Surprise: Catholic Church is Still Homophobic

Like the evangelical and Southern Baptist Christofascists who seem driven to alienate as many thinking and decent people as possible in their quest to "save" Christianity, so too the bitter old men in dresses in Rome over the last two weeks - many of who gained their positions by being servile and obsequious ass kissers and embracing John Paul II and the Nazi Pope's reactionary positions, seem Hell bent to kill Catholicism in the west.  Why?  Because after suggestions that just maybe there might be changes in the Church's Medieval approach to women and gays, it now appears that - as I predicted - no change is in the offing.  Slate looks at how the forces of reaction have prevailed.  Here are excerpts:

Roman Catholic bishops voted down what would have been a historic shift in the church’s approach toward gays and the divorced. The draft report that called for greater openness toward these two groups did not get the necessary two-thirds majority at a Catholic Church synod even though the controversial sections had been largely watered down in recent days. The Vatican tried to play down the vote, saying the important fact is that the issue is being discussed in the first place. "It is important not to over-analyze," a Vatican spokesman said. "The fathers of the synod never saw themselves as reaching a final conclusion with this document."

But there was no hiding that the failure to get the votes illustrates “the deep divisions facing the hierarchy as Pope Francis continues his push for a more open church,” notes Josephine Mckenna of Religion News Service.

The document did not obtain a two-thirds majority among the almost 200 bishops who gathered at a Vatican assembly on the family even though the language that many had hailed as groundbreaking had been severely toned down since it was first revealed on Monday. The title of the section on gays, for example, switched from “Welcoming homosexuals” to “Pastoral attention towards persons with homosexual orientations.” While the original version included talk of “accepting and valuing their (homosexuals') sexual orientations” and providing a “a welcoming home” for gays, the final document merely said that discrimination “is to be avoided,” details Reuters. While the initial version talked of how members of same-sex couples could provide “mutual aid” and “precious support” to each other during difficult times, the new version makes it clear “there is no foundation whatsoever” to compare same-sex to opposite-sex unions.

Paragraphs that dealt with whether divorced Catholics could receive communion also failed to pass. During his final address to the Synod, Francis received a long standing ovation after he warned against “hostile rigidity” of “so-called traditionalists” while also criticizing progressives who would “bandage a wound before treating it.”

The BBC’s David Willey points out that while the paragraphs on gays and the divorced failed to get the two-thirds majority needed to be incorporated into the final document, they did get more than 50 percent of the vote. “This allows the necessary leeway for further discussion before the synod reconvenes in Rome in an expanded form in a year's time,” writes Willey.

This from the same church that condemned Galileo for heresy in 1633 and did not formally acknowledge its error until 1992.   Throughout the centuries, the Catholic Church has been routinely wrong, yet the bitter old closet cases prissily proclaim their infallibility.  Why does anyone listen to these individuals?

Why do African-American Homophobes Ignore Bayard Rustin?

Recently, I have vented somewhat about the sad manner in which - at least in my opinion - the black community and black pastors continue to allow themselves to be cynically used and manipulated by white Christianist organizations that, truth be told, have contempt for blacks. Over the years I have followed many of the leading anti-gay "Christian" and "family values" organizations and perused their websites. It quickly becomes clear that many in these organizations hold views not too distant from those of the KKK when it comes to issues of racial equality. Yet time and again - most recently in Maryland - these anti-gay, anti-black, anti-Hispanic, and anti-immigrant organizations orchestrate black pastors like trained dogs to do their bidding to preserve a culture of discrimination and intolerance. Here in Virginia, it is nauseating to watch The Family Foundation (a toxic affiliate of Daddy Dobson's Focus on the Family) pull the puppet strings of black churches - some right in Norfolk within not too many blocks of my office.

