Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 18, 1993 TAG: 9301180019
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG LENGTH: Medium
GAYS PICKET FALWELL
As the Rev. Jerry Falwell preached on what he sees as the declining moral state of the nation, about 35 gay- and lesbian-rights activists picketed outside his church Sunday denouncing the minister's outspoken opposition to homosexuality.The demonstration was sponsored by a Lynchburg-based political organization called Gays and Lesbians United for Equality. Other groups joined in the protest, which drew participants from Richmond and Roanoke, as well.
Organizer Kelly McHugh, a former Lynchburg resident now living in Richmond, said she and others were outraged by Falwell's persistent attacks on homosexuals. McHugh accused Falwell of perpetrating "hatred and violence" toward homosexuals.
Before the protesters arrived, Falwell encouraged morning Sunday school participants to walk past the pickets without comment. He reiterated that request as the worship hour ended shortly after noon and the packed house exited to the parking lots without incident.
Falwell did not go outside to confront the protesters. He did refer to them several times in the course of his sermon, though he referred to the sponsoring group as Queer Nation, a national gay-rights organization known for its confrontational tactics.
Falwell warned the congregation that the protesters were exercising their constitutional right to protest and that any confrontation with them would increase their visibility in news reports.
"They are not bad people, they need the Lord. They've got every right to oppose us and they're doing it peacefully."
While Falwell was careful not to condemn the motives or actions of Sunday's protesters, he has been outspoken in opposition to President-elect Bill Clinton's proposal to allow openly homosexual men and women in the military. He also routinely condemns homosexual activity and attacks proposals to extend employment, housing and other rights specifically to homosexuals.
One of the groups participating in Sunday's protest was formed just over a year ago to work toward overturning the ban on homosexuals in the armed forces.
Michael McLeod, a Roanoke gay-rights activist, formed the organization - Operation Firestorm - after a U.S. Naval Academy student was dismissed because of his homosexuality just before his scheduled graduation.
McLeod and other activists endorse Clinton's proposal to end the ban on homosexuals in the military, but also want to promote a broader gay-rights agenda to counter "the seeds of hate that Jerry Falwell spreads in his sermons and in interviews" in the national media.
McLeod said Falwell plays on people's fears and prejudices about gays and lesbians in fund-raising appeals.
He and most of the other protesters were wearing pink lapel tags reading, "Yes, Jesus Loves Me!"
McLeod was raised in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and later attended a United Methodist Church. It was in the latter that he first heard the phrase, "To live is to risk and to care" - a slogan that still motivates his political activity.
"We must be willing to stand up for what we believe in," he said.