Commentary

Religious rightie says DeGeneres not a good choice for raising AIDS awareness

Sometimes, mess coming from the religious right doesn’t need an explanation. It just needs a spotlight to underscore how clueless and homophobic they are. Recently, openly gay actress and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres was named as special envoy to raise awareness about AIDS...
Commentary by ALVIN McEWEN | Author and Blogger, Holy Bullies & Headless Monsters · Updated on May 27, 2012
Religious rightie says DeGeneres not a good choice for raising AIDS awareness

Sometimes, mess coming from the religious right doesn’t need an explanation. It just needs a spotlight to underscore how clueless and homophobic they are.

Recently, openly gay actress and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres was named as special envoy to raise awareness about AIDS.

Janice Crouse

This decision was hailed in many circles. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said DeGeneres will “bring her sharp wit and big heart, and her impressive TV audience and 8 million followers on Twitter” to support U.S. efforts to save the lives of those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

However to the folks on the right, particularly Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America, the only thing that matters is that DeGeneres is a lesbian:

“She is openly lesbian and obviously is an activist on the issue of homosexual rights and has taken a very active role in pushing the homosexual agenda. So for her to be the person who’s out front and the face of the Obama administration in the whole fight against AIDS I think is inappropriate,” Crouse decides.

Does that even make any sense? Of course not. The only thing that matters to Crouse is that DeGeneres is a so-called “dirty lesbian” and will somehow taint the fight against AIDS.

The only thing that has tainted the fight against AIDS thus is ignorance and stigmatization – which is what Crouse is showing in spades.

But more than that, it amazes me how some in the religious right will push sexual orientation as a reason for people not being able to do their jobs. It wasn’t that long ago when anti-gay activist Linda Harvey was telling parents to not allow their children to be treated by gay physicians.

It’s fascinating when one looks at both cases and realizes the one thing that Crouse and Harvey vehemently opposes is the fact that these folks  – i.e. DeGeneres and gay physicians – are openly gay and unashamed.

I think that says more about the mindset of Crouse and Harvey than anything else.

For more by Alvin McEwen, visit his blog at Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters.
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