If I were a Christian–a real one–I would cringe every time our Christian Nationalist Lieutenant Governor claimed that affiliation. Love? Compassion? Humility? How woke!
You won’t catch this pathetic excuse for a human echoing those admonitions.
Not that it’s surprising from the guy who tried to ban books when he briefly served on a library board, but Beckwith has greeted Pride month with his usual invective and bigotry. WISH TV, among others, has reported on his Facebook post, calling Pride celebrations an “annual siege on childhood innocence” backed by “corporate America and government institutions.”
The post, published just before 10:30 a.m. on the official “Micah Beckwith For Indiana” Facebook page and “TheMicahBeckwith” on X, begins with the warning: “PRIDE MONTH ALERT: The Rainbow Beast IS Coming For Your Kids!”.
Beckwith goes on to say that schools are prioritizing “DEI indoctrination over reading, writing, or science” and accuses libraries of becoming “drag indoctrination centers.”
“Try hosting a ‘Heterosexual Heritage Hour’ and watch the mob arrive,” Beckwith continues.
Under a heading titled THE BIG PICTURE, the lieutenant governor calls Pride Month a “state-corporate-pagan alliance to reprogram society” that has exchanged “parental rights for government-sanctioned grooming.”
Beckwith closes the post by urging parents to “wake up”.
The post ends with a link to a story on the same topic published by a self-described “Christian Independent Press” website.
I’ve gone to Indianapolis’ Pride parades for twenty-plus years. I’ve watched as those celebrations have grown, not just in the number of floats, but in the number and variety of organizations and businesses and families joining the celebration. Evidently, that acceptance annoys the faux Christians and MAGA bigots waging war against “woke-ism” (not to mention that dreaded equity and inclusion), but their efforts to rally the homophobes and misogynists and racists aren’t going very well. Just ask Target–or Costco.
I always wonder what explains people like Micah Beckwith–people with a frantic need to see the world in stark shades of black and white, and a corresponding need to believe that they are on the right side of the dividing line. I know that in a lot of cases, homophobic men are unsure of their own masculinity, or desperately trying to suppress their own homosexual urges, which they’ve been taught are sinful. Many are products of the fundamentalist churches in which they grew up, and still others evidently have an overpowering need to feel morally superior to someone or some group.
I know I should pity the Micah Beckwiths of this world. They are demonstrably unhappy people; something is hollow inside them. But that pity is hard to come by, because there is something so repellant about people who actively work to hurt and demean other human beings. I can understand it when people who–for whatever reason–dislike gays or Jews or Black folks, consequently fail to socialize with them. I think they’re missing out, but (as the saying goes) it’s a free country. You don’t like gay people, you don’t have to invite them over for dinner.
What I don’t understand–and will never understand–are the haters like Micah Beckwith, who aren’t satisfied to simply avoid folks whose lives they don’t want to accept–who want to actively hurt and humiliate people who are different. These twisted souls have some sort of primal need to see themselves as the proper arbiters of civic acceptance, and they want to use government to impose their faux Christianity on the rest of us.
It’s bad enough that we have to share the general population with stunted and mean-spirited people like Micah Beckwith, but I find it infuriating that they currently infest Indiana’s government. It isn’t just Beckwith–although he is definitely the poster child for these theocratic misfits. Todd Rokita and Jim Banks are “out and proud” Christian Nationalists, ready and eager to jettison the Bill of Rights and spit on 200+ years of American progress. Indiana government hasn’t been this retrograde since the Klan years. It’s no wonder the state has a persistent brain drain.
What is so depressing is that a majority of Hoosiers voted for these hateful people. I can’t even blame the gerrymandering that has given us our embarrassing legislature–these dreadful people ran statewide.
For my part, I intend to embrace the “Rainbow Beast.” It’s the least I can do.
Professor-your words are so very true. Thank you.
