Subject: Mel White Confronts Jerry Falwell's Recent Anti-Homosexual Rhetoric
From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 23:31:28 EDT

Friends in the GLBT Press,
      Even though Jerry Falwell has agreed to join us in condemning "hate 
speech" that leads to fear, anger, and violent acts, he continues his 
anti-homosexual campaign, a primary source of the very "hate speech" we are 
meeting to condemn. 

    Here's my response to one such speech, my fourth "Open Letter to Jerry 
Falwell" just two weeks before our 200 GLBT people of faith break bread with 
Jerry and his 200 on October 23.  For those of your readers who don't 
understand the Soulforce principles of relentless nonviolent resistance, this 
might help.

    This dinner in Lynchburg is NOT the end but the beginning of our efforts 
to change his mind and heart.  For every word he says against us, we will 
calmly but relentlessly reply with TRUTH.  When he speaks truth about us, we 
will acknowledge that truth.  But every half-truth, hyperbole, or lie will be 
confronted until Jerry finally understands that we are God's children, too, 
and ends his false and inflammatory attacks against us.

    This is a long piece, 3-4 pages.  You have my permission to print it all 
or in parts or to quote from it.  Unfortunately, it's very difficult to make 
our case against the toxic rhetoric in soundbites.  When I try, it ends up as 
toxic as the rhetoric I'm confronting.

     Please check our web page for updates and news alerts about the meeting 
in Lynchburg, October 22-24, and about other Soulforce actions around the 
country.
www.soulforce.org

    If you want to chat/argue/confront/interview me or a Lynchburg200 
delegate from your area about the event or about our long-range, Soulforce 
strategy, call Gary Nixon to set up a time at (949) 455-0999. 
     
    Thanks for your work on behalf of our community.
     
    Mel White   www.soulforce.org

An Open Letter to Jerry Falwell from Mel White (October 9, 1999)

Dear Jerry,

In spite of our different beliefs about homosexuality, I'm delighted that we 
are meeting in Lynchburg on October 23 to take a united stand against "hate 
speech" that leads to violent acts.  Unfortunately, after reading your recent 
press release, "Jerry Falwell Ministry's Definitive Stance on Homosexuality," 
I realized that I haven't made clear to you what I mean by "hate speech."   
Nor do I understand what "hate speech" means to you.

By my definition, your press release is a clear example of "hate speech."   
By your definition it is not.  So, rather than condemn your "Definitive 
Stance…" and leave you confused as to why it made me sad and angry, I'm going 
to use it to explain why I believe it goes beyond the acceptable limits of 
"preaching your conscience" and becomes the very "hate speech" we are meeting 
to condemn.

When the Pharisees accused Jesus of eating food that was "unclean" he 
answered, "It isn't what goes into your mouth that defiles you.  It's what 
comes out."  Jesus made it clear that our words have power, that our tongues 
have potential for doing great good and great harm. He warned us that we are 
held accountable for every careless word.  He says it is better to be silent 
than to risk hurting our sisters and brothers.  He commanded us to let truth, 
love, and mercy to be our guides.

In one a recent sermon from the Book of Proverbs, you summarized the Bible's 
high standards for responsible speech.  When our 200 delegates arrive in 
Lynchburg, we will be wearing buttons that quote your advice.  Before they 
speak, you asked your congregation to answer these three questions:  "Is it 
true?  Is it loving? Does it need to be said?"  We, too, believe in those 
standards, Jerry.  They reflect the standards of Jesus and we are willing to 
judge our spoken and printed words by them.  We hope you will do the same.  
Let's begin that process by asking these three questions of your press 
release.

First, "Is it true?"
At the heart of your press release is the claim that "Homosexuality is 
physically harmful."  To support your view you quote a study that claims 
"…the following physical disorders would be present among ten randomly 
selected homosexual men in their mid-thirties: 3 (30%) are alcoholics; 5 
(50%) have a history of alcohol abuse; 3 (30%) smoke cigarettes; 4 (40%) have 
a history of drug abuse; 5 (50%) regularly use at least one illegal drug; 3 
(30%) are multiple drug users; 4 (40%) have a history of acute depression; 8 
(80%) have a history of sexually transmitted diseases; 8 (80%) currently 
carry infectious pathogens; 3 (30%) are HIV-infected and 1 (10%) has AIDS."   
Jerry, I am convinced that these statistics are not true. Here's why.