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In this situation, blogger friend Alvin McEwen ask the pertinent question of why black pastors and other homophobes in the black community refuse to recognize that it was a gay man, Bayard Rustin, who played a major role in Martin Luther King's successful efforts to end segregation and bring civil equality? (A link to an account of Rustin's crucial role in the March on Washington is here) It's a question that needs asking over and over again and a subject on which those who allow their ignorance and prejudice to make them willing tools of those who despise them need to be educated. Here are highlights from Alvin's recent post (For those who may not know, Alvin is black himself - not that skin color should matter):
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Another day goes by and another ignorant black preacher sets himself up as the arbiter of just what the civil rights movement was all about. This time, it was in Iowa: Speaking before a conservative-minded crowd of around 400 on the west steps of the Capitol, Rev. Keith Ratliff criticized gay rights activists for equating their struggle with the civil rights movement of 50 years ago.
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Every time I hear an African-American leader make such statement, I always wish I could ask that leader about this man, Bayard Rustin: Bayard Rustin was an African-American openly gay aide of Martin Luther King, Jr. He organized the 1963 March on Washington. If it weren’t for him, that march would NOT have been a success.
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Yet throughout all of this, Rustin was never given an acknowledgment or credit BECAUSE he was openly gay. In a history of a movement fighting for basic dignity and humanity, you have a key fighter who was “buked, scorned, and overlooked” simply because of his sexual orientation.
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Common sense would propel one to say that this proves the kindred spirit held by both the lgbt and African-American movements for equality and dignity. How many African-Americans were overlooked because of their color? How many were kicked aside and treated badly because of the color of their skin?
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Someone please tell me the difference between disrespecting someone based on racial prejudice and doing the same thing based on homophobia. Is the feeling of being treated less than a man or a woman any different when it’s done to you based on sexual orientation rather than race?
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It just goes to show how clueless folks like Mr. Ratliff are and how they have transformed the greatness of the civil rights movement into a mockery by placing themselves as the spokespeople and the arbiters of just what it was all about.
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The civil rights movement was not solely about African-American civil rights. It was about rights in general, most specifically the right to be treated like a decent human being in spite of differences. In the grand scheme of things, it’s no different than the Solidarity Movement in Poland, the Women’s Right Movement worldwide, or yes, the LGBT Rights Movement worldwide.
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The desire for dignity and self-determination is universal. It crosses all genders, ethnicities and sexual orientations. No amount of fancy speeches will change that. And no amount of individuals gaining their reputations from exploiting the blood, sweat, and toil of those who sacrificed themselves long ago will ever change that either.
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It drives me crazy that those who don't have a full and complete history willingly allow themselves to be co=opted by those who are actually their enemies.

The Refusal to See Ties Between Racism and Homophobia

Editors Note: Some readers may not like the views expressed in this post. However, it is a message that needs to be sent in my view.

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In the wake of the delay/defeat of marriage equality in Maryland because, at least according to some reports - of the homophobia of black members of the Maryland House of Delegates, once again attention is focused on the fact that some members of the black community refuse to recognize the connection between anti-black bigotry and anti-gay bigotry. In the process, these delegates - and the brain dead pastors that the pander to - undermine support for their own civil rights and equality under the law. Both phenomena have had the Bible used as justifying hate and intolerance against their victims and both are a result of a sick mindset among those who have a desire/need to grasp at differences in others so as to make them feel superior and better about themselves. Yet, too many in the black community - black pastors in particular - refuse to open their eyes to the reality and allow themselves to be manipulated by white Christianists like Tony Perkins. That's right, individuals and organizations with documented ties to white supremacist groups. Like myself, John Aravosis finds the stupidity/ignorance of the black pastor set enough to drive one crazy. The black pastors are sending a dangerous message. They want others to support black civil rights yet they refuse to support the civil rights of others. I suspect the end result of this is a disinclination on the part of some in the LGBT community to continue to oppose anti-black racism. That's right, black homophobia is driving away would be allies. Here are highlights from a post on America Blog Gay:
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Racism is the same thing as homophobia, and they're the same thing as anti-Semitism, as bigotry against the Irish during the 1800s and beyond, as America's appalling treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, of America's appalling treatment of Muslim-Americans following September 11, and the Republicans appalling treatment of Latinos to this day.
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It's absurd for one group to make the claim that they suffered more than others, thus other claims for equal rights are somehow less valid.

