Fresno Mayor Plans Gay Marriage Bashing

Gavin Newsom started it.

According to Fresno mayor Alan Autry, the moment Newsom decided to marry gay and lesbian couples at San Francisco City Hall in February it opened the door for using the Free Speech Area at Fresno City Hall for an event planned for 6 p.m. on August 29th opposing Newsom’s actions.

“If the gay community would condemn what Newsom did,” Autry told representatives of Central California Alliance and NewsLink on August 9th, “I’d move this event to another venue.”

“There was always going to be a response here,” Autry said, “to what Newsom did. I initiated the event on the 29th as a response I could get behind.”

Autry sees no conflict between separation of church and state and his role as mayor in initiating the event. “I don’t believe in taking God out of government,” he said.

He would not elaborate on what sort of response to the events in San Francisco was originally planned–violence towards gays and lesbians perhaps.

Autry did say, “for me to stay silent (on what happened in San Francisco) is not in the best interests of the gay community.”

“As mayor, I’m responsible for preserving the health of this community,” Autry said. “Gay marriage is a threat to the health of Fresno.”

Autry claims the event is not “going to be a bashing of anything. I’m going to make that clear when I speak on the 29th.”

The plans for the “affirmation of traditional marriage” event planned by Cornerstone Church and Autry became public in Bill McEwen’s column in the August 5th Fresno Bee.
According to McEwen, material sent to area churches say one goal of the event is to “repudiate attempts to redefine marriage.” On August 9th, Autry trotted out the tired arguments–those terrible “activist judges,” traditional marriage is the cornerstone of society; once same-sex marriage is allowed, where does it stop?

Cornerstone pastor Jim Franklin wrote, “but it’s not a political thing. The mayor is not even running again next year, so this is not an effort to sway voters.” When pushed, Autry admitted this is a political event–a political statement–putting the lie to Franklin’s statements.

When told that many in the gay community are upset or angry about the event, Autry replied, “those are a small minority of the gay community. Many more gays are calling me, saying they support what I’m doing with this event.”
He continued, “most gays don’t want gay marriage.”

“I want this event to bring the gay and Christian communities closer together,” Autry repeatedly said. “There’s been too much concentration on ‘hate the sin’ and not on ‘love the person’ on the part of the mainstream Christian community–and that has to change.”

Autry said he believes there is much common ground between the gay and Christian communities.

Autry describes himself as a “friend of the gay community–90 percent of the time.” He said he supports civil unions or domestic partnerships. When pressed on the question of whether he would support giving civil unions or domestic partnerships all of the rights and privileges of marriage, he replied he might support giving 80 percent pf those rights–maybe.

He said he can’t support Gay Pride because of “its radical message.” He says he would support a gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender “awareness” day.

He won’t support REELPride (Fresno's glbt film festival). “I don’t support the arts–like film making–because it’s subjective. It can be used to give a voice to things I don’t agree with. I wouldn’t support the Sundance Festival if it came here.”

Autry said to CommunityLink CEO Jeff Robinson’s proposal for a gay commitment affirmation ceremony in the City Hall plaza that the City would not hinder it and that he would be there to speak.

Because so many people are, in fact, angry, Central California Pride Network executive director Charlotte Jenks plans a community meeting on August 21st.

“I would like us to organize a peaceful demonstration” Jenks says. “I personally feel this celebration is repetitive given that everyday is a celebration of heterosexual marriage in this state. The Mayor is a representative of all the citizens of Fresno, not just the heterosexual ones. I would like to plan a meeting of local leaders and interested persons on Aug 21, 2004 at CCPN’s offices.”

Jenks said she feels it’s very important that the high road is taken during the mayor’s event and any protest be peaceful.
“I know that several persons have contacted me and wished to interfere with the ceremony and have criticized me for not wishing to be more confrontive,” Jenks continued. “However, I feel that if we are to have an impact, we must remain peaceful. A representative of the Police Department has already contacted me and they have no objections to a demonstration as long as we remain peaceful.”