An Invalid Comparison

According to IDS reports and flyers on campus, a video entitled "All God's Children" will be shown on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as one of the "teach-ins" scheduled by the Student Coalition to replace classes on the day of vacation. This video is said to show the acceptance of homosexuals by African-American religious communities.

In my experience, however, racial minorities tend to be less "tolerant" of homosexuality than whites. Furthermore, I believe this trend is increasing as the homosexual activists of the 90's attempt to steal legitimacy from the civil rights movement of the 60's. I have seen the resentment this evokes in many African-American students at IU, some of whom reject the diversity programs which claim to help them, asserting instead that most of "diversity" means advancing the homosexual agenda.

What exactly is going on here? It's a classic case of spin-doctoring. If homosexual activists can paint themselves as the modern equivalent of civil rights heroes, they can shrug the responsibility to convince the public of the merit of their core agenda (which is rejected by the majority of Americans every time it is exposed.) Indeed, they have succeeded in this comparison, especially at the liberal havens called public universities. GLBT activists are portrayed as heroes, while any people daring to assert that homosexuality is wrong are shunned like the 90's version of a slave trader.

This comparison is in every way invalid. While homosexuals deserve respect as human beings, their agenda cannot be likened to the civil rights movement. The differences are clear in the nature of the issue, the method and attitude of activists, and the spiritual aspect surrounding it all.

First of all, the nature of sexual orientation is far different from race. The majority of scientific studies have found no conclusive genetic link for homosexuality. But obviously, one can never choose their race. Even if homosexuality is determined at birth, it is different from belonging to a minority race. As the activists often say, sexual orientation should not affect a person's life outside the bedroom. A person's race, however, follows them everywhere.

Second, the methods and attitudes characteristic of homosexual activism is far removed from the actions of civil rights leaders. Rosa Parks quietly took her seat near the front of a bus--she didn't sit on the driver's lap. Likewise, many of these activists humbly and non-violently insisted on taking their fair place in society. Today, we see homosexual activists deliberately calling attention to themselves, such as with obscene displays in gay-rights parades and protests. This logically follows when, as explained above, sexual orientation is not normally a factor in public behavior. Furthermore, while brutal acts of violence were inflicted upon the peaceful civil rights proponents of the 60's, today it is often the homosexual activists themselves who use violence against their peaceful opponents (see below).

Finally, there is the spiritual aspect which separates these two groups. The civil rights movement was rooted in the Christian faith. Though a very few people misused Scripture to rationalize slavery, the first abolitionists were men and women of faith. Sojourner Truth, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and many other historical figures were not only civil rights heroes, but also devout Christians, who sought their strength from God when large portions of society opposed their efforts.

Among today's homosexual activists, the table has turned. They find themselves fighting not only society's opinions, but a sense of morality so deeply rooted that even many non-religious people believe homosexuality to be wrong or unnatural. In order to advance their agenda, the activists know they must destroy the moral system that stands in their way, so homosexuals are among today's most militant atheists.

Many homosexual activists go beyond the type of ridicule offered by some atheistic scientists. Cases of intolerance toward people of faith, and even violence to them and their families are numerous and increasing:

• In 1996, a pastor and firefighter in Wisconsin gave a couple fellow co-workers a tract titled "The Truth About Homosexuality." As a result, he became the target of radical homosexual activists. His home was vandalized with obscene messages. When hosting a critic of the homosexual movement at his church, 300 activists blocked the doors to his church. Many then entered the church, screaming obscenities and chanting "Crush the Christians, bring back the lions." Some protesters threw rocks at windows and others urinated on the bathroom floor inside the church.(1)

• In 1993, a Pennsylvania pastor was the target of a "phone-zap" campaign. His home and business phone numbers were listed on signs posted on telephone poles. The pastor received calls stating "I want you to drop dead," and "You and your family deserve to die."

• On September 8, 1991, in Santa Ana, California, activists wearing fishnet stockings and nuns' habits marched in front of a church carrying signs describing sex acts. Three activists rushed through the doors of the church, shouting, "Stop crucifying queers!" One of the activists bit an usher who was helping to remove them.

• On December 10, 1989, 4500 protesters disrupted mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, carrying signs with slogans such as "Pope John Paul for Ayatollah." Inside, protesters chained and handcuffed themselves to pews and lay in the center of the aisles while activists dressed as nuns "blessed" them. One activist snatched a Communion host, which Catholics believe to be the body of Christ, and threw it to the floor.

• In 1983, after years of death threats from homosexual activists, a San Francisco pastor's home and church were burned by an arsonist. Fire investigators concluded that the intent was to kill the pastor, his wife, and his children.

• Last fall, at a Concerned Women for America gathering at the Monroe County Courthouse, an activist interrupted the invocation, running through the crowd, screaming "F___ your prayer!" The gathering was intended to shed light on the Kinsey Institute's studies, which involved pedophiles reporting data gathered on children from infants to 12 years old.(2)

(2) More information on this event in the 10/26/97 issue of Hoosier Review