[Maryland] Del. Emmett C. Burns saying "Those who want to ride on our coattails are historically incorrect; gay people had not endured the struggles of blacks, had not had crosses burned on their lawns or been thrown in a police wagon."
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Actually, gay people have been thrown in police wagons - some during Stonewall, and others fighting alongside Martin Luther King (Coretta mentions this fact below) - and had the bigot from Maryland bothered studying his civil rights history, he'd have known that.
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Prejudice and bigotry is a bad thing. And it's motivated by the same hatred, regardless of the skin color or sexual orientation of the perpetrator or the victim. So the next time you're confronted by an anti-gay bigot like Delegate Burns, or anyone who claims that somehow racism is more evil than homophobia, quote the words of Coretta Scott King, when talking about racism and homophobia. And then tell them to STFU, unless they want to now claim that they know more about civil rights than Martin Luther King's widow.
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Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King's widow, told them to. In a remarkable address before the Task Force's annual meeting, on November 9, 2000, Mrs. King gave a forceful statement on the importance of gay rights to the overall civil rights struggle (read Mrs. King's entire speech here.)
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And this was not the first time Martin Luther King's widow made clear that groups like the Concerned Women for America have no idea what they're talking about when they try to speak on behalf of African-Americans about civil rights.
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[S]he [Coretta King] said, "But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'" "I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream to make room at the table of brother- and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people," she said. - Reuters, March 31, 1998.
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Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood," King stated. "This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group." - Chicago Defender, April 1, 1998, front page.
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John has a number of additional quotes from Ms. King that I encourage readers to check out. Anti-gay bigots in the black community are stupidly cutting their own throats and aiding those white "family values" Christianists who despise the black community almost as much as (or perhaps even more)they despise LGBT individuals.

Bigot Eruption in Albany Over "I am Gay" Billboards

In the Hampton Roads area one of the biggest problems with HIV/AIDS is within the African-American community with infection rates rising among both males and females - young males in particular are at risk. The problem, however, is not unique to Tidewater Virginia. Yet despite the problem within their community, one of the largest obstacles to proper education and frank communication are the leaders of black churches who parrot the anti-gay propaganda disseminated by the white "family values" organizations who are in many cases the descendants of the very individuals who wanted to blacks first enslaved and then segregated under the Jim Crow laws. The segregationist loving Tony Perkins at the hate group Family Research Council is a perfect example. To try to deal with this huge problem, the New York State Department of Health has launched a billboard campaign called "In Our Own Voices" that features images of African-American men proudly saying “I am Gay and this is where I stay” or “I am Gay and this is where I play” or “I am Gay and this is where I pray.” Needless to say the black pastors and politicians willing to prostitute themselves to such forces are hyperventilating and the spittle is flying fast and furiously. Libby Post has an excellent piece in the Albany Times Union that looks at the batshitery of opponents of the campaign. Here are some highlights:
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The billboards in question? There are 18 of them throughout Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Montgomery counties. It seems Schenectady City Councilman Joe Allen and a few of the African-American clergy in the Electric City are quite upset about the gay-positive messages popping up there.
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The billboard campaign is sponsored by In Our Own Voices and the New York State Department of Health, and features images of African-American men proudly saying “I am Gay and this is where I stay” or “I am Gay and this is where I play” or “I am Gay and this is where I pray.”
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African-American men are the focus of the billboards because of the alarming rate of HIV and AIDS among black gay males–some of whom, because of the homophobia they encounter in their daily lives live on “the down low,” also known as in the Closet. These are simple billboards with a simple message–it’s OK to be gay. It’s that simple message that seems to be upsetting folks.
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Joe pSchenectady City Councilman Joe Allen] is quoted as saying “This kind of billboard is putting the stamp of approval on a gay lifestyle.” The article goes on to say that Joe insists he’s not homophobic.
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Excuse me? First of all, being gay is not a lifestyle. It’s not like having an expensive car or living in a big house or spending all your time listening to music and reading–that’s a lifestyle. What we have, Joe, are simply called lives. This is who we are. This is not a choice. This is how God created me–just as God created you as an African-American male. This is my life not my lifestyle. And, don’t for a minute think not approving of my life is not homophobia. It is plain and simple.
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And shame on Pastor Richard Parsons of Schenectady’s Consecration Temple Church of God Christ who uses the Bible as the reason for his homophobia. Homosexuality, he says is ”directly against God’s word and what God hates, I hate.” With his vitriol, Pastor Parsons has closed the door on his parishioners–those who are gay and on the down low, who are questioning their sexuality, whose children have come out and their parents need spiritual guidance. Hate is not God’s way–at least not the God most of us believe in.

