Ashamed of being gay

A couple weeks ago I wrote about Laurie Higgins of the Illinois Family Institute and what sounds like her position that it's a Christian teen's duty to bully gay classmates. Since then she has gone a couple rounds with Timothy Kincaid of the Box Turtle Bulletin (a site that works to debunk the claims made by the anti-gay crowd). It seems there is something the two combatants agree on. And that is the goal Higgins has.

What Higgins wants is for every gay kid to be ashamed of being gay. She is opposed to gays living openly with pride and dignity. She would much rather have a gay kid risking his health by having unsafe sex in a back alley rather than save himself for the man of his dreams because the first will fill him with shame. It is only then she believes she has a chance to save the poor kid's soul (or maybe if the poor kid doesn't hate himself as much as she hates him there is some doubt about whether her own beliefs are correct and she's really trying to save her own soul). That is why she opposes all organizations, such as Gay-Straight Alliances, that counter the culture of gay condemnation.

As for the deaths of kids who were bullied for being gay and couldn't take it anymore, Higgins refuses the blame. Instead she fingers those who cultivate tolerance and approval for gays -- like Timothy Kincaid.

A few commenters wonder if there is any difference between Higgins' call to "righteous condemnation and disapproval" and bullying.

Getting a viceral reaction, not a truthful one

My friend and debate partner asks:

So, what actually happened on this day of multiple programs -- gay Silence, fundie condemnation and Golden Rule Day? Any actual incidents to report? Or were the students smart enough to ignore all this adult uproar?

Here is a first-person account of a gay kid who participated. The only people who had tried to get him (her?) to talk were other kids trying to make him break his vow of silence. It seems much of his day was spent getting rid of defaced Day of Silence posters.

A commentator notes the anti-gay participation seems to be down this year, even in the school that is in the "backyard" of a highly vocal Washington state homophobe. Another group put out a video of threats, intolerance, and violence they claim were perpetrated by Day of Silence supporters. Both it and accompanying emails are highly suspect. There is no way to prove any actual incidents or that Fundie kids were involved. The kids in the video seem to be well coached by adults (the Day of Silence, in contrast, is run by the kids). Some incidents mentioned were not associated with Day of Silence, but with last November's Calif. marriage ban. In all, the video follows the Fundie effort to get a visceral reaction, not an accurate or logical one.

As for actual news, the previous link includes links to a half-dozen newspaper articles, including one from Jackson, Mich. I don't find any attempts at national tallies.

Clarifying and apologizing

At the end of my post about Laurie Higgins and her ideas that Christian kids have a duty to bully gay kids, I ended with half-apology/half-disclaimer. My friend and debate partner rightly called me on the reason for that disclaimer, so let me back up and apologize the way I should. His complaint is about this sentence:

Her response sounds -- sorry, my friend -- rather Jewish, invoking the Law and the Prophets to describe what Christians should do.

My friend responds:

Why do you characterize Higgins response as "rather Jewish"? Are those your words?

I'm no expert in such things -- talk to a rabbi if you wish -- but I know of nothing in Jewish tradition that calls upon Jews or anyone else to verbally bludgeon anyone with "moral convictions". We don't see Jewish groups of any stripe behaving in that manner in the modern world. Jews never evangelize others to change their religion. They do not go door-to-door worrying people about their fate on Judgment Day. Jewish leaders are generally central figures in interfaith dialogues and voices for tolerance. What other sensible path can a world-wide minority of about 7 million among 6.5 billion humans follow? (Yes, there are small extremist (fundamentalist, in fact) Jewish groups that behave more truculently. They do not speak for even 5% of Jews. Every religion has its holdouts who refuse to come into the modern world.)

Historically, Jews were small minorities at the mercy of local political or religious powers (usually Christian or pagan, depending on place and century). Typically, they could barely hope for a chance at a verbal defense. They were victims of bullying and themselves bullied no one.

