The Observer, October 20, 2006
Volume XXXIX, Issue 8
Free Speech Zone: More national work and progress needed for GLBT community
While there is reason to be skeptical of the claims from individuals both on the left and the right that America is embroiled in a culture war to the death, this does not mean that a culture war cannot be created where it does not exist, especially during an election year. With this in mind, the Family Research Council, a much more radical group than its name suggests, organized a mass denunciation of "the homosexual agenda" in Boston this past weekend, naming their event "Liberty Sunday." This innocent sounding event was in fact an attempt by the certain elements of the Religious Right to hijack the rhetoric of the left, using the First Amendment and religious liberty to justify intolerance and hate. These are the same individuals who have hijacked the rhetoric of Christianity; vulgarizing, paraphrasing, and embellishing upon the Bible and the words of their own tolerant and pacifistic prophet; all in an attempt to force through their own opinion of how others should live their lives.
Without providing any verifiable accounts of individuals being prevented from practicing their religion by "the homosexual agenda," the family Research Council and its allies have concocted a conspiracy of monumental proportions, with the government in cahoots with the gay agenda. This of course disregards the fact that their own kind are in fact running all three branches of the federal government at the moment and that no satisfactory gay rights legislation has ever passed the U.S. Congress (if anything, we are going backwards). Still, the speakers at the event have tried to exert influence over their audience via fear–tactics, insisting that the "sodomites" will invade their homes and turn their families to sin.
The fascinating hypocrisy of the argument that anti-discrimination laws and company policies inhibit religious freedom and expression will hopefully deter potential adherents. However, I am not that optimistic. While it is always difficult to gauge the strength behind a political movement, it appears that the reactionary elements of this country are growing in vehemence, if not in numbers. Their influence is at least increasing – among the attendees at "Liberty Sunday" was Mitt Romney, the governor of Massachusetts and likely 2008 presidential candidate. With such political backing, these frankly bigoted elements of the American religious community have become increasingly unabashed in their rhetoric. One Rev. Wellington Boone, who spoke at the event, tried to imbue the position that homosexuality is the work of the Antichrist in his flock. The Reverend, this "Christian," also uses flagrantly homophobic language of the most odious kind, not worth repeating in print.
It is absolutely imperative that all Americans, even those who would tend towards social conservatism, should realize the profound situation at hand. The leadership of the Family Research Council cannot be allowed to roll back the limited civil and social rights that the GLBT community has attained in recent decades. Their acts are even more appalling due to the fact that they are attempting to bastardize the founding documents and guiding principles of the United States for their own devices. The GLBT community and its allies should be proud of the victories to this point, but there is still a lot of work to be done. When such filth like Boone's can be broadcasted to a substantial national audience, it forces one to consider what is said behind closed doors, inside America's homes, when people know they can speak with impunity.
It is easy to forget that we live in an insulated bubble on this campus, a rather GLBT-friendly one by most standards. However, the battle for equality, individual rights, and the true meaning of "freedom" in America is an ongoing struggle, and we should not break open the champagne until the battle has been won.
