Proud Parent of Triplets, a Stepchild, a Newborn Son

Here's a letter from the 10/15/12 Baltimore Sun, that is worth a second or third read:

"I am a parent to triplet 7th graders, a stepchild, and a newborn son. I am also a lesbian. 

"This week, two organizations in which my children participate, the Columbia Clippers Swim Team (run by the Columbia Aquatics Association) and the Lime Kiln Middle School PTA, held fundraisers in partnership with Chick-fil-A. 

"Chick-fil-A has recently been the butt of a media firestorm for its more than $5 million in contributions to anti-gay groups, including one group that is on the Southern Poverty Law Center's list of certified hate groups. Collectively, the groups supported by Chick-fil-A work to dehumanize LGBT people, among other things, labeling them as pedophiles and advocating for their imprisonment.

"Why would either of these organizations partner with Chick-fil-A in the face of this well-documented history? I wrote both organizations, and both promptly dismissed my concern as a 'feeling' and a call to 'political activity.' 

"My concern stems not from feelings or politics, but from facts: our children, some of them, have same-sex parents, but more than that, some of them are LGBT. 

"What message do we send to these children when we are so apathetic about our choices that we can't see our way to choose from the abundant offerings of fundraising sites that are supportive of all people and all families? 

"Would the partnership look different if Chick-fil-A donated to the KKK instead? 

"The actions of both of these groups fly in the face of their own policies of inclusion. And the act of fundraising at such a site is, indeed, a political statement. It's just not a statement I thought either group would make."

Heather R. McCabe, Fulton

The writer is past president of the Maryland LGBT Bar Association.

Source: Anti-gay fundraising sets poor example, Baltimore Sun, October 15 2012