DEAR VISITORS

Yeah, yeah, I made some time out of my busy schedule to start updating the letters section. My apologies to all who e-mailed but were not posted until now or who are still waiting to be posted.

Someone posted a link to godhatehomophobes.com on a heavy metal message
board I frequent, and I'd just like to say, thanks. I appreciate what you're doing there. Keep up the fine work!
-Darcy

E-MAILS FOR 2005
well, some are from late 2004...

For those interested in the Letters Archives feel free to dig through them here.

And hey, I'm posting these letters just like they were typed so all spellings are those of the author's. My responses will be in red (but I'm not typing angry).
SEND E-MAILS TO Jeff Swenson, webmaster

Dear Jeff,

What can I say to LGBT people
who insist that I must show
"tolerance" for LGBT-phobes
so maybe they can tolerate us?

Thank you
M Pahoa

Not sure what the hell this means? I insist on tolerance for all people and allowing them to express their ideas using speech, art, entertainment and so forth, regardless of content. As long as you're not physically harming someone, you can be a saint or an asshole with what you say or express. And to be fair, many homophobes do tolerate pro-homosexual speech, they just don't agree with it. My big problem with homophobia is when an unfair standard is set using laws. If gay people cannot marry because their gayness is a sin then atheists and those who have been divorced, etc, shouldn't be allowed to marry either. The standard of sin is obviously being defined by religion or the Bible. Only sinless Xians should marry under that standard. But of course, under the US constitution that's not the standard we abide by.
LGBT (Lesbians, Gays, Bi-sexuals and Transexuals) people should welcome tolerance and civil rights but not demand or expect members of the straight community to agree with them or approve of how they live. It would be nice if everyone agreed but let's get real. Ultimately tolerance is what we need. After tolerance comes understanding through education. Once you can tolerate someone else's views you open yourself up to considering an opinion other than your own. Hell, maybe I'm totally wrong and Fred Phelps is right--but I haven't seen anything from his literature to convince me yet.


I'M SOOO GLAD TO FINALLY SEE A WEBSITE LIKE THIS!!!! I find it great that you have started such a great thing to maybe even change some peoples opinions about homosexuality, or atleast make them understand that they are people. What I have noticed is that people seem to be afraid of what they don't know or don't understand. I'm only 15 but I do believe that no one would truly choose to be gay because of all the crap they would get for it. Everyone has to admit that almost everyone searches for social acceptance and no one would choose to be treated with such little respect. I don't know if I would go as far and say that God hates people that don't like homosexuals, but I do believe that if God is really what he is hyped up to be then he wouldn't sit there and think its alright to not treat people as equals. After all, I stand up every morning and do the pledge of alligance, under gods name, to a country that believes that God thinks everyone should be treated equal and they would be a hypocrite to say that God doesn't want gays to have marriage rights. Personally, I believe people can disagree with homosexuality but after all its not their life, not their decision. Who is playing god here, the people or god himself by not allowing people to get married? I think everyone knows the answer. I hope a website like yours will maybe not change their opinions on homosexuality, but maybe allow them to learn to accept them as people too with equal rights.
-Sidney

thought I'd just let you know how great a job your doing. Being a gay teeneger is not easy in this world, but people like you make it a little easyer
-Pat,
Newport, Rhode Island

By idiots, i mean sexually insecure homophobes... and im generalizing for the sake of ease, because i notice that many idiot homophobes at my school are the most sexually insecure people you could imagine. Im 17, about to go into my junior year and i'm about as gay as you can get and still be straight. And i write that humorously because people tend to think im gay. I like bright clothing, and I dont listen to the mainstream garbage most do, and i shave my legs. Despite my lack of artistic ability i still posess a decent wit, so i write good comics with crappy illustrations. Upon discovering this site from swensonfunnies.com, i laughed my ass off. It's great how someone such as yourself takes the obvious ills of a society still stuck in a cold-war mentality and can make it into somthing comical. Since thats my future profession (comedian, not comic artist) i figured id let you know that you're right on the money, satire or not.
Anonymous E-mail

i came across your page looking at Anti-Flag. i have many friends who are homosexual, and i HATE it when people talk so ignorantly about them. even my parents have made rude comments, so i just thought i'd let you know that i think your site is awesome, keep up the good work.
julie
ps i went to the phelps site to see what everyone was talking about and i felt sick to my stomach that people are actually THAT hateful. i couldnt even write them a letter cause i thought it would just add to the fire, ya know? so anyway, good job!!!! alot of people appreciate it!
Anonymous E-mail

