Rev. Fauntroy Responds

by: H. Alexander Robinson,

NBJC Executive Director/CEO

As noted here last week, Rev. Walter Fauntroy was to be the keynote speaker in an Oregon MLK Day Celebration. In an apparent response to criticism of his selection as a speaker, The Register-Guard in an article published on Tuesday said that Fauntroy planned to meet with “a select group of local gays and lesbians.” “I want them to know I am one of gay rights' strongest advocates - that no one should be denied their fundamental rights on the basis of sexual preference," Fauntroy said in a Monday morning interview. "But I will also tell them I believe it's a serious mistake to redefine marriage as anything other than an institution between a man and a woman," he said. "Marriage is what provides two essential functions for civil society: procreation and properly socializing the young."

Clearly the good Reverend doesn’t get it. Though children are often born to people who marry it is certainly not a prerequisite for procreation. Likewise children are socialized in many ways and while parents can play a significant role; not only is the two-parent Mom and Dad version of child rearing not the only way but in fact it is not the way many well-adjusted, self-confident young African American men and women are raised.Fauntroy's visit to Eugene sparked controversy when the city's human rights commission balked at supporting Monday's celebration because of Fauntroy's outspoken views on gay marriage. Fauntroy serves on the board of Alliance for Marriage, a nonprofit group that supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

According to The Register-Guard the 16-member human rights panel, which ultimately reversed itself and moved to support last night's event - with one dissenting vote, currently has no Black members.Fauntroy said Eugene is the only community he's visited that has raised the issue, and that he's surprised it has come up. "It's a time warp for me - seeing people concerned about that issue when the whole world is in pain," he said. If you ask me it’s Fauntroy who seems to be in a time warp—if not in total denial since his explanation for opposing full equality for gay and lesbian couples dismisses the harms caused to the children of same-gender couples who are unable to marry. And his marriage = procreation formula doesn’t apply to all sorts of marriages.

"History will not be kind to either (presidential candidate) Ralph Nader for what he did to bring these people to power in 2000 or to certain gay-rights activists who allowed themselves to be used in 2004," Fauntroy said. Give me a break Rev! Who’s being used? I think it was the Neoconservatives who played you and not gay people seeking justice who got played. Remember there are those of us who were there. We know what went down with you and others who joined forces with these purveyors of hate and divisions to launch their wars and fill there personal coffers.

The longtime Baptist minister said every person - regardless of race, creed or sexual preference - has a need and right to five things in life: income, education, health care, housing and justice. For that reason, he supports same-sex unions and the right of people to legally secure those rights for themselves and their partners. But he parts company on the issue of gay marriage, he said, because of his view that marriage is about "perpetuating the species." And he doesn’t stop there.

This would be amusing if it were not so tragic and the stakes so high. On one thing Rev. Fauntroy and I can agree—it is history that will tell the true story of who got over and who overcame.

Debate: Baptist minister will meet members of gay community

By Jeff WrightThe Register-Guard
Published: Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Before he leaves town today, the Rev. Walter Fauntroy plans to meet with a select group of local gays and lesbians, and what will he tell them? "I want them to know I am one of gay rights' strongest advocates - that no one should be denied their fundamental rights on the basis of sexual preference," Fauntroy said in a Monday morning interview. "But I will also tell them I believe it's a serious mistake to redefine marriage as anything other than an institution between a man and a woman," he said.

"Marriage is what provides two essential functions for civil society: procreation and properly socializing the young." Fauntroy's visit to Eugene sparked controversy when the city's human rights commission balked at supporting Monday's celebration because of Fauntroy's outspoken views on gay marriage. Fauntroy serves on the board of Alliance for Marriage, a nonprofit group that supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. The 16-member human rights panel, which currently has no black members, ultimately reversed itself and moved to support last night's event - with one dissenting vote. Other critics of Fauntroy's stance include City Councilor Bonny Bettman.

Fauntroy said Eugene is the only community he's visited that has raised the issue, and that he's surprised it has come up. "It's a time warp for me - seeing people concerned about that issue when the whole world is in pain," he said. Neoconservatives have used gay marriage as a wedge to distract people from such pressing issues as tax cuts for the rich and an unjust war in Iraq, but most American voters showed in November's election that they are unwilling to be diverted, Fauntroy said.

"History will not be kind to either (presidential candidate) Ralph Nader for what he did to bring these people to power in 2000 or to certain gay-rights activists who allowed themselves to be used in 2004," Fauntroy said. The longtime Baptist minister said every person - regardless of race, creed or sexual preference - has a need and right to five things in life: income, education, health care, housing and justice. For that reason, he supports same-sex unions and the right of people to legally secure those rights for themselves and their partners. But he parts company on the issue of gay marriage, he said, because of his view that marriage is about "perpetuating the species."

The "graying of Europe" demonstrates that same-sex unions cannot accomplish that, Fauntroy said, noting that the government in France now provides taxpayer money to men and women who agree to marry. In this country, African-Americans are especially sensitive to the topic of marriage, he said, because of the history of slaveholders and others who sought to destroy blacks by tearing apart husbands and wives and their families. Beyond mere numbers, "A child needs to be bonded to a man and a woman," Fauntroy said.

If two men raise a daughter, the daughter will think, "They don't need a woman, so they don't need me, I am not worth anything," he said. The same is true for a boy raised by two women, he said. "You've got to understand behavioral psychology," he said. Fauntroy, who worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights struggles of the 1960s, said he has little doubt King would share his views today.

He said King's widow, Coretta Scott King, was "absolutely right" when she said "there's room at the table" for gays and lesbians, but that it's dangerous to construe her comments as support for gay marriage. Fauntroy, who requested today's meeting with local gays and lesbians, said he is eager to meet with the group "because people hate one another and fear one another and don't understand one another" when they refuse to communicate with one another. "I want to tell the truth as I see it in love, and face reality with courage."