[Hack&Lube]

I remember in elementary school when I was a rigorously indoctrinated kid that one day, our gym team decided to name our team "The Demons" (in the same vein as the New Jersey Devils, etc.) and wear t-shirts with that name on it.

My poor childhood mind actually suffered an intense feeling of religious conflict and panic because that's how your brain gets re-wired under indoctrination. Absurd as it may sound to myself as a rational, free-thinking adult, I thought I was branding myself with Satan. That said, it was hard but I wore it anyway because it was only for a few days and it wasn't worth being a social outcast at school. I suppose I could have gone to my teacher and ask to be excused etc. (I do recall kids getting excused from sex ed. and from reading fantasy novels as part of literature courses, etc. because their parents suffered from similar religious paranoia & ignorance).

From that perspective, I understand and empathize with the emotional conflict that people like this bus driver and Kim Davis (Kentucky county clerk) might feel in this situation. I don't however, have any sympathy for their bigoted views and how they are outspoken about it and refused to find a constructive way to work around these problems.

The bus driver should have gone to his management or human resources or the union with this grievance. They may have been able to resolve it quietly. On the contrary, I read that he would post these complaints to facebook and went to the media to try to stir up conflict and controversy to spread these views. I have no sympathy with that.