Witch hunt

Thanks to Scott for pointing me toward this article. I've been up on the Prop 8 news, but this adds a new layer of complexity.

Since Prop 8 passed in California, denying gay people the right to marry, activists and gay rights advocacy groups have been making noise across the country. We even had a protest here in Bloomington. In particular, high-profile individuals that made donations to the Mormon church's heavy-handed effort to pass the proposal, have come under attack. (I blogged about this before, in regards to Sundance. But this post addresses a different issue.)

Notably, the director of the LA Film Festival, Richard Raddon, stepped down from the position he has held for eight years, after his donation was made public. Similarly, Scott Eckern stepped down from his position as artistic director of California Musical Theatre in Sacramento, after a protest in reaction to his donation that came to light. Admittedly, it seems counter-intuitive: a guy running a film festival in LA or a musical theater company in Sac could support a cause against gay rights? Raddon claimed a vague separation of his social beliefs and his religious obligation, if that explains it. Regardless. What seems more counter-intuitive, and to me is really the issue at stake, is that leaders in the arts community can be forced out of their jobs for holding unpopular beliefs. These are people whose career objective is to support and bring exposure to minority voices and contrary, often counter-culture, ideas, through film, music, and theater. If their organizations are anything like most non-profit arts orgs, these directors work every day to make the world a safer place for alternative-thinking art and people. And in this case, they themselves held the unpopular viewpoint, and expressed it monetarily. And now they're being persecuted by those who generally benefit from the work of their organizations. Ironic, right? (It should be noted the Board supported Raddon, citing his commitment to equality and diversity as a director, and were unwilling to fire him for his personal/religious activities. Well done. He stepped down, it seems, based on public pressure.)

It's hypocritical - these activists believe in rights for all, but then insist those who hold different opinions not be able to express their rights (in this case with a donation). You can't protest for equal rights, and then deny them to those who disagree with you.

The way I understand it, we are all constitutionally guaranteed equal rights, and if some are denied the right to marry when others are not, their rights are being violated. BUT we can't force people out of a job for disagreeing based on their religious affiliations. That's discrimination, and violating their rights.

If you support equal rights, practice what you preach: leave the individuals alone who don't support them. They're entitled to an opinion, same as you, without jeopardizing their professional careers. Quit the witch hunt, and instead of targeting individuals, protest the proposition or the institutions that supported it. If anything, protest to revoke the Mormon church's non-profit status due to their teetering political activity incompliance.