It seemed like a natural followup story for a reporter like me who likes to mop up after the news: find Greg Kirk’s gay friends.
State Senator Kirk, a Republican from the Americus area, is pushing one of those “religious liberty” bills that have gay people crying bloody murder.
Such bills that reaffirm the rights of God-fearing Americans have become popular because the Gay Agenda has been on a roll, what with same-sex marriage winning last year in the U.S. Supreme Court and homosexuals bounding from their closets waving rainbow flags.
Kirk was catching a bunch of grief at a press conference the other day at the state Capitol when he was explaining his First Amendment Defense Act.
Don’t let the bill’s title fool you, Senator Kirk is no rabble-rousing ACLU type. He’s a businessman, a former Baptist pastor and, according to his website, a lifelong Republican.
He said the bill, which has been rolled into another one, “prevents government discrimination against faith-based adoption agencies, religious schools, youth programs, student organizations and other nonprofit organizations whose sponsoring churches hold the traditional view of marriage.”
But opponents argue the law would provide cover for organizations to discriminate against gay couples, and the pesky media guys kept pecking away at the senator’s handiwork. One asked whether he met with gay rights groups to talk about his bill before introducing it.
No, he hadn’t, although the senator said he vetted it through informal — and more personal — venues: his gay friends.
“Look, I’m 52 years old,” he told reporters. “I’ve grown up with friends who now live a gay lifestyle. But they’re still very close friends to me, and I care deeply about them, and I have shared this with some of my friends and asked their viewpoint as well. That’s been part of my vetting process.”
Now that’s a twist on a story, I thought. I’d like to talk with those friends, the ones living that gay lifestyle and who remain close to the senator. What do they think about the bill their buddy was hatching? Do gay people in south and central Georgia think differently than the gays up here? Because in Atlanta, they’re not happy.
At first glance, the senator’s comments seemed a bit patronizing, almost from the “hey, I asked my black friends” category.
But I admit I’m skeptical, always have been.
When I was a kid, I had a sneaking suspicion that Jan Brady’s “boyfriend” was a figment of her imagination.
But journalism calls for investigation, so I encountered Senator Kirk after a session and asked whether I could talk with some of those friends. He didn’t want to give me their names and said he’d have to give them my number. I get that. Being openly gay is a tough, personal decision and I imagine it’s a bit tougher and more personal in his district. That doesn’t mean people in small towns are any less gay. Just a bit quieter about it.
The senator said the reaction in his conversations was “kind of mixed.” Pressed a bit, he added, “I don’t know if any are going to jump out and cheer for it. But they feel the movement has come along so far.”
Kirk ran into a retired state employee the other day, a person he has known for years who told him he is in a same-sex relationship. “That conversation ended that we have to agree to disagree,” he said. But with his own friends, “I haven’t lost any.”
In fact, the senator says he now has a new input stream — Midtown, where he stays during the legislative session, a place that is the Gay Capital of the South. “Some of those folks, I talk to there,” he said.
I forgot to ask what they said, but I can only imagine.
The senator took my info and said he’d pass it onto his friends. Later, he messaged me, “Bill, the only one, and there are only three, that I thought would speak with you said no.”
Part of me wanted to head to his district to search out those friends, but I figured it would be akin to a six-hour round trip in search of a leprechaun — a low-percentage outing. I mean, I’m sure there are gay people in the 13th District, and I’m sure there are friends of Senator Kirk there, too. But finding people who are both?
Religion, morality and politics are all divisive issues among friends and family, so I really don’t want to get Senator Kirk crosswise with his gay friends.
So I called Merwin Peake, brother of Republican state Rep. Allen Peake from Macon. Last year, Merwin, who is gay, came to the Capitol to testify against a religious liberty bill, one he argued would hurt the state in job recruiting and in bringing in conventions. His brother Allen was a co-sponsor.
“When I found that Allen was co-sponsoring the religious freedom bill I had to ask him why he was doing it,” Mersin said. After a conversation, Merwin came to the conclusion “he does not want any kind of law that can hurt me.”
“All these bills are a reaction to the Supreme Court,” Merwin Peake said. “We’re in the Bible Belt and they are listening to their constituents. There’s a lot of fear out there.”
After his testimony, Merwin said his brother “was so proud of me. There’s no animosity there. We love each other. I saw a change in him during the process. He loves my gay friends. We’ve stayed with him.”
I told him I was looking for Senator Kirk’s gay friends. Merwin Peake, who lives in Atlanta, laughed.
“I’m not one of them,” he said. “But if he wants to call me, I’ll talk with him.”
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