One of my objections to organized religion as practiced by fundamentalist Christians is their unbending opposition to homosexuality and often a pure hatred for those who are gay. Basing their protests on a couple of obscure verses from the Bible, these tub-thumping, Bible-clasping bigots have conducted a war against a significant segment of the population for years.
A few months ago I was shocked to read a condemnation of homosexuality and those who practice it in an advertisement placed in a local daily newspaper in Southeastern Ohio, where I have lived for four years. The minister of a Church of Christ-affiliated congregation wrote in stark terms about gays. His hateful words were insulting and wrong-headed. It came as a shock to realize the depth of hatred against gay people even in these supposedly enlightened times as we near the dawn of the 21st century.
Jack Nichols has written a book on the topic. The Gay Agenda: Talking Back to the Fundamentalists (Prometheus, $24.95) confronts the prejudice of these ignorant rubes by exposing the right-wing religious for their lies, misunderstandings, and hate-mongering.
Nichols is a founder of the Mattachine Society, the first gay activist/militant group. He has been active in fighting prejudice for more than three decades. His book is a fervent defense of his lifestyle and a reasoned attack on those who set themselves up as arbiters of how we all should live.
More book reviews
Back to Front Page