More Anti-gay Lunacy From Pat Robertson

With Pat Robertson's boy, Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell currently ahead in the polls, it is useful to look at the demagoguery that Robertson continues to disseminate in an effort to stigmatize and marginalize LGBT citizens. Anyone who believes that Robertson doesn't openly say what far right GOP candidates like McDonnell and the even scarier Ken Cuccinelli think is deluding themselves. LGBT Virginians should be terrified at the prospect of McDonnell and/or Cuccinelli getting elected next month. Here's a tape of Robertson from the October 20 edition of Christian Broadcasting Network's The 700 Club via Media Matters engaging in another episode of diarrhea of the mouth - which discloses just how extreme a nut job and homophobe he has become.




Oh, and Pat, the boyfriend and I WOULD like to get married - not that it would be recognized in anti-gay Virginia. The decision is still out, but we may yet go to a state or country that allows gay marriage in order to get married. Unlike many of your evangelical listeners who have had multiple marriages (despite the Gospel prohibition against divorce), it would truly mean something to us. And in terms of "destroying marriage," I would note that there would be far fewer failed marriages if you and fellow demagogues stopped telling gays to marry and "change." In case you haven't noticed, your "ex-gay" ministries are bogus and do not work and these "mixed" marriages end in divorce.

Catholic Hierarchy Disingenuousness

Sometimes I honestly cannot help but wonder whether or not the members of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy think everyone other than themselves are utter morons or have all recently suffered lobotomies. Do they truly believe that thinking people with IQ's over say even 85 are too dim witted to figure out that the authors of so-called pastoral letters don't mean a damn word they write? Or do they just think we all have the gullibility of a three year old child? A case in point is Cardinal Roger "Lets Protect the Child Molesters" Mahoney of Los Angeles who has floated a "pastoral letter" to gay Catholics in his archdiocese. Mahoney apparently believes that notwithstanding all of the efforts of the Catholic bishops and the Knights of Columbus to secure passage of Proposition 8 that gays are so incredibly stupid that we will believe his false claims that the Roman Catholic Church doesn't really wish us ill. Tell lies about us, malign us, imply we are all child molesters, call us "inherently disordered" or perhaps even call us evil, but deep down we are supposed to believe that the Catholic hierarchy actually care about us. Sorry Cardinal, but we are not as dumb as you think. Here are some highlights of the bullshit shoveled out by Mahomey:

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As Bishops of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, we are addressing this message first of all to the homosexual members of our Church. Given the controversy generated by the passage of Proposition 8, we want to reassure each of you that you are cherished members of the Catholic Church, and that we value you as equal and active members of the Body of Christ.

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The passage of Proposition 8 in the State of California does not diminish in any way the importance of you, our homosexual brothers and sisters in the Church. Nor does it lessen your personal dignity and value as full members of the Body of Christ.

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Proposition 8 was never intended, directly or indirectly, to lessen the value and importance of gay and lesbian persons. Your intrinsic value as human beings and as brothers and sisters continues without change.

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We welcome thoughtful and civil dialogue with you so that we can deepen our realization that all of us cherish God's creative life which we equally share. We are committed to find ways to eliminate discrimination against homosexual persons, and to help guarantee the basic rights which belong to each of us.

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As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words and the Roman Catholic Church's actions make it most clear that LGBT individuals are regarded as little better than human garbage by the Church leadership. Talk is cheap and disingenuous lip service doesn't change the true reality of the situation. Why any LGBT individual would remain a Catholic defies (in my view at least) comprehension.

