I was going to write about all manner of things but I just read this opinion piece up on Stltoday.com and…well, I’ve got an opinion about the opinion expressed.
Shall we?
Illinois has passed a law recognizing civil unions between same-sex couples.
Catholic Charities responded by saying they do not recognize unions between same-sex couples…so they plan to not place foster children in homes where folks aren’t man-on-woman sanctified married.
This battle has been trudging through the courts.
A certain Bill McClellan of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch thinks that, because Catholic Charities takes care of lots of foster kids, the church based organization should be allowed to discriminate against same-sex couples…
…for the good of the children.
This bitch disagrees on a point of dangerous logic that, if applied equally instead of just toward same-sex couples, would justify forms of discrimination foolish people like Mr. McClellan are likely convinced would have gone out of fashion if [insert activist led movement here] had just been a wee bit patient and tolerated being treated like a lesser than human.
Follow me here…
Buses in Montgomery served residents and even managed to carry black folk around town. All the owners wanted to do was be able to impose one standard of customer care to one group and a totally different standard to another.
Well, since they serve lots of folks…
Companies employ lots of people and all they want to do is be able to hire people who look just like them and not hire disabled people because they don’t want to have to change their office bathrooms or work stations.
Well, since they hire lots of folks…
Real estate agents show lots of houses and they match customers to properties for sale. All they want is to be able to show one neighborhood to one race and another neighborhood to another race.
Well, since they provide a service to most people…
States recognize the marriages of lots of people and facilitate those couples being able to get access to thousands of rights. All they want to do is be able to deny black people the right to marry white people…and heck, they even have quotes from the Bible to back that shit up!
Well, since they have those Bible quotes and they marry lots of people and blah followed by blah followed by blah…
Pause…sip coffee…continue.
Catch that knee. I’m not seeking to compare oppression or trigger another round of the oppression Olympics.
I want what’s best for children in foster care. I want kids to be placed in safe and nurturing environments. But, on top of failing to pass the logic test of shit we should give a pass to McClellan’s opinion fails to recognize the other undeniable fact on the table – some of those kids Catholic Charities doesn’t want to place with LGBT people are themselves LGBT people.
McClellan is right about one thing…in the final analysis, we should err on the side of what is best for the children.
In this case, Illinois is doing that…
…would that Catholic Charities had the decency to do the same.
7 comments:
Aren't prejudices interesting. Boring and dangerous and I'm sick of "it's all for the children." It's not - it's all about hating. I enjoy your post a lot - just not enough of them. :)
I am so sick of all the political noise around these issues. What's best for the kids is right.
I believe if we were to think of what is best for the children they would be placed exclusively with lesbians.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-sexual-continuum/201006/25-year-long-study-finds-children-lesbian-parents-may-be-better-adj
That is one study though, prior studies have shown there to be no significant difference. Discrimination is ugly. Gay tax payers funding their own discrimination is especially awful.
Legally, we can't make people stop being terrible human beings...we can however stop giving them money for doing it. I would hope some secular (or non-dickish religious) organization can step up and take over adoption services contracts and these bigoted fools can hasten their descent to irrelevance.
I really like this post.
So, it's okay to discriminate in the name of saving the children? Since when did this country began to care about the welfare of children who were already outside the womb?
Bill really missed it on this one.
This isn't for the good of the children. This is a prejudice that helps no one. There have been children put in foster care with a male/female guardians who are abusive and not the best candidates for children to grow up with.
Children should be put in the care of the best possible people. Period.
This may be in an LGBT foster home. A safe enviornment is all these children need.
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