I guess I misunderstood all those conservatives when they said "If we allow gay marriage, next thing you know we'll be tolerating pedophiles."
Apparently it was a threat. "If you legalize gay marriage, we'll personally start tolerating pedophiles."
Edit: Over six years on Reddit and my first gold is something my mom said to me that she probably saw on Facebook. I guess I can’t be too surprised.
Edit2: Since my last edit was so popular, thought i would also point out that my previous highest karma comment was about my sister pretending to have an abnormally large penis. Quality OC means nothing to you people!
I know Mr. Mathis, as I am from a small town right beside his. I could not be any more proud of him as I am now. He and his wife have endured terrible heartache as they also lost their only other child to suicide as well. I cannot fathom the grief. I do know that Mr. Mathis has dedicated his life, since the death of Patty, to making this area a better place. He donates much needed resources to the barely funded programs for the senior citizens. He will not pass anyone by without a cheerful hello and a hearty handshake. He doesn't meet a stranger and he will be the first to tell you to have a great day and if you need anything just let him know. The beautiful thing is he means it. My ex boyfriend, boyfriend at the time, had just completed a rehab program for abusing pain pills. He was a paramedic that has had multiple back surgeries after a horrible ambulance accident. We both frequented Mr. Mathis' nephews restaurant, as it is the only one in our town. He didn't know us by name but he knew us and greeted us like we were family. My ex had just secured a full time job and was working hard to get his 2 kids back but needed a vehicle to make sure he could get to work and back. We were discussing this over dinner one night at the restaurant and Mr. Mathis told him to meet him at the bank the next morning. He did and drove home in a used, but very well maintained, Ford F150. Mr. Mathis had co-signed with him and the payments would be taken out of an account that he also had set up for him to get his credit built back up. I have never in my life had family much less an acquaintance help me like this. He is a wonderful man and I believe he is truly trying to make up for mistakes he made in the past. I'm so glad he now has the heart to stand up for what is right in our state and try to bring much needed change.
Edit 1: To answer multiple questions at once; yes they had a son that committed suicide as well, I don't know specifics but I do know he had battled alcohol and drug addiction since his sisters death and had been through many rehab attempts. He left behind 2, now young adult children, they are 100% supporting their grandpa. Edit 2: I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses for people where I'm from but I think most don't realize how hard it truly is to be open about a different mindset. In the deep South we are indoctrinated into the church almost at birth. We get "Christened" at a few weeks old. We are taught what to believe is "right and wrong" from every angle. From personal experience, if you dare ask questions or want evidence of why we are to believe that then you are ostracized. At 16 I was told I "asked too many questions for a girl" during Sunday school. When I asked how I could help to continue working with the youth past my graduation I was told I needed to find a nice guy to marry that wanted to be a youth minister so I could assist him. I chose to reject this nonsense. I chose to believe that we as humans are here to love one another. Life is hard enough as is without us tormenting each other for our skin color, sexual orientation, gender, etc. With that being said, I am also not your typical southern female though. I have above average intelligence and means to provide for myself. Some people want to be more open minded but are stuck due to economic status. The churches down here provide transportation to some of the lowest income areas to and from voting sites. They bring these people food and help them with bills occasionally. These people feel they are trapped or obligated to vote a certain way. I also don't mean this with any disrespect but ignorance is rampant. School drop out rates are ridiculous despite what is being turned in on paper! If you are an outspoken parent and have different beliefs than the ultra conservatives then your kid gets the short end of the stick throughout life too. He doesn't get picked for a baseball team, never gets invited to birthday parties, gets picked on at school, doesn't make the school play, academic club, etc. The social scene of the south is based on who goes to church together. Lord forbid your kid doesn't go at all. I say this to try to help the outside looking in. Not all of us are ignorant. Not all of us judge. Not all of us voted for Trump. Their are many of us that love everyone, regardless of the labels given to us to divide. We are trying to make a difference, it is just taking us longer. Please be patient and know that their are allies down here that are fighting this battle one vote at a time. Much love from Bama!
bass- on December 12nd, 2017 at 13:12 UTC »
Father, who says he's a local peanut farmer in Wicksburg, outside Roy Moore rally talks about losing his gay daughter at age of 23 to suicide. "I was anti-gay myself. I said bad things to my daughter, which I regret."
in his own words
http://www.dothaneagle.com/news/letters_to_editor/letter-soul-baring-thoughts-on-gay-bashing/article_a1a6b423-82df-5bff-92fd-46e1e1a12ece.html
edit 1:
in 2015 , he purchased and subsequently opened a lake for public use in the honour of his late daughter and named it for her
Last August, Mathis was inducted into the Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of Fame. the honor is given to those who have “contributed greatly to improving the lives of older Alabamians.” Mathis was given the honor for his help in establishing the Wicksburg Senior Citizens Club, and donating new and used vans to provide transportation. He also helped raise funds to help with other senior programs in Houston County.
doctorwhore on December 12nd, 2017 at 14:46 UTC »
I guess I misunderstood all those conservatives when they said "If we allow gay marriage, next thing you know we'll be tolerating pedophiles."
