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EDITOR IN CHIEF
Sarah Kickler
EDITORIAL EDITOR
Mike Schmierbach
NIGHT EDITOR
Nicole Krueger
Respect is golden rule of Christianity
Many
Christian
groups show
their faith by
welcoming
hfjth gay and
heterosexual
believers
OPINION
Jonas
.Allen
A
nd the h mat Jeopardy an
swer Is: Aretha Franklin
never knew this smash hit
could get so lost in Ameri
can politics. The question is: What is
“R-E-S-P-E-C-T”? For the general pub
lic, respect is a give-and-take thing.
But when the topic of homosexuality
comes up in legal circles, respect is of
ten forsaken for arguments of whether
equal opportunity laws for homosexu
als translate into special rights.
Oregon and Colorado are at the fore
front of this issue, but other states are
not far behind. The most recent anti
homosexual proposal was passed
nearly three weeks ago in Maine,
where voters repealed a state law pro
tecting gays and lesbians from employ
ment discrimination. According to
The Associated Press, Christian con
servatives hailed the vote as an “im
portant victory for people of faith” and
a sign that Americans would no longer
tolerate seemingly immoral behavior
and special rights for homosexuals.
Last time 1 checked, Christianity
was still based on the Golden Rule —
treating others with respect. How is it,
then, that some nationwide Christian
groups can treat certain citizens with
such disrespect and tarnish the value
they hold so dear?
The Christian Coalition, a national
religious organization, helped fund
the campaign to repeal the gay rights
bill, which only passed by a 3 percent
margin. The coalition’s views are not
that different from local Citizens Al
liance groups, who feel homosexuality
is wrong and that practicing homosex
uals must denounce their lifestyle and
“accept Christ."
Who ever said homosexuals hadn’t
already “accepted Christ’’7
Roy Cole, pastor of the Metropolitan
Community Church of Portland, leads
a congregation of nearly 200 wor
shipers every Sunday. With few ex
ceptions, those in attendance are ho
mosexuals. Pastor Cole claims these
services are very similar, if not identi
cal, to the ceremonies practiced by the
Christian conservatives so opposed to
homosexual activity.
“These Christian groups are focused
on homosexuality as the cornerstone
of all that is wrong in American soci
ety ... [yet] we have straight people
who attend because they find a sense
of community here they might not find
elsewhere,” he said.
Metropolitan Community Church
worshipers are just as embracing out
side of church; numerous members
volunteer at various AIDS/HIV sup
port organizations and homeless shel
ters. Members even “adopt" homeless
teens over the holidays and see that
they are well cared for.
So how, exactly, is the homosexual
community destroying the social order
esteemed so highly by the Christian
Coalition?
True, it would be a stereotype to say
all gays and lesbians are saints, but to
say they are all sinners is an abnormal
ity as well. Christian conservatives
would have us believe otherwise.
Pastor Cole concedes there are about
seven verses in the Bible referring to
homosexuality as unacceptable,
which is a large part of the Christian
Coalition's argument that homosexu
ality is wrong.
"But the Bible says many things.
The Bible clearly teaches that slavery
is part of society, but Americans went
to civil war to fight slavery itself," he
notes.
Instead of outdated teachings, what
these groups should really get from the
Bible is the idea of respect. Respect for
one another, respect for diversity and
respect for love.
Respect for love is most important
because within it lie the answers to co
operation. Yet religious conservatives
cringe at the thought of gay marriages.
They argue the purpose of marriage is
procreation. But did those very people
marry out of love or an instinctual dri
ve to continue the species? Most likely
the former.
Cole said marriage is “not necessari
ly reflective of the commitment people
make to one another,” claiming his
church performs six to eight marriages
CHRIS HUTCHINSON^merald MSKtP
a year, although many other members
have just as deep a commitment to
their partner. Unfortunately, the com
mitment of some Christians to others
seems rather shallow.
“The time has come for both sides to
... come to a healing process,” reads a
newsletter supported by First Presby
terian Church in Portland. The letter is
wrong. There is only one side.
Now is the time for Christians to fi
nally unite under the blanket of re
spect their religious founder preached.
The road to higher ground is not nec
essarily straight.
Jonas Allen is a columnist for the Emer
ald. His work appears on alternate Fri
days. His views do not necessarily repre
sent those of the newspaper.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Push for safe sex
In Barry Williams' recent letter
(ODE, Feb. 25), he exposed his
lack of separation of the term ho
mosexuality from that of homo
sexual sex. Envisioning anyone's
sexual practice, much less a sex
ual practice different from your
own, is disconcerting on many
levels. In that, I hear Williams
and his concerns. However, his
physiological arguments for the
purpose of gendered anatomy
looked over many important and
valid arguments on the issue.
If the argument is that there is
something somehow innate or
natural about heterosexual sex,
or that there are ‘‘wrong'’ places
and “wrong ways" to have sex, is
safe sex included? Certainly,
Williams realizes that safe sex
does indeed prevent the spread
of unwanted viruses. Williams,
who said “homosexual behavior
is unhealthy and results in 1 to 2
percent of the population having
29 percent of Hepatitis A," seems
to blame homosexuals for caus
ing almost a third of their popu
lation for having hepatitis. Yet
those numbers don’t seem accu
rate and aren’t referenced. And if
indeed Williams intends to
blame homosexuals for the
spread of this disease, shouldn’t
he instead be targeting unprotect
ed sex?
In current America, most sex is
not “successful” in producing
offspring. Most of the time, that
isn’t even a goal of sexual inter
course. Williams is making an ir
responsible statement that im
plies safe sex is unnatural. I in
vite him to explain this logic
more carefully. The argument
that homosexual sex is an abomi
nation of the physiologically pro
ductive origins of sexual inter
course could too quickly be
paralleled to sex that does not
prevent offspring but is between
male and female partners. The
use of contraceptives, condoms
or other “unnatural” devices, in
my opinion, remains a very re
sponsible practice.
When sex gets dangerous and
disturbing, it is a very, very unsafe
issue. I hear Williams’ fear and
concern for the demise of the na
tion, but I think his scapegoats are
poorly chosen. His target of “un
natural” (implying non-propaga
tion oriented) sex falls very heavi
ly on the campus community. That
community, including lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgendered
students, is unfairly targeted.
Christina Thompson
Biochemistry
All sides solicited
In response to Juliana Coons’
comment about the University
community not “really hearing”
Donta Graham-Preston’s story
(ODE, March 3), I would like to
remind Coons (and the Universi
ty community) that Graham-Pre
ston has had ample opportunity
to give his version of this so
called story. Not only did both he
and the two survivors participate
in open hearings, both Graham
Preston and the survivors have
had the chance to express them
selves in the Emerald, The Regis
ter-Guard, the Oregon Commen
tator and I suppose in any other
public publication. So why
haven't we heard Graham-Pre
ston’s side of the story? I don’t
know; maybe someone should
ask him. Maybe he won’t “de
cline to comment" this time. The
fact the survivors are willing to
make their side of the story pub
lic shows courage and strength,
something we cannot say has
been exhibited by the accused
himself.
Gertie Bay Hall
History/ French