Doublespeak from Falwell
“You spoke with passion for the civil rights of all Americans — regardless of if they’re gay or straight. Thank you.”This was the response of Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign – one of the largest gay and lesbian lobbying groups in the United States – to the news that evangelical wingnut Jerry Falwell had moderated his views on the rights of LGBT citizens.
Falwell, who once mused that 9-11 might be divine retribution on America for tolerating gays and feminists; and who has spent decades decrying so-called “special rights” demanded by the gay community (what’s so special about equality?) spake thus:
“Well, housing and employment are not special rights. I think - I think the right to live somewhere and to live where you please or to work where you please, as long as you’re not bothering anybody else, is a basic right, not a - not a special right.”
Great stuff.
“I have always believed that all Americans should have basic human rights,” Falwell told the paper. “I’ve made it clear that I don’t consider the right to fair housing or employment a conservative or liberal value. Those are American values.”
But it had to be too good to be true.
The evangelist told the News & Advance that his support for basic rights does not mean he favours enshrining it in law.
What’s the use of a “right” if it isn’t enshrined in law? In fact, isn’t that the very definition of a right?
Would he be practicing what he preached? Would he be hiring staff for his own institutions without discrimination? Hell no!
“Our doctrinal belief is that homosexuality is wrong,” says he.
And proving that, while well-meaning, he still actually doesn’t ‘get it’, he says:
“As long as a person obeys the law and doesn’t recruit a student to a certain lifestyle, they shouldn’t be prevented from teaching.”
Gay people are not automatically criminals and recruiters of young people, you bigoted moron!
Sorry, was that ungracious? Didn’t mean it to be. I guess it is progress. We should be encouraged that at least one religious whack-job might not be interfering in our lives quite as much as before, and at the end of the day – let’s face it - any lesbian or gay person who actually wants to work for Falwell at his “Christian Liberty Academy”, (the type of institution upon which this movie is broadly based) frankly, needs their head read.
posted by Brett Lock @ 5:27 pm
2 Comments:
Hi Bret,
Mark here (Janet Carrs husband).
Falwell is a snake. Slithering here, slithering there. The hate he expressed after 9-11 is the ingrained, kneejerk, and real views that he and all his shit-for-brains fuckhead friends hold.
Here are some quotes from the *real* Jerry:
God hates homosexuality
"god hates homosexuality" - Jerry Falwell on TV (I've seen the actual footage)
Gays are perverts
"[Vice President Gore] recently praised the lesbian actress who plays 'Ellen' on ABC Television...I believe he may even put children, young people, and adults in danger by his public endorsement of deviant homosexual behavior...Our elected leaders are attempting to glorify and legitimize perversion." People for the American Way, "Hostile Climate", 1998, p.9.
Gays will crush all Americans
"Someone must not be afriad to say, 'moral perversion is wrong.' If we do not act now, homosexuals will 'own' America!...If you and I do not speak up now, this homosexual steamroller will leterally crush all decent men, women, and children who get in its way...and our nation will pay a terrible price!" - People for the American Way, "Hostile Climate," 1997, p.15.
I hope the HRC response was meant to be cautiously ironic. He is a snake, as you so aptly put it. I wonder what he's up to...
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