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October 2, 2001Priest denies comparison of gay and civil rights- Proposal 1 opponents assail Rev. John Harvey's claims and his invitation to address commissionBy BILL O'BRIENRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - A Catholic priest from New York told city commissioners that there's "no valid analogy" between the civil rights battles of the '60s and today's gay rights movement. But the comments from the Rev. John Harvey drew an emotional and angry response from some city residents, who chastised city Commissioner Marci Berry for inviting Harvey to make a 15-minute presentation to the commission endorsing Proposal 1. Harvey has for the past 20 years has run "Courage," a spiritual support group based in New York for homosexuals wanting to follow teachings of the Catholic faith. He said it's wrong to compare the gay rights movement with civil rights issues. Such a debate, he said, creates a "one-sided emphasis" on personal rights without recognizing that homosexual activities are "serious sins," at least according to the Catholic Church, and that government laws protecting homosexual behavior can create "unavoidable conflict" for persons trying to follow their faith. Proposal 1, if adopted by city voters in November, would prohibit the city from enacting any ordinance or policy which makes specific reference to sexual orientation. The cities of Kalamazoo and Huntington Woods are voting on similar measures next month. Referencing several authors and other religious authorities, Harvey urged residents to vote "yes" on Proposal 1 to prevent city regulations from coming into conflict with the moral beliefs of many residents. "Such laws interfere with freedom of conscience for religious persons and organizations," Harvey said. But to opponents of Proposal 1, the measure is seen as little more than a sanction of discrimination against gays and lesbians in the city. "While I have no doubt that Father Harvey means well, he only presents one side of the picture," said Carol Anderson of the Traverse City Campaign Against Discrimination. She called his comments "misinformation" about Proposal 1, saying that its approval would "single out" gay people for discrimination by others. "For some of us there is no freedom of discrimination," said Anderson, adding that she was "angry and appalled" at some of Harvey's comments. "How sad that this is even on our ballot," she said. Paul Heaton, the co-chair of TCCAD, agreed and said other cities in the country have endured a "black eye" by passing measures similar to Proposal 1. "If we pass Proposal 1 we will be saying Traverse City no longer welcomes some people," Heaton said. "It does send a bad message on what kind of place this is." Others in the small audience were also upset with Harvey's comments, although some residents also endorsed his position. Berry, who was harshly criticized by some for asking Harvey to speak to the commission, defended her invitation, saying the commission had already wandered into the Proposal 1 debate by passing a resolution opposing the measure two months ago. Berry and Commissioner Phill Orth voted against the resolution, which passed by a 5-2 margin. "I felt it was important for the commission to hear all sides of this issue," Berry said. |
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