Posted on 11/14/2008 10:42:35 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
A prominent theatrical director in California, a Mormon, has resigned under pressure because of his support for Prop 8. Excerpt:
Marc Shaiman, the Tony Award-winning composer ("Hairspray"), called Mr. Eckern last week and said that he would not let his work be performed in the theater. "I was uncomfortable with money made off my work being used to put discrimination in the Constitution," Mr. Shaiman said. He added, however, that the entire episode left him "deeply troubled" because of the potential for backlash against gays who protested Mr. Eckern's donation.
"It will not help our cause because we will be branded exactly as what we were trying to fight," said Mr. Shaiman, who is gay. "But I do believe there comes a time when you cannot sit back and accept what I think is the most dangerous form of bigotry."
So if Shaiman feels bad about it, the blacklist he and his ilk are setting up is okay? What's next? Will all conservative Christians, Jews and Muslims, as well as all social conservatives, have to get out of the arts or stay in the closet at risk of their professional career? (A Christian friend who works in the entertainment industry told me if he had let it be known in his office that he supported Prop 8, he would have been stoned). Will they get around to boycotting newspapers until they fire writers who oppose gay marriage? Where does it stop?
Andrew Sullivan sounds like he supports a blacklist, though he now denies it. Look, I support in principle the right of anybody to withhold their labor or their trade from another person or institution. I support the right of conservative Christians to boycott Disney over its gay-friendly policies, though I wouldn't have joined the boycott and thought it a waste of time. I also think that, with an exception for religious institutions, gays should be protected in law against dismissal from their jobs because of their homosexuality.
But what happens when people like this Mormon theater director start losing their job because of their political and religious beliefs?
It's called a blacklist.
Eugene Volokh, the UCLA law prof who supports gay marriage, once wrote that one of the key goals of the gay rights movement is to punish and marginalize people who in private life hold views they see as anti-gay. I'm working on a column for Sunday in which I discuss why it's in the interest of prudent social conservatives and prudent gay rights activists to come to some sort of settlement that would allow for gay marriage while establishing a zone of protection of religious liberty around religious institutions, for the sake of religious freedom. But I fear that the gay rights movement isn't interested in that -- that it's only interested in crushing its enemies. The blacklisting of the Mormon director is a very bad sign.
UPDATE: Here it is, the "Anti-Gay Blacklist," official and everything. What this calls up is a conservative boycott of businesses and individuals that opposed Prop 8. Which is stupid, and counterproductive, but there you go.
We boycott these anti Prop 8 supporters in the movie industry. Their livelihoods are possible with our money. If they are unwilling to allow a debate on ideas, then they can wallow in their self-pity. But I for one will do all my power to stop funding these pro-gay groups.
So if the list of groups and entities that support anti prop 8 groups becomes available, then I will plan my purchases accordingly. These scum only have the power we give them, so lets take it away from them.
Lets enter a fresh scenario. All of the supporters of banning gay marriage...stop supporting any business that supports gays. The ban supporters then announce no intention of attending movies or watching tv stations that support the pro-gay marriage proposal. The ban supporters then search out the newspapers which were pro-gay marriage.
Finally, the ban supporters start to refuse to travel into various California tourist areas. We then start inviting non-Californians into this entire discussion...which might not be what the pro-gay crowd really would want. If you had 250 million people discussing this...and 180 million are negative...then serious problems start to occur within this currently “friendly process”. The numbers here...on the ballot results...are the best you can get out of any state in the US. If this had been attempted in Texas....the ban folks would have gotten well over 75 percent.
Rod's right about how they're only interested in crushing its enemites. So why is he calling for "allowing" for gay "marriage" by "prudent social conservatives"? If he's the Christian he says he is, he should be fighting hard for preserving traditional marriage. There's more than enough people calling for "allowing" gay "marriage."
The U.S. automobile manufacturers support them.
But, if you live in California, you cannot always boycott Pacific Gas and Electric or Pacific Bell depending on where you live.
Working Assets long distance is one you can avoid. I don't know about ATT or Sprint, but Working Assets is definately one to avoid.
>”But I do believe there comes a time when you cannot sit back and accept what I think is the most dangerous form of bigotry.”<
Personally, I always thought the most obnoxious and petty form of bigotry was against those who disagree.
But I guess if I was only more “cultured” my opinion would matter...
The first thing people of faith need to do is to stop going to all movies. We need to put the purveyors of perversion in Hollywood out of business.
How about organizing our churches to boycott the movie theaters for the next year?
The source of these problems lies in laws like McCain-Feingold and some state disclosure rules that require campaign donors to list their business name and occupation.
In my case, living in L.A., this actually keeps me from contributing to any campaigns. It's literally a threat to job security. No joke.
These laws are blatantly unconstitutional. And now we see why. Retribution.
If we had had these laws in 1787, we would have no Constitution today. It's very sad that Souter, O'Connor, Stevens, Ginsburg, and Breyer never read the pseudonymous Federalist Papers.
All except movies such as fireproof and conservative films/documentaries
Here’s a good place to get Mexican if you’re in L.A. They're being punished for their Prop 8 support.
WARNING! Sorry to have to link to “The Advocate,” but this is the kind of stuff lying around the office I work at. I couldn’t miss the article. And I drive by El Coyote every day and the protestors are out in force.
If you choose to click the link, you’ll get a good laugh from the cover story: “Rachel Maddow Is The Smartest Person On TV”. Bwaahhhaahhha.
EXCELLENT Point!!!!!! Living in LA and now Santa Barbara in the arts—I have had to withhold funding certain political issues for just the reason you mentioned. McCain Feingold needs to go and now.
Boycotts and blacklisting can work both ways.
I bet if pro-Prop 8 supporters boycotted that theater for firing the Mormon director that theater would be out of business within the year.
religous persecution isn’t discrimination?
It’s funny, McCain-Feingold was useless in stopping illegal campaign funding for the Dems. I guess in the future when people donate to any cause, it should be with a prepaid credit card and under the name of Mickey Mouse. I say ANY cause, because you never know what the FASCISTS will be out to squelch next.
I remember the Screen Actors Guild president Melissa Gilbert having a fit because conservatives wanted to boycott leftist entertainers who were anti-war.
Well, I don’t expect the SGA or anyone else out in leftie Hollywood to open their traps about this.
I think if they really want to make an impact, they need to start painting stars on these people’s homes.
The writer correctly identifies his opponents as ruthless absolutists, and yet he continues to trim, temporize, and attempt to split differences with them.
Must be a California Republican. He'd be no damned good in a bank-robbery or air raid.
These morons have incorrectly and stupidly connected the dots. People with disordered minds and high risk, unnatural behavior covet what they cannot have. As a result they mock marriage. Maybe they do not realize that because they are insane and unnatural. Forty-eight percent of the people of California have been so dumbed-down by moral relativism that they do not see the next step or dangers to all of us when you allow the mocking of marriage, the cornerstone of our culture. Fools, all!
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
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