Thursday, 5/22/97 Religion and politics Political actions of
‘religious right’ groups oppress gay community
By David Bain "If homosexuality were the normal way, God would
have made Adam and Bruce." — Anita Bryant, New York Times, June 5,
1977 The Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/ Transgendered (LGBT) community can
not often come to a point of consensus. We are a community of every
race, ethnic group, ability, gender and socio-economic status. Our
opinions are as varied as the rainbow, one of our symbols. We
differ as a community over Proposition 209, affirmative action,
access to health care, and pornography. One area that a great many
of us can come together is around the issue of persecution by a
great number of religious groups and majorities. Regardless of
differences, we are able to agree that the "religious right’s"
ability to prevent us from marrying, their success at implementing
and retaining sodomy laws, and their continued campaign to not
allow us to teach, adopt, or have custody of children is a threat
to our humanity. The spiritual beliefs of a religious majority in
this country are responsible, in large part, for the continued
violence, misinformation and prejudice against LGBT people in the
United States. For the past several years, the Daily Bruin has run
advertisements by the Campus Crusade for Christ, a national
fundamentalist Christian organization founded at UCLA many years
ago, that purports to have the testimonials of "reformed
homosexuals" who have found Jesus and left behind their former
torturous lives. Until recently, Al-Talib, UCLA’s Muslim community
newsmagazine, has been running an advertisement from an
organization in Fresno that talks about protecting Muslim school
girls from the "propagation of homosexuality in the form of
alternative lifestyles." The rationale is used that the papers are
a public forum. Would the Daily Bruin and Al-Talib run an ad that
was racist in content and form? I don’t think so! It is astounding
that they continue to run ads advocating the exclusion and mental
abuse of any people. UCLA affirms the oppression of queer folks by
using the standard of religious marriage to deny family-student
housing to queer students and same-sex headed families. The UCLA
Housing Administration also buys into this by not allowing queer
students to have a queer or queer-friendly student as a roommate.
The only model they recognize is the religious one of a man and a
woman. The "religious right" accuses the LGBT community of
recruiting innocent folks into our coven of sexual congress. On
this campus I have yet to have a queer person try to recruit me
into being a "homosexual." I have however, had the distinct
displeasure of having students ask me if I knew Jesus. Had I
accepted Jesus? Or confessed my sins to Jesus? I have filled out a
survey on Bruin Walk only to be called about coming to church. The
private space of my room in the residence halls is no haven from
their intrusions. Imagine their surprise if I were to show up at
their doors saying: "Here’s a copy of ‘The Joy of Gay Sex’ and a
copy of ‘Off Our Backs’ – wanna hear more about queer
consciousness?" If the "religious right" only confined their
actions to proselytizing, we might have less of an issue with them.
However, they are making a very concerted effort to get into school
boards, Congress and the Supreme Court. Their beliefs translate
into actions that help to retain the sodomy laws in 21 states. If
you are convicted in one of these states of sodomy, you can lose
the right to vote, hold office, be bonded or be extended certain
forms of credit. By preventing queer folks from marrying, they
prevent us from having rights to inheritance, hospital visitation,
equal taxation, financial aid and student housing. These groups
have a life-shaping and profound impact on the youth of our
country. By using a translation and interpretation (and many a
serious scholar of the Bible would say that it is a mistranslation
and misinterpretation) of the Christian Bible, they promote
inaccuracies, hate and oppression of LGBT people. The political and
religious actions of the "religious right" in this country and on
this campus create an attitude of pity and disgust. Respect and
equal human rights are going to be pursued religiously by LGBT
folks. Until then, we will work, reflect, and for some of us,
myself included, pray. Would the Daily Bruin and Al-Talib run an ad
that was racist in content and form? I don’t think so! Would the
Daily Bruin and Al-Talib run an ad that was racist in content and
form? I don’t think so! Related links: LGBT home page