Date: Wed, 02 Jul 97 18:00:31 EST From: "NGLTF" Subject: Op-Ed: Action is The Cure for Homophobia NATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN TASK FORCE OPINION-EDITORIAL Contact: Mark F. Johnson, Media Director 202/332-6483 x3314 mfjohnson@ngltf.org pager 1-800-757-6476 2320 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 http://www.ngltf.org ................................................................. Washington, DC--June 30, 1997----Eye on Equality is a monthly column that will discuss or give commentary on national and state-level political events or provide a behind-the-scenes look at social movements and trends. The column is written by Kerry Lobel, Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. ACTION: THE CURE FOR HOMOPHOBIA As I travel the country I am both heartened and impressed with the level of energy and expertise of the activists I meet. At the same time I am aware that we face an increasingly organized and insidious opposition. We are witnessing an unprecedented wave of organized and orchestrated intolerance perpetrated by leaders of the right and targeting our communities. Recently, three major movements have signaled a heating up of anti-gay rhetoric and mobilization against the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered communities signaling a step up in the "culture wars." The actions and words coming out of these groups are cause for real concern. Just last week, the Southern Baptist Convention took the unusual and extreme step in the name of preserving family values of asking its members to participate in a national boycott of one of the world's most family-oriented corporations. They ask for the full-scale rejection of Tigger and Mickey because of the company's "gay friendly" policies, including domestic partner benefits and Ellen's coming out. They cite Disney's active participation in America's moral decline. Rev. Tom Elliff, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, referred to gays as "moral trash." All summer Promise Keepers will be mobilizing for its massive gathering of one million Christian men at the foot of the steps of the US Capitol this October. Although they claim to be a movement of Christian men living their lives by biblical values, in fact their leadership is closely linked to right wing organizations. Founder Bill McCartney has gained national notoriety for his anti-gay rhetoric, declaring that "homosexuality is an abomination of Almighty God," and that gay people are "curable." Promise Keepers' literature itself reads, "homosexuality violates God's creative design for a husband and a wife and is a sin." McCartney made his plans clear when he said, "Many of you feel like you have been in a war for a long time, yet the fiercest fighting is just ahead. God has brought us here to prepare us. Let's proceed. It's wartime!" Finally just a few weeks ago, a conference of right-wing political activists and academics came together in Washington, DC at Georgetown University to demonize the GLBT community in the name of science and scholarship. The benign sounding conference "Homosexuality and American Public Life" included a who's who of right-wing homophobes including Robert Knight of the Family Research Council who argues that "there is a strong undercurrent of pedophilia in the homosexual subculture." Ex-gay Anthony Falzarano claims that the gay community "has been working for the last 30 years like an army of termites, secretly eating away the floorboards of moral integrity in this country." Where is the silver lining? Our response to these acts has been heartening. In rejecting to the boycott, many are voicing support for Disney and its policies, including President Clinton. Coalitions are coming together in cities and towns across the country to expose the true agenda of the Promise Keepers. And a broad range of scholars, students, and organizations are coming forward to challenge the bigotry of pseudo science. The more we organize our supporters, the more marginalized the right wing becomes. We must be clear about our vision. Our country must move into the future guided on the principles of religious and political pluralism, freedom, and equality. -30- The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has worked to eliminate prejudice, violence and injustice against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people at the local, state and national level since its inception in 1973. As part of a broader social justice movement for freedom, justice and equality, NGLTF is creating a world that respects and celebrates the diversity of human expression and identity where all people may fully participate in society. _________________________________________ This message was issued by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Media Department. 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