KOMO-TV:
It was standing room only at the school board meeting as Pat discussed the harassment that has followed the couple and their four children since her husband spoke at an assembly at Mount Si High School on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
"My family is boldly called names like 'bigot', 'homophobe' and we've been permanently branded in the valley," she said.
The pastor, who is known for his anti-gay stance, was booed and publicly questioned by two teachers during the assembly. The incident has raised numerous concerns and issues, including bad manners and the acceptance of gays and lesbians. Some students are even concerned that teachers are imposing their personal beliefs on the students.
"I have six classes a day. I know the personal beliefs of all six of my teachers and I don't want to," one student said at the meeting.
"I also think that to invite an anti-gay person was sending wrong message to students at Mount Si," another said. I have no idea what Pat Hutcherson or her children believe; we can make some assumptions of course, but it's irrelevant -- they aren't public figures and should only answer for their views and actions. I will say, however, that Ken's wife should not be surprised that the appearance of her husband generated negative publicity, given Ken's outspokenness about the evils of homosexuality. And they are activities that are far beyond anything coming from the pulpit.
Here are some of the public activities of Hutcherson:
* For years he's tried to prevent pro-LGBT legislation from passing in Washington state without any success.
* Hutcherson showed up at Microsoft's shareholder meeting last year to announce his plan to "take over" the Redmond-based software giant to punish it for not discriminating against its LGBT employees. His master plan to bring Bill Gates to his knees is for evangelicals buy up enough shares of Microsoft to have a majority vote and run the software giant in the bible-based tradition they believe in - while passing Ken one share of stock for every three they purchase. He has backing by Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention and fundie and failed presidential candidate Gary Bauer on this project, and, as Hutch puts it, "a whole host of powerful white people behind me."
* Back in March 2007, Pastor Hutch made headlines because of his claim that the Bush White House's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives named him "Special Envoy for Adoptions, Family Values, Religious Freedom, and Medical Relief," and he represented himself as such in Latvia. The White House denied this, and Hutch threatened to prove his status by producing video of him being given the "power." (He has yet to produce his evidence.)
* He has consorted over there and stateside with Latvian-based fundamentalist extremists that are fomenting anti-gay thuggery on the West Coast, specifically among Russian and Ukrainian immigrants in the Sacramento Valley. The group calls itself the Watchmen on the Walls, which believes, among other things: We are against cohabitation, divorce, abortion, adultery and other behaviors that weaken the marriage-based society on which civilization depends. But we are especially focused against homosexuality, because those who practice this self-destructive vice, and have organized themselves into a political movement, are the chief enemies of the natural family.
We view homosexuals like we view alcoholics: unfortunate people trapped in a bad lifestyle. Like alcoholics, they should have the right, if they reject therapy, to enjoy privacy in their own homes. But they should not be allowed to publicly recruit others to their lifestyle. Pubic advocacy of homosexuality should be, like public drunkenness, culturally discouraged to minimize its impact on society. With a high-profile rep like that, it's no wonder the Mount Si High School teachers were well-aware of the dilemma posed by a school inviting this particular pastor to talk about tolerance and inclusion in celebration of the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
That the matter has devolved into such incivility shows how raw the emotions are - but his family didn't go on these anti-gay rampages.
Other Hutch Blend posts: * Hate group Watchmen On the Walls conference with Ken Hutcherson a bust
* When Fundies Fail Fundies
* Pastor Hutch and his 'ex-lesbian' fan
* Anti-gay pastor Hutch in hot water - FBI complaint filed over claim he's a 'special envoy'
Hat tip. Auntie Neo Kawn. |
