500 Word Friday: On the Liberty Counsel, Homophobic Parents, and the Boy Scouts

On April 13, 2016 the Liberty Counsel, which famously swooped in to defend Kim Davis when she was imprisoned for contempt of court when she failed to do her job by issuing marriage licenses to LGBT couples, issued a propaganda announcement through media outlets like Christian News Wire.  At the heart of their announcement was the reassurance that religious organizations, specifically churches, did not need to accept gay volunteers to head their Boy Scout troops. 

Matthew Staver of the Liberty Counsel, who actually served as Kim Davis’ attorney, stated:

"The once great Boy Scouts of America has taken a great fall when it changes the longstanding policy to allow homosexual scout leaders and members. This change in policy is fraught with danger. While there are ways for churches to protect their integrity and the safety of their young boys, the best alternative is to abandon the scouts because the scouts abandoned them. Trail Life USA is the best alternative to the failed BSA program…Liberty Counsel will continue to defend the right of churches to make employment and volunteer decisions based on church religious beliefs and the teachings of the Bible,"

(Serial Bride and God-fearing Holy Warrior Kim Davis w/ Matt Staver of Liberty Counsel)

Two things about this.  First, obviously if you’re not comfortable crossing the man-made boundary to live in community with LGBT people, you’re clearly not embodying the teachings of the Christ.  I wrote about this just this past week when I drew attention to the fact that anti-LGBT politics and policies are antithetical to the teachings of Jesus, whom Christian people of faith identify as our leader, savior, and ultimate example of how we should relate with people—particularly those with whom we disagree or don’t understand. 

Second, if homophobic parents want to keep their children away from LGBT adults, they should know a couple of things.

·        52% of young people between the ages of 13-20 identify as LGBT, this includes YOUR children, homophobic parents.  If you want to ignore that fact and deny your children the opportunity to have LGBT role models, it’s your children you’re going to end up harming.  Here are some statistics about LGBT kids who aren’t supported and are forced to struggle in a homophobic environment.

·        Speaking of statistics, the National Research Council, cited in this study, observes that "The distinction between homosexual and heterosexual child molesters relies on the premise that male molesters of male victims are homosexual in orientation. Most molesters of boys do not report sexual interest in adult men, however"  In other words, adults who molest male children?  Not gay.  Get yourselves educated before your ignorance damages your children still further.

But, by all means, if you want to ignore reality and tuck yourselves away in an alternate universe where LGBT people don’t exist, more power to you.  Hide in your fear mongering churches and establish your private clubs. 

Just stop insisting that the rest of the world needs to adopt your altered view of reality.  Stop pushing your ignorance and legalism and un-Christian views on others.  We’re not interested.  That much hate and intentional disregard for the rights and value of other human beings is too exhausting to sustain.

It’s poison.  Keep it to yourselves.

LGBTQ Nation (@lgbtqnation) covered the story here.  

Post Script

By the way, experience and research indicates that the most vocal opponents to LGBT rights and equality are, themselves, LGBT and suffering significant psychological distress.  Just this last week, for example, we learned about former House Speaker Dennis Hastert.  I'm not saying this is the case with Matt Staver and his partners at Liberty Counsel.  I'm just saying that this is what actual research tells us.  As opposed to what their fake research tells them.