Students Walk Out On Dan Savage At Dan Savage Discussing The Bible
Filed under: Patrick, Politics & Issues, Totally GAY!
Author: Patrick
Date: May 1, 2012
Dan Savage, creator of the It Gets Better Project, was recently invited to speak as a keynote speaker at NSPA/ JEA’s annual High School Journalism convention, Journalism on the Edge in Seattle. Savage spoke about the bible and how we’ve moved past references to slavery and stoning, and we’re going to have to do the same for homosexuality.
“We can learn to ignore the bullshit in the Bible about gay people,” he said on April 13. “The same way, the same way we have learned to ignore the bullshit in the Bible about shellfish, about slavery, about dinner, about farming, about menstruation, about virginity, about masturbation. We ignore bullshit in the Bible about all sorts of things. The Bible is a radically pro-slavery document. Slave owners waved Bibles over their heads during the Civil War and justified it.”
At this point, SO many students walked out, offended by what he was saying. Later in his speech he said in reference to those who walked out, “It’s funny, as someone who’s on the receiving end of beatings that are justified by the Bible, how pansy-assed some people react when you push back.”
The Advocate has reported that GOProud executive director Jimmy LaSalvia said in a statement that Savage should apologize to the students that were in attendance.
“Dan Savage’s outrageous anti-Christian tirade hurts — not helps — the fight for gay rights in this country,” LaSalvia said. “There is nothing incompatible between being a Christian and believing that all people should be treated equally, and Dan Savage’s attacks on Christianity only fuel those on the extremist fringe who oppose gay rights.”
Watch the video below:
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Josh
May 1st, 2012 at 1:56 am
Thanks for sharing this. I don’t see the need for any apology, we are surrounded by anti-gay sentiments especially from the religious fraction, I don’t see them getting off their high horses and apologising to us anytime soon.
Clayton
May 1st, 2012 at 2:49 am
This was absolutely not an “anti-Christian tirade.” I’ve seen my fair share of anti-Christian tirades, and I quite often agree with them, so I can tell you that this was not one. It is beyond debate that there are all sorts of rules in the Bible that most Christians ignore to live in the modern world so why is it “anti-Christian” to ask why they ignore those rules but don’t ignore the rules on homosexuality? Is it because of the word “bullshit”? That’s not what his critics are saying. One word does not constitute a “tirade.” La Salvia says “There is nothing incompatible between being a Christian and believing that all people should be treated equally,” yeah, that’s essentially what Dan Savage said to. Does everything have to be sugarcoated? People act as if it’s the Bible that needs to be rescued and not those who suffer under its authority.
Justin
May 1st, 2012 at 3:20 am
dan savage was factually correct about his comments on the bible. why is an apology necessary? its like saying someone should apologize for saying 2+2 = 4. i don’t understand why we have to be politically correct to the point of not having fact based opinions.
Andy
May 1st, 2012 at 6:33 am
He said nothing wrong. There’s NO reason for him to apologize to those hypocritical fools.
Freddie
May 1st, 2012 at 11:28 am
As a gay man who’s also been on the receiving end love manifested by the fundamental principles of compassion and love that is ALSO in the Bible, I have to ask Dan if he questions whether or not his approach ends up turning more young people against the ideas of tolerance that claims he wants to promote.
Nicole
May 1st, 2012 at 11:29 am
As someone who is a Christian, has read the Bible and who is in support of equal rights, has anyone ever actually read the Bible instead of assume what it says? Christianity is mainly about love and acceptance, not hate and rules. I’m tired of judging, hypocritical Christians who spread hate and ignorance and I’m tired of those who are anti-Christian, assuming we are all like that and quote the Bible when they haven’t read it in it’s entirety. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion of course but both sides are missing the point and a high school setting? Not so appropriate.
Freddie
May 1st, 2012 at 11:29 am
*receiving END of love…
Joey
May 1st, 2012 at 12:31 pm
what he said is very true ! I’m catholic and i’m not offended
Erin
May 1st, 2012 at 12:37 pm
@Nicole: Dan Savage grew up with in a large and very Catholic family and attended Catholic school? I think he’s has the same rights to speak as you do about his (educated) opinions on the bible.
