No, lets argue.
First, as a gay man I happen to have plenty of knowledge on this particular issue. More so then I think you would.
Try being a part of the one group almost everybody hates. I can think of no other group that has less rights then homosexuals.
For example:
We can't get married.
If you're religious it's hard to find a church that will accept you. (Isn't that why the kid had to go to court in the first place?)
It's hard to find jobs that offer "Domestic Partner" benefits.
We have to use the term "Domestic Partner"
In Florida, where I live, we can't adopt and I, for one, would like to.
Holding hands or showing affection in public is likely to get you beat up.
My personal favorite is trying to get people to understand that we don't go around molesting children or trying to recruit people to be gay.
Several months ago, at my old job in a local mall, my boyfriend came to visit me. When he walked in I greeted him by saying, "Hello baby." and kissed him on the cheek. When I did that the woman beside me grabbed her daughter, pulled her towards her, then leaned across the counter to make a derogatory comment to my boss. Ironically, my boss is gay as well and happened to be partly responsible for me and my boyfriend being together.
Try having friends, or better yet parents who disown you because you choose to find love and companionship with someone of the same gender. I've had both. All of my friends from high school quit talking to me after I came out. It was 3 years before my dad would even talk to me, and if I hadn't of accidentally run into him at a restaurant a couple of months ago he'd never of met my boyfriend.
So you see, I have some knowledge of the issue.
I do see what Marc Hall did as a victory for his civil rights as well as mine, but nothing so grand as to make a martyr of himself. But even if he did, martyr's cause changes. Jesus let himself be crucified for what he believed in and people have lived for Jesus' cause for the last 2000 years.
As for my intellectual capacity, well, it seems kinda sad that you resorted to such cheap shots in an effort to get your point across, but allow me the opportunity to enlighten you. My IQ is 140. In 6th grade I had the reading comprehension of a Sophomore college student. I took advanced honors classes all through high school. I participated in several intellectual debates as well as many intellectual competitions. I'm sure I'm qualified to handle a conversation with you.
So, lets talk about this part of your last post...
What has to be learned is that the ones who have a problem with the group, rarely have the problem with the individual.
Which is it for you? You seem to have a problem with the individual, do you have a problem with homosexuals as a group as well? I understand that many people have problems with a group of one type of person. This is due to stereotyping, something I'm sure you're familiar with. I also understand that those same people are able to overcome those problems on a person to person basis.
That is what needs to be overcome. People should accept the group as a whole and take up their problems with the individuals that cause them. I shouldn't have to prove to someone I'm worthy of their friendship. It should be safe to assume that everyone you meet is nice until they prove otherwise.
It is not I who has the problem seeing the big picture, it is anyone who would rather hate a group of people because of a stereotype. It is not I who has the problem seeing the big picture, it is anyone who has to be forced into some "trapped in small spaces" situation in order to overcome their differences with another group of people.
The big picture is to realize that we all start from the same basic group. We all are human. We are all entitled to the same rights as everybody else.
It's easy to forget about the forest if all you see is the tree in front of you.
One last thing, since you seem to think that the way you handled your situation was the correct way to do so, why don't you enlighten us with your wisdom so we can all see the error of our ways.
I'm looking forward to it...