The Semantics of Hate

11/21/09

By Marc Garman

Left handed people are evil. It is said that the Devil himself gives his benediction with his left hand. Evil spirits are known to linger over the left shoulder and must be driven away by casting salt in their direction. Witches and devotees of Satan greet their dark master with their left hand.

Furthermore, those who are left handed are so because they have chosen to follow the path of the UNHOLY LEFT HANDED ONE. For it is known that ALL are born right handed and some choose leftness because they choose the Devil. They are damned for eternity, these lefties. They have chosen the path of the sinner. By writing or holding a fork in their left hands, these sinners are committing a sin and that sin will keep them out of heaven. But it would be wrong for me to hate the left handed. I only hate their filthy sinning left hands. A pity that the sinner and the demonic appendage are...attached. Revile the sin. Embrace the sinner.

If you thought the above two paragraphs were somewhat offensive and absurd...think again. The very same logic was used by Vallejo's Mayor Osby Davis in comments made to the New York Times in the article “Faith and Tolerance Collide in Vallejo” by Scott James. The only problem is that Davis' remarks were not nonsense. At least not to him.

When Osby Davis was asked about his faith and gay people and stated, “They're committing sin and that sin will keep them out of heaven.” and added that “You don't hate the person. You hate the sin that they commit.” he was using a turn of phrase to soften the true force behind his sentiment. A shabby parlor trick of semantics used to cover hate speech.

The only word that resonates in his remarks is hate

His fellow fundamentalist “christians” claim they want to fashion Vallejo into a “City of God”. With words such as these, he--and they-- are spreading an agenda of hate fueled by ignorance, misunderstanding and condescension. Ensconcing and institutionalizing hatred in the office of the mayor. Forgiveness to be given only upon surrender to a vengeful and angry god who demands obedience? Patriarchal and unmoving. Such a lovely sentiment coming from public office. I for one refuse to see Vallejo become a “City of Hate”.

Mayor Davis: Is it easier to live with your hatred if you dip it in ignorance and wrap it in Jesus?

It must be.

When I first came to San Francisco in '93 I had only met a handful of gay people. They made me a little nervous because they were different. Then I had an opportunity to move into a shared flat on South Clinton Street, not far from the Castro District. It was a large and very nice flat with gay people, straight people and yes...drag queens.

Pretty soon I had friends who were male, female, gay, straight, black, white, Irish, drag wearing..or not... even a few flamboyant ballet queens and a face ring lesbian. And one fabulous gay black choreographer who told a story of how he made Luciano Pavarotti blush by winking at him and blowing a kiss backstage.

Guess what folks. It all worked out. I am far richer for the experience. Does this make me a lesbian snap queen trapped in a man's body? Oh my.

I am proud to say that I have made the acquaintance of many gay people over the years. I don't care who they sleep with. Never did. Preference is no measure of a person. People are who they are. And while each of us has the capacity for change, lefties tend to be lefties...even if they gnaw a limb off.

Osby Davis. You hate what you cannot comprehend and lie to yourself about it. Your twisted words do not speak for all the citizens of Vallejo. Some, perhaps, but not all. Remember that.

You are not my mayor. Oh, and I don't hate you. I only hate the sin that is your willful ignorance and the damage it does to people who are guilty of nothing more than being.

Comments

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Tina in Vallejo formerly of t   |November.25.2009 Wow....after over 20 years in the city, many gay friends and 1 gay step son, I am APPAULED that what I thought was for the most part, a friendly and tolerant place now being run by an utterly misguided uneducated bigot using "the lord" to mask his hatred. WTF? Does this man who has the PRIVILEDGE to be our Mayor realize that he has insulted a broad sector of his city? Does he not realize he needs to embrace EVERYONE in this city? We are a few small miles from the Castro, and it's time this man gets the REAL truth....I must do the same. I ignored the fact that my Prop 8 sign was removed 3 times, broken and stuffed into my garbage bin, I didn't want to believe so many people are so ignorant. Well, based on the Mayors comments, sadly, it's true and will only get worse if the city leader is equally ignorant. What's next, ok to gay bash? Bad enought one poor young woman was put thru hell at Jesse Bethal years ago for being a Lesbian. Vallejo is a beautiful city with a gorgeous waterfront, interesting history and cultural diversity. It's also got crime and finanical woes and education problems...tough problems to solve...but to add acceptable homophobia by our own mayor? I say impeach him. Had he made these comments about people of other than christian religions, or people of other than his color he'd have been run out on a rail. We cannot allow this to be "the norm". Vallejo has too many other problems to tolerate one we can put our foot down on NOW. Mayor Osby, SHAME ON YOU. YOU ARE NOT HERE TO JUDGE. YOU ARE HERE TO ACCEPT AND SUPPORT ALL LAW ABIDING PEOPLE OF VALLEJO. YOU HAVE LOST THE RESPECT OF MANY OF YOUR CITIZENS, STRAIGHT AND GAY. Go to SF and BEG for a meeting with THAT Mayor for guidance, and then go home and pray to the God that accepts and loves all people and beg him/her for forgiveness. AGAIN, you are PRIVILEGED to be Mayor of such a lovely city. YOU are not God, you're just a civil servant who has openly exposed your stupidity and small mindedness. DO NOT think that because there are a lot of churches in Vallejo that everyone thinks like you....SOOOOOO not true. Seek enlightenment.

