Another Sexual Revolutionary Reporting For Duty!
by Dave VanderPol

Understatement Alert: Anti-gay candidates (and their political action committees) really infuriate me! How dare they paint pro-gay candidates as being “extremists.” How “extremist” is it to support marriage equality for lesbians and gays?
 
Even though I’m not a politician I too must then be an “extremist” because I support equality, huh? Fine. While they’re at it, the right-leaning whack jobs might as well call me a “radical” as well. Being a radical isn’t always a bad thing, you know. In fact, feminism is still considered “radical” by most of the folks who would accuse supporters of same-sex marriage of being “extremists”. Remember those bumper stickers that read, “Feminism Is The Radical Notion That Women Are Human Beings”?

What some folks intend to be an insult, in some cases I’ve been able to turn around and see it is a compliment. Such is the case of a remark that was made during the last U.S. presidential campaign by Dr. R. Albert Mohler, President of the formerly-esteemed Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, located on Lexington Road in Louisville.

If you’ve never heard of Dr. Mohler, this is the same seminary president who barely a decade ago was so disrespected by his students that many of them refused to shake his hand when he presented them with their diploma. This is the same Southern Baptist Convention leader who, when learning that one of his campus security guards was gay, forced the employee to undergo “ex-gay counseling” as a condition of his employment.  This is the same “pro-life leader” who led his seminary to close its affordable childcare ministry because it wasn’t a financial gold mine. Al Mohler is the same “compassionate conservative” who supported the closing of the Carver School of Social Work at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Dr. Mohler is the same “visionary leader” who showed us how to turn a seminary with declining enrollment into a cash cow by building luxury apartments and a conference center on school property.

While driving home from church (What? Me, a gay man, actually goes to church!) the Sunday prior to Election Day 2004, I was listening to a Christian radio station that ran an endorsement of President George W. Bush (such a shock!) that was voiced by Dr. Mohler. I assume he had authored this piece since it was loaded with his usual brand of extremist name-calling.

Mohler’s endorsement included the following gem that was offered as a reason to re-elect Bush:

“Will we protect marriage as the basic institution of society itself, or will we allow it to be undermined by activist judges and sexual revolutionaries?”

Wow! I’m a “sexual revolutionary”. I might as well wear start wearing a pink armband.
 
Being a “revolutionary,” simply means that I support “revolutionary principles,” according to one dictionary definition of the word. Let’s not forget that a revolution is defined as a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving. Some changes are not necessarily bad (i.e., emancipating slaves, allowing women the right to vote, etc.).

Would someone please tell me why it’s a bad thing to stand up for the equality of same-sex couples who desire to marry? Isn’t it even MORE revolutionary (but only in a bad way) to attempt to oppress the rights of minorities?

So I thank Dr. Mohler for his backhanded compliment and for giving me another reason to be grateful that I’m an Ex-Southern Baptist.

This installment of Dave VanderPol’s RADICALLY SERENE THOUGHTS column was pubilshed in the December 2004 issue of THE LETTER newspaper (www.TheLetterOnline.com).