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Loading ...The book Palin wanted banned
Rev. Howard Bess is not gay. He was not raised by gay parents and does not have gay children. Bess did not grow up with a gay family next door and his best friend was not gay. Rev. Bess might not have had a horse in the GLBT rights race, but that did not stop him from becoming a trailblazer for the issue in the American Baptist church and Christian faith at large.
Rev. Bess has recently enjoyed some time in the spotlight thanks to vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s attempt to ban his book, Pastor, I Am Gay, from the Wasilla Public Library.The book, published in 1995, was received somewhat coldly in Alaska’s Mat-Su Valley, home to Rev. Bess and the soon to be Mayor of Wasilla Palin.
In fact, for a long time, the only places you could buy the book in Mat-Su were a barber shop and beauty salon. The book was also available at the Wasilla Public Library, a “problem” Palin infamously sought to solve. Wasilla’s librarian stood up to Mayor Palin’s rash and uninformed demands. The librarian was then fired by Palin only to be reinstated after the community objected loudly to the dismissal.
Rev. Bess’ book was just one of at least three books that then-Mayor Palin tried to yank off the shelf.
There has been some confusion regarding exactly what titles Palin sought to ban, but Rev. Bess has been told that Pastor, I Am Gay was among them, and he would be “flabbergasted” to hear otherwise. Pastor, I Am Gay had been openly ridiculed by the pastor of Palin’s church and Rev. Bess was fired from the newspaper column he had written for seven years. The fundamentalist outcry against Bess in Mat-Su was loud and local bookstores were afraid to carry the book. Sarah Palin and her church friends thought the book was obscene and that the public needed to be protected from its contents.
Pastor, I Am Gay is not an obscene book by any stretch.
It is the open and honest story of how Rev. Bess came to the conclusion that GLBT folk are just as blessed as everyone else and deserve to be fully included in the life and traditions of the church.
Rev. Bess admits his ignorance of issues regarding sexuality for much of his life. He discusses the first time a parishioner came out to him and details the personal introspection and experiences that brought him to his current understanding of the gay community and its place in this world.
Finding a copy of Pastor, I Am Gay today can be a chore. Most of the major booksellers are out-of-stock and the popular used book service list astronomical prices. Fireside Books in Palmer, Alaska still had copies as of press time.
Rev. Bess is happy to talk about Pastor, I Am Gay, but he matter-of-factly states that “the book has run its course.” Rev. Bess is most concerned that people learn about the beliefs of Sarah Palin and that her election would be “bad, bad news for the gay population.”
Bess describes Palin as a religious duelist, someone who sees everything as good vs. evil. Bess says that Palin and the churches she attends are “as anti-gay as they come.” He even described Palin, to Salon.com, as “…Jerry Falwell with a pretty face.”
Reverend Bess has been a crusader for GLBT equality in Alaska and his warnings should be heeded. Rev. Bess knows Sarah Palin and has struggled against her on behalf of more than one progressive cause. He has also fought against Palin for the rights of Mat-Su woman to have access to an abortion provider. Rev. Bess knows the GLBT community and its struggles. He has served as a regional director on PFLAG’s national board and has led the pro-gay fight in the American Baptist Church.
Rev. Bess has struggled for years to promoted gay equality and worries that the election of Sarah Palin could erode much of the work he has done. Bess has also expressed frustration and confusion toward members of the GLBT community who continue to support the McCain/Palin ticket. He states he was astounded by the Log Cabin Republican’s endorsement of the pair and that they obviously have little understanding of Sarah Palin and her beliefs.
Bess summarized his feelings towards Sarah Palin while talking to Salon.com, “this person’s election would be a disaster for the country and the world.”
And correct me if I’m wrong but does this article provide one single source or link that verifies any of these allegations against Palin? Or is this all complete heresay and the rantings of yet another religious Pastor grasping for his 15 minutes?
“So in comparison, are we going to discuss Obama’s pastor?”
Wayne, we DID that – for 6 friggin’ weeks! Maybe you missed it. Besides, Bess is NOT Palin’s pastor – HE seems to be out of bounds, as is the witch-hunting African pastor who prayed that Palin be protected from witchcraft.
“If we are get into Pastors and religious beleifs, then lets have the full discussion, on both sides.”
Like I said, we’ve already HAD the discussion (ad nauseam, imho) on Obama’s pastor. Keep up.
But maybe you’re right. Maybe we SHOULD be discussing Palin’s pastor – for the next 6 weeks (just like Rev. Wright got) IF we could squeeze such a discussion in between the Troopergate investigation. It would turn most of America off her so fast it would make your head spin.