Anonymous   |November.25.2009 Free speech is fine, but one must understand there can always be consequences. Can Davis get the community to move beyond his "hatred" statement? I think he needs to take action, do something meaningful. I was given a glimpse into his pysche- not everyone is mayoral material and that glimpse and his thoughtless statement (that folks want to defend with freedom of speech) make me question whether he should be our mayor at all. If he runs again, I won't be voting for him. I bet there are many like me. Members of the Aryan Nation (neo nazis) have those same freedom of speech rights but do I want someone of their ilk to be my mayor? No way! Do I want as mayor someone who uses the term "hatred" to describe what some see as an expression of love with their partner? No way!

E Crawford   |November.25.2009 All I plan to say on this article is this: if we had to make a public apology for every time we said something that upset someone or hurt someone's feelings we would be in the press daily. I think we need to re-examine this idea of political correctness. It kills honesty in any discussion and confines us because we end up walking on eggshells all the time. If this country prides its free speech, all ideas would be respected. It doesn't mean you have to agree with what everyone says, but the right for a person to speak their mind needs to be respected, for EVERYONE.

Spirited Rejoinder   |November.25.2009 I feel like I've just been through a den of hyenas over in the T-H site commentary after the article on the mayor's quasi-apology. Lord, please save me from righteous ideologues of any persuasion, especially those at the ends of a polarized argument. What do you think it would take for people to want to listen to each other?

Vibber with Pride   |November.25.2009 VIB is the voice of the people! I am so glad it's here. Anonymous said VIB/IBVALLEJO IS ON ITS LAST LEGS..IT IS NOW SO OBVIOUS...LIKE MR. HEALY SAID EARLY ON,COME OUT AND LETS SEE HOW INFLUENTIAL YOU REALLY ARE... Sounds like wishful thinking - VIB is stronger than ever, Mr Healy, Bartee #5, hmmmmm VIB influence...hmmmmm...

Spirited Rejoinder   |November.25.2009 A story is published in the T-H today "Mayor apologizes for "gay sin" remarks," or something like that. http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_13864290 There are some wonderful passionate, intense, and irate letters to the editor. I doubt that this will satisfy very many people, but he did do a bare minimum in the right direction.

ANONYMOUS   |November.24.2009 MARC; You almost had me, after reading your article and the accompaning blogs, I thought what is wrong with Mayor Davis ? Has he really gone politically insane ? And then I read the NYTimes piece. WOW, WHAT A SET UP. YOU (MARC) ARE THE INSTIGATOR. YOU, CLOURTIER, REV.BODOSSI (CATHOLIC PRIEST A JOKE, BUT A GOOD COVER)AND THE WRITER FROM SAN FRANCISCO, (WHERE ELSE). YOU TRAPPED THE MAYOR AND IN RE-READING HIS STATEMENTS, HE ONLY SAID WHAT MOST VALLEJOANS FEEL..WHY ARE YOU SO INTENT ON TEARING DOWN OUR CITY? DO YOU THINK YOU WILL LOSE YOUR (SO CALLED)POWER OR INFLUENCE, IF YOU JUST TELL THE TRUTH?..I SAID A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO THE VIB/IBVALLEJO IS ON ITS LAST LEGS..IT IS NOW SO OBVIOUS...LIKE MR. HEALY SAID EARLY ON,COME OUT AND LETS SEE HOW INFLUENTIAL YOU REALLY ARE...pc

