An Open Letter to Bigots

Dear Bigots, 

I'm tired. 

I am tired of racism and sexism and homophobia. I am tired of skewed statistics and outright lies. I'm tired of hatred dressed as righteousness, I'm tired of innuendo passed off as fact, I'm tired of unfunny jokes and unfair slights. I'm exhausted by the perpetual misconceptions, the ridiculous stereotypes and the condemnations to hell. 

Particularly tired, though, am I of bullshit. If you are a racist or a sexist, a homophobe or a bigot, say it. Don't hide behind your Bible or your God or your upbringing or your location. Don't pretend that you are speaking for Jesus when you bash gays. Don't pretend you are speaking for your entire race when you spew racist garbage. Don't pretend that you are advocating family values with your sexist philosophy. If you're a bigot, stand up and say it! If you really believe all of the vile, hateful things you say, you shouldn't have to dress it up as religion or nationalism or tradition. You should be proud to stand up and declare your bigotry!

And, for the love of all that is good, do not say "I don't hate the person, I hate the sin/culture/whatever", because that's fucking bullshit. If you hate something that a person has no control over, if you hate a sexuality or a skin color, you do indeed hate the people that exhibit those things. You are condemning part of the essence of that person. You are letting them know that because of something they can't help, because of something beautiful, unique and harmless about them, you feel they aren't as good as you are. You are saying that being from a certain country, having a certain skin color, being a particular gender or being attracted to a particular gender is wrong. Think about that for a second. Think about, first of all, how fucking stupid that sounds. And then think about how ridiculous it is to say "I don't hate those people, I just hate how they are". Apply that standard to anything else, and you'll see how utterly moronic it is. 

"I don't hate dogs, I just hate that they bark and have fur and want to play and need love."

"I don't hate chocolate, I just think it's an abomination for sugar and cocoa to come together."

"I don't hate roses, but if my daughter brings one home, I'll disown her."

Makes sense, right?

It astonishes and appalls me that bigotry is still so prevalent, but the fact that you assholes now need to lie about your bigotry gives me some hope. You, who were once feared, are now cowards - hiding behind Gods and feigning social concerns, because you know your opinions are shameful. You know that, with each passing year, your membership dwindles, your actions become less and less acceptable, your words are more often met now with ridicule than agreement. You know that science and reason and education have ripped all of your arguments to shreds, and, best of all, we know that bigotry is to no benefit.

We are evolving, and you will be left behind.