THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
(apologies to Keith Olbermann)
Ed McGovern
God said in the last days that man and wom[a]n would be lover of self, more [than] the lover of God.
That man and woman would have unnatural [affection] for one another. Then, the coming of the Son of Man, who is Jesus. So please, look at your life. See how it hurt[s] everyone around you. And ask the Lord to open your eye[s] before it [is] to[o] late.
The Love of Christ
P.S. my daughter also was gay. It destroy[ed] her life and my grandson.
I never cease to marvel at business owners who would imperil their livelihood because they feel moved to make a political and/or religious statement. Ed McGovern is certainly free to hold whatever opinion he chooses to regarding homosexuality, and he’s certainly free to express that opinion. I can’t help but wonder why he’d be willing to do it in a manner that could, and probably (hopefully) will- cost him consider business down the road.
Beyond that, what right does he have to see himself as the agent chosen by God to point out the error of their ways to people whose lifestyle he vehemently disagrees with? He may have convinced himself that he’s doing the right and compassionate thing; clearly he has no idea…or is willing to overlook…how offensively he behaves towards his customers- you know, the people he depends upon for his living?
The owner of The Stingray Café in New Bern, North Carolina apparently has a penchant for informing his gay customers of his anti-gay views. Lesbian couple Ariel and Shawnee McPhail had a meal at the Café on December 4, but did not leave empty handed…. McGovern said he wrote the letter because he did not approve of the McPhails’ kissing and confirmed that he has done something similar for a lesbian couple in the past. The McPhails say they weren’t kissing — just holding hands — but that’s besides the point.
What I don’t understand about McGovern’s insulting behavior is that he sees nothing amiss with judging others by his own narrow standards. Some of those “Others” patronize his restaurant (for reasons I can’t begin to explain). Does he think that “Lesbian money” is of lesser value than “straight money?” Are homosexual customers somehow worth less than heterosexuals?
From my experience, money is money, and its value isn’t impacted by the sexual orientation of the person whose wallet it occupies. McGovern’s actions are really only about his own personal prejudice, made worse by his basing it on the bigotry of his “Christianity.” In the end, the only person McGovern will end up hurting is himself. Once word of his abysmal behavior towards his homosexual customers gets out, I suspect that many, many good and decent people who believe in equality, fairness, and human rights will take their business elsewhere.
A boycott might be what it takes to demonstrate to McGovern that his hateful behavior won’t go unanswered. I can’t imagine that anyone who believes in simple human decency would willingly patronize McGovern’s restaurant.
