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News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyJune 7th, 2010
Conservative Christians are often infuriated by discussions which link their anti-gay activism to violence against actual gay people. They will angrily say that they oppose violence and they love the sinner. That Christians are not the ones going around attacking gay people.
But the truth is plain. Cultivate a culture of condemnation and you will soon see hostility. Oppose tolerance and you’ll get intolerance. Dehumanize gay people and soon you’ll find that there are those willing to treat gay people as something other than human.
And a clear example is evident in Washington.
For years, Ken Hutcherson, pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Redmond, WA, has been fighting to make Mt. Si High School a miserable place for gay students. He’s tried to get teachers fired for challenging him on gay issues and threatened to put another on his list. He’s sent his daughter to monitor Gay-Straight-Alliance meetings. He’s preached that God hates effeminate men and “joked” about beating them. He’s spread the message that the Bible opposes tolerance.
Unable to stop the event, in 2008, Hutcherson took his bullhorn and staged a protest on the Day of Silence across the street from Mt. Si. About 600 of the 1,400 students stayed home that day.
Johnson said her son appointed himself the protector of a new friend who was being intimidated and followed by a group of boys in the hallways at school. She said the taunts included anti-gay slurs. One night, Johnson said, she found her son texting the other boy, “Just stay by me.”
On Friday, Nov. 6, shortly after noon, the two 14-year-olds came into the locker room to change after PE class. Johnson said the freshman who allegedly led the harassment started taunting the one boy about his presumed sexual orientation.
When Johnson’s son swore and told him to leave his friend alone, a 16-year-old junior stepped into the dispute. He struck Johnson’s son twice in the face, lifted him off a bench, kneed him in the face and, when he fell to the ground, kicked him, according to witness statements to the police. A school-surveillance camera caught the 16-year-old leaving the locker room, shaking his hand as if in pain, said Johnson, who has watched the tape.
Johnson was summoned to the school by a frantic call from her son. When she arrived about 1 p.m., she said her son was bleeding from the eye and nose and was nearly “unrecognizable” on the left side of his face. She assumed that an aid car had been called, but one wasn’t summoned until 1:16 p.m., according to police records.
She also learned that a vice principal had asked the boy to go back to the locker room and search for his missing tooth.
The assault broke his eye socket, two teeth and left him with a concussion. The picked on kid’s conclusion? “I think a lot of people don’t like gays.”
Things like this happen most often when society gives its permission. When preachers and parents and teachers and administrators make it clear that small awkward less-masculine boys are sinful threatening menaces to the community with an evil homosexual agenda. And one man is more responsible for that message at Mt. Si High School than any other.
Am I taking it too far to say that Ken Hutcherson owns some responsibility for this kid’s assault, that he has blood on his hands? No.
The seeds of hatred that blossomed into this violent attack were sown by Rev. Ken Hutcherson. Sown, watered, tended and nourished.
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DN
June 7th, 2010
If there is any truth to the claim that the vice principal sent the victim back to the locker room to look for his own teeth while he’s bleeding out one eye, that AP needs to be fired NOW. That part just makes me mad.
Piper
June 7th, 2010
When I was in college in the area, I realized that, although Hutcherson believs he is soo powerful, unless you actually attended his church, he has next to no influence. My friends (at a religious university) had no earthly clue who he was, until i showed them some news articles about him. (and they were also gay rights activists, but not blog readers) And many of these friends were lifelong residents of the area.
I’m not saying that he isn’t doing horrible things, he is. I’m not saying we should ignore him, we need to push back respectfully, and hard. But, he has a major narcissism problem, and that makes him rather sad, but also entertaining to me.
Bryan
June 7th, 2010
This article’s argument is non-sequitur. There are a few links missing in the causal chain here.
Gay Christian 101
June 7th, 2010
In the 4200 year old Biblical drama, the men of Sodom (Genesis 19) were the oppressors.
“Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.” -New Living Translation
Sadly the irony of the modern drama is lost on Rev. Ken Hutcherson, who appears not to have missed many meals lately, as he plays the part of the men of Sodom, ignoring the suffering of the innocents he loves to attack.
