Lame-o argument

So there's been a big brouhaha in Seattle over the fact that two women kissing at a baseball game were asked to stop because it made someone uncomfortable. It's been a mild shocker that there are still nasty attitudes in gay-friendly Seattle.

I'm not going to go into the whole public displays of affection, gay or straight, debate.

What I'm compelled to respond to is the lame argument from the other side. The argument is encapsulated with this quote gathered by the Associated Press:

"I would be uncomfortable" seeing public displays of affection between lesbians or gay men, said Jim Ridneour, a 54-year-old taxi driver. "I don't think it's right seeing women kissing in public. If I had my family there, I'd have to explain what's going on."

Big whoopin' deal! "Oh no! I have to explain something about the world we live in to my child!"

Jeepers creepers! They should be happy; it gives them an opportunity to talk about gay people and pass on their homophobic hate to their children!

Seriously. I see things all the time that I have to explain to my child. Some I'm happy about, some I'm not. For instance, when my daughter sees someone smoking outside the grocery store, she shoots me all sorts of questions about smoking. It's a teachable moment. Do I tell the person not to smoke because I'll have to answer my daughter's question? Uh... no!

Kids aren't stupid. They know things happen in the world that their parents don't agree with. A parent can try to keep their children blind to gay people, but they will still reach adulthood knowing that gay people exist. (I know, the horror!)

If having to explain something to your child is the best you can come up with, you really don't have an argument. What's clear is that you think it's gross and the world revolves around you so you tell the usher to get them to stop.

I'll tell you what. Due to my upbringing, I find just about all, even mild, public displays of affection kind of gross. But I deal. It's like passing a dead skunk on the road. It's smells terrible, but you respond by closing your windows and not sniffing for a couple of seconds. If you see a PDA you don't like, here's a tip: Don't look!