Steph Mineart’s Corollary to Godwin’s Law

I’ve had an observation rolling around in my head for many years, but as far as I can tell, I haven’t put written it on my site yet, although I know I’ve pointed it out in email on the gayindy mailing at various times. It popped back into my head as I was thinking about SJR-7 and the testimony that will occur.
There’s a long-standing internet meme called “Godwin’s Law” (also known as Godwin’s Rule of Nazi Analogies) that says “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.” In other words, in any debate, eventually one person will suggested that the argument the other is making is somehow fascist, or comparable to the Nazis.
I’d like to propose a corollary to Godwin’s Law, based on my observation of religious figures in discussions on the subject of equal rights for gay people. And if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to name it after myself:

Steph Mineart’s Butt Sex Corollary to Godwin’s Law

In any discussion of equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered people, those folks espousing a religious point of view will eventually raise the topic of anal intercourse as part of their argument against said rights.
Never mind that fully half of the people lobbying for equal treatment under the law are lesbians, who for the most part probably don’t engage in anal intercourse. Never mind that we’re lobbying for recognition of our loving relationships, not our sexual practices. Never mind that even gay men are not as obsessed with anal intercourse as some of the religious homophobes who rave about it. It never fails to come up. Some examples from right here in Indiana:
Fundamentalist Lisa Coffey attempted to push the idea at the Indy Star:

According to Price’s lawsuit, Coffey “was surprised to learn that there were many significant health risks associated with anal intercouse, with potentially enormous public health and economic ramifications” after the Lawrence case was decided. Coffey “feared that [Henry and Ryerson] would reject [her sodomy] series as anti-homosexual, as anal intercouse is commonly associated with homosexual and bi-sexual men”

Ginny Cain brought it up more than once during the city-council’s discussion of the Human Rights Ordinance Prop 622:

“We oppose the normalization of sodomy and other deviant sexual behaviors in our culture. Individuals may be free to pursue behaviors such as sodomy, but we will not and cannot tolerate these behaviors….”

As did radio talk show host Greg Garrison:

Garrison repeatedly lambasted the HRO as the legal recognition of the “homosexual lifestyle” and “acts of sodomy,” ignoring the conclusion reached by every major medical organization in the nation that sexual orientation and gender identity are genetically or biologically determined.

it came up in the Star in letters to the editor regarding the Human Rights Ordinance:

What the City-County Council did recently was discriminate between people who have a healthy sexual orientation (heterosexuals) and those who don’t (homosexuals)… They are ignorant of the medical danger of sodomy.

I know that it was also introduced in testimony during the original discussion of SJR-7, and that Giny Cain mentioned anal intercourse specifically during the HRO debates, although I haven’t been able to track down the quotes. If you have them, please let me know.
In reality, religious people seem more obsessed with anal intercourse than gay people are. So here’s the thing, for all you religious homobigots out there – it’s not about the butt sex. Really. And if you so obsessed with it, please just go off and do it yourself, rather than trying to bash us because of your obsessions with your own sphincter.
I want to propose that this year when people are testifying about SJR-7 and some of the other legislation related to gay issues, that we play “Butt Sex Bingo” – create a grid of all of the cliched arguments that the religious nuts trot out, with Anal Intercourse being the bonus in the center square (how apropo!). And when they get up to testify, mark off every argument, until they trot out the bonus free space — when everyone shouts “Bingo!” at the same time, it will truly highlight how absurd they are.

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Lori

    OMG!!!! I am laughing hard about this and yes we should do it. Good one Steph.

  2. Morgan

    (_o_)! BINGO! Now I fully understand why these folks are such a@@%*^#@. Thanks for the explanation.

  3. Jay

    I think you should make a theme song to the tune of “Beach Blanket Bingo.”
    “Butt Sex, Biinggo…..Butt Sex Bing-O!….”
    I think the choir at JMCC should sing this at the hearings, too.

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