Stick to the issues   |November.24.2009 Stopthedrama You really don't get it. The Oz has the right as an individual citizen to espouse any viewpoint he wishes. What you seem to overlook is that the views he expressed were as the Mayor of Vallejo who is suspose to represent ALL of vallejo--not just the faith based community. Remember he did not run as as the the faith based candidate--he kept his views on gays etc quiet and only won by 2 votes. He hardly has a mandate to promogulate his faith based views . I am a married hetrosexual(and none of my best friends are gay) who is offended by his comments about gays etc. As others have pointed out the Bible has been used as a way to justify discrimination against others. It time that Osby start acting as a Mayor and think before he opens his mouth.

Stopthedrama   |November.24.2009 Why so much drama? Why can't we all just get along? Do we want our city to be a cool place to live. That we can live in peace with one another? Should not any American have the right to their own opinion? Let the Mayor say what he needs to say. What really counts is if he can get this city back on track. So for the most part, everyone please, stop snibbling because you didn't get your way. If you don't believe like the mayor fine. Don't waste time with sideline agendas, use your time and brains for dealing with getting this city out of this rut. If you are not interested in that, sit down and shut up and let the Mayor run this ship.

Spirited Rejoinder   |November.23.2009 I've been reading with interest. What a sticky kettle of fish! A lot of people would like the Mayor to apologize? What would you like for him to say and do? How might the Mayor be mandated to attend "Sensitivity Training" as would happen with other executives who make similar comments? By Vallejo Human Resources and the City Attorney or some other means? What efforts are there toward finding a mayoral candidate for 2011 whose values are more sensitive and inclusive? If there is a motion to censure the Mayor, how might that process come about constructively? What should he be censored for? What are the goals of the Protest & Rally? I hope people won't respond in kind with hate and anger. Stay cool. A lot has happened since Friday, eh? How can we be steady and get the best possible results for Vallejo?

VIB Supporter   |November.23.2009 Bring: Rainbow Flags and Pink Triangles (as many as possible) Don't Forget: Bring lubes and condoms (as many as possible)

PROTEST AND RALLY   |November.23.2009 PROTEST and RALLY AGAINST OPPRESSIVE HOMOPHOBIC VIOLENT SPEECH BY VALLEJO POLITICAL LEADERS AND HATEFUL RELIGIOUS GROUPS: When: Tuesday, December 1, 2009 (before the City Council Meeting) Where: Steps of City Hall Time: Gather 6:15 P.M. Bring: Rainbow Flags and Pink Triangles (as many as possible) Do you want to speak at the Rally or at the City Council meeting? Contact: Lou Bordisso (707) 554-2803 for more information See What Many are calling Homophobic and Oppressive Remarks printed in the New York Times by the Vallejo Mayor Davus: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/us/20sfmetro?_r=1&scp=2&sq=SCOTT%20JAMES&st=cse

Ms. Metal   |November.23.2009 I voted for Gary Cloutier and was so disappointed when he lost. I had no idea that our city is being directed by an evangelical group of people. I moved here 12 years ago from Lawrence, Kansas. It is a college town far more progressive than Vallejo. Lawrence had an openly gay mayor 20 years ago. When I moved to Vallejo, I mistakenly thought that the diversity here was a sign that this city was potentially more progressive than other towns. I was was excited to be living in a "real" city and not another college town. Unfortunately, I realize how naive I have been.

Mum   |November.22.2009 What about cats? They are known to hunt at night...when the devil is in control... Surely we do not want those evil creatures in our midst. It is obvious they are in league with the DEVIL...consorting with him at the stroke of midnight....I hope the mayor does not have a cast...oh, yeah and then there are witches...I have a friend named Tatuba..and she consorts with evil witches at night...

J.   |November.21.2009 Where are the calls for Impeachment. These remarks are horrible, but no more horrible that Osby's own ad in the yellow pages. "landlord tenant law - LANDLORDS ONLY". This man is waging war on Vallejo and its citizens. I believe he is doing it for financial gain. My opinion is RECALL.

Anonymous   |November.21.2009 Don't you realize what you're up against? Osby Davis (Assemblies Of God) has nothing to fear from the LGBT community. He knows that Jonathan Logan (Oral Roberts University) is waiting in the wings, once Michael Wilson moves on in 2010. Then there's the Hermie Sunga factor. The Filipino(Catholics) community will never agree to support the LGBT lifestyle. If push comes to shove, these forces will join together and most certainly mobilize against the Vallejo "progressives" and LGBT advocates and defeat them decisively.

