From: ae642@yfn.ysu.edu (Kelley Miller)
Subject: Re: One hell of a wake-up call.
Reply-To: ae642@yfn.ysu.edu (Kelley Miller)
Organization: St. Elizabeth Hospital, Youngstown, OH
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 04:32:39 GMT


In a previous article, sck@watson.ibm.com (Scott C. Kennedy) says:

>
>This saturday morning, I received a phone call from my father, a member of 
>Downtown United Presbteryan (sp?) Church in Rochester, NY. (Home of
>Janie Spahr, the lesbian pastor who is being barred from her congregation.)
>For more information about Janie reply via e-mail.
>
>He feels very strongly about the stubbornness and "un-christian" behavior
>of the people who oppose the congregation's choice for pastor. He explained
>that he "wanted to become gay" (his words) to make himself a target for the
>injustices that are committed against homosexuals.
>
>So, his plan is to take a partner, while still remaining faithful to his wife. He would
>become part of the gay community and thus would place his support amongst
>the people who are being wronged. He knows this will cause alot of problems
>with his friends and business associates who are not as open-minded as others.
>And he doesn't have any idea how he is going to do this, but he desperately
>wants to do something. 


Interesting...I've never considered the idea of a straight person infiltrating
himself into the gay community as a way of protesting.  Many of my straight 
friends are quite active in the gay rights thing, but nobody thinks they are
queer.

>
>I have several problems with this.
>1: He is not homosexual. (I don't believe he is in denial) He vows that he would 
>not be unfaithful to his wife and not take a lover, but "would have a partner." 
>Whomever his partner is could get seriously hurt. (mentally and emotionally) and
>by "becoming gay" he is saying that he believes homosexuality is a person's
>choice not something that can only be a certain way. (I don't know how else to
>say this, but I believe that a homosexual person is homosexual at birth, and
>there is nothing that can be done to make that person "be" heterosexual.)
>

That is the common concensus.  However, I think you may be reading too much
into this.  It could be akin to the 60's book "Black Like Me" (I don't recall
the author's name), where a white journalist, with the benefit of a make-up
artist, became part of the black community to see exactly how it felt to
be black.  It is incredable reading.

Your father's actions are probably similar, and chances are he will partner
with a gay friend of fellow churchgoer who understands his point of view, and
is willing to cooperate.  I think his actions are commendable.


>2: He seems to wish to be a martyr, but I think his method will hurt and insult
>more than help and aid. The community that he wishes to help may view him
>as an outsider or worse an enemy. And therefore he coul cast off some of his 
>friends to only have his new friends shun him. (Not a very tenable situation)
>

Not likely.  If you;ll parden the expression, some of my best friends are
straight :-), and believe me, there is no resentment in the gay community for 
those straight folks who truly wish to see the injustice against GLB folks 
ended.


>3: There must be better ways for a heterosexual person to fight the injustices
>against homosexuals than to artifically become one. 
>

Perhaps.  But your father's attempt, IMHO, is as good as any I've seen.  
Perhaps he feels he can only give hios best if he REALLY knows the 
injustice felt in the gay community, and can only know by, albeit for
only a short time, assimilating into the community.

If I were you, if you believe in what your father stands for, then stand
behind him.


>Am I off base? 

No, you're correct to be concerned, there is some bad shit happening to
persons who are in fact, or are perceived to be, gay or lesbian.  Your
father is taking some level of risk.  However, he feels he must, as a
christian, "Walk a mile in his brother's shoes".  The mile may be long, 
but after it, he'll have a much better understanding of what I, and so many
like me, go through on a daily basis.  

And afterword, he'll be more able to explain it to those at his church who
are so bigoted and closed-minded.


>
>I would not have as many concerns if my father had said "Son, I'm gay", but
>this seriously distrubs me.
>-- 

Well....wish him luck from one queer who stands behind him 100%.


>______________________________________________________________________________
>Scott C. Kennedy (sck@watson.ibm.com)  | This post does not reflect the intent 
>VLSI Design Group System Administrator | or actions of my employer, nor their 
>IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Facility | intent or actions reflect mine.
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>agoraphobia (n) - fear of implementing or of being trapped in open systems
>
-- 
*...your Friendly Neighborhood Atheist  /\/\   These are the REAL  *         
*  ae642@yfn.ysu.edu/Kelley L. Miller  / /__\      Gay 90's!!      *           
*-------------------------------------/____\-----------------------*  
***************** Oxymoron: Freewill Christianity ******************