By now, dear reader, you’re probably familiar with the controversy surrounding Chicago archbishop Francis George’s remarks comparing the LGBT community to the Ku Klux Klan and the backlash the inflammatory comments have provoked, including TWO’s petition calling on the Cardinal to hand in an early resignation to Pope Benedict XVI and the full-page ad with the same message that we’re placing in this Sunday’s Chicago Tribune.
However, you may not know that the Cardinal George controversy also touches my hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Days before George’s incendiary remarks came out, St. Norbert College — a private Catholic college located in De Pere, a Green Bay suburb — announced that the Cardinal would be the speaker at its spring commencement exercises next May. A “concerned student” started a Change.org petition asking the school’s administration to rescind Cardinal George’s speaking invitation.
The college has thus far refused to do so, and the story has attracted quite a bit of attention in the Green Bay area. Now here’s where I’m going to do a little bit of shameless bragging: my mother Michele is an alumna of St. Norbert College, holding the master’s degree in theological studies. As I’ve mentioned before, she also happens to be an outspoken advocate for LGBT equality in her family, in religious traditions including her Catholic Church, and in the greater Green Bay community. She even got a dedicated group of LGBTs and allies together to form the Adult Gay-Straight Alliance of Green Bay. So naturally, when a local television station was compiling a report on this story, they turned to her.
So now I present to you my mother, Michele Becker — a Catholic mom for LGBT equality — in her first media appearance as an activist.
I couldn’t be prouder to call this amazing woman my mom.
I turned on the news literally just as the station was running this story. Your mom is truly a phenomenal woman!
Wow! Very impressive and inspirational. Glad I saw this.
Bless your mom! You must be extremely proud of her.
BTW, signed the petition.
God bless your Mother and the other people there who are standing up for what is right and doing the moral thing!
Looks like the mom I always wished I had.
Your mother is beautiful. This was a great way to start my day.
Wow! What a great mom you have!
What a great mom! It’s also great that more and more people like her are coming out in favor of full equality for LGBT people. Even if the good Cardinal gives his speech, his face will surely be red.
Jerry
Thanks, everyone! Yes, I am very proud of her. As Jerry said, here’s hoping that more and more people like her continue to start speaking out!
if they do not drop him…then no one should show up to the graduation
John, You do have an amazing Mom! It is outstanding that she is so supportive of you and all LGBT people!
On a lighter note John, I had to laugh when she said, “nothing is *straight* around here”. :-))
Perhaps your mother should give the speech.
Hahaha, I know, right? Apparently, after the interview the reporter took her mic off and asked for some “action shots,” asking her about the photos of all of us kids on the wall. She was telling the reporter about her sons and making a joke about the relative straightness (or lack thereof) of the picture frames. She didn’t know that his camera mic was still on! Go figure. The reporter clearly liked the joke too… :-p
@Emma: Great idea! :)
amour
Great Story….awesome comments by Michelle (my neighbor growing up) and Loretta (an old aquaintance). Way to go Ladies!
Pretty cool!
Your mom rocks!
[...] transgender people, couples, and families. Fighting back against this extremism has been a major focus of our efforts here at TWO. Notable examples of anti-gay bigotry from the Catholic hierarchy [...]
[...] man). My parents, both fixtures of Green Bay’s Catholic community, are outspoken in their support of LGBT equality, as are many of their friends. According to all the reports I’ve heard so [...]