I honestly have come to believe that the loudest and most hateful people are the ones with the most to hide. I can only imagine the horrible things that Beckwith is very likely guilty of – or the things he wishes he could do. Some people just want power and domination and using the mantle of virtue is the most powerful – and the most evil. Literally – without exception – all accusations are confessions. I was raised in a Lutheran church but am now agnostic. I have no issues with any faith, but I despise any kind of organized religion. What we see in our country now is organized religion at its worst; it’s now a cult of American Taliban fascists. I can’t even call it “Christian Nationalism” because Christ and his teachings are rejected in this evil cult. It’s simply about power – and money. It’s the same old history that will repeat itself until humanity no longer exists.
Amen sister
It isn’t that “the majority of Hoosiers voted for these hateful people” that is so frustrating; it is that the majority of Hoosiers, and Americans, declined to vote at all.
And if you want to understand what motivates these people is very simple; greed for power. Anger and ignorance round out the trilogy of the Three Poisons.
James Todd, you are most correct. There are Beckwiths everywhere in government at all levels. Also, the number of low-information voters is astounding. How, for example, would any rational person vote for the biggest con man this country ever produced to be their president? The combination of the non-voter and these people is how democracies die.
Well, the oligarchy knew what they were doing when they added Evangelicals to their base. Mike Pence was the poster boy of the Koch empire’s attracting “Christians first…” What a bunch of crap!
I have never attended a Pride Parade, but I certainly support their right to have a parade or any other event. I’m not sure about having drag queens read to young kids. As a parent, I don’t want to have that discussion with a 12-year-old.
Does that mean I want the government to ban Pride events? No. My religious or spiritual beliefs are my own. It’s personal. I certainly wouldn’t run to serve the public so I could assert my beliefs on others. They are trampling all over the separation of church and state, but don’t seem bothered by it. If they get enough votes to win an election, they believe it is a mandate from the people to rule over others by asserting their beliefs as gospel for ALL people.
That’s just ignorance.
But some people believe that is the role of religion: keeping people ignorant. I think Frank Zappa made those statements often in the 1980s. Frank was also incredibly prophetic when he said:
“The biggest threat to America today is not communism, it’s moving America toward a fascist theocracy. And everything that’s happened during the Reagan administration is steering us right down that pipe.”
P.S. Doesn’t Musk and Trump’s breakup remind you of two teenagers breaking up publicly on social media? LOL
Some day, maybe if I live past 100, I will understand why freedom creates such fear in people.
We seem to have in us a sense that we each are more intelligent than the rest, and therefore know better, so we ought to control everyone else.
These control-freaks who have a double dose of that live in fear of what they believe would happen if, instead of the Art of the Deal, we practiced reasonable negotiations like adults try to teach kids. How can we both win, given that it’s clear we want different things? What if we both win what’s more important and give up what’s less important to us?
One reason is that many were taught that living in peace is considered “woke”, and being “woke” is perceived as bad.
What if more considered DEI to be what it is, applying all the perspectives that unique humans have, to craft public policy based on consideration of how it will affect those who we are asking to live by the policy?
What if we all could live in the middle of the road rather than yelling from our extreme shoulder to the other extreme shoulder that we are more deserving than you are?
Where is Geoffrey Chaucer when we need him
most? Can you just imagine the material he would have … to write a sequel to Canterbury Tales!
I can’t agree more, in my experience it’s the weak, insecure, religiously conflicted that push these lies, while the real threats seek power and influence to act out their on hatred’s self and outwardly, ie guys like Stephen Miller and Trump.
When MAGA started out attacking Trans citizens that’s less than .00001 % of citizens it was the ugly start of the war on woke the net they use to scoop up groups to hate, and when they falsely claim victory, that’s the primer to set out publicly to attack the next groups, gay, brown, black, all women, muslims, atheists, democrats and yes eventually Jews once again.
Why because their angry funders and followers must have a satisfying goal so they can claim as claiming they are saving something they truly don’t understand or can even comprehend what America means in the arch of history. And will joyfully tear it down with their own hatful and pathetic lives that gives them their self pleasures from destroying others.
Bullies are the majority of the party members in the GOP. And they run their mouths against the very things they WANT to do. How many of them have a yen for a homosexual encounter?
Your description of Mr. Beckwith sounds like the policeman in Stephen King’s The Dead Zone who killed young girls. An added bonus of that book is that the evil politician is remarkedly like Mr. Trump. I think we should consult Steven King about upcoming villains.
