Of course, the primary blame was not put on queers. Especially in the weeks immediately following the attacks, there were numerous assaults on US mosques. There was also violence directed towards convenience stores owners and towards a number of random individuals who had the audacity to be from racial and ethnic groups that have skin of a brownish hue. So clearly there is going to be no dearth of nominees for the prestigious "Hi, I'm Xenophobic and Stupid Too" awards this year. But prompted by grassroots organizing and public outcry, some U.S. leaders did make attempts to speak out against the growing tide of "I'm Scared And I Want to Kill Everyone Who Doesn't Look Like Me" violence. Even George W cautioned Americans to avoid "misplaced hatred," called Islam a "peaceful religion," and hosted a Ramadan dinner at the White House. These actions are perhaps not the stuff for which the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded, but they are rather...surprising...from George W. After all, when he was a governor he vetoed the James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act (named for the Texas African-American man who was dragged to his death from a pickup truck in 1998 by three white men) because he said "all crimes are hate crimes." Hmmm. Even in Texas, he didn't exactly win the Mr. Religious and Cultural Pluralism Pageant.
The attempts-small as they might have been-- to stop anti-Muslim violence, brought more ire from the ultra-conservatives, some of whom managed to ONCE AGAIN reference GAY PEOPLE!
"We don't believe Islam needs validating at the highest level of American government," said David Crowe the director of Restore America, a conservative Christian political organization in Oregon. "It's the same difference we have with the homosexual community. We care about homosexuals, yet we're opposed to their agenda because we know it destroys their lives. Likewise, we care about Muslims, but we're opposed to even any tacit endorsement of Islam because it's against the will of God."
Hmmmm again. I've got a newsflash for the right wing nuts (and you know Falwell is a real nut if Rush Limbaugh is calling him one): Yes, we've single-handedly kept Birkenstocks and mullets haircuts in style. And I admit, we are responsible for popularizing the mistaken notion that tofu is a legitimate food product, but acts of international terrorism? Simply not our style.
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 | | ABOUT KELLI
Kelli Dunham (once known as Sister Mercy) was kicked out of the Missionaries of Charity in 1995 for "insufficient docility." She is now an award- winning queer humor columnist, activist and nurse. Kelli's essay, "Crazy Is as Crazy Does" appears in the recent Alysson anthology _Dykes With Baggage: The Lighter Side of Lesbians in Therapy_. She cordially invites you to check out her webpage www.kellidunham.com . Contact: kellidunham@aol.com |
