On Sept. 10, the Atlanta Eagle, a gay bar in Georgia, was raided by local police on account of, well, nothing.
According to Mike Alvear, writing for The Huffington Post, nearly 20 police officers — nine undercover and 10 in uniform — rushed into the bar and handcuffed 62 people, forcing them to lay flat against the beer-and-dirt-covered floor for two hours straight.
Police officers confiscated cell phones, wallets and other personal belongings indefinitely. And as if this wasn’t enough, the police officers’ comments during the night included a series of racial and other discriminatory remarks, like “I hate queers” and “This is a lot more fun than raiding [N-words] with crack,” according to Alvear.
The supposed reason for the raid was that the undercover police officers spotted drug sales and illegal sexual activity happening in the bar, both of which somehow magically disappeared once the other officers came in to search. It’s clear that the raid was much more anti-gay than anti-crime.
Is this really how far we’ve come in the gay rights movement? It feels like the gay population has been fighting for equal rights since I can remember. The problem is, I think the gay rights movement will take even longer than the equal racial rights movements took in the past, and even today, we’re still struggling with racial problems in many aspects of life.
I believe the gay rights movement is having such a struggle because there is no conclusive proof that demonstrates, for lack of better words, a gay gene. I personally have no remembrance of choosing to like girls, but I can’t help doing so. I don’t think they’ll ever find that gay gene, just like they won’t find a straight gene.
There is some decision we make subconsciously near the beginning of our lives that determines who we will love in the future, and it’s made so early in life that it’s the basic equivalent of someone deciding for us.
In the minds and eyes of everyone who is against homosexuality, being gay is just an individual choice, the reflection of a personality. But it’s not a reflection.
And despite what our personal feelings may be, we need to put these feelings aside to make sure that our police force has no prejudice against any particular set of people.
Think about what would happen if the military or doctors started helping and treating only the people they thought to be “worth it.”
The protection we expect in the United States needs to have no preconceptions. If anything, I’d like to see more than the pseudo-apology offered by the police department who raided the bar. We need to make an example out of this situation so authority figures know they won’t be able to get away with a little slap on the wrist next time.
The only time anything should be judged is when it is hurting other people. And stopping two people from being able to love each other — that will hurt them far worse than allowing it will ever hurt anyone else.
Reach Brian at brian.p.anderson@asu.edu.