Max   |November.21.2009 re: "I hope the gays take over Vallejo. At least they are good tippers." Good idea. West Hollywood: Are you listening?

Omniscient Observer   |November.21.2009 On October 15 2009, retired Episcopal Church BISHOP JOHN SHELBY SPONG lost his patience with the kind of "love the sinner, hate the sin" nonsense described in this article. On that day he issued his "Manifesto" by which he would live from that day forward. He invited readers to sign it, which I have done; and I invite others, here, to do the same. Here's how it goes... (SOURCE: http://tinyurl.com/ykxbxeu) A Manifesto! The Time Has Come! I have made a decision. I will no longer debate the issue of homosexuality in the church with anyone. I will no longer engage the biblical ignorance that emanates from so many right-wing Christians about how the Bible condemns homosexuality, as if that point of view still has any credibility. I will no longer discuss with them or listen to them tell me how homosexuality is "an abomination to God," about how homosexuality is a "chosen lifestyle," or about how through prayer and "spiritual counseling" homosexual persons can be "cured." Those arguments are no longer worthy of my time or energy. I will no longer dignify by listening to the thoughts of those who advocate "reparative therapy," as if homosexual persons are somehow broken and need to be repaired. I will no longer talk to those who believe that the unity of the church can or should be achieved by rejecting the presence of, or at least at the expense of, gay and lesbian people. I will no longer take the time to refute the unlearned and undocumentable claims of certain world religious leaders who call homosexuality "deviant." I will no longer listen to that pious sentimentality that certain Christian leaders continue to employ, which suggests some version of that strange and overtly dishonest phrase that "we love the sinner but hate the sin." That statement is, I have concluded, nothing more than a self-serving lie designed to cover the fact that these people hate homosexual persons and fear homosexuality itself, but somehow know that hatred is incompatible with the Christ they claim to profess, so they adopt this face-saving and absolutely false statement. I will no longer temper my understanding of truth in order to pretend that I have even a tiny smidgen of respect for the appalling negativity that continues to emanate from religious circles where the church has for centuries conveniently perfumed its ongoing prejudices against blacks, Jews, women and homosexual persons with what it assumes is "high-sounding, pious rhetoric." The day for that mentality has quite simply come to an end for me. I will personally neither tolerate it nor listen to it any longer. The world has moved on, leaving these elements of the Christian Church that cannot adjust to new knowledge or a new consciousness lost in a sea of their own irrelevance. They no longer talk to anyone but themselves. I will no longer seek to slow down the witness to inclusiveness by pretending that there is some middle ground between prejudice and oppression. There isn't. Justice postponed is justice denied. That can be a resting place no longer for anyone. An old civil rights song proclaimed that the only choice awaiting those who cannot adjust to a new understanding was to "Roll on over or we'll roll on over you!" Time waits for no one. I will particularly ignore those members of my own Episcopal Church who seek to break away from this body to form a "new church," claiming that this new and bigoted instrument alone now represents the Anglican Communion. Such a new ecclesiastical body is designed to allow these pathetic human beings, who are so deeply locked into a world that no longer exists, to form a community in which they can continue to hate gay people, distort gay people with their hopeless rhetoric and to be part of a religious fellowship in which they can continue to feel justified in their homophobic prejudices for the rest of their tortured lives. Church unity can never be a virtue that is preserved by allowing injustice, oppression and psychological tyranny to go unchallenged. In my personal life, I will no longer listen to televised debates conducted by "fair-minded" channels that seek to give "both sides" of this issue "equal time." I am aware that these stations no longer give equal time to the advocates of treating women as if they are the property of men or to the advocates of reinstating either segregation or slavery, despite the fact that when these evil institutions were coming to an end the Bible was still being quoted frequently on each of these subjects. It is time for the media to announce that there are no longer two sides to the issue of full humanity for gay and lesbian people. There is no way that justice for homosexual people can be compromised any longer. I will no longer act as if the Papal office is to be respected if the present occupant of that office is either not willing or not able to inform and educate himself on public issues on which he dares to speak with embarrassing ineptitude. I will no longer be respectful of the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who seems to believe that rude behavior, intolerance and even killing prejudice is somehow acceptable, so long as it comes from third-world religious leaders, who more than anything else reveal in themselves the price that colonial oppression has required of the minds and hearts of so many of our world's population. I see no way that ignorance and truth can be placed side by side, nor do I believe that evil is somehow less evil if the Bible is quoted to justify it. I will dismiss as unworthy of any more of my attention the wild, false and uninformed opinions of such would-be religious leaders as Pat Robertson, James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Jimmy Swaggart, Albert Mohler, and Robert Duncan. My country and my church have both already spent too much time, energy and money trying to accommodate these backward points of view when they are no longer even tolerable. I make these statements because it is time to move on. The battle is over. The victory has been won. There is no reasonable doubt as to what the final outcome of this struggle will be. Homosexual people will be accepted as equal, full human beings, who have a legitimate claim on every right that both church and society have to offer any of us. Homosexual marriages will become legal, recognized by the state and pronounced holy by the church. "Don't ask, don't tell" will be dismantled as the policy of our armed forces. We will and we must learn that equality of citizenship is not something that should ever be submitted to a referendum. Equality under and before the law is a solemn promise conveyed to all our citizens in the Constitution itself. Can any of us imagine having a public referendum on whether slavery should continue, whether segregation should be dismantled, whether voting privileges should be offered to women? The time has come for politicians to stop hiding behind unjust laws that they themselves helped to enact, and to abandon that convenient shield of demanding a vote on the rights of full citizenship because they do not understand the difference between a constitutional democracy, which this nation has, and a "mobocracy," which this nation rejected when it adopted its constitution. We do not put the civil rights of a minority to the vote of a plebiscite. I will also no longer act as if I need a majority vote of some ecclesiastical body in order to bless, ordain, recognize and celebrate the lives and gifts of gay and lesbian people in the life of the church. No one should ever again be forced to submit the privilege of citizenship in this nation or membership in the Christian Church to the will of a majority vote. The battle in both our culture and our church to rid our souls of this dying prejudice is ...

