My initial reaction when I read the introduction to this article was why would two gay men move across the street from Jerry Falwell in an attempt to get one of the most bigoted men in the country to become tolerant and open minded?....(btw, if you use the following Washington Post link you won't have to register at the Dallas Morning-News website to read it as is required with the first link posted by jqueer:
Gay Men Take Cause to Falwell's Door).
I found it interesting that Mr. Nixon, the partner of Dr. Mel White (who was the ghostwriter of Falwell's autobiography in the early 90s), dislikes Falwell so much that he "refuses to even look at Mr. Falwell in the pulpit"....but he attends the Sunday services there because he "holds out hope that they can change the perceptions of what he calls 'the Falwellians' -- maybe something will finally click in their heads and they'll say, 'Pastor, you're wrong. I've watched these two guys, and they're just like us'"....the article goes on to say that they have been greeted cordially by most of the congregation and townsfolk in Lynchburg with a few isolated exceptions but points out that "cordiality does not necessarily mean acceptance".
Dr. White seems to hold out hope that their presence will make a difference when he says, "I still like Jerry the human being, even though I am terribly offended by his rhetoric and its tragic consequences. He says love the sinner but hate the sin. I say, love Jerry and do everything to keep him from doing any more damage. And I believe that Jerry will change."
While his intentions may be noble, if White honestly thinks that the 69 year old Falwell's ignorant and discriminatory beliefs are going to change as a result of his presence, then IMHO he is kidding himself....just read Falwell's recent statement when he said "Being black, hispanic, female -- God made you that way. But you choose to be gay. Why should you be rewarded for choosing a particular sexual behavior?"
Rewarded!? I hardly think that asking for the same basic human rights and decency that heterosexuals are "entitled to" is asking for some type of "reward" -- Equality would be more accurate...."Mr. Falwell calls the two men's presence in his neighborhood a 'publicity stunt.' He has not responded to their invitation to dinner but says he will."
The ever-optimistic Dr. White predicts, "Every Sunday morning, more and more people come over to say hello. We will eat away at his hold on them, just by being who we are."
I found the article to be quite revealing and it will be interesting to see what "progress", if any, takes place in Lynchburg. White and Nixon are certainly not lacking in courage (especially considering they are 62 and 52 years old, respectively) and while I hold out little hope of seeing any change in Falwell's homophobic beliefs, perhaps their presence will ultimately make a difference in opening the minds of some less intolerant individuals, particularly among members of the younger generation.
[ October 07, 2002: Message edited by: gamecock ]