For Ken Hutcherson’s edification I present the Easy To Read Version of Ezekiel 16:49.
“{God said,} “Your sister Sodom and her daughters were proud, they had too much to eat, and too much time on their hands. And they did not help poor, helpless people.”
Taylor Siluwé
June 7th, 2010
This whole thing is a tragedy. Ken Hutcherson is a tragedy.
You certainly draw the right conclusions in this matter. Aside from seeing the AP fired, the parents should sue the school over the tooth incident (and Ken H for fostering the environment of hostility and violence).
John in the Bay Area
June 7th, 2010
Ken Hutcherson also is active in the Watchman on the Walls hate group. So, he has a lot more blood on his hands than just this kid.
cowboy
June 7th, 2010
Some part of me would love to go to the 16-year-old’s house and beat up the kid’s Father.
No, that would make me no better than a Neanderthal.
I can see where violent begets violence.
I’m glad the Seattle paper is getting this into the news. Mr. Hutcherson should regret having his name and his legacy associated with such a news item…even though it was 7 months ago.
Neil D
June 8th, 2010
And yet, this so-called “pastor” is just reflecting the standard christian view that gay sex (and many other forms of sex as well) is sinful. To willfully and openly advocate sinful behaviour is bound to create a backlash among the extremists.
Why is it that our enemies are always pastors, preachers, bishops, and other religious extremists? Heck, even atheists don’t get treated this badly. About the only group hated by Christians more than us are Muslims. I suppose we should be thankful they don’t want to have the government waterboard us. Any gay Republicans for in favor of torture really ought to think about that one!
Religious gays, I think, have a lot to answer for when they flirt with this devil.
Like drug users incapable of taking responsibility for the mayhem their money funds, religious gays are in deep denial over their enabling behavior.
Totz the Plaid
June 8th, 2010
While Hutcherson is undeniably a complete scumbag and definitely creates problems for the gay community in his area, I don’t see how the assault can be directly linked to him. Please explain what the direct connection is since the article completely fails to create a proper link between the two matters. The way it comes off now is like saying: “My cat fell asleep in the sun this afternoon, so I got into a car accident.” The two events are implied to be connected and may very well be, but… there’s absolutely no explanation given as to HOW.
Totz the Plaid
June 8th, 2010
Okay, so maybe my simile was exaggerated since there is a very slight connection given, but… it’s quite indirect nonetheless.
FY
June 8th, 2010
Agree. For too long, we have allowed the bigots to claim that freedom of expression and religion include the right to incite violence with impunity. It doesn’t.
Lurleen
June 8th, 2010
For those not seeing the link between Hutcherson’s disruption of Day of Silence in 2008 and the kid getting brutalized for being gay, you should know that Hutcherson has been consistently outspoken about “sinnful” gays in the intervening years.
Most recently, he was a public voice for Protect Marriage Washington, which tried (unsuccessfully) to repeal WA’s new domestic partnership law at the ballot box via Referendum 71. Hutcherson did tv spots, newspaper interviews and had his words and picture on the referendum petition itself: “Those who think the can sit this battle out because they believe their values and their children will be safe in a private school or homeschool, need to think again. If the homosexual extremists are allowed to continue down this path, under expanded civil rights and hate crimes laws, it will soon be illegal to speak out against homosexual marriage or the dangerous homosexual lifestyle. Please protect the time-honored tradition of ancient and modern society – one man, one woman in marriage. Protect the rights of children to have a mother *and* a father. Please do not hesitate to sign the R-71 petition.”
Hutcherson went the extra mile an an anti-gay rally for the referendum by trashing Gandhi, saying “How many of you understand that Jesus Christ never said [love the sinner, hate the sin]. You know who said “love the sinner hate the sin”? Mahatma Gandhi. So why are we as Christians running around quoting Gandhi, when we should be quoting Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ says that if you don’t separate yourself from sin, you stay with the sin and you’re judged as a sinner. We oughta love you, but we oughta love you too much to let you stay the way you are.” I bet that kind at Mt Si feels the love right down to his eye socket.
