I feel I have to respond to Angela Ostrikoff’s Letter to the Editor (November 21, 2012). In her letter Angela commented that the articles written by The Cascade’s Paul Esau and Sean Evans about the UFV Pride and UFV UCM joint showing of “For the Bible Tells me so” “were steeped in homophobic beliefs…(and) denied historical events.” I have to say that I disagree particularly given the success of the event and believe the articles celebrated the openness and good intentions of the people who attended. I understand where Angela is coming from; Esau’s article did leave out the history of LGBT oppression and Evans’ article was somewhat controversial in its ridged definition of tolerance. But to claim that either denied oppression or ignored certain groups within our community is absurd.
For those who were unable to attend the joint event hosted by Pride and UCM the event was meant to bring the Christian Community and the LGBT Community together to build bridges and to encourage harmony within our society. It was trying to show that we are all human, and that if there is a God, it is him who will judge, not our fellow man. To excel as a society we need to break down the barriers that segregate one from another. At the event the very well documented and demonstrated oppressions of the past (and unfortunately the present) were intentionally left out because the goal was to move forward not focused on the past. To say that Esau and Evans’ articles were denying history, silencing individuals, creating moral dichotomies, and “not inclusive” is presumptuous and is downright intolerant. Unnecessarily dredging up the past and to criticize others for intentionally ignoring either side’s faults is demeaning. Let me say that as someone who is Gay, Christian and helped plan the event; I felt neither: denied, silenced, condemned, underprivileged, dichotomized, fringed, neglected, violated, discriminated, or oppressed by Esau’s and Evan’s articles.
Martin Luther King Jr. said about the black civil rights movement that it “must not lead us to a distrust of all white people . . . their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.” That goes the same for the LGBT Community and society as well, we are all here to stay and we aren’t going to solve anything if the author of a neutral article about a joint Gay and Christian event is criticized and defamed for looking forward rather than back.
~Finn Nevill