Your press release claims that this description of "a random selection of ten 
gay men in their mid-thirties" is based on a study by the National 
Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality.  It is not.  I called 
NARTH offices in Encino.  They said they had reprinted the study, but they 
had not conducted it nor verified its accuracy. This tragically misleading 
summary of the psychological and physical condition of my life and the lives 
of my gay brothers originates in "Chapter Six" of Thomas E. Schmidt's Straight
 and Narrow, published in 1995 by InterVarsity Press.  

Apparently, Dr. Thomas Schmidt is (or was) a professor of New Testament Greek 
at Westmont College in Santa Barbara.  Dr. Schmidt admits that his research 
for this particular chapter "lies outside my field of professional 
expertise."  He then assures the reader that his data can be trusted because 
it was reviewed "by four physicians with relevant specialties" and that he 
documents every point of fact "only from scholarly, secular medical and 
social scientific publications.

One of the "scholarly" publications he quotes is Paul Cameron's discredited 
little pamphlet  "Homosexual Molestation of Children."  In 1984, Mr. Cameron 
was expelled from the Nebraska Psychological Association (NPA) and from the 
American Psychological Association (APA) for "violating the Ethical 
Principles of Psychologists." In 1985, the American Sociological Association 
(ASA) adopted a resolution condemning Dr. Cameron, publicly stating that he 
is "not a sociologist" and that he has "consistently misinterpreted and 
misrepresented sociological research on sexuality, homosexuality, and 
lesbianism."  And yet Dr. Cameron continues to be quoted by pastors and 
televangelists like yourself who use Cameron's false data to support 
Schmidt's premise (and your own) that "for the vast majority of homosexual 
men…sexual behavior is obsessive, psychopathological, and destructive."
 
There are 131 footnotes on almost 15 pages of small type at the end of 
Chapter 6 alone.  When gay men, their friends or families read Dr. Schmidt's 
book, they have no way of knowing which authority quoted is trustworthy, 
which data are accurate or which data were interpreted accurately?  
Thankfully, Dr. Schmidt's false and dangerous conclusions (however he reached 
them) are almost universally condemned by more than one million members of 
the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, 
the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the 
American Association of Social Workers.   

Responsible research into the lives of lesbians and gays over the past 
twenty-five years has proven that homosexuals are as healthy in mind and body 
as their heterosexual counterparts.  In 1994, for example, The American 
Psychological Association (with a membership of more than 150,000 
professional psychologists) released a Statement on Homosexuality that 
summarizes in its opening paragraph a quarter of a century research on 
homosexuality and homosexuals. 
 
"The research on homosexuality is very clear. Homosexuality is neither mental 
illness nor moral depravity. It is simply the way a minority of our 
population expresses human love and sexuality. Study after study documents 
the mental health of gay men and lesbians. Studies of judgment, stability, 
reliability, and social and vocational adaptiveness all show that gay men and 
lesbians function every bit as well as heterosexuals."

It is tragic that Dr. Schmidt's book has proven to be so popular with 
conservative Christians seeking to support their anti-homosexual views and 
that in the past few weeks you have shared that untrustworthy data with 
millions of Americans.  One day you will realize that most gay men are not 
drug abusers, acutely depressed or dangerously contagious.  

Jerry, you say that we are sinners.  The Ten Commandments, the Jewish 
prophets, and Jesus are all silent about homosexuality; but all three make 
clear that it is a sin "to bear false witness against your neighbor."  You 
have sinned against us.  Worse, your words lead people to fear and hate us.  T
hat is my definition of "hate speech," untrue words that lead to fear, hate, 
and even acts of violence.

Second, "Is it loving?"
I believe that you love us, Jerry. But you make it hard for me to convince 
others who have heard your sermons, watched you on TV, or read your web page 
or fundraising letters.  They know that you are always careful to say  "We 
love the sinner, but hate the sin."  Instead of love, however, they hear 
anger, disgust, and judgment in your words.  Maybe it's because you spend so 
much time and energy telling why you "hate the sin" and so little time 
showing exactly how you "love the sinner." 

