One of the news items I picked up off Twitter today talks about Lorenzo Hoopes. According to the Pacific Justice Institute, Mr. Hoopes is a 96 year old man who “has volunteered for decades with Paramount Theatre of the Arts” including 20 years as part of its Board of Directors. Directors must be approved by the Oakland, CA City Council before being seated.
After 20 years, one would think re-appointment is guaranteed. According to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community, not so fast. Mr. Hoopes contributed $26,000 to the Proposition 8 campaign in California, seeking to define marriage as one man and one woman. This contribution has caused public outcry against Mr. Hoopes’ re-appointment, with one activist claiming that “the gay community in Oakland is being run over by a bus.”
Thinking that I was missing something, I researched a little further, and found an article on change.org under the Gay Rights heading. The author references a Facebook group called “The Paramount: No Place for Homophobia,” stating that Mr. Hoopes is allowed to hold his beliefs…but should not be “rewarded” with a seat on the Board of Directors.
This issue refuses to go away. From my small corner of the world, it seems like compromise is not going to happen any time soon. Therefore, I would like to state my opinion…and hope I am not the target of hate mail.
As a Christian, I believe marriage is one man and one woman. Period. No ifs ands or buts.
However, I live in America, a democratic republic. Depending on what source is used, about 10% of our population is part of the LGBT community. This group is entitled to their freedoms, regardless of what my beliefs are…as long as their rights do not infringe on mine.
Should two gay men, cohabitating and loving each other, enjoy the same rights as a traditional married couple? I have to say yes. However, I do not believe that is a marriage. Call it a civil union, call it a homosexual union, call it whatever you want…but I will not call it a marriage. You can call it a marriage if you want to…but I won’t. And if you call it a marriage, I’m not going to get myself worked up over it. It’s my definition. Possibly not yours.
But according to the change.org article, I am now a homophobe. Really? Just what is a homophobe, anyway? According to Princeton’s dictionary, a homophobe “hates or fears homosexual people.”
I do not hate or fear anyone in the LGBT community. Jesus commanded Christians to love our neighbor. He didn’t qualify it by saying only love straight people, or only love other Christians…he basically says we need to love everybody.
A frequent argument I have heard against alternate definitions for marriage is that homosexual couples calling themselves married will desecrate the institution of marriage. If you feel this way, I feel sorry for you. If anyone has desecrated marriage, it’s Christians. The divorce rate in our community is as high or higher than non-Christians. Therefore, I do not possess this fear…or any other fear from the LGBT community.
For what it is worth, I am not a proponent of Prop. 8 or similar propositions. I voted “no” when Arizona voters had a similar measure on our ballot. The main reason for my opposition is because I feel government has bigger fish to fry. Fix the budget…and then we’ll have time to kick around other stuff.
Mr. Hoopes has provided countless hours in support of the Paramount Theatre of the Arts. If he is re-appointed to the Board, it will be for his past service, not his contributions to Prop. 8. If supporters of gay rights call the appointment “a reward,” they are sadly mistaken.
In the corporate world, I was taught the value of diversity. I do not have to agree with everything my co-workers believe, and the workplace is better for having a non-homogeneous staff. If I don’t agree with you, calling me a homophobe is not going to solve anything. Let’s find some middle ground so we can live in peace, if not harmony.
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