Monday, October 11, 2010
Paladino on gay pride
Given our recent conversations on MoJ, I took an interest in a speech over the weekend by Carl Paladino, the GOP candidate for governor of New York. His prepared remarks included a couple of eyebrow-raising assertions, including: "there is nothing to be proud of in being a dysfunctional homosexual." Whether or not the bishops would agree with this assertion on its face, I'm guessing that they don't exactly welcome the often abrasive and, at times, racially/ethnically insensitive Paladino covering his comments with the Church's imprimatur. His spokesman explained, “Carl Paladino is simply expressing the views that he holds in his heart as a Catholic . . . Carl Paladino is not homophobic, and neither is the Catholic Church.”
I think Paladino's text (he did not actually deliver that line in the speech) is an example of a message that teenagers struggling with their sexuality do not need to hear. I'm not suggesting that they (or straight teenagers) need to hear the opposite message -- "Act on, and define yourself by, whatever desires you're experiencing!" -- but there must be space for something in between.
https://mirrorofjustice.blogs.com/mirrorofjustice/2010/10/paladino-on-gay-pride.html
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The more I read about Paladino, the more it seems he is a desperate politician swinging for the fences.
It's truly shameful that he has chosen to do so by pandering to homophobia, and then dragging the Church behind him to it.
In short, it may be the case that Paladino's statements reflect Church teaching on homosexuality, but it is my belief and hope that they do not reflect the Church's heart, which, particularly in the current context of gay teen suicides, is more important.
I'm usually not in favor of bishops getting involved in political campaigns, but this may be a case where it would be prudent to make it clear who we are.