Apparently it was a threat. "If you legalize gay marriage, we'll personally start tolerating pedophiles."
Edit: Over six years on Reddit and my first gold is something my mom said to me that she probably saw on Facebook. I guess I can’t be too surprised.
Edit2: Since my last edit was so popular, thought i would also point out that my previous highest karma comment was about my sister pretending to have an abnormally large penis. Quality OC means nothing to you people!
marielaveaux83 on December 12nd, 2017 at 15:40 UTC »
I know Mr. Mathis, as I am from a small town right beside his. I could not be any more proud of him as I am now. He and his wife have endured terrible heartache as they also lost their only other child to suicide as well. I cannot fathom the grief. I do know that Mr. Mathis has dedicated his life, since the death of Patty, to making this area a better place. He donates much needed resources to the barely funded programs for the senior citizens. He will not pass anyone by without a cheerful hello and a hearty handshake. He doesn't meet a stranger and he will be the first to tell you to have a great day and if you need anything just let him know. The beautiful thing is he means it. My ex boyfriend, boyfriend at the time, had just completed a rehab program for abusing pain pills. He was a paramedic that has had multiple back surgeries after a horrible ambulance accident. We both frequented Mr. Mathis' nephews restaurant, as it is the only one in our town. He didn't know us by name but he knew us and greeted us like we were family. My ex had just secured a full time job and was working hard to get his 2 kids back but needed a vehicle to make sure he could get to work and back. We were discussing this over dinner one night at the restaurant and Mr. Mathis told him to meet him at the bank the next morning. He did and drove home in a used, but very well maintained, Ford F150. Mr. Mathis had co-signed with him and the payments would be taken out of an account that he also had set up for him to get his credit built back up. I have never in my life had family much less an acquaintance help me like this. He is a wonderful man and I believe he is truly trying to make up for mistakes he made in the past. I'm so glad he now has the heart to stand up for what is right in our state and try to bring much needed change.
Edit 1: To answer multiple questions at once; yes they had a son that committed suicide as well, I don't know specifics but I do know he had battled alcohol and drug addiction since his sisters death and had been through many rehab attempts. He left behind 2, now young adult children, they are 100% supporting their grandpa. Edit 2: I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses for people where I'm from but I think most don't realize how hard it truly is to be open about a different mindset. In the deep South we are indoctrinated into the church almost at birth. We get "Christened" at a few weeks old. We are taught what to believe is "right and wrong" from every angle. From personal experience, if you dare ask questions or want evidence of why we are to believe that then you are ostracized. At 16 I was told I "asked too many questions for a girl" during Sunday school. When I asked how I could help to continue working with the youth past my graduation I was told I needed to find a nice guy to marry that wanted to be a youth minister so I could assist him. I chose to reject this nonsense. I chose to believe that we as humans are here to love one another. Life is hard enough as is without us tormenting each other for our skin color, sexual orientation, gender, etc. With that being said, I am also not your typical southern female though. I have above average intelligence and means to provide for myself. Some people want to be more open minded but are stuck due to economic status. The churches down here provide transportation to some of the lowest income areas to and from voting sites. They bring these people food and help them with bills occasionally. These people feel they are trapped or obligated to vote a certain way. I also don't mean this with any disrespect but ignorance is rampant. School drop out rates are ridiculous despite what is being turned in on paper! If you are an outspoken parent and have different beliefs than the ultra conservatives then your kid gets the short end of the stick throughout life too. He doesn't get picked for a baseball team, never gets invited to birthday parties, gets picked on at school, doesn't make the school play, academic club, etc. The social scene of the south is based on who goes to church together. Lord forbid your kid doesn't go at all. I say this to try to help the outside looking in. Not all of us are ignorant. Not all of us judge. Not all of us voted for Trump. Their are many of us that love everyone, regardless of the labels given to us to divide. We are trying to make a difference, it is just taking us longer. Please be patient and know that their are allies down here that are fighting this battle one vote at a time. Much love from Bama!