In Monty Python's "Monty Python and theHoly Grail", a group of angry peasants drags a young woman into thetown square and demands that she be burned at the stake because she is a witch.When the local authority questions their rationale, the villagers reply thatthey know their victim is a witch because "she looks like one." It islater revealed that the costume and disgustingly long nose that the"witch" apparently possesses were placed on her by the villagers toartificially fortify their case.
This scene is naturally supposed tobe comedic, for the obvious miscarriage of justice depicted is too absurd to beotherwise. However, California iscurrently witnessing asimilar miscarriageof justice against innocent people for no crime other than that their religiousaffiliation or even their skin colorlooks politically unfriendly. As in the case of the Monty Python sketch, thisappearance has more to do with the bigotries and cruelty of the persecutorsthan with the actual innocence or guilt of the accused.
I refer to the disgraceful behaviorof the protesters of Proposition 8. As the long-time readers of this Web siteknow, I am no friend of this measure, and I have made as much clear. But the behavior of the protestersagainst Proposition 8 is more embarrassing and wrongheaded than the propositionitself could ever be. This behavior includes blatant religious bigotry and racism, neither of which are justified by anything otherthan arguably tenuous connections between the proposition and those attacked.
There have been numerousdemonstrations all around the state at Mormon churches, not to mention theairing of several anti-Mormon ads which do nothing but tar Mormons as vandalsand bigots. The protesters claim this behavior is not about religion; it isused solely as an attack on a politically engaged entity – namely, the Churchof Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This argument is inconsistent with boththe principles of justice and of logic. It is true that the LDS church hascontributed support to Proposition 8, but to condemn everyMormon for being a member of that church is equivalent to condemning everyMuslim for being a terrorist. It is a fallacy of composition to claim that justbecause a large population of a church believes something, therefore the entirechurch believes it. There are theological disagreements in any religiouscommunity, the Mormons included, and to target this group specifically evincesa predatory desire to construct one's opposition by stepping on the backs ofthe least politically popular proponents of a policy.
But even if one excuses the abuseof the LDS church as a response to high-profile political advocacy, there is noexcuse for the racism. Pam'sHouse Blend, a blog that covers lesbian issues, has detailed some of the more vileincidences:
"It was like being at a Klan rally except theKlansman were wearing Abercrombie polos and Birkenstocks. 'You n*****r,' oneman shouted at men. 'If your people want to call me a F****t, I will call you an*****r.'"
Several liberal media organizations, such as Truth Wins Out and People for the American Way have denounced this behavior inunequivocal terms. Truth Wins Out issued a statement condemning"those in the LGBT community who have emulated our bigoted opponents byscapegoating minorities," while Kathryn Kolbert of People for the AmericanWay has written that "responding to [Proposition 8's passage] by lashingout at African Americans is deeply wrong and offensive - not to mentiondestructive to the goal of advancing equality." To their credit, even theorganizers of protests against Proposition 8 have made a few timid noises disavowing their intention to stirthis level of cruelty.
It is disturbing indeed that in adebate where level-headed argument about the purpose of constitutionalamendments should prevail, this sort of irrationality is occurring. In whatworld do these protesters live, where unless you are gay andsecular-progressive, you deserve no respect, no pity, no mercy? And to makematters worse, because the opponents of Proposition 8 cannot stand to see theirideas rejected on a level playing field, now they are trying to invoke a constitutionalcrisis by trying to get the California Supreme Court to rule on something whichby definition is beyond their power to oppose – a constitutional amendment.This hideous contempt for the rule of law must be defeated, and so must thecruelty and ignorance of its noisiest backers. Only then can a substantivedebate over Proposition 8 be rekindled.