In Old Testament times, the Prophets spent most of their time scolding the ancient Hebrews for falling short of moral and religious expectations. The ancient Hebrews, as the people of ancient Israel or Judea, lived among multiple empires and were part of the complex warring politics of that time. The Hebrews' independence was regularly threatened and often taken away.

Modern Israeli behavior, for example building settlements on Palestinian land and waging wars that seem to have no legitimate or rational objectives, does often impress me as bullying. Understanding that they are responding to much Palestinian and other provocation, I have spoken against all that Israeli behavior for decades.

Old Testament language (variously translated into modern languages -- that is often part of the problem) is easily (mis-)interpreted to support just about anything. The Nazis, the Inquisition, Senator Joe McCarthy in American history -- all had no doubt that God was on their side.

In any case, the behavior you ascribe to Higgins and IFI is deplorable, should be condemned and verges on criminal. No one under any accepted interpretation of free speech has the right to bully anyone else, nor to rabble-rouse students to that behavior, nor to encourage school staff to defend, much less participate in such behavior. Provoking confrontations of this sort in the schools is probably criminally actionable.

The Southern Poverty Law Center can be relied upon to take a balanced view of groups like IFI. If SPLC calls IFI a hate group, I'm sure they have a strong basis for that.

So let me go back to my sentence and clarify and apologize.

Yes, the origin of the word "Jewish" was mine. I had intended it to refer only to that one sentence. I apologize for allowing it to seem that my Jewish description extended into the discussion on moral convictions and (ugh) into what Higgins claims is a duty. I probably shouldn't have used it at all. The Christian faith does refer to the Old (or Hebrew) Testament as "The Law and the Prophets." We rightly include it in our bible because we interpret so much of it to point to events in the Christian Testament. However, since so much of the Christian faith says the life and death of Jesus supersedes Jewish law it is annoying when Christians use the Law and the Prophets, not to provide background to the Christian faith, but to enforce their own moral code. And before I get into more trouble, that isn't a Jewish concept. It shouldn't be Christian one.

My friend says the Old Testament is easily misinterpreted to justify just about anything. Alas, the New Testament is too.

A twisted definition of duty

The Illinois Family Institute people are in a snit over their designation as a hate group. The Southern Poverty Law Center says that in addition to not wanting to give gays any rights, the IFI takes the extra step of vilifying gays. Then Laurie Higgins, Director of the IFI's Division on School Advocacy proves that the SPLC made the right call.

The trigger for Higgins' comments comes from today's Day of Silence, in which gay kids and their allies maintain a day of not talking to bring attention to how much bullying is directed at kids who are or are thought to be gay. The Fundies countered with a Day of Truth in which teens try to get across the point that gays can change. Warren Throckmorton countered that with a Golden Rule Day in which Christian kids try to step between the two groups by saying gay kids at least deserve the respect straight kids show for each other. Follow that? Sigh.

Gay kids deserve respect? Higgins wants none of that. Her response sounds -- sorry, my friend -- rather Jewish, invoking the Law and the Prophets to describe what Christians should do. Already, I've got a problem with her. A Christian, according to Higgins, is to affirm God's Word (in a godly way, of course) and action is to be based on moral conviction. If schools allow only some statements of moral conviction (meaning if they don't allow hers) then the classroom is a place of indoctrination. So, it is necessary for students to take on her task. It is their responsibility to condemn homosexual conduct and condemnation includes making gay kids unsafe. Translation: It is a Christian kid's duty to bully gay classmates and it is the job of the school staff to make sure (allow) that to happen. Vilify gay people? Ohhh yes.

That completely misses the point of Christianity and twists it into a frightening shape. My faith is not about following the Jewish Law, but in putting my trust in the love of Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And my understanding of that love includes the phrase "Judge not." Nothing Higgins says has anything to do with love.

