Religious slashers: Let's support those on our side.
Proposition 8, California's gay marriage ban, has most likely passed. Even the Human Rights Campaign admits that it's unlikely that two thirds of the absentee ballots yet to be counted have all voted against the ban.
Jeffrey Jackson of Lynwood said he struggled with how he would vote on Proposition 8. On the one hand, as a black man casting his ballot for Obama, he said he had a deep and personal reverence for civil rights. On the other, he is a Pentecostal Christian. In the end, it was that religious faith that guided his decision. "It's straight biblical," said Jackson, 46. "It's just not right."
We need to start building support for gay marriage within religious groups. Clearly, there are religious people on the fence about gay marriage.
Let's start building that support with the people already on our side.
What? you say. Why would we do that? you say.
Religious leaders recognized and performed gay marriages long before it was conceivable to make it legal in the courts. The laws are catching up to many churches.
In addition, we have gay pastors and gay priests and gay monks. I know many (non-sexually active obviously) lesbian and gay Buddhist monastics.
There are many religious slash writers. I am good friends with Buddhist, Mormon, Christian, Islamic, and Jewish slash writers. And none of these are against their religion. They--we--just feel that more conservative voices in our religions are mistaken.
Yet gay rights supporters and slash writers don't treat these religious people well at all. (Heck, gay rights supporters don't treat multiracial supporters very well either.) Casual badmouthing and abuse of religion is common. I can't tell you how many times in my decade in fandom I've entered into a slash conversation, only to hear swipes at religion (all religions in general). When I object saying, "Hey, uh, I'm a former Buddhist nun" I've been told "well, religion hasn't treated gay people very well" -- and the badmouthing goes on. Thanks for suggesting that I deserve to be treated badly because of your experience with religion. I try not to take it personally, but it does rub me the wrong way. I suspect I'm not alone.
Gay rights supporters actually join in on the conservative world's mockery of gay priests with nasty, infuriating, insulting insinuations that they're all fucking altar boys. This is anti-gay hate, you fools! The insulting insinuations are even carried over to all religions, even those like Buddhism that have never, ever had ANY institutional bias against gay people.
Good work, folks. If you can't even be decent and respectful to those who are already on your side, how do you expect to draw in the ones who are on the fence?
Let me make this clear.
- Religious person = conservative is not true.
- No more than straight person = conservative is true.
But conservatives would like us all to believe it. Oh, yes.
If we believe that all religious people are conservative people, then we won't talk to religious people. We won't listen to their concerns. We won't speak to their personal beliefs that often aren't in line with the more heavy-handed of their leaders and congregations. We won't speak of shades of gray in religious teachings, or talk about weighing the spirit of the law with the letter of the law -- a vital concern to all genuinely spiritual people.
We won't ask Pentecostal voters if God is against civil rights. We won't ask Buddhists if their religion has anything against gay rights as opposed to certain Asian customs. We won't ask Catholics if they really follow everything the Popes say, past and present. We won't ask other Protestants if they have a personal relationship with God and what that means.
We won't allow those religious people on our side, who've already resolved these questions, to speak. They will be among us. They will support us. But they will hide. They'll hide the fact that they're spiritual, or only admit it in passing or to close friends. Because they don't want a confrontation.
It's time for spiritual people who support gay marriage to let you know they're here.
If you're religious and support gay marriage, then paste this meme in your LJ.
I am [insert religion here] and I support gay marriage.
Why? Because... [answer].
For myself: I am Tibetan Buddhist and I support gay marriage.
Why? Because Buddhism has never had a bias against sexual orientation. It has recognized gay sexuality and addressed it in the monastic vows (the vows are very specifically applied to both gay and straight people). Otherwise Buddhist texts mention nothing at all about homosexuality. It is irrelevant to enlightenment.
Culturally, I recognize many Asian societies have biases against homosexuality and Buddhism traditionally isn't very militant. Buddhism bends to local custom like a reed in the wind. But the Dalai Lama has stated that it is clear within the Buddhist teachings that is inappropriate to be "patient" when something is wrong. I consider opposition to the happiness and security of gay couples to be wrong.
