Author Accuses Christian Right Of Gay Bias

By Bridgette Kim
November 16, 2008

Author and professor Dr. Cindy Burack told a Virginia Tech audience recently that Gays have been accused of terrorism by right-wing conservatives, especially in the Christian community.

Burack's presentation was titled Gays and Terrorism. She spoke from her book, "Sin, Sex, and Democracy: Antigay Rhetoric and the Christian Right," which focuses on her research of the Sept. 11 attacks and how the blame for that incident was displaced to the gay community.

"The talk I'm giving this evening is entitled Gays and Terrorism," she said. "I'm talking specifically about ways in which leaders of the Christian Right often talk about gays in linking gay people with terrorism and with terror and how that rhetoric demonizes gay people."   

The Old Dominion Ballroom in Squires Student Center was filled with approximately 100 students, Virginia Tech staff members and members of the New River Valley community to hear the presentation.

The LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Caucus at Virginia Tech sponsored the event, which began at 6:30 p.m. with a small reception for a time of fellowship amongst the audience members. Burack was promptly introduced at 7:30 p.m. by co-chairman of the LGBT Caucus, Jean Elliott.

Elliott began the introduction by expressing enthusiasm for how much awareness the LGBT had raised over the years in the Appalachian region. This organization and the events it hosts were inspired by a group of people wanting to get together more often and eventually evolved into a series of community wide affairs. 

"Actually four years ago I had the idea to try and put together (a poetry event for) Jeff Mann, a professor in the English department, and I knew another faculty member who had done a media presentation in a local gay bar in Bluefield," said Elliott, adding, "but we just thought --- it's an opportunity to get together and started calling it Gay in Appalachia Celebration. And that was just the beginning."

Burack gave a 30 minute presentation of evidence she had found in the media and Christian literature to illustrate the negative stigma gays have been associated with after Sept. 11. She cited derogatory phrases used for gays, such as "domestic terrorists." Burack said that some critics believe that "homosexuality is more of an issue than terrorism," and that being gay has been "compared to having cancer."

She showed a map of Virginia from the 1500s to demonstrate how Virginia views gays as fifth class citizens. This title indicates gays are seen to inflict harm if they are to have certain rights that heterosexual couples have. As Burack was discussing the gays' status in Virginia she said, "I used this map from the 1500s because it seemed appropriate."

Members of the audience laughed in response. 

Kitty Noel, a senior at Blacksburg High School, attended the speaking event last night in hopes of raising more awareness and tolerance for gays. She has been the recorder of the Gay Straight Alliance Organization at Blacksburg High School and she said, "I hope people know we are people too, we want the same rights as other people. What we want is tolerance and to feel safe. We aren't asking people to believe what we believe but to tolerate us."