In the comment section one person points out that most teenage suicides are in response to bullying. Only 1 of every 5 teens who commits suicide is gay. That means Higgins finds it acceptable to bully 4 straight kids to the point of suicide for the chance to get rid of one gay kid. Another points out there is also the chance the bullied gay kid will lash out at his/her tormenters. We don't need more school shootings.

I wonder what Higgens hopes to accomplish with all that bullying. Force gay kids to become straight? How's that working out? Assert your personal moral conviction? I see no morality worth asserting. Claim you're more holy than me? That's not a claim for you to make. Punish gay kids for being gay? That it will. Disasterously.

To my friend and debate partner: Please forgive me if I have incorrectly portrayed Jewish people and undeservedly tarnished their reputation through unfair comparisons.

A beautiful Golden Rule Day story

A couple weeks ago I wrote about Golden Rule Day joining with the Day of Silence and how some were skeptical about the true intend of the Golden Rule Day, especially since Warren Throckmorton's name was attached to it. While it is probably a good idea to be wary of his intentions, the interaction between actual students involved with both Golden Rule and Day of Silence turned out to be something quite wonderful. A student named Jordyne told her story -- on Throckmorton's blog, no less.

Golden Rule Day

The Day of Silence is tomorrow, Friday, April 25. It is a day when gay teens and their allies protest the likelihood of their being bullied by being silent for a day. This year the event was in honor of Lawrence King, murdered for being gay. In response the Right launched the Day of Truth, asserting their right to bully gay kids. In the midst of this battle steps another idea: Golden Rule Day. Christian kids hand out cards with the Golden Rule: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Some cards have the Golden Rule on one side and Day of Silence on the other. Promoters explain that gay kids have been targets of violence and that as Christians they believe it is wrong to do so. Hooray!

But there are skeptics. There are those that feel the Right won't buy it. That's because they feel they can't look the other way when it comes to sin. If you see that a murder is about to happen, you should intervene if you can and prosecute the murderer afterward, putting them in jail (or give them the death penalty), using force if necessary. Since in many eyes gays are just as (if not more) sinful as murderers it makes sense to intervene when gays become too visible and use force if necessary. If you aren't punishing sin, you are condoning it. And you wouldn't want to condone murder.

A gay commentator is also skeptical. His complaints are a bit more subtle:

(1) The Golden Rule Day was on the same day as Day of Silence as a way of upstaging it. At least the Day of Truth event is a different day.

(2) It puts the Golden Rule in response to Day of Silence, which implies if one is for the Golden Rule then one is against homosexuality.

(3) By declaring the Golden Rule a "Christian response" it perpetuates the false Christian vs. gay split.

(4) It allows school districts to say, "Good, everyone believes in the Golden Rule and therefore we don't have to pass anti-bullying regulations."

(5) The biggest problem is the Golden Rule Day handouts say nothing about violence against gays, the most important reason the Day of Silence exists. There is no reason for the violence against gays conversation to take place.

(6) In the same way that "love the sinner, hate the sin" is used against gays, this will be too. Straights can say "If I were gay I'd want someone to stop me from being gay and since that's how I want to be treated I'll treat gays the same way." The Golden Rule becomes a requirement to harass gays into changing their orientation because burning for eternity in hell is worse than a bit of schoolyard bullying -- the GR gives fundies permission to do whatever they want to others because it is done in the name of righteousness, the violence is justified to save the soul.

(7) It allows those passing out the Golden Rule cards to actually avoid changing their behavior, to remain sanctimonious and self-righteous with a claim to the moral high ground, to maintain their belief that their doctrines are more important than people. Proof of that is there is nothing in the Christian press about the death of Lawrence King, their own Days of Silence. Also proof is their continued use of "evil agenda" in describing our actions and using threats against teachers who try to protect gay kids. They're not silent at all.

(8) The Golden Rule Day was created by Warren Throckmorton, who has made a living attacking gays.

Want to follow the Golden Rule? The day after you pass out those little cards, actually advocate to stop the bullying against gays. We've been burned too many times by platitudes that amount to nothing or are turned against us.