And now, as expected, Arkansas passes its version of the anti-gay "religious freedom" bill that is bringing Indiana such negative worldwide attention. Our Republican governor Asa Hutchinson has said he will sign the bill, and has been salivating to do so - to win more cred with the anti-gay Republican base by appearing defiantly to kick LGBT human beings, "liberals," and Democrats in the teeth.
The game plan is obviously to roll out as many of these bills as possible around the country in quick succession, so that people will become blasé about what's going on, shrug their shoulders, and move on to some new cause. The more such bills pop up one after the other, the less focused the resistance to them can be, and the more diffuse the energy to resist. While LGBT people are left to struggle along under the tremendously increased burdens just placed on our shoulders, and with the new messages that we are not wanted or welcome anyplace . . . .
As I've said before, turn to my church, the Catholic church, for solace or assistance as the hatred and oppression come pouring down the pike? Not likely! Not when the legislation originates with the pastoral leaders of my own church, and when the best and brightest among us, the "liberal" academic and journalistic elite of American Catholicism, with all its power and influence, sit by in total silence as the hatred and oppression come pouring out. They sit by in total silence, that is, when they're not actually thinking up ways to give cover to the bigots who want to misuse religious freedom to slam a targeted minoriity group.
The full humanity of the gays - their right to enjoy the same human rights everyone else in the world enjoys - still needs to be "discussed," you understand, among Catholic liberals.
I thought Dennis Hayes's comment yesterday was right on the mark. Dennis is talking about that gaggle of nuns, friars, and a priest who are grinning to beat the band in that photo as Governor Pence signs into law legislation that permits them and the ugly anti-gay bigots lined up beside them to trample on the humanity of a minority group they believe God calls them to hate and demean:
"lord thunderin' jesus", a less than pious ejaculation of which i am fond, from cape breton in canada . . . lord thunderin' jesus, look at that lot, and the grins on their faces . . . i suppose they will be after crowding the stations of the cross this week. ah, well . . . the poor ye shall always have with you. courage, william, courage.
I'm tired. Bearing the load gets a little harder, the feet a little less nimble at walking ahead with it on one's back, when one reaches 65, I will admit. And when so much this is emanating right from the bosom of the church I chose to call family and home because of its commitment to civil rights in the 1960s.