Did Tony Perkins — the Family Research Council president, and not the HIV guy — get disinvited from an Air Force prayer luncheon because he hates himself some gay soldiers? And if he did, should he be all that upset about it?
The “long-standing” invitation called for Perkins, a former Marine, to drop by the Andrews Air Force Base to speak to airmen and women about their faith or something, all while everyone enjoyed a fine spread of bagels and lox. But now that Perkins’ views on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell conflict with the president and the Pentagon, he’s been nixed from the schedule.
“The Joint Base Andrews Chaplain’s Office sponsors a voluntary, annual prayer luncheon, focusing this year on deployed personnel, families and prayer,” the base says in a statement. “The Chaplain’s Office retracted Mr. Perkins’ invitation after his recent public comments made many who planned to attend the event uncomfortable. “This was a local decision made by the Chaplain’s Office who wanted the luncheon to be inclusive for the entire base community. The Chaplain’s Office respects and defends Mr. Perkins right to express his opinions, and regrets any inconvenience to him. We thank and respect him for his prior military service.”
Well, there you have it: The Air Force got rid of Perkins because he supports DADT, and the Pentagon don’t.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Naturally, it’s not sitting well with Perkins, who hates when anyone gets in his way of spewing anti-gay hatred. “I am disappointed that I’ve been denied the opportunity to speak to members of the military, in a non-political way, solely because I exercised my free speech rights in a different forum,” he says. “It’s ironic that this blacklisting should occur because I called for the retention and enforcement of a valid federal statute.”
Uh oh. Looks like we’ve got a First Amendment issue on our hands!
If there’s one thing we love more than Kellan Lutz’s Calvin Klein underwear campaign, it’s the First Amendment. We love the right to talk shit out of our asses if we feel so inclined! So at first, we’re actually siding with Perkins here. His religious beliefs, public or private, shouldn’t dictate whether he gets a chance to address Air Force personnel. It didn’t stop Rick Warren from addressing all of America, did it?
“Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is being replaced with If You Don’t Agree, Don’t Speak,” Perkins says, in the awesomest soundbite evs.
Oh, but ya know what? The military is not civilian life! It is not a place where everyone gets an equal vote! It is not a place where personal freedoms are valued above unit cohesion! That’s something defenders of DADT keep repeating in our ears and down our throats as a reason why, when gay soldiers voluntarily enlist, they are signing up to keep quiet about their sexuality. Even the Supreme Court agrees; military life is not the same as civilian life, and there are different rules to play by.
And it’s the reason Perkins should tuck his tail between his legs and stay home.
We’d love to defend your First Amendment rights, buddy, but unfortunately when it comes to America’s armed services, there’s just no place for them. You’re a former Marine. Don’t you know that?
JT
His First Amendment rights aren’t being violated in the least AS EVIDENCED BY HIS PRESS RELEASE! He’s free to spew whatever hatred he wants; the armed services of this country aren’t forced to provide him a platform. Another check in the “clueless idiot” box for Perkins.
Kieran
Bill Donohue, the notorious homophobe director of “the ‘Catholic’ (should be Homophobic) League” is calling on his followers to send emails to the Public Affairs Office at Andrews Air Force Base to complain about this decision. Ofcourse, if you happen to support the decision you can send emails too: [email protected]
Jack E. Jett
Tony Perkins……jeesh
What a irrelevant, self absorbed non-entity, and a waste of a good name.
whatevah
Yes. Send these bigots the message loud and clear. We’re mad as hell and we’re not going to take it anymore.
Brian En Guarde
Bigotry is incompatible with honoring gay veterans — period.
David Ehrenstein
@Kieran: What “followers”? He’s the only member of the “Catholic League”!
tamops
After WW2 the military should have been disbanded. We’ve wasted trillions of dollars, thousands of lives and created an evil network, globally, whereby natural resources and the brain drain from the private to the military sector has occured with scientists, doctors, engineers etc. I can’t get too happy about DADT, when really it’s about supporting an oprganization that is as anti-life as the church. Oh, the irony.
Jadis
If there was any justice in the world, he would be banned from life. Unfortunately, there isn’t.
rudy
Sickos like Tony Perkins should be kept away from our servicemen.
Gary
You shouldn’t be so quick to assume it was just his statements on DADT – lately, he’s also called for gays to be put to death and he’s call the commander-in-chief a liar, a fraud and a communist, among other things – just to name a couple of things off the top of my head.
Tony Perkins is a deeply sick, evil man, in many ways – the retraction of that invitation is long overdue.
P.S. He does indeed have a right to free speech, just like an other American…and the rest of us Americans reserve the right to tell him to go fuck himself, we don’t want to listen to his hateful bullshit anymore, which sounds like exactly what happened – good!
Other Libertarian
The White Christian Mega-WalMart Mansion-in-the-suburbs Supreme Republican God took a giant shit and named it Tony Perkins.
BobN
Focus on the Family isn’t a religious group. It’s a political organization.
Free speech in the military… boy, would that be novel.
ewe
Thats what you get when you mix god and war Tiny Tony. Since when is being a veteran a ticket to preach? Poor thing. GET OUT!!! And Stay out our of our secular government. He has plenty of temples he can attend with his vile hate speech.
Jadis
Crony Jerkins is a clear and present danger to queers everywhere. Personally, I think anything done to him should be considered self-defense.
On another note: lox? As in, liquid oxygen? Man, those military people are hardcore.
Leon
I agree that Perkins should not be censored any more than they tried to censor David Duke. Mr. Duke tried to speak at a base in Alabama while he was still a Grand Dragon and they barred him. Regardless of one’s views on the Bell Curve, miscegenation, or ‘the Missing Link’, the military had no right to prevent David Duke’s free speech. The US military has an obligation to provide a forum for all speakers to present their views in front of a captive audience of soldiers.
ewe
@Leon: Bullshit. They wouldn’t let you or me speak. What the hell are you talking about?
ewe
oo@Leon: oops. are you being facetious? If so, i am not that quick sometimes.
Ken S
Wait– what? You mean to say that a socially conservative wingnut is looking to enjoy a double-standard whereby he can spew his idiocy under the aegis of “free speech” while suppressing the freedoms of others? Unpossible! Everyone knows that religious people are good and virtuous souls and therefore never, ever hypocrites!