|
Reprinted from The Miami
Herald, June 7, 1998.
Religious Group Attends Gay Day '98
Christians evangelize at Disney World
By Phil Long
Herald Staff Writer
LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Bible in hand, Jamie Ammerman spent her 18th birthday on the
sweltering streets of Disney's Magic Kingdom. In the 95-degree heat, she was trying to
evangelize gays and lesbians. With thousands in the park to celebrate Gay Day '98, she had
plenty of targets.
"There's nothing I'd rather be doing than lifting up the name of Jesus," the
Birmingham student said. Few seemed interested in her message: "Jesus loves you. But
homosexuality is a sin."
"I am very happy with who I am," responded one young man. "I feel like
Jesus loves me . . . like I am."
Saturday's activities capped a week of the most intense demonstrations yet by the
conservative Christian group Operation Rescue National against Gay Day '98 activities and
abortion clinics in Central Florida.
Saturday marked the first time anti-gay advocates came into the theme park and
approached guests. That was a major success for Operation Rescue. On hand were scores of
police officers and Disney security people. No one was arrested or asked to leave, said
Disney spokesman Bill Warren.
Disney has become a lightning rod for protest by conservative Christians. It has a
sizable work force of gays, a policy giving same-sex partners company insurance benefits
and the company's entertainment division makes movies and TV shows that some Christians
find offensive.
Others disagree. "Disney sets an example for the world," said Jean Wright of
the Pride Alliance of Key West. "If Mickey can accept anyone, why can't we?"
As about 100 Operation Rescue protesters picketed, a plane circled over the park towing
a banner saying: "Jesus Can Save You From Your Lifestyle."
Attendance at the Magic Kingdom was less than last year's Gay Day, but Disney officials
wouldn't say whether that was because non-gays stayed away or there were fewer than the
80,000 gays that event promoters had predicted.
"If Jesus were here, he would say, `I shed my blood on the cross so you could be
set free of your sexual perversions,' " the Rev. Bill Shanks, of Louisiana, told
Robert Pitman, a gay man from Austin, Texas.
Pitman disagreed. "Jesus would say: `I told you to care for people who are hungry,
people who are sick. Why are you so fascinated with these people here today and not out
there caring for the people I told you to care for?' " he said.
"We don't see homosexuality as something you can be delivered from," said the
Rev. Troy Perry, president of the 314-church, 52,000-member Universal Fellowship of
Metropolitan Community Churches.
"Operation Rescue has been rebuffed and repudiated on the abortion issue and has
now decided to make homosexuals their target."
"To say that you have to be `this way' or `that way,' to have God's love, or to be
saved is a perversion of God's truth," said Carol Trissell, associate pastor of Joy
Metropolitan Community Church in Orlando, a largely gay and lesbian congregation.
"The tactics they are using will only alienate the people they are trying to
reach," said Bob Davies, North American director of Exodus International, a group
that ministers to people who want to stop living a homosexual life.
|