Malissa
May 1st, 2012 at 2:36 pm
I don’t think he was anti christianity and I don’t think he went on a tirade, but I do think his delivery was inappropriate for HS students. Just because kids use shock tactics does not mean that adults should stoop to thier level to prove a point. I think the whole point about the hypocrisy of picking and choosing what parts of the Bible to follow will be lost becsuse of how he chose to deliver the message. TBH the video put me off & I love Dan Savage.
Adam
May 1st, 2012 at 2:43 pm
Nicole – yeah, we’re about a decade past people being able to get away with large media claims without backing it up … he’s read the bible and i’ve read enough to see the hate and anger in it (guised in a claim of tolerance it clearly doesn’t preach) so don’t worry, we’re doing our homework.
The thing I find hilarious is that students in Seattle are still religious… I thought kids were over that these days.. sigh, maybe one day.
Clayton
May 1st, 2012 at 2:48 pm
@Nicole: Dan Savage never said that all Christians spread hate and ignorance. He was criticizing the Bible and those Christians who pick and choose which of its archaic laws to take literally and which to ignore in order to live in the modern world. He’s basically saying “why can’t those Christians ignore the gay bullshit the way they ignore the slavery bullshit,” just like you, Nicole.
You’re setting up a false equivalence here: “Dan Savage is too secular, fundie Christians are too religious, they should meet in the middle”. The problem with that logic is that Dan Savage really is in the middle on this as he’s not criticizing Christianity. The space in which you’d like to put him on the secular side is occupied by Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, the late Christopher Hitchens, et al.
Again, does everything involving faith have to be sugarcoated? Every time someone criticizes the Bible or Christianity do they then have to say, every single time, “but there’s a whole bunch of super duper awesome Christians and a bunch of super way cool stuff in the Bible!”? Gag.
Nicole
May 1st, 2012 at 6:06 pm
@Clayton – I’m not saying Savage is too secular, I think his approach is all wrong, and I am actually saying the “Christians” who are preaching hate shouldn’t even be called Christians.
I don’t think he is being very effective and I am not trying to come off as judgmental myself. I really honestly, and how very hippie of me, just wish there wasn’t so much hate being spread around, period. And I do apologize for every single person out there who claims they are religious and yet treat homosexuals like they are aliens or something. I feel sick over people who are like that. And if Savage has read the Bible, then cool but a lot of people who grow up to be a certain faith doesn’t mean they have actually read the entire Bible. There is a huge difference between those two things.
I’m not trying to sugar coat anything. I thought I could express that I wish there was more understanding, love and acceptance between both sides and it is very apparent, people don’t want such a thing.
Clayton
May 1st, 2012 at 6:52 pm
@Nicole I’ve read the Bible and there are a lot of mixed messages. It’s great that people like you can read something good into it but there are a lot of people who don’t and who focus on the law and who use it as a tool of oppression. It’s not your responsibility to apologize for those people because I don’t see you as the same which is why I’m so confused as to why you and so many like you are offended by what he said.
I never said that you were sugarcoating anything, it just seems like you’re asking Savage to sugarcoat his criticism by including all the good parts of the Bible.
You’re going back to the false equivalence when you say “I just wish there wasn’t so much hate being spread around, period.” Dan Savage wasn’t spreading hate, he was giving a very pointed and specific criticism of the Bible and the way some Christians use it. The “pansy-assed” thing was him losing his temper (he’s since apologized for doing that part of what he said.)
I’m not spreading hate either. I’m so glad that there are Christians like you who take the good of the Bible and ask others to do the same. However as long as there are condescending cop outs like “love the sinner, hate the sin” and as long as people say that when they want to “convert” homosexuals and outlaw equal rights they’re trying to “save” them in an act of “love” arguments like Savage’s are an integral part of the puzzle.
It would be great if everyone came together in the spirit of love and humanist unity but I don’t want to have to wait for that to happen to have the right to marry my boyfriend.