KZ
June 8th, 2010
Not everyone will agree that Hutcherson owns responsibility for the assault.
But I think we can all agree that the “Reverend’s” (and I’m using this term loosely) actions are disgusting.
Priya Lynn
June 8th, 2010
Totz said “I don’t see how the assault can be directly linked to him. Please explain what the direct connection is since the article completely fails to create a proper link between the two matters.”.
No one said there was a direct connection, Hutcherson was indirectly responsible. When you create an environment where people see gays as evil, threatening wrongdoers someone is going to use that as justification and motivation to punish gays. To say Hutcherson is not responsible is akin to saying the Nazi propoganda program of Jewish demonization never lead to anyone mistreating Jews.
Donnchadh
June 8th, 2010
A society that accepts gays while a few lonely but vocal figures cry out for action is the most conducive to this sort of violence.
If society did not accept it, then not only would such violence be redundant, but the thugs would be aware of acting with society’s approval, and nobody likes doing that.
If there is no figure with the prominence and authority to direct it, the violence is too diffused to be noticeable.
I’m not sure what should be done here. Giving children anti-bullying education only gives them an additional target for rebellion.
Priya Lynn
June 8th, 2010
“A society that accepts gays while a few lonely but vocal figures cry out for action is the most conducive to this sort of violence.
If society did not accept it, then not only would such violence be redundant, but the thugs would be aware of acting with society’s approval, and nobody likes doing that.”.
That’s not the case – look at the violence against gays in Iraq or Iran where their societies don’t accept gays. Gays are much deeper in hiding there but if they are found out they often experience brutal violence or death.
Timothy Kincaid
June 8th, 2010
Totz,
1. Ken Hutcherson led a campaign to oppose any protection for gay students at Mt. Si and encouraged “the culture of disapproval and condemnation.”* 2. This led to a social culture in which it was acceptable to torment kids who were believed to be gay. 3. This torment culminated in an assault.
If you are not fully aware of the extent of Hutcherson’s activism at the school, please read the linked commentaries. If you are not fully aware of the bullying culture that resulted, please read the linked Seattle Times article.
* This is a phrase accepted by Laurie Higgins, one of Hutcherson’s close associates and allies in anti-gay activism, to describe their efforts to increase intolerance and encourage social stimitization of gay students. They do not deny that this is their goal. They oppose “normalization” and “affirmation”.
paul j stein
June 8th, 2010
Sue him, his church, the school board, the principal, any teachers or staff involved in “non assistance”. Take their pensions and property.
Regan DuCasse
June 8th, 2010
And individual like Hutcherson doesn’t have to be ‘directly linked’ to acts of violence that culminate against children or anyone else perceived of or who is gay.
HIS MESSAGE and ACTIVITY can be.
During the height of the Klan’s violence against blacks and their supporters during the civil rights movement, the Klan constantly denied condoning violence and engaging in it.
At the same time, no single incident could be directly linked to the Klan’s LEADERSHIP.
And some of those responsible for acts of violence weren’t directly linked to the Klan.
But their message clearly got such violence accomplished, didn’t it?
Hitler didn’t actually shoot a Jew, either.
Jeffrey Spencer
June 8th, 2010
For more follow-up on this incident, read a report in the local newspaper, the “Snoqualmie Valley Reporter” at http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/svr/news/95732044.html
Jeffrey Spencer
June 8th, 2010
Sorry, the name of the paper is the “Snoqualmie Valley Record” (not “Reporter”).
Bill
June 9th, 2010
Hutcherson is a gay man so closeted and so in ‘hate’ with himself that he can’t even SEE straight any longer.
A menace to society dressed like a preacher man.
Never seen THAT one before.
Timothy Kincaid
June 9th, 2010
Bill,
We do not present speculation as though it were fact.
Jim
June 10th, 2010
Antioch Bible Church in Redmond, WA does not seen to have any affiliation with any organized religion. Does that make them a “CULT”?
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