If you truly call yourselves free thinkers, then you need to watch this video.

[TaraJo]

Fact: I'm a transsexual who lives in Texas. The only thing standing between myself and an angry mob of fundamentalist Christians putting me at the end of a noose is the fact that that bad ol' federal government won't let them. So, remind me how awful the government is again.

Take heart in the knowledge that the kind of people who'd actually do violence against you are probably pretty easy to fool. And by that I mean bright lights, shiny objects, noisemakers, or interesting smells. Just keep some multicolored candy in your pocket to throw at them, and you'll always have a clean getaway.

That doesn't mean they can't do damage when they have power. I mean, Sodomy was a crime in Texas (and many other states) until 2003. Even then, it was only struck down because the Supreme Court handed down the Lawrence vs Texas ruling. In fact, a lot of states still have that law on the books, even though it's specifically unconstitutional. Fortunately, it's never enforced.