The effort by Peter LaBarbera and the Family Research Council to lock HIV-positive gay travelers out of the United States reminds me of a Christian song.
In 1985, conservative Christian contemporary singer Steve Taylor released a song called Lifeboat (lyrics).
The song is about a teacher, Mrs. Aryan, who offers her very young and impressionable public-school classroom children a lesson about something called “values clarification.” In this parody of moral relativism, the children are assigned to clarify their values with a game in which five people must fit into a lifeboat built for two. The children must clarify their values by tossing three people overboard.
The five people are:
- an “old, old crippled grandfather”
- “a mentally handicapped person” who “can never be a productive member of society”
- “an overweight woman on welfare, with a sniffling, whimpering baby”
- “a young, white doctor with blue eyes and perfect teeth,” and
- Joan Collins.
In a clever refrain, the good little kids dutifully throw overboard the presumed refuse of society: the grandpa, the “fatty,” and the “retard” — and the baby.
That is exactly what LaBarbera and FRC want their “Christian” followers to do to foreign travelers who have tested positive for HIV: Toss them overboard, or better yet, keep them from boarding even for a temporary visit.
But in the end, Steve Taylor has a surprise for his Christian audience: The good school kids throw the teacher overboard, too.
And that’s precisely what conscientious Christians need to consider doing — not to society’s rejects, but to LaBarbera and FRC for promoting lifeboat theology in the first place.
In his article, LaBarbera claims to be “associated” with Focus on the Family — and FRC continues to serve as a Washington public-policy extension of Focus, with James Dobson serving on its board. What, then, are Focus’ responsibilities in response to this episode? Conservative Christians deserve an answer.
Psst Mike, you forgot the baby. They also threw it off because they didn’t want to catch it’s cold.
There’s plently of room on the lifeboat as well, enough to be considered its own ship. But I guess they had to be thrown out anyway just because they dislike them.
Sorry, the two pronouns in the last sentence were a little unclear.
Xeno,
You’re right, I should have included the baby in the children’s discards, but the baby was conspicuously absent from the teacher’s count.
I think that was a subtle point of the song. The kids dare to ask whether the uncounted baby was on welfare, too — and the teacher seems upset that the kids might count the baby as a person.
Taylor is pro-life, as far as I know, but he later wrote another ironic song criticizing violent pro-lifers.
That song was called “I Blew Up The Clinic Real Good.”
Boy, if this isn’t a trip down memory lane… I remember when this song first came out. “Lifeboat” is easily one of Steve Taylor’s best satirical observations, although the song itself doesn’t hold up well to repeated listenings. The video is hilarious, though, what with Steve Taylor in drag. (Scary, but true). But I digress.
This article makes so many false assumptions about HIV and gay men, I don’t know where to begin:
1. It assumes that the majority of gay men go to bathhouses. I have a pretty large circle of gay friends, and I only know of one who has ever darkened the door of a bathhouse on more than one occasion. Granted, that’s my personal anecdotal evidence, but whatever role that bathhouses have played in the past for the gay community, it’s certainly diminished considerably.
2. It assumes that the only sex that takes place in bathhouses is unprotected. You don’t need to go to a bathhouse for that; just peruse a Craigslist M4M personals forum. Besides, aren’t bathhouses under much more scrutiny now then they ever have been in the past? Don’t they have to meet certain health regulations, which includes providing free condoms, and exercising the freedom to eject customers who participate in unprotected sex? In other words, I’m sure this may take place there, but not to the extent that FOTF is claiming.
3. It assumes that there is a direct correlation between a bathhouse serving as a sponsor and the rise in HIV infection. That’s just stupid. Would FOTF make the same claim about the Super Bowl? It’s sponsored by Miller beer and Cialis, among others. Does that mean that football fans will now give full vent to their hidden desire to have drunken sex orgies because of the game’s sponsors? Please.
4. It assumes that gay men, especially those who are HIV positive, are sex-crazed maniacs with no control over their urges (unlike straight businessmen, who at least hire prostitutes when they’re visiting from out of town). This is deeply insulting to any gay man, regardless of their HIV status. It’s a belief that gay men have no morals whatsoever simply because they’re gay.
5. The above assumption leads to another assumption: gay men are children that need to be supervised, lest they ruin everything. That’s even more insulting. Gay men are adults just like anyone else. We all make choices. Some are wise; some aren’t. Gay men are no different than straight men in this regard. Most married women would probably laugh at the idea that straight men need no supervision. So, why pick on gays? (That’s a rhetorical question.)
6. Finally, it stands to reason that no FOTF-loving supporter would be caught dead anywhere in or around the Gay Games. So, by extension, the danger of a spike in HIV infection is limited to just the gay men who will be attending–assuming this would even happen. So why does that concern a group of straight right-wingers?
Easy. It’s all about money. The continued stereotyping of the gay community is a fear tactic implemented frequently to increase donations. And the concern about HIV infection isn’t because FOTF actually cares about those who become infected. I mean, HIV positive people deserve it anyway because of their own sinful choices, right? (Well, except if they’re an ex-gay spokesperson.) No, it’s because FOTF and their ilk would like to see less of their tax money funding government programs for those who are HIV positive.
And that level of utter selfishness wrapped in supposed “Christian charity” is what’s truly reprehensible here. I’d ask if FOTF has any shame, but they ran out of that years ago.
When Steve Taylor toured in support of I Predict 1990 (the album that features “I Blew Up the Clinic Real Good”), he used to dress up as the ice cream truck driver described in the lyrics and throw water balloons out into the audience when he performed the song. Pretty funny stuff. Although, my favorite track on that album is “Since I Gave Up Hope, I Feel A Lot Better.” That one still makes me laugh.
I’ve got this album somewhere, need to find it. Talk about memory lane.
David
“we care enough to advocate “tough love” for those living this lifestyle”
I guess if they had a chance they’d just love us to death.
I’ve noticed that “tough love” usually means doing what’s best for oneself, and not the person one is “loving”. And there is usually little doubt that the former is the one excercising control over the latter. In essense, it is calling something love that is actually the opposite.
“This will hurt me more than it hurts you” comes to mind.
David
Yeah, David this kind of “love” (tough or otherwise) isn’t love, its control. Its “love” as in “I’ve decided what’s best for you based on what I want, now I’m going to force you to bend to my will.
Kind of reminds me of the scene in “Cool Hand Luke” where the prison captain puts a second set of leg irons on Paul Newman, and Newman’s reply was, “Gee, Captain, I wish you’d stop being so good to me.” The Captain (Strother Martin), then proceeds to beat Newman mercilessly.
But then, I heard LaBarbera likes to go to International Mr. Leather in Chicago every year. So he might enjoy that kind of “tough love” too!