Jerry Falwell has died at age 73
I won’t celebrate (life is sacred, however it is misused), but honestly, I can’t claim I’ll miss him. What has amused me though is watching the GLBT press react to his death. There is a very clear sense of “we’re jumping for joy, but politeness doesn’t allow us to say that” in all the press releases I’ve seen. As a sample, check out the ones from Triangle and NGLTF below.
Update: Well, some folks aren’t being polite any more. I just saw the commentary from Jeff Montgomery at Triangle. Well said!
Triangle Foundation:
“Our condolences go out to Rev. Falwell’s family. Whether the family is straight or gay, the passage of a loved one is always a challenging and difficult time.”
“In the wake of Rev. Falwell’s passing, it is our strong hope that his followers transform their misunderstanding and attitudes regarding their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters. It is a sad thing that Rev. Falwell spent so much of his time and energy while alive as a leading voice in the struggle against LGBT civil rights. We can only hope that the death of such an anti-gay voice will eventually lead to a healing of the fear and hostility against us that Rev. Falwell actively promoted.”
NGLTF:
“The death of a family member or friend is always a sad occasion and we express our condolences to all those who were close to the Rev. Jerry Falwell. Unfortunately, we will always remember him as a founder and leader of America’s anti-gay industry, someone who exacerbated the nation’s appalling response to the onslaught of the AIDS epidemic, someone who demonized and vilified us for political gain and someone who used religion to divide rather than unite our nation.”
— Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman
Farewell, Falwell - Commentary by Executive Director Jeff Montgomery
A pathetic, small-minded man has died. Granted, he was given a national platform from which to promote his dangerous, anti-GLBT crusade, but Falwell was nothing more than a cynical salesman who preached suffering and death for GLBT people and that AIDS was “God’s punishment” for homosexuality. Despite the platform he attained, Jerry Falwell was nothing but a huckster for the anti-GLBT industry.
Jerry Falwell will stand as a prime example of homophobia run amok, with tragic results, supported by mainstream media and acceptance. While our condolences go out to those that loved him, we can only hope that they, and Falwell’s followers, will correct the many misunderstandings about the humanity of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transender people that Falwell went out of his way to foster.
The media reports he died from heart failure, which presumes he had a heart to begin with. If that’s so, it failed long before his passing.