Gattaca

12 arrested over Baptist's gay eugenics remarks
published Monday, March 26, 2007

Twelve people affiliated with the gay rights group Soulforce were arrested Monday in Louisville, Ky., after their sit-in at the office of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported.

The group was protesting Mohler's recent online article in which he said prenatal anti-gay hormonal therapy would be biblically justified if a biological basis for homosexuality could be found.

About two dozen activists took part in Monday's sit-in. After being warned by police that they would be arrested, 10 left peacefully and the rest were arrested by police.

As a well-known Christian leader, Mohler "has a tremendous influence" and his "calls for eugenics for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people needed to be answered," protester Kyle DeVries told the Courier-Journal.

"We decided to come here and demand a rescindment of those comments and a public apology for them."

Lawrence Smith, a spokesman for the seminary, told the Courier-Journal that Mohler was not on the premises during the protest.

"They, of course, have a right to protest, but they don't have a right to break the law, and that's why they were arrested," Smith said. "You have to understand they are a professional protest group. Their aim is to create disruption and in some cases be arrested."

Soulforce, based in Lynchburg, Va., seeks to end "religious-based oppression" of gay men and lesbians through nonviolent Gandhian protest. The group's annual Equality Ride tours military and religious campuses with anti-gay policies, call on colleges to repudiate the policies and meets with the necessarily closeted students whom the policies oppress.

Fifty activists are aboard two buses this year -- one bound for the West Coast, another staying on the East Coast. On Thursday in Clinton, Miss., after an action in which five Equality Riders were arrested, police stopped the vehicle and told activists to "get out of town." (The Advocate)

Those Equality Ride people are pretty damn kewl. My dad sent me the local clipping when they hit BYU—totally made me giggle. But for them to stand up like this is impressive. I some how missed the original “prenatal anti-gay hormonal therapy would be biblically justified” article. Well, obviously I missed it or I would have written something instantly.

Hipocrisy like that makes my blood boil. I can understand the whole “It's a choice” stance because, without a common frame of reference, it's impossible to see without faith in your fellow human beings. But tampering with genetics is unconscionable. They would be “Playing God” with their own God's work! What kind of feat of illogic is required to make this right in a dogmatic's mind?! Just astonishing. And reinforcing the fact that I have no use for Christianity in general.

Mohler's most incendiary comment had to be: “I realize this sounds very offensive to homosexuals, but it's the only way a Christian can look at it. We should have no more problem with that than treating any medical problem.” Very offensive doesn't quite capture it for me. Even ignoring the removal of homosexuality from the DSM-II back in 1973 from deviancy, the WHO dropped it completely in 1992. My sexual orientation is not broken. Plenty of other things are. *snicker*

The response from FPC's Jennifer Chrisler was perfect: “What bothers me is the hypocrisy. In one breath, they say the sanctity of an unborn life is unconditional, and in the next breath, it's OK to perform medical treatments on them because of their own moral convictions, not because there's anything wrong with the child.” Simply brilliant summation of my titanic outrage. And a perfect parallel. This stance should have the Pro-Lifers up in arms.

Had to concede an excellent closing point by Dr. Jack Drescher, a New York City psychiatrist: “This represents a major shift. This is a man who actually has an open mind, who is struggling to reconcile his religious beliefs with facts that contradict it.” Granted it's not the pace I would prefer, but it's movement.

• There is no gene for the Human Spirit.
  Tagline for Gattaca (1997)