Meanwhile, care to comment on Palin’s book-banning proclivities (i.e. the topic of THIS discussion)?
“Obama wasn’t out there trying to get whites jailed, fired, pushed into obscurity and make their lives miserable but Palin is guilty of all those things.”
To which Wayne replies,
“In what way is Palin guilty of all those things?”
Don’t you follow the news, Wayne? Are you naive or can’t you read?
Palin tried to have people like Bess ARRESTED (jailed), actually DID fire the librarian, and very much wants to make OUR lives miserable.
“And in any case even if she is, I still find it remarkable that Palin and McCain (who are actually pretty gay tolerant by Republican standards.”
That Palin is “gay tolerant” is one of the biggest lies ever posted on 365gay.com (she had to be FORCED by the courts to treat civil servants equally bfore the law), though “compared to most Rethuglicans”, you may be right – most of them hate us – demonstrably so – it’s part of their platform to enshrine discrimination against us into the Constitution.
“Palin is actually the only one of all the candidates to confer actual benefits to gay couples)
Again, the courts told her she HAD to. Tht’s just SO “gay tolerant” – iYnsho.
From the New York Times:
“The new mayor also tended carefully to her evangelical base. She appointed a pastor to the town planning board. And she began to eye the library. For years, social conservatives had pressed the library director to remove books they considered immoral …”
One reader on a blog disagreed and wrote:
“There is NOTHING in the NYT article about PALIN CALLING TO BAN THE BOOK. There is a publicly expressed opinion that “it doesn’t belong” … which is a long step away from banning. There is no motion before the city council to ban the book.”
To which the author replied:
“I provided a direct quote, and I think what the article says is quite clear.
We can split hairs on when a statement by a city councilperson that a book should be removed from the library constitutes a serious proposal to remove the book from the library, but given the direct quote from Chase to the effect that this was a serious proposal, alongside the corroborating data we have with respect to Palin pressuring Emmons to remove books, it seems safe to conclude that she really was trying to get rid of it.”
[I]n 1995, Ms. Palin, then a city councilwoman, told colleagues that she had noticed the book ”Daddy’s Roommate” on the shelves and that it did not belong there, according to [future Palin campaign director Laura] Chase and [former Wasilla mayor John] Stein. Ms. Chase read the book, which helps children understand homosexuality, and said it was inoffensive; she suggested that Ms. Palin read it.
‘Sarah said she didn’t need to read that stuff,’ Ms. Chase said. ”It was disturbing that someone would be willing to remove a book from the library and she didn’t even read it.”
RE Wayne
No, we aren’t having a blanket discussion on the candidates’ pastor’s beliefs. We’re having a discussion about how the candidates take their religious teaching, cross the separation of church/state, and attempt to put their religious teachings into public policy and law. Show me one instance in which Obama put forth a policy or law that was hateful toward white people.
The truth is in the middle. She asked a question of the librarian about her feelings about banning books, which the librarian said she would not approve of. Shortly thereafter, she fired the librarian. After public outcry, they reinstated the librarian. Those are the facts.
Interpret them however you please. In my opinion. the facts don’t exonerate Palin. They simply show that she’s shrewd enough not to reveal her hand in a way that can come back to hurt her…in other words, she constructed the situation for maximum deniability.
Could not agree more. She is BAB NEWS. Maybe when she’s a bit longer in DC the sharp edges wil vanish but at this moment she is able to really hurt America and the American people.
As an Alaskan, I am happy to see her running for VP since the process is bringing to surface her real self. I’ve never been a fan of Mrs. Palin. I’m sickened that she is considered a leader when she is clearly behind times regarding equality (among other issues.) My hope is that she will be revealed the monster that she is, not be elected and face removal from office when she gets back home. Did you know that she billed the state for perdiem charges (food/lodging) for 312 nights she spent at her home in Wasilla so far?
Ahhh, Librarian, but she did. The people of Wasilla have spoken. Those involved would be the source I’d look to as opposed to any online site.
Wayne, as an Alaskan and a lesbian I tell you that she did not grant us benefits with a smile. She knew that she’d lose the battle as the high court had already said as much, and that if it went to voters she would be looking like the fool that she is. She made very clear anti gay sentiments known as she penned her name on the document.
As someone who has worked with books for my entire career, in libraries and as a rare book dealer, I looked closely into the allegations that Sarah Palin attempted to have books removed from the Wasilla Public Library. After reading many different sources I concluded the story is TRUE.