Bull Connor from selma Alabama   |November.21.2009 Osby doesn't seem to realise that he was elected to serve all of Vallejo--not just the Faith Based Groups. Does he realise that he may even have received some votes from the gay community. I think it is somewhat ironic and hypocritical for a black man who has probably been discriminated against for the color of his skin to be biased against others. Segregationists in the South use to say that they didn't hate blacks but that GOD commanded the races not mix. It seems Osby's attitudes mirrors those that minorities have had to fight to gain equality. Shame on you Osby. Its time you start thinking like a Mayor instead of a narrow minded bigot.

momster   |November.21.2009 I hope the gays take over Vallejo. At least they are good tippers.

Lou Bordisso   |November.21.2009 Thanks for the article Marc! Having been on the receiving end of the the hateful and misguided remarks at the recent faith forum druing the school board race, I can tell you first-hand how these remarks cut deep on a very personal level. It felt like a post-modern version of the Inquisition. The anti-gay remarks such as those Mayor Davis is quoted as saying the in the New York Times and the homophic behaviors of the Vallejo Faith Oranization only serve to fuel the fire of hatred and hate crimes against the LGBTQQI communities. As a gay man and as a priest, I am no longer willing to sit at the back of the bus and I fully expect nothing less than to be treated with dignity and respect - especially by our public officials.

Miss Directed   |November.21.2009 A "city of HIS God", but we have many other religions in this City and some of them do not believe in the Mayor's God. Is it his belief that he'll love the person, but hate "his diety". Does this mean that only those who subscribe to the Christian God are represented by the mayor? All in all this is very disturbing statement. I certainly hope that the mayor will thinkg about what he said and issue a disclaimer or at least an amended statement.

Ring of Truth   |November.21.2009 Great piece Marc. I have to chuckle at the thought of Osby Davis "The Christian Eviction Lawyer", who's been married a couple of times and is arrogantly proud of what he thinks he knows. The healthiest long-term relationships I know happen to be gay men. Several sets of gay men who've been partnered over 20 years. In my heterosexual relationship I have only admiration for the longevity for these relationships. Maybe Osby could learn from "The Gays". Is that why he is threatened? Wake up Oz, you're not in Kansas. You are supposed to be the leader in our diverse community. True leaders question their own prejudices, seek out and learn from those more experienced around them and strive to be inclusive - not divisive. That is true leadership.

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