Posted by:
koriwhoremonger
(
)
Date: June 11, 2014 03:04PM
Two sides to every story – right? As an exmo I'm sensitive to the possibility of being a hypocrite and closed minded and a bigot and everything else I accuse TBMs of being. So I'm investing some time trying to really think through this Gay Pride Parade vs. Cop issue.
When the story first broke it was a slam dunk for me to label the guy as a bigot and agree that putting him on leave was a no brain-er. Then in a follow up story I read that he didn't refuse to work the parade, he only requested that he not ride his motorcycle in a choreographed routine as part of the actual parade. This gave me pause. Yes, he may still be a bigot, but should he have the right to refuse participation in an event to which he is religiously apposed?
Then I start thinking, wait a minute, is that really what happened? Did he approach his supervisor with his hat in his hand and say “please sir, could I just work crowd control rather than ride in the parade itself?” Or is that just how his attorney is painting things after the fact? We'll probably never know and probably we don't need to know but, I'm sure there is far more to the situation that has been portrayed by either side.
If that cop is part of an elite motorcycle squad, and if his pay is at least partly related to that position and if that squad was hired or otherwise officially assigned to ride in the parade then I'm going to stick with my original thinking. However, if riding with that group is completely voluntary and if his absence could have easily been covered by another and if indeed he was respectful in his request for another assignment then I may change my mind. Yeah, that's a lot of “ifs”.
I'm trying to think of a scenario from the opposite side. What if the cop were openly gay instead of openly Mormon? What if the assignment was to ride the motorcycle in a Straight Pride parade? Would I still label him a bigot in that situation? Is that a completely outrageous comparison? Because in that situation I would hope that the supervisor would be sensitive and grant a re-assignment. Why am I still so hesitant to think this guy should have been shown the same courtesy?