My Response to Rev. Willie J. Howard Hate Letter towards Harris County Democratic Party Chairman Lane Lewis

I was going through my Carl Whitmarsh emails today and was completely shocked to see an email titled “A Letter From Ministers For Keryl”. The letter was nothing but a vile attack at the current chairman of the Harris County Democratic Party, Lane Lewis. My first impression was that it was a Right Wing plant to create friction in our party. After-all, those that have signed on to be Democrats, the party of inclusiveness, would never lower themselves to the politicking of hate and prejudice that is the modus operandi of the Republican Party of today.

Lo and behold I was informed that this was not the work of the Right Wing. In fact it is an internal cancer. Rev. Willie J. Howard (I must use that title with some trepidation) wrote the following:

I am writing to you because Keryl is in a close race. Her opponent is openly Gay and has already told supporters behind closed doors that the Democratic Party will endorse a Gay Marriage agenda in November. Friends, this is not the direction we need to go as a community or Party. If the gays take over we are poised to lose everything we have worked for during President Obamas historic win. The Republicans will rally their troops behind a united front of making sure this push for same sex marriage is defeated.
Keryl’s opponent is being supported heavily by Annise Parker, another openly gay politician. If you haven’t seen what has happened at the City of Houston here are the facts:

· More Gays and Lesbians serve in leadership roles on boards and commissions.

· The City of Houston got rid of Blue Cross Blue Shield because CIGNA supports Same Sex benefits.

· The Mayor openly advocated the support of Gay marriage and even tried to embarrass President Barack Obama because he believes marriage is between one man and one woman.

Please share this with your friends and loved ones. This race is the most important down ballot race we will vote for. If we don’t Vote they will continue their take over and pretty soon, the party that we once knew will be a party of homosexuals. Our directives shouldn’t come from San Francisco, but from Harris County voters. How will Democrats look electing a man who sales perfume for a living and lays up with another man? Why are our so called community leaders (Rev. Lawson, Howard Jefferson etc.) supporting this agenda? Are they supportive of this lifestyle too??

If one simply replaced the word Gay with Black it would be considered the most racist snippet and would receive news coverage and likely destroy the career of any preacher that had the gall to write it. Any preacher or man/woman of the cloth that promotes the above should lose his or her church. The letter shows a level of hate and an unchristian like behavior that should make one wonder why anyone would go to any preacher condoning said feelings as their mentor or spiritual leader.

I met Ms Keryl Douglas when she came to speak to us at the Kingwood Area Democrats. I found her to be appealing, energetic, poised, and smart. I spoke to her and told her that I was very impressed with what she has done and that under other circumstances I could have been a supporter of her candidacy. I am a Lane Lewis supporter at this time because based on what he has outlined going forward for the party in Harris County, he is the right person for the job at this time. I trust that Ms Keryl Douglas will condemn this preacher and all those that would promote such hate.

Any minority who tacitly condones this type of homophobia would do well to recall what it was like when they were on the other side of the coin. Hiding hate behind religion does not legitimize it. In fact it magnifies it as the one place consolation is expected is lost.

Rev. Willie J. Howard learned all the wrong lessons from the election of our first black president. There were never enough blacks, enough Hispanics, enough progressive whites, enough homosexuals, enough Asians, enough Indians, or enough of anyone else to elect him. It could only be done when we converged on our commonality that we chose a President based on what we needed and not what he looked like or what his personal preferences were.

I am proud to support Lane Lewis as my next Harris County Democratic Party Chairman. He must be judged on what he promises to do for the party, nothing else.

Egberto Willies

President Kingwood Area Democrats