Yesterday, I received a text message from someone I know announcing Falwell’s death and that a mouthpiece of bigotry is now silenced. Text messages are such odd things. It’s hard to truly know what the tone of a message is, but this one sounded like rejoicing. Or, it could be interpreted as a tone of relief. As much pain as Falwell has caused for many people, I can’t take pleasure in his death, nor would I want to.
I’m glad to know I am in good company with this view, as Brian and Chris also cannot get giddy over someone’s passing, no matter how awful of a person they were.
I doubt that Falwell’s death has silenced him or his followers. That he has worked so hard to silence the gay community will be one of his enduring legacies. It’s certainly not an endearing one.
Of all the GLBT critics of Falwell, Mel White has been the kindest in his depiction of him in Stranger at the Gate. While not blind to what Falwell represents, White has tried to engage him in dialogue. Hopefully, Falwell’s passing will help keep the conversation going, and perhaps his followers will come around. Well, I can only hope.
Falwell’s death brought up the issue of Peter Akinola for me. As much as I’ve been frustrated with his anti-gay stance and how he has attempted to pressure the Episcopal Church to fall in line with him, I wouldn’t feel joy if he suddenly passed away. His death wouldn’t silence him or others in his camp and it wouldn’t improve things for anyone.