Jeffrey Jackson of Lynwood said he struggled with how he would vote on Proposition 8. On the one hand, as a black man casting his ballot for Obama, he said he had a deep and personal reverence for civil rights. On the other, he is a Pentecostal Christian. In the end, it was that religious faith that guided his decision. "It's straight biblical," said Jackson, 46. "It's just not right."
We need to start building support for gay marriage within religious groups. Clearly, there are religious people on the fence about gay marriage.
Let's start building that support with the people already on our side.
What? you say. Why would we do that? you say.
Religious leaders recognized and performed gay marriages long before it was conceivable to make it legal in the courts. The laws are catching up to many churches.
In addition, we have gay pastors and gay priests and gay monks. I know many (non-sexually active obviously) lesbian and gay Buddhist monastics.
There are many religious slash writers. I am good friends with Buddhist, Mormon, Christian, Islamic, and Jewish slash writers. And none of these are against their religion. They--we--just feel that more conservative voices in our religions are mistaken.
Yet gay rights supporters and slash writers don't treat these religious people well at all. (Heck, gay rights supporters don't treat multiracial supporters very well either.) Casual badmouthing and abuse of religion is common. I can't tell you how many times in my decade in fandom I've entered into a slash conversation, only to hear swipes at religion (all religions in general). When I object saying, "Hey, uh, I'm a former Buddhist nun" I've been told "well, religion hasn't treated gay people very well" -- and the badmouthing goes on. Thanks for suggesting that I deserve to be treated badly because of your experience with religion. I try not to take it personally, but it does rub me the wrong way. I suspect I'm not alone.
Gay rights supporters actually join in on the conservative world's mockery of gay priests with nasty, infuriating, insulting insinuations that they're all fucking altar boys. This is anti-gay hate, you fools! The insulting insinuations are even carried over to all religions, even those like Buddhism that have never, ever had ANY institutional bias against gay people.
Good work, folks. If you can't even be decent and respectful to those who are already on your side, how do you expect to draw in the ones who are on the fence?
Let me make this clear.
- Religious person = conservative is not true.
- No more than straight person = conservative is true.
But conservatives would like us all to believe it. Oh, yes.
If we believe that all religious people are conservative people, then we won't talk to religious people. We won't listen to their concerns. We won't speak to their personal beliefs that often aren't in line with the more heavy-handed of their leaders and congregations. We won't speak of shades of gray in religious teachings, or talk about weighing the spirit of the law with the letter of the law -- a vital concern to all genuinely spiritual people.
We won't ask Pentecostal voters if God is against civil rights. We won't ask Buddhists if their religion has anything against gay rights as opposed to certain Asian customs. We won't ask Catholics if they really follow everything the Popes say, past and present. We won't ask other Protestants if they have a personal relationship with God and what that means.
We won't allow those religious people on our side, who've already resolved these questions, to speak. They will be among us. They will support us. But they will hide. They'll hide the fact that they're spiritual, or only admit it in passing or to close friends. Because they don't want a confrontation.
It's time for spiritual people who support gay marriage to let you know they're here.
If you're religious and support gay marriage, then paste this meme in your LJ.
I am [insert religion here] and I support gay marriage.
Why? Because... [answer].
For myself: I am Tibetan Buddhist and I support gay marriage.
Why? Because Buddhism has never had a bias against sexual orientation. It has recognized gay sexuality and addressed it in the monastic vows (the vows are very specifically applied to both gay and straight people). Otherwise Buddhist texts mention nothing at all about homosexuality. It is irrelevant to enlightenment.
Culturally, I recognize many Asian societies have biases against homosexuality and Buddhism traditionally isn't very militant. Buddhism bends to local custom like a reed in the wind. But the Dalai Lama has stated that it is clear within the Buddhist teachings that is inappropriate to be "patient" when something is wrong. I consider opposition to the happiness and security of gay couples to be wrong.