Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

I have a very concise message for Sue Means, Chuck Martoni, John Palmiere, Ed Kress, Heather Heidelbaugh, Tom Baker, the members of Allegheny County Council who want to erect a plaque in the County Courthouse with the motto “In God We Trust.”  (h/t 2 Political Junkies)

No, we don’t.

You might trust in God, but I do not. And I am a taxpayer, a resident and a queer woman who could lay out decades of reasons why God has not proven to be a deity I can trust. More importantly, I cannot trust the people who profess to believe in God. They are often well-intentioned, but the very nature of modern Christianity lends itself to bringing religious beliefs into our secular realms. Your job is to protect that line, not blur it even further.

Allegheny County residents who are not Christian should feel welcomed, respected and valued in the Gold Room. You should not impose your personal beliefs on them and to do so is a huge step backwards. I believe you are playing right into the hands of people like Eric Moure and David Grisham of Repent Amarillo. Moure is a resident of Allegheny County. I’m sure he thinks you are wicked anyway because you consort with homosexuals, but seriously – please stop feeding the extremists who do terrible things to hurt vulnerable people.

Last night, I went to a private event at the Zen Buddhist Center in Sewickley. At no point did anyone try to impose Buddhism on me. When I asked about some of the items that were on display, a friend explained them to me. That’s it. He welcomed my curiosity without pushing me any further. I chose to attend an event in that venue. That’s very different from my wanting to participate in local government and having to be reminded that God is part of the proceedings even if unelected to that role.

Repent Amarillo holds a very similar viewpoint to Means, Martoni, Palmiere, Kress, Heidelbaugh and Baker. Allegheny County Council should be focused on creating jobs, affordable housing and addressing the needs of the most vulnerable. God is not doing those things, apparently, so you must. I’m tired of these distractions.

I don’t trust God and I don’t trust anyone who thinks this is remotely a good idea. That doesn’t make me less patriotic than anyone else. If you want to convince me otherwise, don’t do it by imposing religion into government.

Stop focusing on signage and instead focus on being people of good conscience who act according to their personal values – practice Christianity all you want, feed the hungry, heal the sick, answer your email, etc. But please stop imposing Christianity on your non-Christian constituents simply because they are a numerical minority. That is wrong.

The final action on this measure will likely be Tuesday September 9. You can find out more here on how to raise your voice up to support ALL Allegheny County residents.

This video was recorded, edited and posted by Eric Moure of Repent Amarillo (he’s the one in the hat afraid of being poisoned by a glass of juice.) It is pretty atrocious content so be forewarned. This is one face of Christianity in the United States. And we’ll probably see a lot more of them in the coming year here in Southwestern PA.