Whence and Whither, Wilmington?
Michael Bray
28 March 2007
One of the wonderful opportunities at Wilmington High School is the development of writing skills for those who do extracurricular work for the school paper, Hurricane.
Occasionally there is an article of interest for the larger community, that fellowship of citizens which pays for the school’s existence. In the latest issue, assigned the date of March 16, 2007, there appears an article in the center (the section known as “The Eye”) entitled “Stereotypes and Offensive Language” in which the propriety of allowing students at school to use the word “gay” as a pejorative when they speak to one another anywhere, even in their personal conversations, was discussed.
Our Hurricane interviewer asked students: “Do you ever use words like faggot, bitch, or slut, or the phrase, ‘that’s gay’. . .?”
[For any of you readers who have just returned from a time warp, the term “gay” was transformed a generation ago and now commonly means “homosexual.” People don’t give their daughters that name any more. Others, long ago stuck with the name, coped with the new meaning their names bore by taking on a new nickname. Homosexuals came “out of the closet” which is to say that they actually proclaimed themselves candidly – even proudly – to be homosexuals and refused any shame or stigma associated with their “orientation.” They expropriated the word “gay” as a new propaganda tool to give the public greater ease to consider the rejection of an old moral code and the establishment of a new one. Sympathizers gladly cooperated to the point that the term with its new meaning entered our dictionaries two decades ago. Another linguistic tool of homosexual propagandists was the creation and introduction of the term “homophobia” to suggest and describe a disorder suffered by “straight” people – i.e. normal people – who opposed homosexual behavior.]
“The Hurricane” went on inquire after the opinions of a teacher, a substitute teacher, the principal, and a Criminal Justice professor from Wilmington College regarding their opinions on the particular use of “gay” as a pejorative. These teachers were all represented in the interview as exponents of the doctrine that says that homosexuality is not to be spoken against as either an immoral orientation or immoral and illegal action.
The interview with “Mrs. Jennifer Hatfield” (who, it may be fair to assume, is a history and psychology teacher of record at WHS) centered in on the use “gay” as a synonym for “dumb” or “retarded” or “stupid.” She said, “it is inappropriate” for students to use words such as “gay” or “critter” or “jock” or “prep” or “gangster” (the latest terms students use to distinguish themselves from one another).
The Principal, Ron Sexton, clumsily associated opposition to homosexuality with racism as if to charge that one who is a racist is akin to one who believes that sodomy is immoral and properly illegal (as the codes of all but a handful of our states still affirm). This writer earnestly hopes this was a mistake. Mr. Sexton will not tolerate the use of “faggot” as a negative reference to homosexuals, but as to the use of “gay”: “that is one that is used so often that we have to educate.”
(Educate? Does the School, indeed, teach morality? Ethics? Partisan politics? Religion? If not, why are we about to have some indoctrination regarding the normalization of sexual perversion and a demand for “tolerance” and “respect”? Why not just admit that educators cannot teach ethical behavior without also teaching religion. Teach the Truth! Pray publicly! Acknowledge the God in whom our money says we trust! Stop trying to live as a nation or as a city without civic acknowledgment of Him! Ignore unjust, Godless federal courts! Educate our children about the fact that we are free people, a free city which may embrace the God and Ethical System of our corporate choice.)
Former full-time teacher, Mrs. Georgia Dunn, who continues as a substitute teacher, illustrated her opposition to the derogative use of “gay” even when it is not used to “put anyone down.” In the library, a student said of something, “[T]hat’s so gay,” and she corrected the student.
“We don’t say that in my class.”
More flagrant than any of the support or tolerance for homosexuality afforded by the WHS staff is outright advancement of immorality advocated by Joyce Dozier. As several professors of Wilmington College live in self-confessed homosexual relationships, it comes as no shock to read Madam Dozier’s comments reported at the beginning and end of the article: “I think its more of the closet bigotry . . . with the rise of the religious right and the Republican regime [giving people] almost a license to hate . . . gays and lesbians.”
Perhaps Madam Dozier is giving us a heads up for future activism for “gay rights” and the advancement of sodomy among our children when she advocates as follows: “I don’t think the gay community stands up for itself enough . . . But I do think that homosexuals are a very self-hating group of people . . . I think they’ve bought into that, being told by society that you’re wrong or sick, or there’s something wrong. Too many members of that group have bought into that type of thing.”
And so ended the discussion. No disrespect intended to Madam Dozier I don’t know whether to call her Dr., Miss, Mrs., or Ms. The expunction of conventions in the wake of the social “revolutions” and “liberations” of the past generation leaves me without the wherewithal to determine the exact means of address by which diverse personages prefer to be referenced.
A pastoral word to homosexual students is due here. Be assured: those who encourage you to “come out” and fulfill your inclinations to live a homosexual life style to not love you. Those who encourage you to act upon homosexual impulses or to simply try out the any sexual lifestyle without restrain do not love your soul.
You, like every person descended from Adam and Eve were born with not only sinful inclinations and orientations, but you are born under the curse of death. You are not dead, yet, but you are dying and will die because of the sin that entered the world through our father Adam and because of the very personal sins which you willfully commit and live in. And yet, the fact that you live now, today, is the evidence of God’s mercy. You do not stand under more condemnation than your fellows who are driven by their own particular sinful orientations, whether as kleptomaniacs, nymphomaniacs, pyromaniacs, or an egomaniacs.
There is healing and forgiveness in no other than the God-man, Jesus, the very Lord of the universe who was conceived by God’s own Holy Spirit in Mary, the wife of Joseph who was a descendant of David, Abraham, and Adam himself. And there is strength by this same Spirit who made the world, brought the Savior to earth, led Him to die for us, and raised Him again for our justification to live a chaste and celibate life or a holy married life.
Do not believe the lies of those who tell you that God is pleased with a life of sin or that it is His will that you follow debased and corrupt inclinations. They do not love you. He who died for your soul does.
Whence and whither Wilmington? We who know our national and state history know that our culture and society have been blessed with a Christian politico-religious foundation for law and ethics. That is “whence” we came. But to what future do we go and do we lead our children? What ethical system do we pass down to the next generation? A Godless, Lawless one? We, as a town, a city, a county – not only as a nation – must choose. Every culture has its cult. And the cult of America has been Christianity, the fount from which true justice flows. Take it or leave it and the consequences that follow. Whither, Wilmington?
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