KnowThyNeighbor.org

Greater Boston PFLAG President: Hillary Clinton Fails Gay Families

In An Email Sent Exclusively to KnowThyNeighbor, Greater Boston PFLAG President Stan Griffith Finds Hillary Clinton's Position on Same-Sex Parenting and Gay or Lesbian Run Households "Indistinguishable from Lexington Parent David Parker's" and Calls On LGBT Supporters of Clinton to Understand How "Dangerous" Clinton's Position Actually Is   

Stanley Griffith, Greater Boston PFLAG President sent the following important email to KnowThyNeighbor Director, Tom Lang.  Mr. Griffith cautioned me that these are his personal views and encouraged me to share them.  I have calls into PFLAG National for a statement and have yet to be issued one.  KnowThyNeighbor applauds Stan Griffith for his commitment to LGBT families and LGBT children.

The email:

Tom,

I thought you might add it to your list of problems that LGBT people ought to have with Hillary.  (You need to ignore the headline and note carefully the differences between the Edwards/Obama response and the response from Hillary.) You will note that Hillary's position is indistinguishable from Lexington parent David Parker's position and that it is a position right out of the Family Research Institute's long-term battle plan to wage war on anti-bias and diversity education and safe schools programs.  Her position was struck down by Judge Wolf in the Parker case.  (See attached press release.)  She should have said what Judge Wolf said, that it is up to the school department to decide on curriculum and, if parents disagree, they need to educate their children in private schools or at home.  But she did not.  If we allow parents to opt out of diversity curriculum or require parents to consent whenever a child is exposed to books that depict families headed by same sex couples or whenever a school invites a gay or lesbian parent to participate in classroom activities, we are marginalizing those families and implying something is wrong -- and that is exactly what the FRI and Camenker and his MassResistance crew want.  Apparently, that's okay by Hillary.

Our organization does not endorse or oppose specific candidates for office, but we do think that candidate positions should be carefully reviewed and discussed.   

I would like to be sure that folks in our community who are supporting Hillary understand just how dangerous this position is that she espouses.

Stan Griffith

President

Greater Boston PFLAG

_______________________________________________________________

In a follow-up email to KnowThyNeighbor, Stanley Griffith wrote:  "Hillary's glbt advisers need to help her get it right.  And if they don't get her to issue a clarification then they should resign." 

Links: 

FoxNews.com  Democratic Candidates Say They're OK With Second-Grade Teacher Reading Gay Prince Fairy Tale

Greater Boston PFLAG   

Tom Lang, Co-Director Know Thy Neighbor 

F#@! You, Kris Mineau, and Have a Merry Christmas

Kris Mineau of the Massachusetts Family Institute Uses His Opposition Of Casino Gambling to Once Again Grandstand on Same-Sex Marriage

I was happy taking a well-deserved break from politics and trying to actually enjoy this Holiday Season, but something really got my dander up.  No, this isn't another "wake up and open your eyes" blog post about MassEquality and Marc Solomon (the wrong person to lead the new organization), this is about something that really matters.  And this "something" will keep LGBT people from achieving Full Equality unless we and our allies force society to recognize that regarding the LGBT community and these attacks that "enough is enough!"

Check out yesterday's MyFoxBoston Report, Religious Leaders unite Against Casino Gambling.  It seems that "Religious Leader" Kris Mineau has joined with some Massachusetts Clergy to oppose Governor Patrick's Casino Gambling Proposal.  But somehow, the Associated Press found it appropriate to make the "angle" of this story about gay marriage--how anti-gay clergy like Bishop Gilbert A. Thompson of the Black Ministerial Alliance have united with the pro-gay Reverend Aida Fernadez of the United Methodist Church and others to oppose these casinos.

Of course it just wouldn't be right to read an article that quotes commentary about "gambling, social ills, addictions, personal bankruptcy, spousal abuse, desertion and crime" without including something about gay marriage.  And of course, this article's angle quickly turned into a "spin" which pulled those pro-gay clergy right into its trap where they soon provided quotations that continue the demonization of LGBT people...

I was not surprised to read that Bishop Gilbert Thompson said, "to say there is such thing as a gay Christian is saying there's an honest thief" but I was surprised to read that Reverend Fernandez defended him with the old, "He is entitled to his opinion..."  Human beings, especially Americans have done a great job looking for excuses to explain away bigotry and "the right to one's opinion" is one of the lamest.  I may have the Constitutional right to be prejudiced and to voice my prejudice to any one of many different groups, ethnic, racial or class, but I also have a "social" responsibility not to.

We need to make sure that we all stop making excuses.  When pro-gay marriage Episcopal Minister William Bradbury spoke about casino gambling, he said, "the shared opposition to casino gambling has something in common with the sharp differences over gay marriage because it's all rooted in what clergy think is best for families." Once again, choosing a milktoast, equivocating posturing to confirm that our lives, our relationships, our loves, our families, our "salvation" and the morality of our existence are somehow open to debate and inevitable disagreement. 

I hope our pro-gay clergy take heed and be careful about whom they get in bed with.  These associations historically prove to usually discredit the "good" guys moreso than enlighten the bad ones.  I mean really...Kris Mineau ????  Didn't another group of pro-gays once join forces with him?   I can't remember...

Tom Lang, Co-Director KnowThyNeighbor