Tea Party: More Trouble Brewing

"It's all just a little bit of history repeating."

The following is an excerpt from an article entitled "It's Their Party:
How the Tea Party Sustains the Anti-LGBT Right" by Pam Chamberlain.

Article published by Political Research Associates' "The Public Eye" magazine.
(link follows excerpt)

The more things change....

Remember; bigots won't stop hating just because laws exist and social
view change on whole; they find more insidious means of practicing their
discriminatory nature, and they find ways to institutionalize bias..without
labeling it such.

Awareness is such a wonderful thing.

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The Christian Right, including both the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy and
conservative evangelical Protestants, has been the driving force in opposing
LGBT rights in the U.S. An effective infrastructure of grassroots organizations,
charismatic leaders, media networks, and consistent funding provided the scaf-
folding for this Christian constituency to join with other burgeoning social move-
ments in a powerful political force.

The rise of the Tea Party has reinforced the visibility and ultimately the electoral
focus of the Christian Right. While initially galvanized around issues such as lower
taxes, smaller government and national security concerns, about half of the Tea
Party identifies with the Christian Right. This overlap has helped reinforce a
political “litmus test” for candidates on so-called social issues like abortion,
sexuality education, and the place of religion in public life. Right-wing strategists,
and the candidates who follow their counsel, have targeted various groups such
as immigrants, African-Americans, and Muslims as opportunities arose.

The ideas that LGBT and homosexuality are threats to society were constructed
as part of its overall strategy to mobilize support based on scapegoating and
fear.[v] Ample historic precedence exists for blaming immigrant communities
of color for economic and social problems. LGBT people have been singled
out both because they are easy targets based on fear of the “other” and that
they represent departure from the idealized sexual norm.[vi] "





Full Article Here


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Thanks to  PFLAG Tallahassee,  Welcoming Resources and More Light Presbyterians

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