SC: Black minister serves up a civil equality challenge to Obama

Can we choose to not be gay?

While reading this entry this morning I happened to turn and see Mike Huckabee on the TV (CNN).  He was stating that, if he were to be elected President, he would have to remain involved in the "debate" over the definition of marriage as long as States kept choosing to define it themselves.  One of the comments he made in that snippet inferred that being gay was a "choice".  He kept stating that people who "choose" that lifestyle should not be able to redefine the "traditional" view of marriage as one that is between a man and a woman.  Does this guy really think that this is the case?  I wonder what his record on GLBT rights was while he was governor of Arkansas....

On the note of choice or not....one wonders if this issue is the first and most important one to put to bed before any of the debate over GLBT rights can occur with any fidelity.  Everyone, on both sides of the race arguments, had to agree that no one "chose" to be African American or Caucasian.  The basis, in my mind, was that people were born they way they were and that they had no "choice" over the matter so it was not something that anyone could control.  With that in mind, people had to get through the logic of whether it was right or not to discriminate against people who were born they way they were.  Unfortunately, many people don't agree that GLBT people were born they way they were.  While I agree that there is a huge mountain of evidence that points to the assertion that people are indeed born GLBT, it's not universally accepted as fact.  

This worries me as we will fail to see any substantive debate of GLBT rights while key parties keep falling back to the "choice" argument.  I'm wondering why we, in the GLBT community, don't focus more on establishing the facts for these folks.  I'd love to stand up and ask Gov. Huckabee his views on this issue.

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by: calaggie95 @ Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 10:14:00 AM CST

Obama will reply that he is opposed to discrmination

He will also reply that he discriminates agains gays when it comes to marriage because he is a "christian" - even though the UCC does not teach this.

And he will respond that marriage is not a civil right, even though he taught law and is familiar with the Supreme cCourt decisions which stated that it is - and that his mixed race parents had the civil right to marry.

What a hypocrite he is

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by: tiponeill @ Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 13:52:20 PM CST

Yes, just like he said he does not agree with Donnie McCLurkin,

as though it was just a matter of agreeing or not and then you can leave it at that.

I am once again totally down on Obama, and every time he throws the message of inclusiveness and reaching out it makes me feel he will do absolutely nothing that could possibly make waves.  Is he hypocritical or naive?  Probably neither, just throwing slogans around that mean nothing.  He will probably stay far away from this dangerous guy.

No divisive legislation, yeah, right.  No gay marriage.  No ENDA.  No integration of schools back in the early civil right days.  All those things are divisive, right Barack?  How can you say otherwise?

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by: Tomistocles @ Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 16:27:14 PM CST

[ Parent ]

OT re black pastor

Looks like anti gay Seattle area Rev Hutch is in the news again.  Seems like some principal invited the vocal antigay religious man to speak at a mandatory high school assembly for MLK day....even tho faculty and the GSA objected to the invite, Hutch came anyway...principal ended up sending out a letter of apology to parent...unfortunately he forgot to apologize to GLBT students and teachers.

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource...

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by: Karen in Kalifornia @ Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 14:10:22 PM CST

good lord.

in Kingstree S.C.?
wow.
We 9my family)have a farm house (vacation house) in Kingstree. In fact, I'm related to almost all the white bretheren there.. and maybe some others as well...lol
We skipped Christmas there this year, just because of scheduling conflicts. But for real, we would have been the first gay couple to grace the doors of my family clan. Things are still very backward in Kingstree. I would have never taken my best friend (black) there for any reason. To hear this, out of this place is... wow.
They're good people there, but crap. it's the very definition of the Deep South. I don't reckon we'll hear anything out of the white pastors any time soon. It's encouraging to hear that people get it, even in this remote spot.  

http://EQFL.org

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by: banshiii @ Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 14:44:50 PM CST

Damage Already Done

I think Obama made the fatal mistake of allowing Donnie McClurkin to perform anyway, despite calls to nix his appearance.  

The "ex-gays" and their "sexual orientation reparation therapy" is thankfully gaining more exposure, so the country can see what kind of a destructive money-grubbing circus act it really is, with untreated crystal meth addicts as their spokespersons.  

Maybe Obama should have researched this nuttery before indirectly saying "I believe gays can change to hetero, by beating pillows with tennis rackets and screaming bitter words towards your parents".

I'm getting sick of reminding this to the Obama fund-seekers when they call.  Damn my roomie for donating to him in the first place LOL (he's discontinued this since the McClurkin fiasco, as have other former-Obama supporters I know).  

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by: gayleftborg2 @ Sat Jan 19, 2008 at 21:53:20 PM CST