Where we continue to fail

Over the last two days, I exchanged some email with the guy who owns the airplanes that dragged the homophobic banners over Orlando a few days ago.  These are the ones that read "WARNING: GAY DAY AT DISNEY 6/2." They were paid for by David Caton's Florida Family Association. I have written previously about this cretin and his one-man hate factory here, here and here. He never did sue me as he threatened to do. But I digress.


Getting back to the guy who owns the planes that towed the banners for which he received $12 thou; His position is that he has a one-year old to feed and a very expensive business to run     regardless of whether or not his planes are flying. I sympathize with him     particularly in this economy. He has gay family members and a large number of gay friends. He seems to be a genuinely nice and accepting person. The question then becomes whether or not there exists a line that he would not cross. Would he tow racist or antisemitic banners paid for by the Klan? Probably not.

It is our fault that this guy does not see that the level of bigotry is the same.

First of all, what Caton is saying (though his banners and interviews) is that gays present a threat to children. According to him:

How would you feel if you entered the Magic Kingdom anticipating a normal day of fun with your family only to witness thousands of same-sex couples holding hands, hugging, kissing and wearing tee-shirts that promoted their lifestyle?

Years ago, Caton's ancestors routinely claimed that black men posed a threat to white women.  I doubt that the airplane guy would tow a banner warning white women of an African-American event at a theme park. Indeed, leaders of the national group that Caton is loosely affiliated with, the American Family Association, have claimed that "Jews are too tolerant of homosexuals" and that there is some conspiracy among Jews to "promote homosexuality." You won't see those banner flying either.

Our problem is that we continue to allow the mythology of "child recruitment" to be uttered in polite society. Hell, Tony Perkins has said as much on national television. While the Tea Party crazies seem to revere Ronald Reagan, they do so with selective observation. Thirty four years ago, in opposition to the Briggs initiative in California, Ronald Reagan wrote:

Whatever else it is, homosexuality is not a contagious disease like the measles. Prevailing scientific opinion is that an individual's sexuality is determined at a very early age and that a child's teachers do not really influence this.

Again, that was thirty four years ago. To put that date in perspective, this is a a photo of the entire staff of an American corporation at about the same time.  In case you don't recognize him, the nerdy guy in the first row, to our left, is Bill Gates and those are all of the employees of Microsoft.

Folks, we have some important work to do     and we need to do it with a sense of urgency!