Lori, “accusations are confessions,” is spot-on, as in the in famous case of J.Edgar Hoover!
It appears that those most needing to be bullies are the ones who stand out to so many in any population, and attract other, frightened people to stand with them. It seems apparent in Indiana’s politics, and in those of Florididia.
As a Christian, I say AMEN, Sheila! He gives “true” Christians a bad name. Where’s the love, compassion, mercy, and grace. If Jesus was in His grave, he’d be rolling over in it!
Vernon, I just noticed your response to my comment of yesterday, and I certainly think you nailed the descriptor for what I call Florididia: “The swamp.” I do not know why the folks here vote for these mental midgets, but I do know that Scott’s venomous impact on equitable voting, here, had a part to play in the outcomes.
Just as Indiana has a problem with its “brain drain,” Swampland seems to attract people who like to see the world at war with intelligence as their kind of place, and this appears to seed the voting roles with fearful people.
This was my thought before reading your statement as copied below:
“I know that in a lot of cases, homophobic men are unsure of their own masculinity, or desperately trying to suppress their own homosexual urges, which they’ve been taught are sinful.”
I’ve thought about how much fun it would be to gather a group of people to attend one of his church services just to heckle him and disrupt his hatefulness, even though I’ve never heckled or bullied anyone in any situation.
Meanwhile, back at DoD, SECDEF has ordered the Navy to change the name of the US Harvey Milk. Harvey Milk was a decorated Naval officer who was outed by someone. He had the choice of taking a general discharge, giving up his benefits or be court martialed. He took the discharge, rather than end anyone else’s career by going to trial.
Now some might say that it was clear that the policy of the government was that homosexuals weren’t allowed in the US Armed Forces. He was breaking the rules. Was he? My brother was not doing well in school. I warned him that he could be drafted. He said he had a plan. His plan was just to admit that he was gay. He thought that would be the end of it. To his surprise, he was sent to Kentucky for basic training.. He spent just under two years in the army. A little over thirteen months of that was in Vietnam. He would have been better off littering. He would have been seventy nine today. He survived his tour of duty, but died in ninety four.
Thank you for the opportunity to honor my brother, whose bronze star and air medal meant nothing to him, but a lot to our father and mother.
I have a dream…that one day we will have “Human Month” and “Human Parades” that celebrate our shared humanity with all our distinctions represented proudly. Oh well….and we wonder why we are so divided….
Re Todd Smeckens’ comment about trump and musk’s breakup on social media: On last evening’s 6:30 pm news someone had asked trump about Putin’s war against Ukraine. His comment was that it is like a battle between a couple children or toddlers and you just have to let them battle it out for a little bit. My immediate thought – trump had just described his and musk’s behavior and social media battle.
Never been to a gay parade, But the nut bag sites love to post pictures of them.
Yes, I question the motive. Secret perverts, non-Christian, unhappy haters.
Todd, if you are waiting until the child is 12 years old to have that discussion, then you’ve waited way too long. I’m not sure I understand your reticence. Some sex ed discussions can certainly be embarrassing for parents (although they really shouldn’t be), but the “drag” discussion is almost quaintly simple. “Some people like to wear clothes and makeup that are not typically associated with their gender.” Done.
Norris, Chaucer would certainly be interesting. I am sure he’d be at the pride parades, for example, and would have much to say. Personally, though, I often wonder what Twain would have said during these times.
Maga government officials are overstepping their roles encroaching on personal freedoms of citizens. Using their power to sideline and build a hostile environment toward people they disagree with is authoritarian and abusive. They need to be continuously called out for their abuse of power.
We have taken our grandkids to central library for the drag queen readings. The little toddlers at that age usually play individually and don’t form groups. When the drag queen begins to read the children are drawn to gather round, sit down together and listen on their own volition. The big personality and artful makeup, dress and jewelry keep the attention of the little ones on what’s being read. It’s a sweet caring experience for everyone involved.
