What is it with anti-gay beauty queens?
You'd think these gals would appreciate the gay hairdressers, make-up artists and designers who give them their winning edge -- and often friendship.
First there was Anita Bryant, a 70's Miss America runner-up who campaigned so tirelessly against gay rights that she sparked a widespread boycott of the Florida orange juice she hawked on TV.
More recently, Miss USA runner-up Carrie Prejean blasted gay marriage. As a Christian, she just couldn't accept same-sex union. (But her religion didn't stop the pious princess from appearing in nude pictures and sex tapes, ultimately causing her crown to be yanked.)
Enter Lauren Ashley. This past week, Fox 411 interviewed "Miss Beverly Hills," and the conversation turned to gays. Lauren pulled a quote from Leviticus to suggest that God wants gays dead: "If man lies with mankind as he would lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death and their blood shall be upon them."
Look, we all know that the Bible can't be followed literally, even by Christians, because it's so self-contradictory. Leviticus also denounces shellfish and promotes slavery. Should we bring back slavery because it's in the Bible, Lauren? (... Um, could you repeat the question?)
I don't imagine that Miss Ashley's aware that the authors of Leviticus were nomadic tribes frightened that non-breeding homosexuals would threaten their clans' survival. (And at the time, Greece was considered the height of civilization. Homosexuality was institutionalized there!)
Cherry-picking scriptures is nothing new. What's odd about Lauren, however, is why Fox News interviewed her in the first place.
Beverly Hills, the city the Pasadena resident claimed to represent, has shunned her and expressed horror at her homophobic statements. But Fox wanted to interview this nobody (who -- sorry! -- isn't pretty enough to even place in a pageant) precisely because they wanted to promote a virulently anti-gay agenda. And they knew Lauren would be all too pleased to spout it -- probably eager to snatch a little of the Prejean-style notoriety.
But even Anita Bryant didn't suggest that gays should be killed. These are fighting words!
A few months ago, gay activists were horrified that US politicians and fundamentalists were influencing Ugandan politicians to adopt legislation that punished homosexuality with death. Now these fundamentalists are sufficiently emboldened to air their poisonous views in this country as well!
No longer content with preventing gays from getting married and enlisting in the military, they want us dead!
Gay people everywhere, know this: every time you watch Glee, American Idol or any other Fox program, you're putting money in the pockets of Fox, whose agenda apparently includes airing views about killing gays. This should deeply disturb all homosexuals and anyone else who values equal rights.
By tuning in to Fox you are emboldening the forces of hatred and toxic homophobia. And don't protest that you watch Glee online, because every click on their site translates into advertising dollars for people who broadcast segments about smiting you in the name of the Lord.
I call for a boycott of all things Fox. It worked on Florida orange juice.
Think I'm overreacting? Leave your gay-friendly, big city bubble for a minute. Imagine an undereducated straight male reeling from unemployment, dwindling savings, and a home in foreclosure. He already feels his world order's been turned upside down because someone named Barack Obama is president. He hears Glenn Beck on Fox calling Obama a racist and sees tea baggers rallying with signs calling the president a socialist, fascist, Marxist and communist. He's not sure what these words mean but he knows they sound un-American. He wants to lash out at someone, but the president's too difficult a target.
Then a semi-attractive girl like Lauren Ashley comes on TV and his eyes perk up. She's saying the Bible calls for gays to die for their sins. He doesn't recognize the passage from the Bible but he barely needs another reason to hate queers. So he sits and stews with hatred and fear until he blows a gasket. And before you know it, he's grabbing his gun and shooting up a local gay bar in the name of the Lord.
If you find this scenario far-fetched, remember that someone just committed suicide by flying a plane into an IRS building to avenge big government. And George Tiller, a doctor performing late-term abortions, was shot in his church just last year by a religious kook.
Please think about this before you turn on any Fox channel ever again. If you're too complacent to even recognize your enemies, how the hell are you going to fight them? And as Lauren Ashley proves, they're out for blood. Yours.