How the religious right-wing have persecuted people for their sex

Do you know who Catherina Linck was? Don't feel bad if you don't. Before yesterday, neither did I. Linck was a born female who was executed by the Prussian government in 1721 for "sodomy." Linck dressed as a man, and seemed to sexually attracted to women. That was Linck's natural sexual orientation.

But according to the religion and beliefs of the time, Linck must have been possed by a satan. Now, before you scoff at them, have we come that far when in Uganda there is support for kill gays death penalty bills? When American Christian conservatives have supported these anti-gay groups in Uganda, if not quite outright death for gays?

The fact is, the religiously powerful have had a mixed history when it comes to sexuality. In Florence (Italy) in 1403, the Catholic church ran a brothel. Why? To keep young men from becoming gay. I am sure they are not proud of this history, but has the Catholic church changed that much in its' opposition to gay rights?

In 1995 North Carolina Republican state legislator Henry Aldridge stated about rape victims, "the juices don't flow, the body functions don't work'', so if a woman is pregnant, she could not have beeen raped. Well, Aldridge should know, after all he is also a medical professional. He's a periodontist. Or, he works on teeth. I am sure that made him an expert on the human reproduction system. I think it is safe to say that Mr. Aldridge is on the religious right-wing.

Lastly, religious fundamentalists have supported locking up young men for engaging in masturbation. It has been considered by them, as a sign of mental illness. While only a relative few still believe this, they are eager to ban any pornographic material to stop the "evils" of masturbation.

The fact is, religious fundamentalist types and authoritarians have always been interested in the sex lives of others. They want to lock up gay men and they want to keep adultery a criminal offense. But, they are for smaller government, along as it is something as small as clear air or water.