Co-Host Terry Meeuwsen shared the following question by a viewer named Charmagne: "My son is a 24-year-old Christian. He just told me that his college art class was shown pictures of gay couples in long-term relationships. My son has to write a report on this. He is shocked, and all he could say it, 'WHAT?!?' I was wondering if he could do something to protect his rights? He shouldn't have to go to school and have to watch that! What do you think his course of action should be?"
Here is Pat's reply:
Pat Robertson: That's tough. You know, in the old day you'd say immediately go to court and say that his rights were being taken away from him.Keep in mind that this student was upset by a violation of his rights because he was asked to write a report within his art class about a specific art project. And Pat Robertson -- someone who rails against gays and liberals in general using the courts to protect their own rights -- was upset that this student will probably be laughed out of court if he files a lawsuit against his college because of this one paper.
Terry Meeuwsen: Yah!
Pat Robertson: Unfortunately, the court has now said that homosexual rights are a constitutionally protected area. So what's he gonna do? I'm afraid that what he's gonna have to do... He could write a report that this wasn't art and expressing why it wasn't good. I think that would be the way to go. But he's in a bind and we're looking in a culture that is just going to pot. It has given itself over to bizarre types of sexuality. And it isn't that people didn't practice these things throughout history. It's just that they didn't get constitutional sanction. I mean, a hundred years ago, this would have been unthinkable.
So what does your son do? I really don't think that he could win a law case. He could drop out of the art class, but he wants to be an artist and that's what they're imposing upon him. You ask me what I would do? I think that's the best way to do it is to see those pictures and criticize why they aren't any good, why they aren't good art and if he's good enough at it, he might get a good grade.
Terry Meeuwsen: You know, he might not be getting an art degree because if you're at a liberal arts college, you have to take an art class anyway. So you know, find another...
Pat Robertson: But you're exposed to these things! Look! That Mapplethorpe, I mean all the awful stuff they were putting it in a museum with taxpayer money. It was just terrible! But that's the way they were doing it!
Also, keep in mind that Robertson immediately interpreted a project consisting of "pictures of gay couples in long-term relationships" as "bizarre types of sexuality" and "awful" and associated it with Robert Mapplethorpe's provocative work from the 1980s.
Also, keep in mind that he, Terry, Charmagne, and the student all assume that this is bad art because it consists of "pictures of gay couples in long-term relationships."
Might I suggest that he open his mind to actually analyzing this project and focusing on quality of the technique like he would with any other project? Don't just write a report railing against the project because it features older gay people. Maybe there are problems with these pictures. But at least focus on providing quality critique of this project as opposed to knee-jerk reactions against long-term gay couples.
There are reasons why people believe that there is no place for us within the Church. This is why.
You can watch the entire segment here.