True Tolerance, But Not Really

Sorted under GLBTQ, religion on April 18, 2009

Firstly, my apologies for not getting this up yesterday, but as many of you out there may know, yesterday was the National Day of Silence, a student-led movement toward safer schools for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. The National Day of Silence began at the University of Virginia in 1996 with over 150 participating students.

Students who participate in the National Day of Silence in their schools every year hand out “Speaking Cards” that say:

“Please understand my reasons for not speaking today. I am participating in the Day of Silence, a national youth movement bringing attention to the silence faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies in schools. My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by name-calling, bullying, and harassment. I believe that ending the silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices. Think about the voices you are not hearing today. What are you going to do to end the silence?”

It seems as if this year the religious right is really on top of its ‘let’s take 5 steps back’ schedule because for the National Day of Silence this year, Focus on the Family came out with True Tolerance, a website that uses hate speech, scare tactics, and bigotry to push a religious agenda full of its usual “The religious right is the only group of people who are allowed to be represented for anything, otherwise we’ll use our money to take your organization down because we simply do not agree” agenda.

I don’t know about you, but just the two words, ‘true tolerance’ immediately says to me that whoever is behind this website is completely tolerant of everyone, no matter what, and of course that is what Focus on the Family wanted to portray in their new site’s name, but what they are really saying is they are tolerant of everyone, as long as they think and believe in exactly what they do.

But oh wait, it gets better. Focus on the Family goes as far as to say that public schools have a “pro-gay agenda” and that public schools have stifled free speech and true diversity by silencing students of faith and those with conservative perspectives. What they are really saying here is that name-calling, harassment, and bullying should be allowed in public schools, as long as the student of faith or conservatives perspectives are the students who are bullying the LGBT population.

It seems a little counterproductive to claim that your free speech, as a conservative and religious person or group is being stifled while actively trying to stifle the free speech of another group of people.



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  • Some peoples now days look very strange with their own faith. I don't thing this kind of tolerance will accepted by people on the world. Let say their voice just 0.01% than other.
  • My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is caused by name-calling, bullying, and harassment. I'm part of it.
  • very good statement!
    Everybody has to right to be secure.
  • eek
    Here's one main issue I see today that people are associating "tolerance" with "pluralism". We just had a talk on religious issues at my school recently and a multiple published Rabbi talked about this same thing that tolerating someone is basically saying "I see that you think differently...I think you are an idiot for thinking different from me but that is your right" and pluralism as "I see you have chosen a different path than my own but it is no less important then mine". It was mind blowing and eye opening...I've heard my mother say similar things about "tolerating" "people" and it didn't sit right with me...now I know why.

    I looked up the two and here they are


    tol⋅er⋅ance
       /ˈtɒlərəns/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [tol-er-uhns] Show IPA
    –noun
    1. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
    2. a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.
    3. interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one's own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.
    4. the act or capacity of enduring; endurance: My tolerance of noise is limited.


    plu·ral·ism (plŏŏr'ə-lĭz'əm)
    n.

    1. The condition of being multiple or plural.
    2.
    1. A condition in which numerous distinct ethnic, religious, or cultural groups are present and tolerated within a society.
    2. The belief that such a condition is desirable or socially beneficial.
    3. The doctrine that reality is composed of many ultimate substances.
    4. The belief that no single explanatory system or view of reality can account for all the phenomena of life.

    And this is to me most unfortunately lost in today's language:


    cultural pluralism
     
    –noun Sociology.
    1. a condition in which minority groups participate fully in the dominant society, yet maintain their cultural differences.
    2. a doctrine that a society benefits from such a condition.
  • Buffy2q
    They're truly sick people. Saying "please don't bully gay people" is promoting homosexuality. Refusing to let bigots bully LGBT people and spread anti-gay lies is persecution of Christians. George Orwell would be so proud of them.
  • Very bold article!
    Tahnk you for posting!
  • Every individual should have freedom at some extent but should not cross the social boundary of the society. Every thing should be played safe as not affect other or not to loose security.
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