One reporter reacts to JKR's revelations

[Katie]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "delwynmarch" 
<delwynmarch at ...> wrote:
>
> Katie wrote:
> > And who assigned you?
> 
> Del answers:
> I'm not the one arguing that some people 
> *have* to change their beliefs. 

***Katie again:


Although you *have* argued repeatedly that JKR should have left gay 
characters out of the books because it might offend someone. Implying 
that anyone ought to be quiet about their beliefs, whether in a book 
or on a Yahoo group, is the same. 
 

> >Katie: 
> > I don't think that it's fair to say that 
> > Susan is being bigoted because she is 
> > offended and hurt by some pretty insensitive 
> > and insulting comments about gay people. 
> 
> Del:I don't understand what you're trying to say 
> here. Are you arguing that she's allowed to 
> say bigoted things because she's hurt?
> 

***Katie again:


Absolutely not! I don't believe she *is* saying anything bigoted. I 
think that her tone is angry and offended because she's hurt, and 
it's being read as bigoted. Having no tolerance for intolerance is 
not being bigoted. Having no tolerance for hate isn't being bigoted. 
I am not accusing you of being hateful, or bigoted, but IMO, your 
posts have definitely leaned on the side of intolerance. I think 
Susan feels personally attacked because she is gay (please correct 
me, Susan, if I am wrong), and she is defending herself and her 
community. I don't think that is bigoted, nor would I defend bigoted 
behavior.


> >Katie:
 Saying that you believe in a God that is 
> > offended by homosexuality is a pretty 
> > controversial comment, and it seems designed 
> > to offend and provoke. 
> 
> Del: Controversial, I understand. But "designed to 
> offend and provoke"? No, I don't see it.


***Katie again: I can't go through every post and pick out certain 
things that I believe were designed to offend people...but the 
overall tone of your posts has been very offensive. As I tried to 
tell you before, if you are not trying to be offensive, maybe you 
should choose your words more carefully. I understand what it's like 
to have things come out wrong...it happens to me all the time! But I 
am very careful in posting that I choose my words to say exactly what 
I mean. And if it turns out that I haven't done that well, I try and 
correct it. 

<<<SNIP>>>


> >Katie:
 For the record...I don't think it's any better 
> > to say, "I disapprove of homosexuality, but 
> > it's not okay to deny them jobs, housing, or 
> > medical care...etc." than it is to just be 
> > openly prejudiced and bigoted against them. 
> > Tolerating those kinds of belief systems are 
> > what opens the door to ACTS of bigotry. It's 
> > just a lesser form of it. 
> 
>Del: OK, so *what* would you have people who hold those 
> beliefs DO? Not exist? Deny their own beliefs? 
> Go through some brain-washing treatment to adopt 
> the current PC beliefs? What?? 
> 
> Del


***Katie again:

It would be nice if bigotry, ignorance, and intolerance didn't exist, 
yes. I certainly would never say those people shouldn't exist, but 
their beliefs are foul and offensive to me. I will never understand 
how someone else's sexuality, skin color, ethnicity, religion...etc. 
can be morally offensive to another person, or threatening to their 
rights and way of life. I understand being comfortable with who you 
are and not wanting to change, but when that feeling turns into being 
offended by people that are different...that's loathsome to me. 


For example, I am comfortable being Catholic. I don't want to be 
Muslim or Jewish...but Judaism and Islam do not in any way offend or 
upset me. Nor do I believe that God sees Jews or Muslims any 
differently than he sees me. Any path to God is a good path, IMO. 


I feel the same way about sexuality. I'm not gay. I'm married and I 
have 2 kids. But my children's grandfather is gay. Does that impinge 
on my heterosexual way of life? No. So why should it upset anyone 
else??


No, I don't want people "adopting" some view that isn't their own. 
That's very disingenuous. What I *would* like is if those people 
would have a genuine change of heart and realize that gay people, or 
black people, or Muslim people, or whoever it is that they don't 
like, isn't a threat to them or their way of life. I wish bigotry 
would disappear. It makes me sad, pure and simple. 


Pulling this back to HP in some way, I would say that it just shows 
how right JKR was to talk about DD's sexuality if this is the 
reaction from the HP community. I was pretty bored with her and her 
endless interviews before, but now I see how much work there is left 
to do. If people who loved HP are going to now stop reading them 
because there is a gay character...I think those people missed the 
point. HP is in no way a perfect series, but it definitely makes the 
point about tolerance very clearly...and I just wonder why tolerance 
and acceptance suddenly stops when it comes to sexuality. 


Katie