Opinion: Open Letter to Barack Obama

Link: Advocate.com

Excerpt:

Lesbian media wiz Ann Canas wants the Illinois senator to know that when he references religion in discussing why he can't support gay marriage, he sends a subtle message that being gay and being Christian are mutually exclusive.

Mr. Obama:

Like you, we are all Americans. Like you, some of us are men. Unlike you, some of us are women. Like you, some of us are African-American. Unlike you, many of us are not African-American. Like you, some of us are tall and thin. Unlike you, some of us are short and wide. Like you, some of us have spouses, families, and children. Unlike you, some of us are still single. Like you, we are Christians. Unlike you, we are gay and lesbian and bisexual and transgender.

Your and Senator Clinton’s voting and legislative records are for the most part identical on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues and are generally supportive of basic GLBT civil, social, and legal rights and protections. Although both you and Senator Clinton decline to support gay marriage per se, it is your statements on this issue that seem alienating, divisive, and uninformed and that subtly contribute to the persistence of one of this country’s worst forms of religious persecution and social bigotry. Even the possibility that you and your platform -- wittingly or unwittingly -- may contribute to the perpetuation of bigotry and prejudice in any way against anyone is, to our sensibilities, unthinkable.

While you are careful to appear to uphold and defend the GLBT community’s basic safety and legal rights, in a March 25, 2007, Chicago Tribune story that referenced comments you made during your 2004 run for the U.S. Senate, you led off your objections to gay marriage with the statement “I'm a Christian” [see below for full context of quote]. On its own as a part of your personal profile or in answer to a query about your personal beliefs, this statement is both appropriate and informative. But linked to your objections about gay marriage and by extension the gay lifestyle, it serves to entrench modern attitudes of religion-based bigotry and persecution and effectively implies that “gay” and “Christian” are mutually exclusive. This is not only wrong and uninformed but also flies in the face of the most basic Christian values and beliefs of unconditional love and acceptance. There are over 500,000 GLBT Christians attending over 200 churches like my church, Metropolitan Community Church Los Angeles, as well as hundreds of similar open and affirming churches all over America and around the world. We do not believe that you or anyone in thought, word, belief, or action can separate us from our religion, our faith, and our rightful place within the heart and love of Jesus Christ.

[...]

You and your presidential campaign are living proof of an evolution in the consciousness of a nation. We are living proof of an evolution unfolding in human consciousness: namely, the awareness that love transcends gender as surely as race and that spirit is not contained by black or white or male or female or any other characteristic of human condition or appearance. As this nation’s first truly viable African-American candidate for president, you must lead the way against bigotry and prejudice by all names and in all forms.

Mr. Obama, you have clearly stated your reluctance to allow your private religious beliefs to shape your public policy. This is wise in theory but difficult in practice, because while you are free to interpret your personal religious beliefs in any way you choose, as a talented orator you realize that words are powerful and can also crucially shape both public policy and public opinion. This letter is not an attempt to change your personal opinions or religious beliefs on this or any other issue, but it is an invitation for you to reexamine your spoken expressions and public statements toward a segment of Americans about whom you clearly evidence a lack of knowledge and experience. Can we be gay? Can we be Christian? Perhaps now, Mr. Obama, you may be a bit more aware of the possibilities and the answer that must include us all in your visionary new world: Yes, We Can.

Sincerely,

Ann Canas, one of over a half million worldwide members of the Christian GLBT Community

Los Angeles

 

Ann Canas is a freelance writer, producer, actor, and media host in Los Angeles (www.anncanas.com). She and her partner are members of the Metropolitan Community Church Los Angeles (www.mccla.org).

[jw]