It should only be Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, right? Wrong.

If I recall correctly, coming out as gay to my ultra Protestant, extremely Korean mother went exactly as planned when she told me this: “Do you expect me to be happy that you're a lesbian? No, of course I'm not happy right now.” Now, having read a direct quote, I hope you detected a bit of sarcasm on my part. Though, granted, she followed up this incredibly insensitive truth with saying “But that's just right now. I don't know how I'll feel in ten - twenty years. God has thrown a lot of things in my life and I've survived then, so who knows how I'll think about you being gay in the future?” This sense of open-mindedness to the great unknown of homosexuality is not usually present in some conservative thinkers, so I’ll always give my mother credit for possessing that quality in the least. Then again, as of today (March 17th, 2016), it has been over five months since this conversation took place - and my sexuality has, not once,  been discussed again during said time. Of course, I completely acknowledge the circumstances to which my mother was brought up. Korean, raised Catholic, and continuously submissive to male dominance, my mother never possessed the courage to maintain her own ideals. Often times, the reasons as to why conservative fundamentalists hold homophobic views are understandable, but a modernization of beliefs to accommodate to the newly outspoken sexualities of America’s people is imperative.

Since the 1500s (I kid you not), society has viewed homosexuals as somewhat of a plague upon society. As expressed by the AGLP,  there were laws set by the English Parliament in 1533, legally condemning “buggery,” and I’m not talking about the pesky fruit fly that lingers around your table during family picnics. “Buggery” encapsulates all homosexual acts as a crime against nature, and executions of the accused would often occur. Which makes sense, right? Since the dawn of its foundation, the United Kingdom ruled in the name of God’s word, so it’s reasonable for its Parliament to have declared measures according to the Bible.

Setting aside historical instances of homophobia for a moment, it’s integral to address the significance of sexuality to those who are non-heteronormative. Homosexuality is more than a phase, more than an experiment. It is not a “flaw,” it is not a “kink” in an otherwise sound identity - and most importantly - it is not a “choice.” If one’s sexual orientation is truly a conscious decision, the correlation of LGB teens being “four times more likely … to attempt suicide than their straight peers,” as shown in a statistic provided by the Trevor Project,  would not exist. Many closeted adolescents - including myself - often feel trapped within the bounds of their own preference, and the overwhelming presence of homophobia in America quickly stifles any and all beacons of hope for a better future. This is absolutely unacceptable. Action must be taken.

Now, returning to unwarranted discrimination towards the gay community in politics, let’s talk about Kim Davis for a minute. Ah yes, the name that makes all of us closeted teens quake in our boots - whether it be due to fear or anger can be determined case by case. This woman, an upstanding government official of at least 27 years, recently made headlines in late 2015 for her refusal to admit marriage licenses to homosexual couples in Kentucky. President Obama and his administration nationally legalized gay marriage five months earlier, yet Davis still refused to abide by said declaration. Claiming, as shown in a CNN article, that “It is a heaven or hell decision,” Davis clearly identifies as an Apostolic Christian in several interviews, a sector of fundamental Christianity that deciphers the Bible’s words literally (according to a website dedicated to its practices). Though to make matters ridiculously ironic, according to her Wikipedia biography, Davis has been married four times and conceived the twins of her third husband five months after divorcing her second one. After channeling a bit of seventh grade Sex Ed recollections and first grade subtraction skills, things do not exactly add up with that timeline. This instance of hypocritical discrimination simply reminds America’s public that fundamental religious beliefs should not be the sole basis of homophobia. For if that’s the case, there’s an endless plethora of landmines hidden within the Bible for unknowing conservatives to stumble on. Though, in Davis’ case, I’ve got to say: her adulterous affair sure was a neon detonator in a jet black field.

Though there will always be a few traditional thinkers for every liberal person out there, religious rationale is understandable in some cases. According to an article from the Atlantic, “Seven years ago, roughly 78 percent of the country was Christian.” There are millions of children raised into devout families all across America, some born without knowledge of alternative, equally justified lifestyles. Thus, when taught that homosexuality is a negative deviation from “normality,” it’s expected for them to accept said beliefs. Without any choice of their own, pious children from pious households will mature to become pious adults, in a concept called “social conditioning.” By a definition provided on Wikipedia, social conditioning is the “process of training individuals in a society to respond in a manner generally approved by the society in general and peer groups within society.” And by no means am I suggesting that these people should abandon the morals that shaped their youth. The ethics of organized religion are beautifully compassionate and well-intentioned. At times, it’s unreasonable to blame a homophobic person that may not understand the detriment of such discrimination, purely due to the basis of him/her being raised in a conservative environment. Although, with that said, evolution of non-heteronormative tolerance is not impossible. We live in a society of constant fluctuation and modernization, in terms of what is or is not socially acceptable. If I - as a gay, incredibly pretentious sixteen-year-old girl - have faith in a future where homosexuality is more widely accepted, it is not without reason. According to a recent poll conducted by Pew Research Center, 54% of Christian Americans find homosexuality morally acceptable as of December, 2015. Though this level of tolerance is not nearly as high as it could be, we are definitely making progress.

After everything you have just read, I would like to remind all of you who stuck around long enough to read this conclusion that we are all human. Some sectors of America seem to forget the innate bond of species that each person in this universe possesses, which deeply saddens me to my core. In terms of principle, fundamentalist conservatives are a very disciplined bunch, but lack a certain sense of compromise when it comes to the interpretation of the Bible. After all, we are all brought into this world through the same means, and our deaths will all result in the same conclusion. So with that, our equal fates should allow for equal opportunities of worldly happiness. Love is not selective. Love is indiscriminate. Love is love.