Box Turtle Bulletin
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 lobbyApril 3rd, 2012
Culture is shared perspectives and assumption. It’s the stories so familiar that you don’t need the details. It’s the following overheard statement from the postal agent who delivers our office mail (black man probably in his forties) to our office manager (white woman, early 50’s). The topic was taxes:
“…and churches don’t pay taxes at all and they go and use it on, on, well like that church in Utah, the one Romney goes to, they spent all that money on the thing against the gays, and that’s not right!”
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Snowman
April 3rd, 2012
No, it’s not, and sometimes your website needs a like button.
The maintenance dude at my apartments, a white guy from Mississippi in his early 40’s has said similar things about both african americans and gay people. It’s just not right to treat someone bad just for being what they are.
Why some people don’t get that, I’ll never understand. I was raised Christian, relatively conservatively at that and guess what? I was taught prejudice of any kind is wrong.
Snowman
April 3rd, 2012
No idea how the italics got there, btw.
Samiimas
April 3rd, 2012
“No idea how the italics got there, btw.”
The whole website is in italics except for this article. I think it’s because Timothy accidentally typed \ instead of / at the end.
Jim Burroway
April 3rd, 2012
The formatting issue is fixed.
Sarah
April 3rd, 2012
should be . I wonder if I can end it? Did it work?
Sarah
April 3rd, 2012
Guess not, that’s odd.
Allen
April 3rd, 2012
I had a similar experience a couple of months ago on the bus. The driver, an African American woman who I would guess to be in her early forties, was talking about same-sex marriage and saying, “If people love each other I don’t see why they can’t get married. If they can’t it hurts them and doesn’t do the rest of us any good either.”
And even though I’m ashamed of thinking this way I will admit that I was surprised. I didn’t assume she would be opposed to same-sex marriage because of the color of her skin, but simply because of where I live.
I have to be reminded occasionally that just because prejudice is so widespread and deeply entrenched where I live that it doesn’t mean it’s fair to assume that I’m alone.
cowboy
April 3rd, 2012
The best cultural shift, which caused a rather pronounced tremor here, was when “that Church in Utah†sent an emissary to a City Council meeting and formally put their support on an anti-discrimination ordinance in Salt Lake City.
I could feel the people from Eagle Forum, Southerland Institute and many Saints fall off their chairs.
But, that ‘shift’ was felt in 12 other Utah cities too.
I’m waiting for a full-on earthquake when the Utah Legislature eventually votes for a non-discrimination statute for the whole State.
andrewdb
April 3rd, 2012
I personally expect the LDS church will come around before the Roman Catholic Church does. The President of the LDS church is considered a living prophet – a prophet can have a new revelation.
My personal experience with a culture shift was at a recent National Guard event when a returning Soldier wanted to sign up her female spouse on her military insurance (DOMA says she can’t). The young-ish African-American woman from Fresno sitting next to me said “No? Doesn’t that violate their civil rights?”
BJohnM
April 3rd, 2012
I attend a Methodist Church in Florida. If someone wants to get the anti-gay side of a Methodist related issue, they call the Methodist Bishop of Florida. The Methodists are trying but have some ways to go.
I wanted our Church to join the ranks of Reconciling Ministries, meaning we needed to adopt a non-discrimination statement. I took one to our Administrative Council, and had my head ripped off. It was truly ugly. I also teach a Sunday class made up of the older members of the church (some are founding members), and after the rash of youth suicides a while back, I spoke to them on Sunday, told them of my plan to have this church adopt a non-discrimination statement, and askey, if they were so inclined, for them to attend the next meeting with me. Suddenly we were having strategy meetings which they organized, they were calling their friends, and at the next meeting, the Admin Council was outnumbered about five to one…all being in favor. Not only that, to a one, they all spoke up at the meeting.
I remember a new member of the Admin Council (who was in favor of the resolution) saying to me afterwards, “I admit it, I saw all these older people filing in, and I was afraid they were all here to oppose it.”
Timothy (TRiG)
April 3rd, 2012
We get there in the end. Nice to have a bit of good news.
TRiG.
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