Gay hate rears its ugly head in nation's capital

July 7, 12:46 AMInternational LGBT Issues ExaminerKelvin Lynch

Previous Next

15 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the International LGBT Issues Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

                   Bishop Harry Jackson (AP Photo)

A new law in Washington, D.C. formally recognizing legal same-sex marriages performed in other states takes effect tomorrow, and it has unleashed a firestorm of hate speech from local religious leaders, according to On Top Magazine.

Bishop Harry Jackson, who organized the anti-gay group Stand 4 Marriage DC, said, "It's a declaration of war.  We are sending a clear message that this is going to be fought every step of the way.”

At an open community forum in June, opponents didn't mince words, and unleashed a fury of anti-gay sentiment.

Wearing a t-shirt for the anti-gay website thirdgender666.com that read “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Morals are Worse than Animals,” Minister Leroy Swailes, who most likely owns the anonymously registered website, railed against being gay.

Swailes testified that discrimination against gay men and lesbians is “positive discrimination":

“Me as a black man, when they discriminated against me, I came out of my mother's womb, like I didn't have a choice, that was a negative discrimination. If you discriminate against a homosexual, that's a positive."

He also called children's books like King and King that explain gay and lesbian relationships "pedophile books".

Swailes argued that gay men and lesbians are inhuman and therefore not eligible for human rights: “Everybody should have human rights, but you have to be human. Human means you deal with the opposite sex.”

City Council members approved the new ordinance in a 12 to 1 vote in May.  Former disgraced mayor and now-City Councilman Marion Barry was the lone dissenter.

Council leaders openly acknowledge their next move is to legalize gay marriage in the District.  Six mostly New England states have legalized gay marriage: Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and Iowa.  The law was subject to a 30-day review period by Congress, which expired today.  Tuesday's start of the law is a symbolic nod from Congress of gay marriage approval, no matter how tenuous.

Scroll down to leave comments.