Hi there, love the site, especially the cartoons. I've visited the Phelps site before (read the whole essay about him too), couldn't get the bad taste out of my head for awhile. But I wanted to mention that just because a person is a conservative Christian doesn't make them homophobic. I've been Christian for about six years now, I voted for Bush, and while many Christians are indeed anti-gay for various reasons, thinking that all of us are is somewhat narrow minded.
I realize that the Bible teaches against homosexuality. It also contains a lot of rules that many of us consider outdated, which you've cited already within this site. I've found that when someone, regardless of religion, denounces homosexuality, their religion is used as a crutch or a kind of shield to hide behind. In truth, I think it has less to do with their faith and more to do with their own hate, ignorance and fear.
And while anything I say about George W. won't sway anyone here (ya either love him or hate him, and there is no inbetween), I will say that neither party advances any kind of real pro-gay platform, but that isn't cause for hating the parties either. America has a long history of discrimination but also a history of social progress. Changes are often slow but can be effected, and I am confident that change is already well underway.
What it ultimately comes down to is this, God's will is not mine to decide. A mass murderer really might repent his/her crimes and I can't say they should go to hell regardless. I don't understand a lot of why the Bible says what it does, what we can really consider archaic, or even if some of the apocrypha is more relevant than the books that made it into the Bible (while I disagree with some of the Gospel of Thomas, it also has some really wonderful things in it). Essentially, Christianity is the belief that Jesus died to cleanse our sins, which are practically infinite, and that it's not up to me to judge when my own sins weigh heavily enough on me. Everything else becomes dogma to argue. I won't apologize for my faith, since the essence of nearly all religions is that each one is the one true religion. That's just the nature of the beast; I wouldn't expect the majority of Muslims to feel guilty about their radical fundamentalists, and a lot of us Christians really don't like being stereotyped into the picket-waving Phelps crowd, since a lot of us don't believe his hate or want to hear his garbage. Christ is about love and redemption. We'd rather focus on that.
Sincerely,
Adriana

Damn, wish I had more time to respond to Adriana since she took the time to write an interesting e-mail. Suffice to say not all conservatives are homophobes. I myself lean Libertarian, which is to say I'm socially liberal, fiscally conservative.
Fact is, many well known conservative pundits may be closet homosexuals if you track the political gossip. I find it hard to understand how they can tolerate being bashed by their own party though. I guess once you're making a living at something you don't want to risk being outed and lose it all. I'm sure the money and fame is good. Can't blame someone for wanting to hang onto that. But if I were a closet homosexual in the Republican party I'd have a hard time not telling President Bush to go fuck himself. On the other hand if I was an open homosexual in the Democratic party I might have told John Kerry to go fuck himself too.

Hi Jeff, I loved your website, including the graphic of the boy holding the GHH sign saying “Repent and get a brain”! Good stuff. It is actually a breath air.
Here is the score for today:
Common Sense: 1
Kansas Taliban: 0
Fred Phelps’ methods for brainwashing the minds of small children should be brought under close scrutiny. I saw his site, and the showing of 8-year olds walking around in “GODHATESFAGS.COM” T-shirts is alarming.
Slowly but surely, we will have the Kansas Taliban on the run. Keep up the good work. I’ll continue to send scathing emails to his church.
Lotsa love for the world
John