Here’s why. She had attempted it before as a member of the Wasilla City Council. The book at issue on that occasion was “Daddy’s Roomate,” a children’s book intended to introduce kids to the idea of a gay parent. A fellow city counsel member remembers the controversy well and remembers asking Palin if she had read the book she was voting to have removed from the library. Palin responded that she “didn’t need to read it.” The idea of Palin being the Vice President, the City Council Member went on to add, “scares the be-jeebers” out of her.
In articles written for the Wasilla paper AT THE TIME OF THE CONFLICT between then-Mayor Palin and the town Librarian, the Librarian makes it clear that the question Palin asked her was NOT “What happens if Jane Doe asks to have a book removed,” (attempted Republican spin) but was “What if I, the town Mayor, ask to have books removed?” The Librarian informed Palin that not only would the book not be removed but that she would contact the ACLU to join in the dispute. Palin then backed down but later fired the Librarian, but was forced by public outcry to rehire her.
The librarian was later asked by a journalist what books Palin requested to have removed and she said she no longer remembered but came up with a title that was quite close to “Pastor, I Am Gay.” The journalist discovered no book by the EXACT title the librarian gave existed, so he asked her if “Pastor, I Am Gay” might be the title she was thinking of. At the time the librarian conformed that “Pastor, I Am Gay” was one of the titles Sarah Palin requested be removed from the Public Library’s shelves. Palin’s church had also been actively seeking the book being taken off the shelves of local bookstores. Coincidence? I think not.
These verified facts are easily discovered and if you continue to deny these events you are LYING. Period. The prohibition against lying is one of the 10 Commandments so you might want to rethink your strategy if you are doing so out of religious support for Sarah Palin. It’s still lying.
I’ll ask this again, since no one seems to want to asnwer. Is there a verifiable source to these claims a link to research the matter further? Or is it just the hearsay of yet another Pastor trying for his 15 minutes of fame? If there is some actual proof that these allegations are true? And if so, then why are they not provided for us in the article to resource?
“Palin is actually the only one of all the candidates to confer actual benefits to gay couples)
Again, the courts told her she HAD to. Tht’s just SO “gay tolerant” – iYnsho.
————-
Do you guys just make this stuff up? There is no court in the land that can force a Governor to veto. PERIOD. Whatever talking points you are reading that from are full crap. Palin used her firt veto to block a law designed to disenfranchise gay couples who were state employees. That is a FACT. ONE THAT CAN AND HAS BEEN VERIFIED. There seems to be a lot of confusion as to the differences between accusations and actual facts.
Sarah Palin is dangerous. She may look like Bambi but acts like Phyllis Shaffley. She is cosy with the people that hate us and that want to re-riminalize our private behavior, and that think we can be cured through Christian prayer. Her smile may be sweet, but when her “heels are off” watch out LGBT community.
Palin’s participation in attempting to ban “Daddy’s Roommate.” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/us/politics/14palin.html?_r=3&pagewanted=3&hp&oref=slogin
I’m having difficulty locating the original article from the Wasilla paper from that time, but here is another article that references it. With more time I’m sure I could locate the original since I found it before. (Unless it has been removed from the web.)
http://canarypapers.wordpress.com/2008/09/09/the-answer-to-sarah-palins-rhetorical-question-book-burning/
Here is an excerpt.
Sarah Palin would like us to believe that she was merely engaging in philosophical discourse, even as her rhetorical questions were raised not once, but twice, as Palin approached librarian, Emmons two weeks before and two weeks after Palin assumed the duties as Mayor of Wasilla on October 14, 1996. According to Emmons – -who is also the president of the Alaska Library Association – she responded in the negative on October 1, when asked by Palin if she could live with censorship of ‘certain books.’ When asked, again, on October 28, if Emmons would object to censorship, “even if people were circling the library in protest about a book,“ Emmons again refused, adding that the ACLU would step in at that point. According to Emmons’ statements:
“ I told her (Palin) clearly, I will fight anyone who tries to dictate what books can go on the library shelves…. This is different than a normal book-selection procedure or a book-challenge policy,” Emmons stressed. “She was asking me how I would deal with her saying a book can’t be in the library…. She asked me if I would object to censorship, and I replied ‘Yup’. And I told her it would not be just me. This was a constitutional question, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) would get involved, too.”
Palin’s church protested to have “Pastor, I Am Gay” removed from bookstore shelves. They were apparently successful.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/po/20080912/co_po/palinchurchtargetedpastoriamgaybook