by Troy Williams
The following emergency email was sent out by Gayle Ruzicka to her phone-tree list. “The militant homosexual” she refers to is me. Ahhhh…I’m kinda flattered that she sees me as so dangerous. As many of you know, I have history with Gayle, and usually she is very friendly to my face. When we met at the Capital she hugged me and told me how much she loved me — even though I “write mean things about [her] in the paper.” I thanked Gayle for all the work that she has done for the gay community — and that we couldn’t have grown so much without her help.
What’s interesting about this email is Gayle’s need to manufacture an evil “other” to stir her flock to action. It’s worth a read to get into the mind of a fearful conservative. You can see how she cowers in fear of her angry, wrathful god Jehovah. How sad to believe in a deity so abusive and cruel.
So, props to Equality Utah for their efforts to create a fair and just Utah. Props to Governor Huntsman for his courageous stand. And thanks again Gayle for your tireless work. Even though your power is slipping and your tired, archaic worldview is fading, we militant queers will never ever try to take away your civil liberties. You will soon be politically irrelevant — but at least you’ll be free to live in peace with all of your goofy beliefs.
> From: Utah Eagle Forum <utah-eagle-forum@qwestoffice.net>
> Subject: IMPORTANT MESSAGE From Gayle Regarding Radical Homosexual Agenda!
> To: “- UEF” <utah-eagle-forum@qwestoffice.net>
> Date: Monday, February 16, 2009, 8:38 AM
>
> If you have not called and sent an email to the members of the committees
> that will be hearing Equality Utah’s Common Grounds Initiatives bills
> please do so before you close this email (see contact information at the
> bottom of this e-mail) . I know how easy it is to skim through your
> emails planning to get back to them later and then you forget or you just
> run out of time. That is why it is important that you do this now.
>
> We have never seen a time when the homosexual community has been as
> aggressive and as committed to an objective as they are now. They
> dominate the news with their demands for marriage and their propaganda of
> discrimination and equal rights. They fill the halls at the Capitol
> lobbying legislators for votes on their outrageous bills. I am shocked at
> how many legislators are agreeing with them.
>
> On Tuesday and Wednesday they will pack the halls and meeting rooms at the
> Capitol, this is their big day, their day of glory, win or lose. Every
> year they get more confident. Last week one very militant homosexual man
> told me that we should just give up and let them have what they want, that
> they were winning and in a few short years they would have marriage and
> all that goes with it. He said that we were just postponing the
> inevitable. He then reviewed with me all they had accomplished in the
> last 5 or 6 years and that they are very close to marriage. Not on my
> watch I said, he reminded me that I would not live forever and they will
> make it and there is nothing I can do to stop them. Maybe I can’t alone,
> but working together we all can do something and we can stop their radical
> agenda.
>
> Call and email now the members of the legislative committees, Maryann has
> made it very easy for you by giving you the telephone numbers and
> addresses.
>
> Come to the Capitol on Tuesday and Wednesday, every seat not taken by us
> in the committee room will be filled by those supporting these radical
> homosexual bills.
>
> Thank you in advance for your help.
>
> Gayle Ruzicka
>
> PS. For those of you that are LDS and for those of you who are not, but
> can share in the wisdom of the message, I would like to share some
> scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants that have great meaning and
> comfort to me. In section 101 verses 86-95, the Lord gives us some
> lobbying instructions, starting with local government and working our way
> up through the state and federal government. We are told after we
> importune at the feet of our elected officials and they heed not (a
> righteous message) the Lord will arise and come forth and vex the nation
> and in His time will cut off those wicked, unfaithful, and unjust
> stewards, and appoint them their portion among hypocrites, and
> unbelievers. He also mentions outer darkness, weeping and wailing and
> gnashing of teeth.
>
> We are also instructed to pray that their ears may be opened to our cries,
> that God may be merciful to them so these thing won’t come upon them. I
> love verses 93 and 94, “What I have said unto you must needs be, that all
> men may be left without excuse; That wise men and rulers may hear and know
> that which they have never considered.” I certainly have had the
> experience of explaining something to a legislator and having them thank
> me for information that they hadn’t thought of and it changed their
> thinking and their vote.
>
> The important message here is that until we do our part by contacting our
> elected officials, through our phone calls, emails and coming to the
> Capitol, we can not expect God to get involved. We must ask for God’s
> help and then do our part contacting and praying for our legislators.
> This brings me a lot of comfort when I sometimes get discouraged and feel
> that some of the things I am doing are falling on deaf ears. Knowing that
> I am doing what God has asked me to do is all that really matters. By the
> way, those same scriptures say, “let them importune at the feet of the
> Governor.” Even he needs to hear from us, even when we are mad at him.
and they heed not (a righteous message)the Lord will arise and come forth and vex the nation and in His time will cut off those wicked, unfaithful, and unjust stewards, and appoint them their portion among hypocrites, and unbelievers. He also mentions outer darkness, weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
That comforts her? And she thinks Non-Mormons want to be assaulted with her wonky scriptures?
Creepy.
That woman makes me crazy.
I absolutely love this post. It outlines so clearly the point I make to my conservative friend all the time: they come at life through a lens of fear and reaction. It’s sad and unnecessary.
“I thanked Gayle for all the work that she has done for the gay community — and that we couldn’t have grown so much without her help.” Brilliant and so true.
Wasn’t that scripture written around the time the Mormons lost their bid to legalize their own private sexual, er, holy celestial marriage practices?
Sour grapes. It WILL happen. And Utah may come late to the table of brotherly love for all, but hopefully they will eat. Even your friend Gayle.
It probably shouldn’t, but it still amazes me how people still try to give credence to opposition of equality by citing scripture, as though it has some factual relevance.
I grew up Mormon and went through all of the same browbeating and emotional assaults most Mormon gay kids go through, so Gayle’s rhetoric and tactics should not surprise me.
But perhaps because I’ve been far removed from Utah and Mormonism for so long now, I’ve gained an appreciation for points of view outside the Zion curtain.
That the US population at large, and politicians in particular, can’t find anything other than out of context scriptures to defend their anti-equality is mind boggling. It really should raise a bright red flag in people’s minds when THAT’s the best argument they can present.
cheers
Jorge Janeiro
Belgium
http://www.youtube.com/lusobelga