Fear of Diversity
  by Dr. David Eller

Whatever else it may be, America is a diverse nation. It contains Christian and non-Christian, male and female, black and white and Hispanic and Asian and Native American, able-bodied and disabled, gay and straight. America is also a free nation, where differences are accepted and no one constituency is allowed to impose its views and values on the rest, no matter how strongly they may hold them.

This is what is so disturbing about the reaction of groups like Focus on the Family to the recent announcement by the Big Brother Big Sisters organization that it is going to enforce equal treatment of gay and lesbian volunteers in their programs. James Dobson, founder of Focus, calls it a "dangerous and troubling policy." Why? There are two perceived dangers by this fundamentalist group-that homosexuals will abuse our children and that they will convert them to their gay lifestyle.

There is, however, no evidence at all that homosexuality is "catching" or that being in the company of gay men or lesbian women makes anyone more likely to "turn gay." In all likelihood, homosexuality is genetic. There is also no evidence that gays and lesbians do any harm to society. In fact, it would appear that there is considerably less threat to children from gays than from heterosexual predators, close family and friends, and the clergy themselves. I wonder if, in the light of the ongoing scandal of Christian preachers abusing minors, Dobson and his people would agree that "matching fatherless young boys, starving for attention, with [religious] men is reckless and irresponsible, not to mention a recipe for disaster"? And why do they only care about boys?

The unseemly reaction to a simple policy of toleration and inclusion is truly sickening, but it highlights a larger and scarier problem. The opposition of groups like Focus on the Family is not directed solely toward gays and lesbians but toward atheists and freethinkers, humanists, scientists, all non-Christians, even other Christians sects, and sometimes even non-white minorities and women. In a word, they are enemies of diversity, which means anyone who does not think the way they do. Bill McCartney, for example, the founder of Promise Keepers, recently stated that Christianity is the only path to salvation but that he did not want to judge other religions. Well, he just did.

The imminent danger to this country is not that a few gays and lesbians will spend time with our children but that a climate of ignorance and bigotry will make it unsafe for everyone, including fundamentalist Christians. They forget that they may not be in charge of the new policy of discrimination and exclusion when it comes down; they may as easily be the victims as the victimizers. Surely, religions have victimized each other throughout history, which is why we advocate toleration. Whatever you think of homosexuality, you should be alarmed when you hear any group preaching hate, lies, and sectarianism under the guise of "protecting society." This nation is too diverse to allow anyone to dictate the terms of acceptability. Toleration and inclusion of what is different-and even what you don't like-is the only option for a diverse and free nation. Incomplete toleration is intolerance, and incomplete inclusion is exclusion.

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