Indiana Pizzeria: Donate Your Money to Church
I think everyone knows about the pizza shop in Indiana that stated they would refuse service to gay weddings, without even being asked to cater a gay wedding…with pizza no less. Yes, pizza at a wedding. I’m not even going to state the obvious there.
In any event, the owners of the pizza shop got a lot of backlash…not the kind of backlash with which I agree, or would ever do…and people left tons of negative reviews on Yelp. They got nasty letters, phone calls, etc… So they closed up the pizza shop, and then Christians and people who are anti-gay (if you’re anti gay marriage you’re anti-gay…also stating the obvious) supporting them in not catering gay weddings based on religious beliefs started a crowdfunding campaign and raised over three quarters of a million dollars. It might be more by now.
With that said, there’s an open letter that was written to pizza shop owners from Queerty.com asking them to donate the money that was raised to a worthwhile cause.
Dear O’Connor Family,
We regret the nasty Yelp reviews, mean emails, and crank phone calls your pizzeria suffered earlier this week after announcing it would not cater any gay weddings. We also regret that you felt threatened and, as a result, were forced into hiding. Please know that the individuals responsible for making you feel that way do not reflect the LGBT community as a whole. We do not wish you any harm or ill will. Our wishes are the same as yours: To live peacefully and in harmony with those around us in a world free of judgement, hate, and discrimination.
As we approach Easter Sunday, we’re calling on you, O’Connor family, to do what Jesus H. Christ asks of all true Christians and share your blessings with others by donating the nearly three quarters of a million dollars raised on your behalf to charity.
On the eve of such an important Christian holiday, we would be remiss not to remind you of the greatest commandment Jesus taught us: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matthew 22:39). Mr. O’Connor, you said yourself in an interview with the Daily Beast that you “don’t have a problem with gay people.” We implore you to put your money where your mouth is, and donate all the funds — every penny — to a human rights or pro-LGBT organization in your area. (Perhaps this handy map of LGBT organizations across America published by the American Family Association will help you locate one.)
As today is Good Friday, we also find it pertinent to point out that your accepting this money for yourselves would be in line with Judas’s accepting silver to betray Jesus Christ.
God bless.
Sincerely,
Your friends at Queerty
I agree with Queerty, especially the part about how the pizza shop owners were treated. I’m openly gay, I’m legally married in PA, and even though the insult of what they said stings beyond words I would never treat them poorly. I don’t think that’s the right approach in any situation, especially one this sensitive.
But frankly, since their statement and comments about gay marriage are based on their strong Christian beliefs I would like to see them donate all the money raised to their local church. I’m sure the church could use it. And this way they would be doing something positive with all that money for a good Christian cause. They would feel so good about themselves, too.
Let’s see what they do.
CBS Male Employee and Rape
A very attractive bi-sexual guy who worked at CBS is claiming he feared being raped because several, not just one, male employees allegedly made highly sexual advances toward him and tried to get into his pants.
One male sent him this message, after this male allegedly pinned him to a wall, groped his privates, and kissed him:
“I wanted to apologize if anything I did offended you or crossed a line,” the text read. “I like to get a little crazy. If you weren’t offended, then let’s do it again. LOL How is your day so far? :)”
Then there’s this:
Lombardi, who identifies as bisexual, also says he was left “terrified” after being molested by CBS Evening News director Chip Colley while the two were having drinks at a gay bar after work one evening. Colley allegedly kissed Lombardi then grabbed his leg and starting asking him about what kind of porn he liked to watch.
“While I was being attacked by Chip,” Lombardi told the New York Post, “I was texting my brother, ‘Oh my God, I’m about to be raped. Please, God, help me. It’s painful to even look at them again.”
CBS denies the allegations and is willing to fight an aggressive battle.
I hope there’s a follow up with this one.
Side note, not related to the CBS incident: this sort of thing has happened to me in the past, once at a dinner party with good friends when no one was in the living room. One of the guests grabbed my face and kissed me without a single warning. This was not someone I would have kissed in a million years. You can’t get away with the shit you used to get away with anymore.
James Van Der Beek Tackles Homophobia
This is parody. The article doesn’t state that, but I figured I’d better play it safe.
In a spoof, James Van Der Beek and Anna Camp are getting calls from gay men and lesbians on some home shopping network in Indiana and they make a few sarcastic comments.
“Here in Indiana, we have a religious freedom law,” Van Der Beek explains to viewers. “Which means we don’t have to serve anyone who threatens our religion.”
Camp weighs in, asking, “I mean, can you imagine a world in which a gay couple asks you to make a cake, and then you actually have to sit down and make it?”
It’s funny and you can check it out here. They even snark gay conversion camps.
