Weapons of mass homophobia ... advocate.com

For weeks we have been pummeled with images of homosexual acts used as a tactic to humiliate and torture Iraqi prisoners. Such atrocities, writes Patrick Moore, arise directly from the vicious demonization of gay people in our society, from the White House on down From The Advocate, June 8, 2004 The images of Iraqi prisoners being tortured were so disturbing that it took me several days to confront the exact nature of my discomfort. It extended beyond the knowledge that American soldiers were brutalizing prisoners. It was more personal and related to the shame I felt as a gay man while looking at the photos. The world was stunned by these images not only because of their brutality but also because of their sexual nature. Homophobia in the American military is nothing new, but the abuse of homosexual sex as a military tactic achieves a new level of perverse ingenuity. Confronted with the use of their sexuality as the ultimate tool of degradation, gay men now have another reason to fight against the reelection of George Bush. We should be at the forefront of outraged protests against these war crimes as we will ultimately pay the price for our sexuality being further stigmatized.