I don't want to speak on behalf of the OP, but I do want to forcefully
rebuke the idea that the offending party was acting in good faith and
therefore should expect leniency. "Religious" or "scientific" rationale for
bigotry is as old as bigotry itself, and I'm sure I need not list here the
many times it has been employed to excuse horrific actions against
basically every persecuted class there has ever been. If we create a
religious "exemption" for hate speech, then most bigots will conveniently
hide behind that exemption, which is assuredly already happening.
Even if the offending party was 100% altruistic in their behavior, which I
don't think is possible, the community at large needs to know that this
behavior is absolutely not acceptable, and ignorance is not an excuse. I am
not saying that these people were awful people that I hate, I am saying
that, simply, there behavior is and should remain unacceptable.
And for those of you who are feeling like this has dragged on long enough,
is political, and should be moved to BOO, I would submit that, as I alluded
to earlier, this is a matter of human rights, not politics, and ensuring
that birding is open and welcoming to all is a vital first step to
undertaking the endeavor at all. To that end, I commend the many leaders of
the Oregon birding community that have condemned the original speech.
Brodie
