experience that he is not interested in hearing what I think. My predicament is that despite his deplorable attitude, I will defend his right to form and express his thoughts.

On the other hand, he and like-minded individuals will try to censor me without hesitation. Of course, they will insist it is not censorship. Instead, it is “stopping hate speech.” He fails to appreciate how easily society could turn the tables on him. But then, the censor never expects to be caught in his own trap. The irony is not lost on me that, as a liberal-minded gay man who studied religion as a social phenomenon and the philosophy and theology of the Abrahamic faiths, I make friends quickly with Christians and Muslims with whom I have engaging discussions on faith and morals. I also move freely in politically conservative circles, where I am welcome to join discussions of current events. The only issue I encounter that irks me a little is when others think I speak as a gay man instead of a man who happens to be gay. “Can you give us your perspective as a gay man,” I am asked occasionally. Well, I never claimed that I speak as a gay man. I think those who asked that question missed the point. If you want the perspective of a gay man, take it up with the queer activist, who I will not name as he is happy to say that he speaks as and for gay men. I am upfront with others about my homosexuality; it is hard to conceal, given that I live openly with my husband, Mika–we will celebrate twenty-six years together in August. I do not wear it on my sleeve and expect no deference or special treatment.

The queer activist champions an authoritarian and alienating ideology that categorizes people according to racial, sexual and gender identity politics, pitting them against one another in futile quarrels over who has the most oppression points via the ever-expanding alphabet soup acronym. Global News published a story recently highlighting a survey that found declining support among Canadians for “LGBTQ2S+” rights. It comes as no surprise to a reasonable person, and it is disheartening as it only harms gay men who only want to be left alone and take their place in society as free and equal citizens. On that basis, I think that I am justified in my condemnation of the queer activist’s character based on his self-righteous attitude and behaviour.

Posted by Geoffrey