It wasn’t all fire and brimstone speeches at the State House last night as Gov. Chafee, Treasurer Gina Raimondo and Reps. Frank Ferri and Art Handy all gave compelling testimony for marriage equality rights. (Photo by Jenny Norris)
Politics often mimics art.
Soon after Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and a bunch of other superheroes got together to form the Super Friends, Lex Luthor, the Joker and Cheetah joined with other super villains to form the Legion of Doom. Where the Super Friends stand for truth and justice, the Legion stands for lies and inequity.
A similar scene played out at the State House last night as the House Judiciary Committee took testimony on marriage equality last night.
In the wake of the formation of Rhode Islanders United for Marriage, a coalition in support of marriage rights, Christopher Plante executive director of the anti-marriage equality group NOM-RI announced the formation of a local Legion of Doom: the Faith Alliance to Preserve the Sanctity of Marriage as Established by God, or FAPSMEG.
Watch this video by Sam Valorose, that captures the good, the bad and the ugly that was on display at the State House last night:
To form his dream team of intolerance, Plante dragged Brian Camenker of MassResistance, a genuine Southern Poverty Law Center hate group to Rhode Island, to poison our state with his special kind of venomous bile.
That’s right, bigot, homophobe and Holocaust denier Brian Camenker, who once lied, “One bill in Massachusetts takes away all the penalties for bestiality. This is where this [homosexual] agenda is going” and another time claimed that “no homosexuals died in the Holocaust and that the pink triangle the Nazis forced imprisoned gays to wear actually signified Catholic priests” has been imported from Massachusetts.
That this coalition of NOM and MassResistance also has the support of the Knights of Columbus and Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Providence Diocese is simply disgraceful. In addition to running Bishop Tobin’s latest anti-equality screed on its new website, at least one representative of the Providence Diocese spoke at the press conference/rally held in the main rotunda of the State House, a rally so large and boisterous it could be heard on the 3rd floor.
My friend Dave described the scene downstairs. There was…
…speaking in tongues, laying on of hands to protect the children from gays, the ecstatic testimonies, raised arms, singing of hymns, etc. It was like a classic religious revival.
Other speakers included RI Senator Harold Metts, Rev. Luis Rodriguez, Iglesia de la Comunidad; Rev. Luis Suarez, President of the Hispanic Coalition of Pastors and Ministers and Pastor, Iglesia Nueva Generacion Cristiana; Rev. Santos Escobar, Inglesia Vida Abundante UMC; Ron L’Heureux, Founder of Project Exodus 18; and Darrell Lee, SM, Founder, Building Cities on God Ministries.
One wonders how many of these religious leaders are aware of Camenker’s views and more worrisome, how many of those in attendance hold the same views.
After I gave my testimony and after the rally in the rotunda had mostly dissipated, I found myself downstairs watching some men and women in a prayer circle praying intently until a woman began thrashing uncontrollably, speaking incomprehensibly and being gently guided to the ground so that she could freak out safely. It was vaguely similar to an epileptic seizure as the woman was in the throes of the Holy spirit or something. It was quite dramatic, but ultimately of no real significance to the legal proceedings upstairs.
Kind of like FAPSMEG.
as I read the last paragraph of this piece, it reminded me again that those on the left of this issue take no time to understand those that disagree with them even though they are asking the nation to accept a concept that is a fundamental divergence from what we have come to know as marriage.
It’s interesting, to say the least.
There’s intolerance on both sides of this issue. Giving up the traditional definition of marriage is no different than asking Americans to give up their guns. All we know now is name calling and mocking. The issues won’t cause this society to collapse but the polarization just may.
Agreed.
Sorry but there is a false equivalence here. One side just wants the rights that everyone else has. The anti-marriage equality side is especially mean spirited because it hurts others without gaining any benefit for themselves, (except perhaps the joy of forcing their ancient savage religous prinicples on everyone else) Even the anti-tax zealots who would let folks go without heat, food, or medical care, at least think they really have a benefit by keeping their taxes down!
I know there are some decent folks in the anti-marriage equality camp, but they need to think about why they are allied with haters and bigots.
Thanks for making my point.
Yes, Barry, you’re surprisingly intolerant of intolerence.
“There’s only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people’s cultures and the Dutch.”
The young man in this video speaks of his loving family. How many of us know, or have been brought up in, dysfunctional heterosexual families and wish we had what he has. Marriage equality is about love. Those who, in this video, are against it preach hate. Hate should not be legislated.
The bigots who swarmed the State House last night, preaching against gay marriage, should be ashamed of themselves. Do they actually listen to themselves. If any of my children came to me spouting any of this trash I would be mortified.
I implore our legislators to heed the sane voices of tolerance over the hateful speech of fanatics. Vote to approve marriage equality. It’s what the people want.
Having lived through the last 75 years in various circumstances and locales, including four years of military service, I’ve always managed to express my thoughts and opinions, hopefully while remembering that saying “I disagree with you”, doesn’t mean that I’m saying, ”you’re wrong”, even though that may be my thought. It seems that rational discussion reaps far more positive results than yelling, disparaging, lying, and name calling.
I still don’t hate anybody, but if I attended some functions like the one portrayed in the film clip, I’m ashamed to say that I probably could learn to. I disagree with those who would impose their will on others regarding matter of personal choice. Love can not and should not be legislated. The God that I love must surely be in tears because of the behavior of some of his children. Perhaps we could put more effort into understanding and caring for each other.