A controversy has been brewing in the Northwest corner of Pennsylvania, in a county called Potter. In some ways, similar to what we saw in Kittanning Pennsylvania earlier this year, anti-gay groups(??) have been causing a lot of noise because a public library is holding a screening of a film. The documentary, Out In The Silence, documents events and people in Oil City PA, where Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer had their wedding announcement published in the Oil City paper, and caused a bit of a stir. So, Joe and Dean went back to Oil City and filmed over a course of time, and produced a pretty amazing documentary.

In Kittanning, the issue was (supposedly) that the screening was scheduled for Holy Thursday, but in reality, the far right religious zealots get up in arms any time the word gay or lesbian gets used in any context other than a condemnation.

Personally, I think anyone has a right to their own religious views, and if a person wants to believe that I will burn in hell because I have accepted myself as a gay man, then they have a right to that opinion. For me, the line gets drawn however, when that same religious person feels entitled  to silence my voice and my rights for equality. The Constitution grants not only freedom of religion, but freedom from the tyranny of religion, and that same amendment to the Constitution grants the right to free speech. So, if a public library wants to show a documentary film, it is no one’s right to shut that down. They have every right to not attend the screening, and they can think whatever they want, but silence it- they do not have that right.

Some of the Religious are quite vindictive and shameful. Such as some in Kittanning, who after the screening began to work to take all funding away from the library, as a punishment. I guess that can’t just leave the punishing to God to hand out. But the reality is, that it is one group who is predominately behind this. The American Family Association of PA (AFAPA) run by Diane Gramley. In Potter County, it is pastors who are calling the library and demanding that the film not be shown. The AFAPA uses churches and the religious as their weapons often.

This is so sad, because for so many, Faith, and the practice of their religion brings much joy to their lives. When religion gets used as a weapon it tarnishes religion overall, and it can be hard to separate out religion from the haters who are using it as their weapon.

So, will the show go on at the Coudersport Public Library on Wednesday, July 28th? Time will tell. There is still time for one or two more go arounds, but the Library has seemed to hold firm, for which they deserve many kudos and gratitude.

Today, however, this got a bit weirder than it already was, when the Tea Party got involved. I don’t tend to think of the Tea Party as anti-gay, even though some of the folks who buy into the anti-government ideas also tend to be either 1) more conservative, or 2) less free thinking. Still at its heart, the Tea Party movement is all about lower taxes and smaller government. It is libertarian more than anything, and libertarians are often live and let live kind of people. But I guess this Tea Party group is cut from a different cloth.

George Brown, acting President of the Potter County Tea Party says he believes in tolerance, but does not support changing the law in regards to marriage.

Brown also said, “The group supporting this event should pay for a private location as we are expected to do in promotion of our agendas. Churches would not be allowed to show a “Pro-Jesus” and “Gospel” message in the Library because of supposed “separation of church and state”. Yet we can be attacked for our beliefs at a public library we support with our tax money. This is wrong and cannot be tolerated.”

What is most amazing is that this film doesn’t really have an agenda, except to allow for a dialogue. Silencing dialogue is exactly the purpose of those who are opposed to the screening. Just like in Kittanning. and, just like Kittanning, Brown is threatening the defunding of the library.

Now, in Kittanning, we had a good sized crowd turn up who were all very supportive, and were grateful that the library was showing the film. There was only one protestor who, after about five minutes, took his sign and disappeared. There are folks in all of these communities who want to have a dialogue- who want to talk about these issues. The tyrannical religious can try to silence them, but that doesn’t make them any less real as members of those communities. I call this tyranny intentionally. If their goal was only to share the “Good News” as they understand it, they can go into their pulpits and do just that. But their goal isn’t to preach the Good News. It is to shut dwn others’ rights to free dialogue and association.

Brown is guilty of an error that many of the more crazy zealots make. They assume that they own God, and anything associated with LGBT is against God, against Faith, or against religion. But the truth of the matter is that there are many churches and many religious people who accept gays and lesbians as the beautiful Children of God that they are. Many see the acceptance of sexual orientation (or the refusal to accept it) as similar to the days when the religious persecuted men for believing that the Earth was round and that it moved around the sun instead of the other way around. At least, Galileo was pardoned by the Catholic Church (recently). I have no doubt there will be some moment down the road where future generations will look back on us now in disbelief.

I guess for Brown, sexual orientation belongs to the Church? How else does he try to argue for the need to pull this from a public library because of “separation of church and state.”

I’ve seen the film a number of times, and if anything, I find it very pro-religious. My favorite person in the film is a retired pastor who has the courage to be in dialogue with Joe and Dean, and through it, the pastor, his wife, Joe and Dean all come to new awarenesses about the value of dialogue with mutual respect. Pastor Pete Tremblay also notes this character, but I’m not sure he watched the same film I did, for his explanation of what happens is utterly different than mine. Dean Hamer says:

“What’s worse,” added Hamer, “is to see a good man like Pastor Micklos, who demonstrates true Christian values in the film, maligned by people who clearly haven’t seen the film or even bothered to read the synopsis.  If they had they would know the Pastor never compromises his biblical beliefs; he’s simply trying to demonstrate what Christianity really means through a Christlike response.”

But cutting through all of the BS, the real issue for those who seek to shut down the film is the protection of marriage. Let’s be utterly honest. They want to protect some imaginary idea of what “Family” is, and are willing to stop at nothing to protect that fallacious idea. Too bad that they are equally ferocious in their attacks on divorce, or domestic violence.

Diane Gramley is shown in the film, and goes so far as to admit that the violence and bullying that the main character CJ has experienced is wrong. Yet, she will not support in any way, any efforts to end the violence and discrimination. She would rather allow others to be harmed, beaten, threatened and even killed, to protect some fantasy idea of marriage, or what Tremblay  calls “God’s design for human sexuality.” Where that idea goes off the track however, is to look at marriage and family in the Hebrew Scriptures. Marriage, as we know it today, came from Roman law, and from a Pagan root, and was brought into being so that men could control their power through owning property, including wives and children.

Here is the story from the CoudyNews.com site

Here is a more biased (if not more bigoted) post as well from Solomon’s Seal