Ok, they didn’t put it exactly that way but that’s essentially what today’s post from the National Organization for Marriage protests. The headline they use actually continues the laughable use of sanctity, as if anything their organization does could claim to carry the torch of sanctity.
Brian Brown is even more disgusted that the Midtown Comics, a comic book store here in NYC, had a wedding giveaway and awarded a wedding to a same-sex couple. Brown complains:
…something is wrong when huge companies push gay marriage into children’s literature in order to make money. Something is wrong when a comic book store decides to host a wedding, again for commercial purposes. And something is really wrong when a man proposes because, well, somebody else is going to help pay for the wedding and it might mean a cool trip to New York City.
Brown seems to be under the assumption that some sinister plot was in the works just to stir up publicity for the geek-centric store (as a fellow geek I use this term lovingly). A better understanding of the situation comes from The New York Times, an actual source of journalism, which explains that:
In honor of the release of “Astonishing X-Men No. 51,” in which the mutant superhero Northstar marries his boyfriend Kyle, Midtown Comics will present the wedding of Scott Everhart, 39, and Jason Welker, 33, a couple from Columbus, Ohio, who were selected from more than 50 applicants.
“They really stood out as super-fans,” said Thor Parker, the social media and events director at Midtown Comics. The couple met online and had one of their first dates at the 2011 Free Comic Book Day, an annual event to promote the comic book industry.
So, there you have it. The evil plot of Midtown Comics is revealed. Behind the BIFFs and the POWs and the HOLY SANCTITY BATMANs you have a company which wanted to do something nice for a couple of fans. Dastardly! Surely Batman has some sort of canned repellent for that, right?
Brown continues his tirade that by honoring the rights that LGBT constituents should have (marriage equality being the predominant one in the news as of late) that the same community is subtracting the rights of religious freedom from others (he specifically names Catholics in his ongoing rhetoric on DOMA).
I don’t know a single LGBT person who intends to take away anyone’s religious freedom. Believe what you want. Behave how you wish. Just treat me (and everyone) with respect and an equal measure of civility and freedom.
The most telling statement showing the difference between Brown’s revulsion and hatred in all things LGBT verses Midtown Comic’s embrace of equality, comes from the final words of each article.
First, Brown’s:
Thank you for all that you have made possible—with your prayers, with your letters, with your kind words of encouragement and with your financial contributions.
Finally, Midtown Comic’s final statement from The New York Times piece:
The acceptance by comic fans of Northstar and Kyle’s union and of the Midtown Comics event has been, by all accounts, positive.
Gerry Gladston, one of the store’s owners, said that when they announced their search for a gay couple, there were a handful of negative messages, but the supportive ones drowned them out.
Mr. Parker, the store’s events director, said, “The comic book community is very welcoming, so this isn’t anything out of the ordinary.”
Mr. Gladston concurred: “We’re proud to take this opportunity to promote equality and tolerance, which is the message of the X-Men themselves.”
Money vs. humanity. You decide which side you prefer to be on. Me? I’m sticking with humanity… mutant or otherwise.
Happy Pride NYC!
Tommy Karr 