Tag: Gay Politics

Under fire because he canceled the funeral of Navy Gulf War veteran after learning that the vet was gay, Gary Simons, the megachurch preacher whose brother-in-law is Joel Osteen, head of the powerful, uber-wealthy evangelical family that operates the 30,000-member Lakeview Church in Houston, is receiving support from the American Family Association (AF), a multimillion dollar non-profit Mississippi-based hate group operated by the professional homophobe, Donald Wildmon.

On Simons’ behalf, the AFA published a statement on its website in which he continues to deny what is self-evidently true: that he was motivated by decidedly un-Christian hatred and bigotry toward Cecil Howard Sinclair, the deceased Navy veteran, when he canceled the funeral:

The decision had nothing to do with the fact that Mr. Sinclair was a veteran. High Point does now, and has always, supported our men and women in the military. This decision was not based on hate, or discrimination, but upon principle and policy.

No one has suggested the funeral was canceled because Sinclair was a veteran. And more falsehoods follow:

The decision was made to retract the offer to host the memorial service based on the fact that the service requested would be an openly homosexual service celebrating the homosexual lifestyle. It is important to emphasize that this was not a funeral service with a body to be buried, but a memorial service. The family was informed of the decision.

There is no such thing as a “homosexual service,” open or otherwise. The relationship between the deceased veteran and his longtime life partner was going to be acknowledged, which is verboten to groups like AFA and High Point Church because if their followers were to learn that millions of gay couples live happy, regular lives it would dampen fundraising.

Joel Osteen was not involved in the decision to cancel the Navy veteran’s funeral. But even though his Tony Robbins-esque “prosperity ministry” message is generally positive, he has not condemned the hate-filled actions by his brother-in-law at the High Point Church.

Simons, who is married to Osteen’s sister, is rumored to have become estranged from his powerful in-laws in the wake of the death in 1999 of John Osteen, the patriarch and founder of the Lakeview enterprise. Simons had been serving as his father-in-law’s youth minister and felt he was being groomed to assume the pulpit — and control of the millions of dollars in annual revenues — at the megachurch.

However, within months of the patriarch’s death Simons was shunted aside by John Osteen’s widow in favor of her son, Joel. Further rumors allege that as a consolation prize the Osteens gave Simons upwards of a purported $13 million to start his own church business, which was to become the High Point Church near Dallas.

Could this trend be a harbinger of things to come?

Consider that last statistic for a moment: a turnout rate among gay men more than twice that for the nation’s voters as a whole.

A recent study by San Francisco-based Community Marketing Inc. found an eye-popping 92.5 percent of gay men report they voted in the 2004 presidential race, and almost 84 percent said they cast ballots in the 2006 midterm election. Among lesbians, the results were almost as impressive; nearly 91 percent in 2004 and 78 percent in 2006.

By comparison, the Washington-based Committee for the Study of the American Electorate puts the turnout for all Americans eligible to vote at about 61 percent in 2004 and roughly 40 percent in 2006.

Consider that last statistic for a moment: a turnout rate among gay men more than twice that for the nation’s voters as a whole.

The survey questioned more than 12,000 gay men and more than 10,000 lesbians, giving its results a minuscule error margin of plus or minus 1 percent.

What this shows is that people will vote when they feel like they have something at stake. It speaks to the central point in “Sicko,” Michael Moore’s documentary about the corruption of the American healthcare system. Moore suggests that in Europe, where universal healthcare is, well, universal, voters control the politicians. Governments there are vulnerable to the citizens’ displeasure, both at the ballot box and from civil unrest in the streets.

But in America, says Moore, the politicians control the voters — or rather corporate interests control politicians who run the government to benefit the corporations at the expense of citizens. Voting is considered a waste of time and boring, and protest is only fashionable among scruffy vegan ruffians.

In 2004, Republicans were using gay rights as a wedge issue in the states to gin up the homophobe vote in their base. Feeling under assault, gays answered with the weapon available to all: they voted.

Perhaps the good news here is that we gays are considered to be trendsetters. Who knows, maybe this voting thing could catch on.

Remember Jim Naugle, the mayor of Fort Lauderdale who suggested to the city commission that its purchase of a $250,000 robotic toilet for one of the city beaches would go far toward helping curb male-on-male sex in public restrooms? Well, today he apologized, but not to the burgeoning number of gay organizations calling for his ouster:

Naugle apologized for underestimating the problem of men having sex with each other in public restrooms, and urged people to call police to complain when they come upon it. He also said Broward County leads the nation in the incidence of new AIDS cases involving men having sex with men, and questioned whether the county tourism office should be welcoming them here.

“I want to apologize to the children and parents of our community,” the mayor said, “for not being aware of the problem.”

In response to Naugle’s original bone-headed comments, where he noted that he pointedly uses the term “homosexuals” because they are not gay, they’re “unhappy,” an example of what Naugle calls “truth-speech.” gays have created Unite Fort Lauderdale, a coalition calling for Naugle to step down as mayor. In the aftermath of Naugle’s recommendation for the robotic toilet, the group printed up T-shirts with a “Flush Naugle” message.

Naugle issued his apology to the straight community from the steps of city hall, and the following exchange demonstrates the level of discourse in the community:

[Naugle] was flanked by conservative Rev. O’Neal Dozier, who pointed at the lightning and rain and raised his eyebrows to local gay activist Anthony Niedwiecki, whose partner, Waymon Hudson, organized the anti-Naugle group.

“It’s raining on you!” Niedwiecki shouted back.

Watch out, George Michael: Jim Naugle, the mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has proposed buying $250,000 high-tech toilets to prevent “illegal sex” acts from being performed in public restrooms at the city’s beaches. Apparently the doors of the toilets open after a set time period, thereby making the robotic contraption — which also plays music and automatically cleans the seat — a sub-optimal venue for illicit sex.

Naugle sure doesn’t put a polite spin on it:

“We’re trying to provide a family environment where people can take their children who need to use the bathroom,” he said, “without having to worry about a couple of men in there engaged in a sex act.”

Though police say sex in restrooms is no longer a hot crime, the mayor thinks it is. He talked about the illicit sex recently in public meetings, in an interview and in e-mails to residents.

Naugle, not a stranger to public controversy, particularly on the issue of gays, said public restrooms are pickup places for “homosexuals. … They’re engaging in sex, anonymous sex, illegal sex.”

The proposed location for the city’s experimental automated toilet is the parking lot at Sebastian Street, at what many locals call the “gay beach.” Naugle told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that the intelligent commode’s security features are vital at this location, which he called “the rainbow parking lot.”

“The homosexual newspaper said it’s the ‘gay parking lot.’ That’s not me saying that,” Naugle said in the interview, “that’s what they said. I don’t use the word ‘gay.’ I use the word ‘homosexual.’ Most of them aren’t gay. They’re unhappy.”

Naugle, a what else — conservative Christian — has made a name for himself in South Florida for his no-holds-barred, no-brain-engaged comments.

For instance, he refused to sign a mayors’ pact on greenhouse gas reductions, claiming it was put forward by environmentalist “whackos” who hate America. He also made the insightful if illogical comment that home prices in South Florida would be lower if middle class people would stop sitting on the couch drinking beer and get to work. When a religious festival came to town, Naugle said those who opposed the city supporting a Christian event could just “go to Iraq.”

Of course, the local gay community weighed in on Naugle’s comments. Well, “weighed in” is, I suppose, a relative term:

“Excuse me?” said Marc Hansen, a leader among local gay residents. “Thank God this is his last term.”

Snappy comeback, Marc!