Desmond Tutu: "God is Weeping" Over Anti-Gay Arguments

Once again, I wish more religious leaders had the wisdom and tolerance that Archbishop Desmond Tutu has exhibited in his continued denunciation of the anti-gay elements within the Anglican Communion. While aimed at the knuckle dragging Neanderthal element within the Anglican Communion, the condemnation equally applies to anti-gay religious bigots across the board. For Christians, I have long believed that if one accepts the Gospel message, treating others with love, feeding the hungry, assisting the poor and the sick and other acts of mercy and charity are the highest callings of faith. Instead, bigots like Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria (a country surely is in need of immense efforts to fight rampant poverty and disease) are obsessed with persecuting gays. It's nice to know that Desmond Tutu is of a like mind. Here are some highlights from Pink News:

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Speaking at a conference of church leaders in London organised by global poverty charity Tearfund, Archbishop Desmond Tutu accused his church of "persecuting the already persecuted" in its attitude to gay people. "We seem to be engaging in this kind of, almost, pastime [while] there’s poverty, hunger, disease, corruption. "I must imagine that God is weeping, and the world quite rightly should dismiss the Church in those cases as being totally irrelevant."

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Archbishop Tutu, a 76-year-old veteran of South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle and the winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, has repeatedly said the church should come together on the topic of homosexuality. Archbishop Tutu told a gay audience in April: "How sad it is that the Church should be so obsessed with this particular issue of human sexuality when God's children are facing massive problems; poverty, disease, corruption, conflict."

Wingnut Anglicans Meet With Inquisition to Work Against Gay Marriage and Women Bishops

UPDATE: The Daily Telegraph is now reporting that the Church of England looks set for a damaging split last night after its ruling body agreed to press ahead with the introduction of women bishops without any compromise measures for opponents of the controversial move. This part of the story really makes me sick:

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After six hour of emotional debate, one bishop broke down in tears saying he was ashamed of the church for ignoring the deeply felt wishes of traditionalists.

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Would this bishop also condone slavery if a certain percentage of lunatics felt strongly about it? I cannot imagine being reduced to tears because no one would accommodate my desire to marginalize women and deny that they are spiritual equals to men. What the f*ck is wrong with these people?

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The Daily Mail and other papers are reporting that ultraconservative members of the Church of England hierarchy have had secret meetings with representatives of the Vatican. Specifically, representatives of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a/k/a the Inquisition. Sadly, instead of meeting to discuss ways to feed the hungry, cloth and house the poor or how to bring medical care to those without it, these "Godly Christians" are meeting in secret to discuss ways to thwart gays from achieving marriage equality and to devise a way to keep those pesky females from achieving the rank of bishops. What would Jesus say? Nothing good I suspect given his reported response to the Pharisees who likewise seemed more concerned about suppressing others and patting themselves on the back for being so much better than others. In many ways these anti-female homophobes and the fossilized leadership of the Roman catholic Church deserve one another. Here are some story highlights:

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Senior Church of England bishops have held secret talks with Vatican officials over the crisis issue of homosexual priests and women bishops in the Anglican Communion. The bishops met senior advisers of Pope Benedict XVI to discuss the controversial topic, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

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The group of conservative bishops are said to have expressed dismay at the liberal direction of the Church of England and their fears for its future. They met members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which was headed by the Pope before he was elected Pontiff in 2005, it was said. The meeting was reportedly part of an attempt to build closer ties with the Roman Catholic Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury was not told of the talks, it was reported.

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Up to 600 clergy have written to Dr Williams warning that they might leave the Church if safeguards such as dioceses for opponents of women bishops are not set up. The Sunday Telegraph reported that in a separate development, three diocesan bishops of the Church of England have written to Dr Williams supporting the threat and another has said he is preparing to leave the Church. The letter from the Bishops of Chichester, Blackburn and Europe - seen by The Sunday Telegraph - argues that traditionalist clergy will not be able to 'maintain an honoured place' in the Church without sufficient legislation.

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The Rt Rev Kieran Conry, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, said: 'A number of Church of England bishops are looking at the options open to them should things go wrong at the Lambeth Conference.'