Losing my religion . . .

 Dear you,

Primary day in Florida and New York.  We, especially in Florida, seek to select candidates who have the best shots at defeating the far-right wave of fascism, fascism in the name of somebody's "savior".  In the news:

Florida Grace Christian School emailed parents recently informing them "LGBTQ-identifying students will be asked to leave the school immediately."  USA Today quoted the top administrator, Barry McKeen:  "We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, transgender identity/lifestyle, self-identification, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful in the sight of God and the church."

Ah yes, all of those things belong together.  Bestiality and bisexuality.  Incest and self-identification. Oh, these people. And what is their problem with self-identification? What does that even mean?  Shouldn't we all self-identify, know who we are essentially?

True, this targeted purge at Grace Christian is not new.  They have always enforced the fundamentalist rules. Even the straight quarterback will be expelled if administrators find out he bopped the head cheerleader (who might be anything). But something else about the current purge makes me queasy.  This:  school policy relies on Genesis 1:26-28 to justify their condemnation of "elective sex reassignment, transvestite, transgender, or non-binary gender fluid acts of conduct."

[Of note there, verse 27:  "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."  Oh dear, the grammar.  Why does this sound like Yoda from Star Wars?] Now, about my queasiness, think about this condemnation of gender fluid acts of conduct.

That could mean anything. That could be anyone. That could be you, right-wing golfer dude in the PINK Ralph Lauren shirt.  That could be you, big-ass woman with a cigarette dangling from her mouth while she checks her overheated car engine.  (I thought only a man could be that dumb.)  That could be you, young man with gorgeous Goldilocks locks.  That could be you, lady at the pool who is actually swimming with the kids instead of passively watching from the deck, modestly wrapped in a Bible Verse beach towel. That could be me, insisting on a solo, childless life and a room of my own.  It is me.  It is you.  It is everyone with a mind of their own.

We've been here before and we've fought this fight.  Gloria Steinem, in her book My Life on the Road, looks back to 1977 and the first National Women's Conference.  Reflecting on the obstacles women faced as they fought to add an amendment (the ERA) to the constitution guaranteeing their personhood, she recalled resistance from so many Christian fundamentalists.  Among them, of course, were way too many women.  She writes, "I began to see that for some, religion was just a form of politics you couldn't criticize."

We do tiptoe around these McKeens and company when it comes to faith, don't we?  Too often, we take a high road, trying to tolerate their intolerance.  This makes no sense.  Their god, their stories, their twisted "textually" supported arguments are fucking everything up. It's not faith. I'll say it again; it's #ChristoFascism.

Enough. I'll close in a very gender fluid way, no feminine XOs or "Love, Joyce".  Just this: END.

#VoteBlueNoMatterWho