Right-Wing Homophobia Not Surprising
Actor and right wing cheerleader Kirk Cameron’s recent controversial anti-gay comments made headlines, but were they all that shocking?
Wailing and gnashing of teeth over right-wing homophobia is surprising. Amusement and bewilderment washes over this writer, when the LGBT goes into orbit over ignorant and bigoted stupidity that the right wing spews.
Growing up in a non-denominational church—founded by a former Nazarene—with conservative Methodist tendencies influenced me for 25 years. Homophobic language became old hat.
Messages from the likes of Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron sound eerily similar to those coming from my church’s pulpit. Which is why the vehement reaction to Cameron’s views didn’t faze me.
“Homosexuality is unnatural … detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization,” he said during a Piers Morgan Tonight March 2 interview.
When Cameron’s teen idol fan base wasn’t looking, he transitioned from Mike Seaver to Left Behind Christian movie series star. Left Behind was essentially the Twilight of its day. Thus, Cameron’s religious commitment wasn’t exactly a startling revelation.
Cameron said as much in a Today Show interview.
“I was surprised, frankly, that people were surprised by the things that I’ve said,” Cameron said. “I have been consistent for 15 years as a Christian. I’m a Bible-believing Christian. What I would have thought was more newsworthy is if I had said something that contradicted the word of God, if I had contradicted my faith.”
His religious commitment cost Growing Pains co-star Julie McCullough her job. Cameron demanded she be fired when he learned McCullough once posed for Playboy. McCullough’s seething anger remained for years.
Like conservatives of his ilk, Cameron believes his religious freedom trumps fellow Americans’ rights to pursue happiness and live their lives. He put that belief into practice—torpedoing McCullough’s career. Cameron has now set his sights on helping deny GLBT Americans dignity and equality.
His initial comments set off a firestorm of controversy and condemnation. Some of that condemnation came from his own family—well, TV family, anyway. Alan Thicke and Tracey Gold, better known as Jason and Carol Seaver, respectively, responded to Cameron’s conclusions via Twitter.
“I am a strong supporter of the #LGBT Community, and I believe in equal rights for all. #NOH8 #LOVE,” @TheTraceyGold tweeted.
Thicke had a subtle, but pointed reaction to his TV son’s anti-gay attitudes.
“I’ll address Kirk comments as soon as I recover from Rush Limbaugh’s,” @alan_thicke tweeted.
One might think backlash might give Cameron pause. Not so much. Cameron’s not backing down from his homophobic ideas. However, he’s not taking full responsibility for them.
“I love all people, I hate no one,” Cameron said during a Today Show interview. “When you take a subject and reduce it to something like a four second sound bite and a check mark on a ballot, I think that that’s inappropriate and insensitive. … To edit it down to that, it certainly didn’t reflect my full heart on the matter.”
Apparently, coming across as a homophobic bigot is all Piers Morgan’s fault, according to the Growing Pains star. They’ll have snow blowers in hell before Morgan apologizes.
“Kirk Cameron is moaning everywhere today that I stitched him up by releasing a 4-second ‘soundbite’ re his comments on gay marriage,” he tweeted. “These are the 4 seconds: homosexuality is ‘unnatural..detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization.’”
“Mr Cameron stands by the comments, despite his whining. So I’ll let others decide if he was stitched up…or just a bigot.”
There’s no question Cameron’s a bigot. His comments and beliefs never surprised me. They only sicken and disgust me.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed within the confines of Viewpoints, our opinion-based forum, are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Equally Wed, Palladino Publishing, LLC, its affiliates, or its employees.
