Subscribe to Breaking NewsWithers: Rev. Warren meets with Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge, who once informed us that her son thought the language for Proposition 8 was “lame,”, was on the same stage with Rev. Rick Warren this week-end. At least that is the story scholar Juan Cole is telling.
Cole and Warren were headline speakers at an annual conference sponsored by the Muslim Public Affairs Council; Etheridge and Salman Ahmad were the musical performers for the evening and it looks like Warren and Etheridge spoke before the conference and got along swimmingly.
“Local television in Los Angeles showed a short clip of Etheridge after the event asking gay leaders to reach out to Warren, just as they wanted him to reach out to them.”
Don’t trust Cole? Cynic! Well what about Etheridge’s wife?
“…And then my wife meets the man behind the projections, the quotes, the ‘other side.’ And he is warm, caring, effusive, and loves gays. since he nearly swallowed honey when he hugged her, I tend to believe him. he wants our gay marriages to be just as respected and embraced as the straight marriages.”
My head hurts now. The same guy who is on the record of comparing the relationship between Etheridge and Michaels with incest and pedophilia now wants their relationship to be respected?!
I’m more than willing to accept Warren is not on the same level as other preachers who opine on gay sexuality, but his recent interview with NBC’s Ann Curry shows Warren ain’t a friend who is respectful. And I want these gay friends of the good reverend talking to him about gay sexuality to show themselves. If what he says is true, you all need a serious beat down!
James Withers “Are you a professional comic or something? You are killing me with your humor!”
It wasn’t meant as humor. The most racist and homophobic area of this city is South Central, and it’s not at all funny.
Eddie,
“I love how Withers is all over this one though, while he continues to excuse the homophobia and racism of South Central Los Angeles.”
Are you a professional comic or something? You are killing me with your humor!
Be well.
Sincerely,
James
Well either Etheridge is fabricating everything or Warren is a fraud to his own flock and the world – or he was just lying to Etheridge and Michaels. I love how Withers is all over this one though, while he continues to excuse the homophobia and racism of South Central Los Angeles.
Yes, “STFU” is dismissive. It was meant to be. There is no benefit in attempting to educate willfully ignorant people. Passionate ignorance is still IGNORANCE.
Gay marriage vs Incest… My sister is married to her first cousin, and they have two children, who are wonderful, no genetic defects of any kind. I respect her decision, its her life, she can sleep with who the hell she wants to sleep with. It is absolutely NONE of my business. That is the mentality that should be preached, under no circumstances should government be involved in who i sleep with, whether it be gay, straight, family…. Incest has been around for a very long time, look at nearly any royal family in history, they tried to keep it in the family to preserve the “royal bloodline”… My point is: It’s absolutely not anyone elses business who people sleep with, least of all the government. So on the issue of polygamy… Who am i to say you can’t have multiple spouses? I can understand from an insurance point of view, but hey if you have the money to pay for that much insurance, more power to you. Bestiality? I think its wrong, the animal has no way to say it wants your advances, might as well consider it rape. Keep it in the same genome, please… Child rape? Excuse me? That’s the most ridiculous argument there is. What about a gay relationship is akin to that? My main point is: Life your life how you choose, sex life is Nobody’s business, and it shouldn’t be up for popular vote.
Debra, you said “I got on this thread because I am EXTREMELY pissed with Melissa right now,” which is why I made the anger comment.
As for the debate, I think it’s far from pointless. I don’t think debate between two people willing to listen to each other is ever pointless.
But being argumentative and insulting, as you have been to me, is not constructive. But then again, this is the comments section of a website: I suppose it’s to be expected ^_^
I made a point, which you called ridiculous and dumb. If it is so, then you should have no problem disputing it with logic and reason. That’s all I want, and that’s what we should all shoot for within the gay community. Less yelling, more reason.
Sorry for the double post. It took so long to post I thought I must have not included the required the info.
Ramsey…to what end? Pointless. Suffice it to say we want the same thing…equality. Our paths are different…that’s all.
The anger I feel has nothing to do with you.
Ramsey….to what end? Pointless.
And, this is not anger, and it’s not about you.
Debra, I respect your disagreement. And I respect your anger. I just wish that you could have debated me instead of arguing with me.
“but we must realize that even if we get what we want legally, there are still millions of people out there that we need to talk to.”
Ramsey…wrong. When we get the laws on the books as they are supposed to be, I won’t care about people’s opinions of my life. I don’t really care now. I got on this thread because I am EXTREMELY pissed with Melissa right now, and this damn fat ass preacher. You brought up the incest argument, which is still as ridiculous as I have heard, and I felt the need to address. I shall resist all further urges to do so today.
Peace to you Ramsey.
“When did incest become morally encouraged? I missed the memo on that one.”
See? That’s exactly my point! The anti-gay folks say EXACTLY the same thing! They, like Mr. Warren, point to “moral” decisions on homosexuality in nearly every culture, religion, and country and say “when did gay become morally encouraged?”
And, like your inability to tell me exactly why you think incest between sane, non-baby-making siblings is wrong, those people can’t come up with any real REASON for not liking gay relationships other than they just feel it’s “wrong”.
Our nation as a whole does not believe gay marriage is morally “okay”. It’s just a simple fact, folks. Every state that has put gay marriage to a vote, has banned it. Every single one. We can say that civil rights shouldn’t be voted on, we can say that the majority shouldn’t oppress the minority, but we must realize that even if we get what we want legally, there are still millions of people out there that we need to talk to. Most of them aren’t unreasonable, many of them are even our relatives (my own brother is against gay marriage, I’ve made much progress with him though). And that’s really my point in all this, to encourage people to put the anger aside for a minute and start thinking. Think about ways to convert the convertable, and to do that, you have to understand and empathize with the way they think.
Ramsey, My refusal to engage you directly on this is because I don’t want to encourage you in your ignorance. When did incest become morally encouraged? I missed the memo on that one. No, I will not say what you have stated represents my views on any of this. Incest=gay marriage is a lose/lose argument. The only question you leave me with is why are you SO gung-ho on this subject? Do you need to purge your soul here? I won’t judge, I promise.
Again Debra, you did not rebut. What exactly is it about marriage between relatives that ticks you off so much that I can’t even use the word in this discussion? I can completely understand it for purposes of the genetically screwed up children that might result from such a union, or incest that results from child abuse, but barring that, what’s the problem? Two adult, non-reproducing, mentally stable siblings want to get married. Why do you think that’s wrong? If you don’t think it’s wrong, what’s your objection to me using it in my argument? Would you support legal efforts to ensure their right to marry each other?
Simple questions, but the answers are tough, revealing, and important. We, as gay advocates, need to have these answers, not just as responses to people who disagree, but also to reveal things about ourselves. Again, it comes back to my previous point of understanding the opposition. Sure, some anti-gay forces are as loathsome as the KKK, but most aren’t. They are “winnable”, but we have to make the right efforts to win them. Fanning flames of anger and one-sided discussions won’t do that.
This “ramsey” dude seems in a might fit hurry to preach to us that we should be “tolerant” of those who compare our marriages to incest, pedophilia and drug addition. Yes Mr. “Ramsey” I see your point. For the past 2000 years of known history that’s ALL we’ve ever been compared with, in addition to murderers, satanists, thieves, cannibals, sinners, bestialists, abominations, mental retards, disease spreading(causing)sodomites, ect,ect,ect. Yes indeedy ain’t tolerance just a wonderful thing.