It is not uncommon for me to get into arguements or discussions with people about homophobia and homosexuality. I have been told a number of times that my own views are incorrect or too "extreme" or that I voice them too often. I don't think it's possible to voice one's own views too often. I just find it interesting to see people's reactions after they use the word "fag" or
"gay" in irrelevant context...Such as: "You're such a jerk.", "Yeah? Well, you're gay." I usually jump into this conversation (regardless of whether I know the individuals well or not) by saying "Does somone's sexual preference make them a bad person? Is that an insult?" and they'll usually reply with something like "I didn't mean it like that." It's the same with people who you accuse of being homophobic, they've always got a defense. Something like "My uncle/friend/cousin/whoever is gay. I cannot be homophobic." When clearly, who you associate with does not determine whether you are or are not homophobic. Denial. It's the stage most homophobic people my age are in. I'm fourteen years old and have been told a number of times that I'm too young to have opinions on these matters and find that offensive and ridiculous. I've been forming my OWN opinions on sexuality and homophobia and religion on my own for many years now. I, myself am heterosexual, certainly not homophobic and am agnostic.
I find the "trend" of bisexuality and homosexuality to be strange and I don't like people deciding they want to make out with someone of their own sex to attract someone of the opposite sex, however, I do not speak out against it. If you're going to "decide" to be gay and stick with it for whatever reason...well, you're not homophobic, so...I don't mind. I'm proud to be a Canadian citizen and I find myself smiling when I pick up a newspaper to see the words "Americans coming to Canada for gay marriage" et cetera.
All in all, what I'm saying is: Homophobia isn't good. Your site helps people who knew that read articles or letters or comics that pump up their beliefs, people who don't believe that are almost forced to change (if not, at least question) their own views, and people who don't know what homophobia is start off on the right foot.
Thank you,
Meaghan.

Dear whomever it may concern:
My name is Reece Cannon, and I'm from Prince Edward Island, Canada. I play bass for a band called Rouge A Levres (french for "lipstick"). All of the band members, including myself are anti-homophobic. I was on the Protest the Hero site and saw your site on their links, so i decided to check it out. I really like your site and the main points you are trying to get across about homosexuality. While surfing your site, I noticed some other bands I enjoy listening to on your links, and also explored other sites you had listed: godhatesfags.com, godlovesfags.com,save the world, gaychristians.org, etc. and i saw that you were asking people to send in ideas for links for your site. Anyways, what im gettin at is, it okay to add yoursite to my band's links on our site? And, if you want, you can add us to your because we are proud supporters. our URL is " www.rougealevres.cjb.net ". Thank You very much in advance.. I can't wait for a reply.
-Reece Cannon

  It is added Reece! Though I just saw the note that the band is breaking up...

Hey Jeff,
Thanks for the site! I, like you, am a heterosexual male who can't stand homophobes. By the way, have you considered supporting or are you supporting John Kerry for President?
Thanks,
Matt

This note is from 2004 before the election. And yes, I did support John Kerry, however it was because he was the only alternative to Bush. Unfortunately he was kind of wishy washy and at the end of the election I'm still not sure what he exactly stood for. I mean the guy was against gay marriage and he was on the left?

Hello Jeff,
I've just come across your site for the first time, and I couldn't agree more with your opinion regarding homosexuals. I live in a northern hick town, where homosexuality is frowned upon by most members of our society. I really don't understand the logic behind hating gay men and women. I'm happy I came across your site. It's nice to know that there are less narrow-minded people beyond this town of mine.
Fraser

