Lance Berkman has been vocal in his opposition to HERO – the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance which failed at the polls on Tuesday.
The ordinance, which was approved by city council last May but got voted onto the ballot as a referendum to repeal it, sought to protect people from discrimination regardless of sexual orientation/gender identity, in addition to many other items such as gender, race, age, religion, etc.
Berkman, a six-time former MLB All-Star, opposed the ordinance, feeling that it would leave the door open for men to enter womens’ restrooms based on the gender identity aspect. He called into the Michael Berry Show on KTRH in Houston to explain his stance.
“Too many Christians don’t want to offend,” Berkman said of those who haven’t spoken up. “To me tolerance is the virtue that’s killing this country. We’re tolerant of everything. Everything is okay, and as long as you want to do it and as long as it feels good to you, then it’s perfectly acceptable do it. Those are the kinds of things that lead you down a slippery slope, and you’ll get in trouble in a hurry.”
Berkman then explained why he speaks up.
“Whenever I have an opportunity to make a stand for Christ and to make a stand for values that I think are right and that I know work and practice … I’m going to do that. I’m going to try to use my platform for good. There are consequences for that — you get called names.
“One of the great things about this country is we can have different opinions. We have two different political parties, two different opinions on the way government should be run, and it’s okay. It’s okay for me to have an opinion that’s different from your opinion. What’s become a shame is that it seems like anybody who has an opinion from the right immediately gets castigated, called a bigot by voicing that opinion, whereas the other side can voice their opinion and we’re expected to pander to them, give them their respect …”
Berkman does bring up a common complaint held by those with conservative political beliefs. They feel like liberals want equality yet they shame anyone who doesn’t share their beliefs. It’s a fair complaint, too; the people who are fighting so hard for equal rights for mainly are focused on an LGBT agenda and forgetting about the religious beliefs of others.
I disagree with Berkman’s beliefs, but I agree with some of the criticisms he raises. And I also think it’s poor form that some outlets just jump on one line he says about “tolerance” and disregard — or worse yet — not even listen to everything else he said.
“I’m against depriving anybody of their civil rights but by the same token the ordinance was so poorly-written,” Berkman also said in his comments.
To me that’s a very fair comment by Berkman, and it’s unfortunate people just flogged him without reading that part. Berkman isn’t saying tolerance is a bad thing; he’s saying that lines have to be drawn in society. For instance, we have decided that people can’t have sex with anyone they want; we have lines about what age is old enough to consent to sex; whether intercourse among family members is acceptable; or even whether you’re allowed to have relations with non-humans. We’ve drawn a line and decided what of that is illegal. Drawing some lines is what I believe he’s talking about when he mentions tolerance.
