California Musical Theater Director Resigns, Sparking Controversy

Following up on the post about the gay blacklist, looks like Scott Eckern, artist director of California Musical Theater , has resigned. Many were calling for a boycott of the theater due to Eckern's donation in support of Proposition 8. The inevitable consequence of that is that he had to leave.

You know, I kind of have mixed feelings about this.

For one, I think we've actually passed a brink with Proposition 8. A lot of people are finally pissed off, and rightly so. This is, perhaps, Stonewall 2.0: we're in the midst of the next moment of the civil rights revolution right now, and protests, boycotts, and extreme discomforting of the enemy is called for. I think the magnitude of the reaction is going to surprise many people, and won't be easily quelled. And all this is good. People need to see that supporting these measures IS discrimination, not some kind of "compromise," and they need to be shamed.

I still don't think people quite grasp how big a deal this Proposition 8 business is. It's a little like if, after a New York ruling that schools and public facilities had to be racially integrated, voters in New York had amended their constitution to enforce segregation again. Other states may still be segregated, but you can bet that blacks would be pissed off at the people giving money to take away their rights in one of the few states where blacks had achieved equality.

It's also a little hard to feel sorry for Eckern. So, the guy lost his job. To me, that's nothing compared to what Prop 8 did to the 18,000 MARRIED couples in California that this measure was intended to divorce. People concerned about Eckern's rights should show a little concern for the rights of the 18,000 married couples in California, and the millions of gays around the country (and their children) who's rights are being taken away by a similar kind of mob mentality. I kind of think Eckern has it easy, compared with them.

I also understand if gay artists and writers wouldn't want to work with Eckern after finding out his position. That's their right, and I can't say that I'd be comfortable working with him knowing that he contributed money to Prop 8 either. It'd be a little like, as a Jew, working with someone who was donating money to Hammas. Yeah, you can argue that everyone should be entitled to their opinion. But being open minded doesn't mean you have to be a sap. So, if individual writers or artists quietly decided not to work with Eckern, I wouldn't have a problem with that; however, if all of them publicly threaten to boycott the theater, well, this is in effect the creation of a blacklist.

And so...and yet...I still stand by my feeling that individual careers shouldn't be destroyed over this issue. Even if losing his job kind of seems like only the smallest amount of justice, and hardly even that, compared to the heartache Prop 8 supporters are causing.

It's a fine line, I know, between personal dignity and activism, and allowing for dissenting voices to be heard. In my view, though, it's an important line to remember. Crossing it ultimately does more harm than good.