For example, in your press release you begin your attack in the opening 
paragraph by saying that you love us. Then you spend the next twelve 
paragraphs making these false and ugly accusations against us (from Dr. 
Schmidt's "research.")  You describe our particular "sin" in lurid detail, 
demanding that we repent of our homosexuality, promising that we'll go to 
hell if we don't.  Re-read your press release. Tell me if you feel love in 
your words?

Here are a few things you say about homosexual orientation in that press 
release. It is "an addictive sin…" that is "highly debilitating - 
emotionally, physically and spiritually…" that "breeds spiritual discontent…" 
that "destroys the sanctity and sacredness of family life…" that leads to 
violence and treachery…" that leads to suicide…"  

Your press release also claims that homosexuals are people "trapped in 
bondage…" who have "let sin and the devil take control of their lives…" who 
became homosexuals "according to their sinful wills…" who are enslaved by 
their sin…" who are "unsaved people…" who "cannot and will not go to heaven…" 
who instead are "sure to go to hell…" because they are "guilty of a horrible 
and enslaving sin…"   

 Is it any wonder that your listeners often fear us, hate us, and don't want 
us near them or their children?  Can't you see why so many people in your 
audience think that the nation, the church, even the family would be better 
off without us?  Isn't it clear why an emotionally unstable person who has 
heard you say over and over again that we are sick and sinful might think 
he's doing good by killing us? Your words make our "sin" greater than all 
other sins and our "sinfulness" greater than any other sinners. Your rhetoric 
has turned us into lepers who might infect the entire community just by our 
presence. 

You may believe sincerely that your anti-homosexual rhetoric is "tough love." 
 I believe just as sincerely that it is "hate speech" that leads to tragic 
consequences for us all. One way to settle the argument is by testing the 
effects of your words in the lives of the people who hear them.  It's "tough 
love" if your words lead to hope, healing, and reconciliation.  It's "hate 
speech" if it leads to ruined lives, broken relationships, and divided 
families.

Let's consider the effects of your words on my homosexual sisters and 
brothers.  In your press release you quote the following statistics to prove 
that homosexuality causes homosexuals to be miserable. You say: "More than 44 
percent of homosexuals suffer from feelings of poor self-esteem and extreme 
loneliness." You also say: "Nearly 50 percent of homosexuals experience 
distress from homosexual thoughts and feelings." 

You assume that homosexuality is to blame.  In fact, it isn't homosexuality 
that causes these young gay Christians being counseled in ex-gay ministries 
to suffer from "poor self-esteem."  It's the anti-homosexual rhetoric (like 
your own) that they've heard since childhood that makes their sexual 
orientation a sickness (to be healed) and a sin (to be forgiven and held in 
check.)  It isn't homosexuality that makes them experience "extreme 
loneliness."  It's the rejection they feel from Christian friends and family, 
pastors and priests.  It isn't their homosexual thoughts and feelings that 
cause them to "experience distress."   It's their confusion about those 
feelings that flows directly out of anti-homosexual rhetoric like your own. 

I've spoken at more than a hundred university campuses in the past two years. 
 I've met countless gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students who 
have very little problem with self-esteem, loneliness or distress.  
Invariably, they are young people who did NOT grow up in a Christian home.  
What fact could be more tragic?  These gay people of faith have been 
condemned so long and so often that they believe God hates them. No wonder 
they hate themselves.  That is my definition of "hate speech" unloving words 
that lead some to hate "the others" and "the others" to hate themselves.

Third "Does it need to be said?"
Jerry, even if you are convinced that what you say about us is true and 
loving, haven't you said it enough?  On a recent Sunday, for example, you 
began and ended the Old Time Gospel Hour with comments about homosexuals. And 
in the middle of your sermon on Proverbs you found some reason to exclaim 
that the FBI would never have attacked David Koresh or his followers if 
"…they had been homosexuals."  What is that about?  It's beginning to sound 
like you're obsessed with us.  

Count the number of words you use to condemn homosexuality in your average 
sermon, TV broadcast or fundraising letter; or the number of times you use 
homosexuals to illustrate sickness and sin; or the number of times you have 
warned the nation about our "sinful lifestyle" or our "dangerous gay agenda" 
on Geraldo or Larry King Live, in your National Liberty Journal and on your 
web page. Our archives are full to overflowing with examples of your words 
against us.  The whole nation knows how you feel about homosexuals.  Why do 
you need to say it again?

