A series of articles by Robert Buchanan, D.Min., on gay prejudice and
Christianity in order to challenge the church and help provide for the
spiritual needs of sexual minorities
Please bookmark this page and come back.
|
A series of articles by Robert Buchanan, D.Min., on gay prejudice and
Christianity in order to challenge the church and help provide for the
spiritual needs of sexual minorities
Please bookmark this page and come back.
|
|
|
The Army Would
Never Lie
It is official.
The Inspector General of the U.S. Army has determined that there was no
unusual atmosphere of intolerance toward gays at Fort Campbell Kentucky. In
spite of the fact that his co-worker, Private Calvin Glover, bludgeoned
Private First Class Barry Winchell to death with a baseball bat last year.
Other witnesses have claimed that Winchell was perceived as gay, and was
regularly threatened and harassed as a result of this belief. The platoon was
known to chant the cadence, “Faggot faggot, down the street, shoot him shoot
him, until he retreats.” However, the Army would never lie to the American
people.
I’m sure The
Inspector General is completely telling the truth when he reports that there
was nothing unusual. I imagine this means that it is quite usual and common
for the Army to be a place where gay bashing, harassment, and homophobia
prevail. Private Glover’s trial, in which he was convicted, had numerous
sworn statements to show that harassment took place. The murder itself stands
to prove the point. The only thing the Inspector General’s investigation
proved is that this is normal for the U.S. Army, not unusual.
As a matter of
fact, it’s not only the Army that is a place for gay bashing and harassment;
it’s a growing problem in society as a whole. Few gay people have not been
called names. Thousands have been physically attacked, and too many have been
murdered, simply for being different. It is hard to be unusual in a society
that expects everyone to be the same in certain areas of life.
At least part
of the responsibility for gay bashing murder lies with the institutions that
shape our lives and how ideas of fear and hatred are used to control others.
The Roman Church has used homosexuals as scapegoats on and off since the
failure of the Crusades against the Muslims. Other Christian groups haven’t
been much better on the issue. The religious right uses sexual minorities to
raise money and wield power, even though they have no evidence to back up
claims that gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, are in any way dangerous to others.
Corrupted and misunderstood ideas from the Bible, social science, and hard
science, are used to raise fears and prejudice to the point that violence is
seen as honorable in some sick minds. If the pope doesn’t like us, the Army
commander doesn’t like us, preachers rant about us, and a jury of peers is
sympathetic to a gay-basher, it is amazing that sexual minorities survive at
all.
It is probably
true that nothing unusual took place at Fort Campbell prejudice against gay
people is usual for that environment. However, only courage and faith can
keep us coming out, speaking up and not allowing the power brokers of social
and religious institutions to continue to inflict their pain on sexual
minorities. We can be different, queer, and at the same time responsible
members of society. Our weapons cannot be the same as those who spread hate,
or we will fail. But, the weapons of acceptance, compassion, and good
character are just as powerful at changing attitudes and understanding of
those around us. It is a slow process because it happens one person at a
time.
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Robert Buchanan is a minister of the Ecumenical Catholic Church and a psychotherapist who lives with his partner of many years in Durham North Carolina. He is the author of Love, Honor & Respect: How to Confront Homosexual Bias in Christian Culture and serves as director of the Institute for Inclusive Christianity. a training program for ministers and clergy who do not discriminate against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, or because of financial, familial or social status. Additional resources for inclusive Christians can be found at our Resources page.
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