I’m sorry, John H., but drag queens are for mature audiences only. I don’t need to explain why men like to dress up like women, because I know for a fact it’s not discussed in Disney movies or sex ed in the 6th grade. They are learning about sexual identity and the gay and lesbian communities.
The drag performances around the country are usually held in adult bars, which means they are 21 and over. There is a reason kids aren’t invited.
Beckwith obviously did not appreciate Geraldine Jones (Flip Wilson) or Maude Frickert (Jonathan Winters) or Mrs. Doubtfire (Robin Williams). Drag characters have been a part of comedy for centuries.
By the way, every time I see a picture of Beckwith, I wonder if it is stime for him to come out of the closet.
Drag shows in public places are fun for adults and children! Remember that drag queen might be somebody’s father. I’ve seen many and I have yet to see anything that I would call salacious. Guys dressed in glittering gowns with makeup and hair perfect (sometimes with a full beard), dancing and singing or, for that matter reading, shouldn’t scare anyone. They aren’t trying to make your children gay. If you think it’s possible to turn gay, you didn’t pay attention in biology class.
Leslie Gardner – I am even older – Milton Berle did many comedy skits in drag and people laughed then too
Someone should point out to Beckwith – If the parents “wake up”, they will be, by definition, be “woke”
I keep going back to Erich Fromm’s “Escape from Freedom”. Life is complex and frightening, with ever more choices being presented. This, of course, leads to the common response cited by Mencken – “For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.” Blaming the “other” is a historic wrong answer. One size fits all, with no need to think.
I know this is a late post, but I was just thinking about Shakespeare. His players were all male, as women weren’t allowed on the stage. Considering the times and the female parts, the plays were most likely extremely raunchy. Don’t let your children watch Shakespeare!😁!
‘Beckwith closes the post by urging parents to “wake up”.’
But if they wake up, won’t they be “woke”?
Lori, you’re 100% on the point. “Christian” Nationalists are simply lying when they call themselves Christian. Jesus would be throwing their tables over and kicking them out into the street. He welcomed everyone, never asked a leper for a copay, and certainly never espoused the hateful bile of the Micah Beckwiths of the world.
I’m proud to have grown up in a the United Brethren denomination that didn’t allow membership to slave holders in the Civil War era and equally proud to be a member of a large northside United Methodist church that marches in the Pride Parade every year.
Prof. Kennedy, thank you for exposing Beckwith’s “faux Christianity.” I will amplify your blog post in my network.
In my same-day essay, “Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith is an embarrassment and danger to Indiana,” I bring attention to the sly way Beckwith tries to use recent budget cuts to impose his theocratic vision.
I had predicted some of this in my Indy Star Op-Ed last year.
I invite you to share my essay in your network as well.
We share many like-minded friends at CTS and in the wider community.
Thank you for being a strong voice for justice and love!
Prof. Matthias Beier
Link to the essay: https://open.substack.com/pub/matthiasbeier/p/lt-gov-micah-beckwith-is-an-embarrassment
James I have never heard of the United Brethren denomination. Tell me more! Are you a member of St. Luke’s? I am SO impressed by their liberal/progressive values and how open and welcoming they are. I have several friends that attend there. It’s what organized religion in Christianity should be. 😉
Christian nationalists may not be descriptive enough. Christian fascists, Christian dictators, or Big Brother Christians seem more appropriate monikers.
Lori Ecker.
In answer to your question the United Brethren Church merged with the Evangelical Church to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church in the early 1900’s. Earlier, the UB supported abolition and didn’t accept slave holders into their membership. That was why the EUB Church was practically non-existent in the South. Because of extremely similarity, the Evengelical United Brethren Church finally merged with the Methodist Church to form today’s United Methodist denomination.
The University of Indianapolis founded in 1902 (my alma mater) was an EUB college under the name Indiana Central College. The college evolved into Indiana Central University and more recently The University of Indianapolis.
And, yes. My wife and I are members of St. Luke’s. When we were looking for a religious homebase we tried St. Lukes for a few weeks more than thirty years ago and have been here ever since. Everyone is absolutely welcome there. And if it weren’t for my damned knee I’d be in the middle of our group at the Pride Parade.