Your critics believe that you talk about homosexuals so often because your 
followers find the subject so alarming.  Is it possible that you are 
appealing to their fears as a fundraising device?  I know you believe what 
you say.  I know you are sincere when you say it, but why do you need to 
condemn us so often and with such growing fervor? 

Our Soulforce archives are stuffed with your anti-homosexual pamphlets, 
posters, handbills, questionnaires, inserts, surveys, and petitions.  Most 
anti-homosexual attacks contain a return envelope and a request to send in 
money.  Unfortunately for us, to keep the money coming, your warnings about 
homosexuals must get more extreme with every mailing.  So when we ask, "Does 
it need to be said?" how would you answer?  Is it your concern for us and for 
our salvation that causes you to condemn homosexuals with such frequency or 
is effective fundraising the primary reason "it needs to be said?" 

You remember how Jesus responded to the woman caught in an act of adultery?  
Whom did He condemn, the sinner or the religious leaders who hated her sin?  
When she was dragged before him, why didn't Jesus quote the Scriptures that 
condemned her?  Why didn't he acknowledge that the Bible commanded that she 
be stoned? Why did he say to those who condemned her, "You who are without 
sin, throw the first stone?"  Why did they stop demanding her death, drop 
their stones, and walk away? Jesus hated the sin of those self-righteous, 
religious leaders who made their living laying heavy burdens of judgement and 
guilt on the backs of sinners.  And he loved the sinners they condemned. 

Jerry, you have spent far too much time condemning us.  Have you ever thought 
about the consequences of your words? The anti-homosexual rhetoric in your 
recent press release, rhetoric you have repeated with growing frequency over 
the past twenty-five years, cripples the spirits of my sisters and brothers, 
destroys their lives, divides their families, and gives the mob license to 
bash and murder us.  That is my definition of "hate speech", Jerry, words 
that don't need to be said but that for some reason or other you go on saying 
them even if they lead to tragic consequences in the lives of those who hear 
them. 

On September 22, in the Shasta County jail, Matthew Williams told his mother 
why he and his brother, Tyler, murdered Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder, a 
gay couple in Happy Valley, California.  "I had to obey God's law rather than 
man's law," Williams said. "I didn't want to do this.  I felt I was supposed 
to…I have followed a higher law…I see a lot of parallels between this and a 
lot of other incidents in the Old Testament…They threw our Savior in Jail…Our 
forefathers have been in prison a lot.  Prophets…Christ…My brother and I are 
incarcerated for our work in cleansing a sick society…I just plan to defend 
myself, from the Scriptures."  The Williams brothers believed the "hate 
speech" about homosexuals and did something about it.  In the jailhouse 
interview they expressed surprise that religious leaders weren't supporting 
their bloody act.  

We must never forget Abraham Heschel's words: "Speech has power. Words do not 
fade. What starts out as a sound, ends in a deed." I know that our community 
is guilty of "hate speech" against you.  I am doing everything I can to end 
it.  I am grateful that you have invited us to meet with you on October 23 to 
take our stand against language from all sides that leads to hatred and 
violent acts.  But you are confusing us. Even while we plan our historic 
weekend together, you continue your efforts to caricature and condemn us in 
this "definitive" press release, in the National Liberty Journal, in your 
sermons and on Listen America.  Does it need to be said again?  Isn't it time 
to stop preaching against us and time to confront the mob on our behalf in 
the name of Jesus who called you to preach truth, and love, and mercy? 

Help us believe that you are sincere in calling for an end to irresponsible 
language from all sides. Help us understand why you believe that your recent 
attacks are not "hate speech."  I'm standing firmly against "hate speech" 
aimed at you and your colleagues.  Will you stand against the untrue and 
unloving anti-homosexual rhetoric that flows primarily from the mouths of 
preachers and priests, bishops and cardinals across the nation? Jerry, you 
have been a primary source of that rhetoric.  Convince us that you are 
serious about our joint pledge against "hate speech" that we are about to 
make together.  Lead the way.  Let's sit down together and review the 
biblical and pyschological data about sexual orientation. Let's open 
ourselves to truth from both sides.  Show the others that it is time to stop 
the anti-homosexual rhetoric, time to stop all "hate speech" against anyone, 
time to begin the work of healing this divided nation, time to build bridges 
of understanding between us, even when we disagree.