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“I think they are trying to intimidate people and I think it's working. It seems so fundamentally un-American to me--the notion that someone can decide what everyone else can or can't read,” Hartinger added. “I like to think these efforts would always be met with vociferous condemnation, but when it comes to the gay issue people are reluctant to step forward to support intellectual freedom. And that's how they win, through the silence.”

Hartinger's biggest concern is people's mainstream response to these efforts. If various Christian activists fighting abortion, gay rights, sex education, separation of church and state, and other hot button issues are continually seen as “fringe elements” that just appear for a protest here and there, their efforts will continue to grow, unchecked, he said. That's one reason he created the writers' support group Authors Support Intellectual Freedom (As If!).

“The Christian right is extremely well financed. They'll continue to target gay-themed books, gay plays, gay movies, gay bookstores, etc.” he said. “If we don't meet them dollar-for-dollar, person-for-person, letter-to-the-editor for letter-to-the-editor… they're going to win.”

What would Jesus do?
Atlanta author Daniel Helminiak wasn't in town during the protests, but was outraged to hear about them.

“I think it's just incredible arrogance of these religious people to think that their opinion is so right they can interfere with other people's lives, that they impose their private belief on other people and make life uncomfortable for other people,” Helminiak said.

He has some authority on the subject. Helminiak was a Catholic priest for a number of years, has a doctorate in systematic theology (the philosophical branch that tries to make sense of beliefs), a doctorate in developmental psychology, and teaches at the State University of West Georgia. He has also written several books on homosexuality and religion, including: What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality, and more recently, Sex and the Sacred: Gay Identity and Spiritual Growth.

In his writing, Helminiak attempts to address the wrongness of allowing the politically and religiously divisive to define spirituality for the GLBT community (and others), as well as taking a critical look at what it means to be Christian in today's society.

Helminiak said he's mused over the idea of fighting fire with fire--picketing their churches or businesses once in a while to let them know how it feels. “If we did that they would say we were being disrespectful of their religion. But they never think about being respectful of ours,” he said.

Irrational behavior
During his interview with the pastor, Mostly ITP podcaster Rusty Tanton asked Ball why the discussion over homosexuality and gay rights couldn't be more civil. Ball replied that he had had some civil conversations, but that the more abrasive approach was needed for people who are abusive to him, and for people who swear and deny the existence of God.

“You don't speak rationally to irrational people,” Ball said. “We're dealing with people living a vile lifestyle, where anything goes and we have to get their attention.”

“Irrational” is exactly how Helminiak describes the pastor's behavior.

It is a lack of critical thinking that makes some people so fevered about their beliefs, Helminiak said. “One thing we need to recognize is this is irrational behavior. You cannot argue or reason with these people.”

What you can do, he said, is to broaden our societal outlook to recognize that people who gay bash shouldn't be accepted as part of a normal religious message.

“People may call it religion but it's a very sick religion. They are being dishonest with themselves, think they're loving; in the name of Jesus they are out bashing gays,” Helminiak said.

And he feels that this behavior is subtly reinforced and condoned by much of the religious community who oppose homosexuality, and overlooked by those who have more moderate views.

“We're afraid to blow the whistle on extreme religion,” he said. “I think we need a broader social awareness of ineffectiveness and counter-productivity of such religion.”

A look ahead
This past Saturday was calm and protester-free again at Outwrite, a hopeful sign that things might be back to normal.

“We're cautiously optimistic they're not going to show up again,” Rafshoon said.

But if the experiences of Glassman, Hartinger and Helminiak are any judge, someone will be back to picket, denounce, and threaten gays again.

Somewhere.

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