A while back someone objected to my post where I said that, in this day and age, if the first thought that comes to mind when thinking about a gay neighborhood is “AIDS,” that indicates a certain level of ignorance and bigotry. The reasoning presented in the objection boiled down to, “maybe I’m not as well-informed as you are, but that doesn’t mean I’m bigoted. I don’t hate anyone!”

First, I didn’t say hatred, I said bigotry. Bigotry is formally defined as “obstinate and unreasonable adherence to an opinion or idea.” Depending on the context it can shade into narrow-minded intolerance, or blind and excessive zeal, as well as dismissiveness of other ideas. But the central meaning, and the meaning I intended was that “unreasonable adherence to an idea.”

The unreasonable idea (the idea not supported by facts), is not even the obvious one… Continue reading …but I don’t hate anyone! →