Death of A Salesman
(or, Thanks Jerry Falwell for Helping Me To Found HeartStrong
and Become a Unitarian Universalist)
by Marc Adams
Twenty years after I watched friend after friend outed and expelled from
Liberty University for being gay or lesbian, I feel hope. Twenty-two years
after watching my friend Denise doubled over and dissolved in tears after
being kicked out of Liberty University for getting pregnant, I feel peace.
Twenty-three years after watching my Old Testament Survey professor
committing adultery with his sister-in-law on more than one occasion and
virtually getting away with it, I feel honest.
Most people knew Jerry Falwell only by what they saw of him in the media.
Most thinking people viewed him as a radical fundamentalist Baptist who
spewed biblical venom for anything he perceived his god perceived as sin.
Including, but of course, not limited to, women's rights, women's role in
the church, homosexuality, gambling, drug abuse, alcohol consumption,
secular pop/rock music, homosexuality and a horde of other no-no's.
First, he wasn't that radical. While many people identifying as Christians
don't see things the way he did, millions more do. In fact, the basis of his
religious beliefs and theology are embraced by the majority of people who
identify as Christian. (i.e., the Virgin birth, the Trinity, the physical
resurrection of Jesus, his imminent return and the inerrancy of scripture)
Second, he wasn't a fundamentalist, he was a neo-evangelical. Which is why
people like my parents and true fundamentalists like Fred Phelps viewed him
and people like him as left wing liberals.
I spent three and a half years as a student and employee at Jerry's
university. I left during the middle of my senior year, not necessarily
because I was gay, but mostly because I had begun my personal journey to
wholeness and peace by challenging my fundamentalist Baptist Christian
beliefs.
Over and over again, I found myself in pain for my friends. So many people
that I knew struggled to survive in an environment that taught women they
were to be submissive to men and gay and lesbian people that they were
giving the devil pleasure by thinking about self-acceptance instead of
self-hatred.
Bisexual and transgender issues were never discussed since most evangelicals
do not see them as actual issues. This is mostly because they see the Bible
from a male/female point of view. However, this certainly doesn't mean that
bisexual and transgender people are not attending these schools.
After a few years of seeing friends and others devastated by the theology of
Jerry's Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University, I began to
question the things that I was taught as truth. Too many tears, broken
spirits and lives forced me to choose my path. I could choose to continue
the legacy of hatred, intimidation and shame laid out for me or I could
choose to break the chains. In doing so, I could help provide healing to
those devastated not just by Jerry Falwell, but by the millions who
perpetrate the same physical and emotional life-ending message of
self-hatred.
I chose the latter.
And my life has never been the same.
For the first time in my life, I found personal peace which gave me the
courage, in 1996, to begin the work of HeartStrong. Out of respect for my
friends who committed physical and emotional suicide and out of hope for my
friends still stuck in restorative therapy, I founded HeartStrong
(http://www.heartstrong.org) as a way to provide hope and help to the
countless gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered students persecuted at
religious educational institutions in the United States and around the
world.
Jerry acknowledged that in a room full of people, a homosexual can pick out
the other homosexual in the room. I had never heard of gaydar before but as
soon as he said that, I knew I had always had it. It was one of the things
that eventually helped me in my self-acceptance process.
Had I not grown up in the ridiculous home I grew up in and had I not
attended Jerry's university and worked for him, I doubt I would care at all
about my GLBT brothers and sisters struggling to survive in these schools.
Jerry's hatred for what he calls the sin of homosexuality provided me with
the inspiration and the ongoing energy needed to continue to provide hope
and help to those injured by his former belief system.
His evangelical university and church was also a stepping stone for me to
escape my self-hatred brought on by my fundamentalist Baptist Christian
beliefs and eventually find true personal peace as a Unitarian.
Jerry Falwell taught me that the greatest thing a Christian could do to show
god how much you loved him, was to die for what you believe. (Where else do
we hear this theology?) Well, now that Jerry has died, perhaps others can
learn how unimportant the things are that he thought were so important and
how important the things are that he never was able to experience.
So, thanks Jerry, for the inspiration. It was your persecution of me, people
like me and every girl I ever knew at your schools that empowers HeartStrong
to help heal the scars from the wounds you inflicted.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
In honor of Jerry Falwell's legacy of being
the ultimate anti-GLBT fundraiser, please consider what you can do to help
HeartStrong provide hope and help to our students. Your donation helps
HeartStrong continue this important work and helps heal some of the damage
caused by the message of self-hatred. (DONATE
NOW!)
HEARTSTRONG MISSION STATEMENT
HeartStrong is a non sectarian organization
established to provide outreach to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and
other persons adversely affected by the influence of all denominations of
religious educational institutions.
HeartStrong is also committed to educating the public about the persecution
of GLBT’s and others at religious educational institutions.
