Misguided culture warriors should heed the golden rule [column] – LNP | LancasterOnline

Our beautiful city was shaken Saturday, March 23, by terroristic threats of violence fueled by hatred toward members of the LGBTQ+ community. A planned Drag Queen Story Hour at Lancaster Public Library had drawn the wrath of some local elected officials and conservative Christians.

An email, which law enforcement officials believe originated outside the United States, warned that bombs had been placed in the library and in the homes of the librarys executive director, the president of Lancaster Pride (which had sponsored the story hour) and an LNP | LancasterOnline reporter, as well as in the LNP | LancasterOnline newsroom and the Starbucks at 101 N. Queen St.

I would not be surprised to learn that whoever sent the vile email had been influenced by right-wing extremists such as Chaya Raichik, Christopher Rufo and Matt Walsh. These individuals and others have been intentionally stoking bigotry and hatred toward the LGBTQ+ community. They claim they want to protect children, but their words and actions have the opposite effect. They vilify and demonize LGBTQ+ people and encourage what is called stochastic terrorism as Scientific American magazine explained, that is violence spurred by ideologically driven hate speech.

The unfounded opinions of Republican Lancaster County Commissioners Josh Parsons and Ray DAgostino also likely contributed to the fear and chaos downtown. One wonders whether the commissioners realize that performers be they actors or drag performers generally adapt their performances for their intended audiences.

Consider comedian and actor Lewis Black for instance. His acerbic and curmudgeonly stand-up routines are not suitable for children, and yet, he was cast in the delightfully poignant Pixar Animation Studios childrens film Inside Out as the character Anger and he did an outstanding job in the role. His performance as Anger was completely appropriate for children, just as a Drag Queen Story Hour would have been, had it not been canceled because of security concerns.

Parsons and DAgostino falsely equated Miss Amie Vanits planned Drag Queen Story Hour with drag performances that are clearly intended only for adult audiences. Whether wittingly or unwittingly, the Republican commissioners bore false witness against, and incited anger toward, Christopher Paolini, who performs as Miss Amie.

As a public theologian, it is part of my calling to stand up for those who are marginalized and oppressed, whether that oppression comes from governmental power or religious institutions. Current political discourse by so-called culture warriors from conservative Christian traditions is rife with hateful rhetoric toward LGBTQ+ people. This rhetoric often leads to the bullying of LGBTQ+ kids and has been proven to have detrimental effects on their mental health.

These misguided culture warriors not only seek to deny human rights and dignity to LGBTQ+ people but have also at times called for the violent eradication of gay and transgender people. In doing so, they misuse and weaponize the Bible.

While the Bible is a truly important anthology of texts, and has much to teach its readers, it is also a very human collection fraught with disparate theological ideas and replete with human frailties and failings.

Despite those failings, the Bible also teaches principles that, if truly followed, would radically alter human history and make life better for untold numbers of people. Following the golden rule and unconditionally loving our neighbors whether they look like we do, sound like we do, believe and worship like we do, or love like we do would profoundly change the social and political landscape. Treating others as we would have them treat us precludes misrepresenting people the way gay and transgender individuals are so often misrepresented.

In the early 1990s, I was taught dehumanizing anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry and hate by my Southern Baptist church. Fortunately, Gods grace has allowed me to put down the burdensome weight of that bigotry in order to be loving and fully accepting of the LGBTQ+ community.

Being gay or transgender is neither a sin nor a choice, regardless of how some people interpret the Bible. It is impossible to love ones neighbor while simultaneously denying their humanity or refusing to accept their lived experiences as true.

Diversity is the norm throughout all of Gods creation. A perfunctory look at the natural world shows this to be true from the oceans to the skies, we see biological diversity everywhere we look. This tells me that God delights in diversity.

Humanity is likewise diverse, and I hope that Lancaster Countys GOP commissioners and all other Christians come to understand this fact. Some of us are straight; some of us are gay. Some of us are cisgender; some of us are transgender. All of us are beautiful expressions of divine creativity and of Gods delight in diversity. I believe God calls us to embrace that wondrous diversity in order to create and revel in a world of radical inclusivity, where love of all our neighbors is the rule and not the exception. May it now be so in Lancaster County and beyond.

Dillon Cruz is a Lancaster city resident and the author, most recently, of the book Theological Musings: Collected Essays of a Tattooed Theologian.

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Misguided culture warriors should heed the golden rule [column] - LNP | LancasterOnline