I agree with you on one thing, Christians should not hate gays but honestly if there are some exceptions of Christians who hate gays which there should not be, do not bash the Bible, 44 different people who wrote it had the same things to say and there was one Torah back then which no one had access to exept certain people, 300 Messianic prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, some people say what if someone read the prophecies and tried to fulfill them, the probability of fulfilling 8,just 8 out of 300 of the prophecies is 10 to the 28th power, how does a man decided to be born of a virgin, Jesus pulled it off all of it!on top of that, Rome wrote about what happened under Pilates rule and the spread of Christianity and the Apostles martyrdom, the jews wrote about it too and the disciples did and all these group were in conflict with one another yet they wrote the same things. rome hated the jews and the jews hated rome and the jews and romans hates Christians and the Christians were being killed by both parties yet they all wrote hte same thing, This ancient text also surpised the scientific world when a famous mathamitition found a code in the Bible, a code that encoded modern times and events and even predicted the assassination of the  prime minister of Israel, dont forget about the prophecies of the saints and how they came true, the egyptions wrote about the plagues in there records and about the salves to and egypt hated the hebrews yet  they both said the same thing, in conlusion homosexuality was very much accuring back then too, same problem, but probably worse since gangs of people just raped anyone they seen attractive, so since this problem is "ancient" and modern and the Bible is ancient and modern because goodness knows the "turn the other cheek" dealio was plain revolutionary then we can use the Bible to lead us to a better life. i dont hate gays, infact if your read the catachism youll now that gays can go to heaven just as long as they dont have gay sex, oh and p.s. i dont no about mainstream Christianity like protestenism but Orthodox Christians and Catholics forbid birth control and even condoms, we have a process called natural family planning where you wait a certain time of the month to have sex to prevent children if you dont want any more kids. this teaches self-control and doesnt turn sex which is an act of love into someting centred around pleasure, so before you start bashing the Bible talk to the real Christians who havent changed there rules because the world itself has changed...no condoms no birth control, we must be open to the idea of having children because goodness knows sex is for procreation, talk to the real CHRISTIANS, by the way Jesus is not some hippy who people think is like "oh everybody do what ever you want i died for you thats it keep sinning my blood has cleansed it"-fake hippy corporate jesus, "those who love me will follow my commands" - Jesus, Jesus forgives but you have to mean it, i hang out with Christians who are catholic and orthodox and do some of the stupidest things ever, yet if someone insults the faith they do not follow they go crazy and all defensive. please do not bash the Bible but the people who misinterpret it, and if you bash them do not categorize other Christians under there beliefs because they claim to be Christian..
yours in Christ,
Silas

I'll give Silas a lot of credit. He has a lot to say and tries to do his homework. Just a little hard to follow. Like I told him, I wish I had the time to debate him back and forth. I have to say I respect people who try to think things through even if I disagree with them.

hey, my name is chris, and i hate homophobia, just like you! :)
It has started to take a strangle hold on the punk scene up here, and so as a small, and most-likely insegnificant attempt to take a stand, i decided to make a little group called "punks against homophobes" on myspace, yes, i know, i AM a geek.
anyway, i was wondering if i could [use] a couple cartoons and perhaps add a link to your site in a group forum so that people can get information on my inspiration.
thank you for your time, keep fighting the good fight :D
Yours, ---EDDY

I think it's a little odd when Punks become homophobic. I mean as much as I know about Punks and punk music they are usually against prejudice of any kind. So maybe these Punks Eddy is referring to are just brainless posers. But then I don't consider myself a punk (I just like the music) so maybe I'm not qualified to say.
And yes, I gave Eddy permission to use some of my cartoons.

Hi.Im a muslim from the UK. But frankly thst God hates Fags website is beyond belief! Islam, Judasium and Christianity do condem homosexuality but it also says that u must NEVER force ur beliefs on others. Just as the crusades, these people are bigamists and homophobes and i am suprised these people aren't in prision! I may not agree but not like this I glad to see some sanity on the matter!
Anonymous

Well, we don't imprison idiots for free speech, but I can see how tempting it might be. Traditionally Islam did not force nonmuslims to convert to their beliefs. However, I'm not up on my reading concerning the history of Islam and Homosexuality or sexuality in general. Obviously we all know that Fundamentalist Muslims have taken the spotlight in the Middle East just as Christian Fundies do here in America. That's too bad. I think Traditional Islam and the Arab world had a lot of advantages, which now may have been lost.