It’s occurred to me that many will not want to wade through everything I’ve written on the subject, so a summary is in order:
A number of years ago I started speaking out against the open bigotry and hatred I was observing in various organizations. These words may have been a catalyst which ended up with the removal of a number of individuals from said groups. A catalyst. Please note that it was their own actions which were the root cause.
Ever since, I have been bedeviled with false accusations and the circulation of vicious gossip. A multi-year smear campaign. I’ve pissed off some truly nasty bigots.
Perhaps being open to acquaintances who are different than myself is unusual. I don’t think people should care about another person’s gender, race, age, disability, language, culture and the like. I find learning about the lives of those very different to myself educational and interesting. Love meeting people from far off lands and learning about different parts of the world. Even if some beliefs are different, the debate of them is refreshing, and common ground is easily found. Especially with music and the arts.
Not understanding others is the basis of bigotry and hate. If you find yourself only associating with those physically and culturally similar to yourself, well, I believe you’re “doing it wrong”.