Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Activists Too Far???

You haven't mentioned anything specifically so as a general answer I would say no. Not even close.



There is myth being spread by Christian Conservatives that by demanding equal treatment under the law we are infringing on their right to practice their religion freely. Their beliefs have no place in employment, housing, and civil law, so this is untrue.



People assume the right to free speech means their opinions must be respected and treated as if they are factual.

Their RIGHT to express their opinions must be respected, the opinion itself does not. An opinion is not a fact and it does not carry the same weight as facts when it comes to the law. How one feels and what one thinks are not valid arguments for discrimination.



This is NOT a valid argument; "I hate homos and if you say I am a bigot you are guilty of hate speech." I see variations of this all the time and it is ridiculous. It does not make me a hater for pointing out your bigotry if you are a bigot.



LGBT people have never demanded legislated special rights. We are demanding the same rights and privileges enjoyed by all other American citizens.



There is no right to marriage in the Constitution.

(That is a complicated argument for Constitutional scholars and I have yet to find one SodaHead.) The fact is that since 1888 the Supreme Court ruled marriage to be a civil right 14 times. But for the sake of argument let's assume there is no right to marriage in the Constitution. Is it constitutional to deny same-sex marriage through a state law or amendment to a state's constitution? NO. Read the 14th Amendment and learn what the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses actually say. The language is very clear. The state must have a compelling interest to deny equal protection by law. If one thinks the state does have such an interest they need to prove it court. So far no one has been able to it and THAT is why Prop. 8 was overturned in California. Which brings me to my next point:



An activist judge is a judge you don't agree with. Claiming otherwise is an old and tired argument used by people who have no legal basis for their opinions.



Thirty eight states have laws banning same-sex marriage. That is what the majority of people want so the government should stay out of it.

What the majority thinks does not matter legally or morally. Again, read the 14th Amendment. Also do some reading and it becomes clear this argument has been used for centuries as a justification for a wide variety of issues. In the end it's always about treating others as equals and there is no justifiable reason to anything but that.



There is nothing unreasonable or pushy in anything I have said. No one is being forced to accept anything into their private lives they do not want there. No one if forcing anyone to change their religious beliefs, accept homosexuality as "legitimate", or even be cordial to LGBT people. But no one can expect me or any other tax-paying, law-abiding LGBT person to accept less than other American citizens.

I've been out for close to thirty years so I understood exactly what you thinking because I've thought the same things before. There is definitely a line between standing up for equality and forcing your own beliefs in peoples faces and demanding they do what you say.
I've come to the conclusion that line is clearly written in the Constitution. There is no reason to expect everyone in America will accept everyone else. That will never happen and who cares anyway? The only rights I expect are those in the Constitution, which is what everyone expects. That's it.
I've done the parades and Act-Up, and there was time when they served a valuable purpose. I think that time has passed and it's time for the next step.
It's pretty clear everyone knows that next step is inevitable which is why the arguments are changing. "Homos are child molesters" doesn't cut it anymore. Now it's about "special rights" and "infringing on my religious beliefs" but those arguments are no more factual than any other.
Do people have to educated on homosexuality? Do they have to accept it? Of course not. People can believe whatever they choose to believe. But a belief is not a fact and none of us have to live according to what someone else believes.


P.S. It's about 38 states but it's complicated. Some ban any union between two people of the same sex. Some allow civil unions but not marriage. A few allow marriage. Then there are some where the issue is pending one way or the other and some were effected by Prop 8 in California being over turned.
If you look at polls it's just as confusing as who believes what and how many support or oppose marriage or civil unions. There is only one thing I can tell from a poll. If someone uses a poll that shows a majority of Americans oppose gay marriage, that person opposes it as well. Ditto for those who use polls showing the majority supports it.