[L]ucky for him, LGBT people have been war heroes and do make America strong. This sort of bigotry is nothing new for the son of Billy Graham, who has done everything in his power to ruin his father’s legacy. We know exactly why Graham doesn’t want to acknowledge Stonewall or the fact that gay people have struggled for decades to obtain basic civil rights: He’s dedicated his life to preventing that from happening. He’s the reason LGBT people needed a movement at all. And an unrepentant bully isn’t likely to have a smile on his face when a monument goes up for his victims. His Facebook comment shows everyone exactly why Stonewall, and everything that place stands for, deserves landmark status. We’re still fighting this faith-based bigotry against LGBT people. And while people like him will continue to drag their knuckles when it comes to civil rights for everyone, the rest of us want to celebrate the fact that Graham and his fellow Christian bigots are quickly descending into irrelevance.
As a nation, we tend to honor those who fight for freedom and liberty, which are pretty much universally considered American values. What seems to up for debate, at least in the minds of some of the more narrow and intolerant among us, is what sort of “freedom” and “liberty” actually count for something. Are we to honor those who fight to ensure that ALL Americans enjoy freedom and liberty…or should we, as Franklin Graham contends, limit our celebrations only to good, God-fearing, Bible-believing, missionary-position-loving, heterosexual Conservative White Christians?
Unfortunately, Graham is as much about freedom and liberty (never mind the teachings of Jesus Christ) as Timothy McVeigh was about peaceful conflict resolution. The proposed Stonewall monument isn’t about commemorating sin; it’s about recognizing a seminal moment in the LGBT community’s struggle for equal rights and equal treatment under the law. Their struggle is every bit as valid and worthy of remembrance as that of African-Americans or any other minority group.
Stonewall is to the LGBT community what Selma was to African-Americans: a moment in history that galvanized a movement and propelled the struggle for equality forward. It’s not about “sin,” it’s about recognizing an event that gave the fight for equal rights a unifying theme. Graham has no right or claim to moral superiority and/or demanding that his bigotry and homophobia be given greater weight because it’s about God.
It’s not. His bigotry and homophobia have nothing at all to do with what Christianity is about.
The events at Stonewall Inn may not seem of great import to heterosexuals, but for the LGBT community it was a moment which in many ways marked the beginning of their fight for equality. It was about being granted the same rights and benefits heterosexuals take as their birthright. It was about no longer accepting being treated as second-class citizens and demanding a seat at the table.
Graham may believe he’s camouflaged his hatred and homophobia with his Christian faith, but no matter how hard he tries, his calumny and casual bigotry have nothing to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to quote from Jack 1:1-2, which speaks to the need for all of us to be excellent to one another:
Don’t be a dick to those who don’t think, believe, live, and/or love as you do. You’re no better or worse than they are.
Remember, we’re all on this ride together, and no one gets to elevate themselves above anyone else and declare them to be “less than.”
The good news is that Franklin Graham doesn’t get to decide who gets a monument. In fact, at this point he’s little more a solitary, impotent voice pissing into the wind. He may believe he’s doing the righteous thing, but he’s on the wrong side of history and when it’s all said and done he’ll end up drenched and reeking of urine.
Rev. Graham clearly believes that his God is a Conservative, heterosexual, and judgmental God, which he’s certainly free to do. Those of us who believe in the bedrock teachings of Christianity (love, tolerance, acceptance, inclusion)- even if we don’t believe in God- are free to label Graham’s bigotry and homophobia as the angry ruminations of a bitter, hateful old man with a black soul, a heart of stone, and a willingness to get up in everyone’s business.
Stonewall holds great significance to the LGBT community, if for no other reason than it marks the unofficial beginning of their struggle for equal rights and equal treatment. That alone should be sufficient reason to make it a national monument, one that overrides and negates Graham’s uber-Jesus-y butthurt. Those who hate- even (and especially) in the name of Jesus Christ- shouldn’t have the right to determine who’s worthy of being honored for fighting for freedom and liberty.
If Franklin Graham’s a Christian, I’m Joan of Arc.
