ISBL Asshat of the Week: Bill Donohue

Okay, so we’ve been reading for weeks and weeks about how The Gays are upset because they can’t march in a St. Patrick’s Day parade; and there was talk of boycotting Sam Adams and Guinness who were sponsors of the parade if they didn’t pull out, and both companies blinked.

Then Catholic League spokestool Bill Donohue got into the mix after Guinness dropped out — I guess he’s a big fan of the dark beers — and said he would boycott Guinness for not sponsoring the parade.

Then he uttered some nonsense about how he would never ask to march in a Pride parade because it's not his place and he wouldn't want The Gays to feel infringed upon, only then he did ask to march in New York City’s Pride parade, carrying a banner that would read “Straight is Great!!”

I imagine he announced that because he was sure the parade organizers would tell him he wasn’t welcome, except they didn’t; they invited him to march, and to carry that sign, and the ball was back in Donohue’s court.

Now he’s backed out of participating in the parade, the theme of which is “We Have Won When We're One: Straight is great — as long as there's no hate,’ because of the mandatory information session. Donohue explains:

"For the past few days I have been engaged in an e-mail conversation with officials from the Heritage of Pride parade, New York’s annual gay event; the dialogue has been cordial. I asked to join the parade under a banner that would read, “Straight is Great.” The purpose of my request was to see just how far they would go without forcing me to abide by their rules. It didn’t take long before they did.

Today, I informed Heritage of Pride officials that I objected to their rule requiring me to attend gay training sessions, or what they call “information” sessions. “I don’t agree with your rule,” I said. They responded by saying that attendance was “mandatory.”

The St. Patrick’s Day parade has mandatory rules, too. It bars groups representing their own cause from marching, which is why pro-life Catholics—not just gays—are barred from participating under their own banner. But only gays complain: they refuse to abide by the rules. Indeed, they went into federal court seeking to force a rule change. They lost. In 1995, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that private parades have a First Amendment right to determine their own rules.

It is hypocritical for gay activists to complain about having to abide by the mandatory rules of the St. Patrick’s Day parade, and then inform me that I cannot march in their parade unless I respect their mandatory rules, rules that I reject.

Good luck to the Heritage of Pride participants. I may be watching it from afar, but I sure won’t be downing a Guinness afterwards.”

Funny, he’s fine with the organizers of St Patrick’s’ Day parades having “information sessions” but if Pride parade organizers have them, it’s some kind of “gay training” session; as if we need to be trained. Honey, we were born this way, no training, no assembly,  required.

What irks me though, is that with his little attempt at sarcasm or humor, unless it was just plain stupidity, his use of the words "gay training" simply perpetuates that ancient myth that The Gays are out to indoctrinate new members and that this “gay training” will turn him gay.

Well, I’ve got news for you, Billy Boy, we don’t want you; we’ve never wanted you.

So, sit down, sip a Guinness and watch The Gays march. It’ll be the most fun you’ll have all year.