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Publisher's News Analysis: Laying it out on the table
- By Roy Douglas Malonson
- Published 01/11/2010
- Editorial and Opinion
- Unrated
Roy Douglas Malonson
Roy D. Malonson is publisher of the African-American News&Issues.
View all articles by Roy Douglas Malonson
There has been a whole lot of controversy about Houston’s new mayor,
Annise Parker. The question has not been about her ability to serve,
but about her moral right to do so. No, she hasn’t been caught
stealing, extorting money or exchanging favors.
The uproar is about whom she chooses to love. What has always been a very private issue has now become public. So let’s lay it all on the table.
Recently, I openly endorsed Parker during her bid for mayor and I have received some flack about it. But I don’t mind the backlash. I have always believed that if you are not willing to stand for something, you will fall for anything.
We as Blacks have got to begin to take a stand and demand more for our people and ourselves and we have to stop worrying about the race, gender or sexual preference of the one who is willing to give us what we need.
We are so willing to cut off our nose to spite our face in the name of promoting our people and our so-called religious convictions. When are we going to learn that just because you look like me or run around talking about God, doesn’t mean you are for me? If you ignore my cries for help; ignore my schools; ignore the condition of my neighborhoods and the people in them in your quest for political or religious power and financial gain, you are not for me. You are against me. If you were for me, you would help me.
I endorsed Mayor Parker because she has a proven track record of doing good things for all people. I’m betting on her to win. I believe whole-heartedly that she will do the things she has promised and she has a history that suggests she will.
Now, I am not deeply religious man, but I am disturbed by the unchristian-like attitudes of many of those in the African-American community who say they are. I understand that the GBLT (Gay, Black, Lesbian, Transgender) lifestyle goes against the religious beliefs of many so-called Christians and I can respect that. What I don’t understand is what that has to do with Mayor Parker’s ability to govern this city? And what I have even more trouble accepting is the hypocrisy behind the controversy.
Whom she chooses to love has absolutely no bearing on how she chooses to lead. Her position as a government servant is separate from her personal love life and it should remain so. The citizens of Houston have not called upon her to lead them in matters of religion. But they do expect moral leadership from their clergymen. And yet, we know and turn a blind eye to so many religious and political leaders who are either adulterous or homosexuals, and sometimes both.
So why would the same clergymen who stood behind Jesse Hornbuckle, Sherman Allen, Thomas Weeks and Houston’s own Dr. Joe Samuel Ratliff want to turn around and destroy the career of Mayor Parker, a government official? It is written in the Bible they purport to believe, “You gag at a gnat and swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:24). It was true then and its true now.
These people made a promise to God to “be holy,” to live a certain lifestyle before the people. They are responsible to God and the people they serve to do that. They should be held to that same level of accountability that certain preachers are now trying to hold Mayor Parker to. But she made no such promises, she only promised to govern fairly and to serve the whole community of Houston and she has a record of doing so. Her works speak for her. I wonder if you brought the private lives of her detractors out into the open, if they would be able to say the same?
We do not live in a monolithic society. We are not a melting pot. We never have been and we never will be. We must learn to be tolerant of different beliefs and lifestyles as long as they do not infringe on our right to believe and live as we choose. That’s what this country is supposed to be about and it is to our benefit to preserve that right.
The uproar is about whom she chooses to love. What has always been a very private issue has now become public. So let’s lay it all on the table.
Recently, I openly endorsed Parker during her bid for mayor and I have received some flack about it. But I don’t mind the backlash. I have always believed that if you are not willing to stand for something, you will fall for anything.
We as Blacks have got to begin to take a stand and demand more for our people and ourselves and we have to stop worrying about the race, gender or sexual preference of the one who is willing to give us what we need.
We are so willing to cut off our nose to spite our face in the name of promoting our people and our so-called religious convictions. When are we going to learn that just because you look like me or run around talking about God, doesn’t mean you are for me? If you ignore my cries for help; ignore my schools; ignore the condition of my neighborhoods and the people in them in your quest for political or religious power and financial gain, you are not for me. You are against me. If you were for me, you would help me.
I endorsed Mayor Parker because she has a proven track record of doing good things for all people. I’m betting on her to win. I believe whole-heartedly that she will do the things she has promised and she has a history that suggests she will.
Now, I am not deeply religious man, but I am disturbed by the unchristian-like attitudes of many of those in the African-American community who say they are. I understand that the GBLT (Gay, Black, Lesbian, Transgender) lifestyle goes against the religious beliefs of many so-called Christians and I can respect that. What I don’t understand is what that has to do with Mayor Parker’s ability to govern this city? And what I have even more trouble accepting is the hypocrisy behind the controversy.
Whom she chooses to love has absolutely no bearing on how she chooses to lead. Her position as a government servant is separate from her personal love life and it should remain so. The citizens of Houston have not called upon her to lead them in matters of religion. But they do expect moral leadership from their clergymen. And yet, we know and turn a blind eye to so many religious and political leaders who are either adulterous or homosexuals, and sometimes both.
So why would the same clergymen who stood behind Jesse Hornbuckle, Sherman Allen, Thomas Weeks and Houston’s own Dr. Joe Samuel Ratliff want to turn around and destroy the career of Mayor Parker, a government official? It is written in the Bible they purport to believe, “You gag at a gnat and swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:24). It was true then and its true now.
These people made a promise to God to “be holy,” to live a certain lifestyle before the people. They are responsible to God and the people they serve to do that. They should be held to that same level of accountability that certain preachers are now trying to hold Mayor Parker to. But she made no such promises, she only promised to govern fairly and to serve the whole community of Houston and she has a record of doing so. Her works speak for her. I wonder if you brought the private lives of her detractors out into the open, if they would be able to say the same?
We do not live in a monolithic society. We are not a melting pot. We never have been and we never will be. We must learn to be tolerant of different beliefs and lifestyles as long as they do not infringe on our right to believe and live as we choose. That’s what this country is supposed to be about and it is to our benefit to preserve that right.