Gryboski Responds to Article Controversy

By Connect Mason Reporter Rachael Dickson

A article published in Broadside’s April 28 issue, “Homosexuality is a Mental Illness,” written by opinion columnist Michael Gryboski, has sparked protest from many on campus, particularly the Pride Alliance. A “sit-out” protest has been planned for Monday, May 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the North Plaza, popularly referred to as “The Free Speech Zone.”

• Read the official Pride Alliance statement regarding this article.
• Check out Broadside's response to this controversy.

“Due to the recent Broadside article 'Homosexuality is a Mental Illness' and past articles written by Grybowski such as, but not limited to, 'Malcolm X: A Disservice to the Movement' and 'Cultural Isolationism, From Kindergarten to College,' it is time to have students raise their collective voices and hold the Broadside accountable,” a recent e-mail sent out on the Pride Alliance listserve said. “These following articles and many other “opinion” articles, are racist, homophobic, anti-Muslim and overall propagating patriarchal white-supremacy oppression.”

The e-mail later went on to say, “We as a collective want the Broadside to be more respectful and accountable for the articles that they publish.”

Gryboski responded to these concerns in an e-mail interview. EDITOR'S NOTE: This interview has been published, not to showcase the opinions of the Connect Mason staff, but to nurture discussion of this controversial issue.

“How long have you been writing for Broadside?”

“I began writing for the paper back in my first semester, Fall 2005 semester.”

“What topics do you generally write about?”

“It’s really hard to generalize my topics. As any SJP member can attest to, I have written many articles on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but I have also written two articles on the abortion debate, one article relating to the Sudan and genocide (a second one hopefully to be printed this coming Monday), as well as articles on student organizations and political organizations.”

“The general focus is writing works defending my beliefs or critically analyzing others'. I am a Christian who takes the Bible as the literal word of God, which I guess makes me an extremist. Nevertheless, knowing how the typical preacher at the North Entrance of the Johnson Center is treated for using the Bible as evidence, I do my utmost to use sources that mainstream society and even my ideological foes will agree are authoritative.”

“Why did you write the article about homosexuality? Did you expect the backlash that has occurred?”

“As aforementioned, I write on many topics, but I try to make them center around my moral beliefs, that, although based in my Christian beliefs, I strive to defend them with non-likeminded sources. For the sake of making articles timely, I initially chose homosexuality in response to Pride Week.”

“I expected some backlash, especially with the title. This is not the first time I have written about the claims of the Pride Alliance and their allies. Last year I wrote a work under a less inflammatory title, 'A Question of Accuracy,' which covered the topics of homosexuality as paraphilia, the 'gay gene' theory, and the blatantly inaccurate generalization of their opposition. Little to no response.”

“I've noticed a number of conversations between you and others on Facebook on the topic - what have these centered on? Have you been leaving comments on people's walls trying to start a conversation with them on the article?”

“Engagement is my public policy. If I have erred, I want to know it. So I talk both during the writing of the article and afterwards with people who I know disagree with my thesis. For my article, I used an abnormal psychology textbook, the statements of APA members, and other pro-gay organizations. In other words, I never used sources that my intellectual adversaries would deny the authority of.”

“If they had genuine evidence that contradicted my own, such as the vote tally for the 1973 decision, the quotes from the psychologists, the application of various psychological phenomena, I wanted to hear it. I even offered in some cases to help write their rebuttal should they show telling proof that what I had written was factually untrue.”

“What do you personally think of homosexuals?”

“They are sinners, but, of course, so are heterosexuals. There is really nothing distinguishable between homosexuals and heterosexuals outside of sexual preference. People may add attributes, but I refuse to. I do not hate anyone, it is against my religious convictions. As Scripture says, 'who are you to judge your neighbor?' (James 4:12b, NIV). If any would actually read the words I have written, they will not find a single instance in which I resorted to personal attacks.”

“Not being allowed to judge a fellow human being does not mean one cannot speak out against an ideology, a worldview, a school of thought, or even a way of life. As Scripture also says, 'For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.' (Ephesians 6:12) Even on a secular level, what is a University supposed to do? A good one will challenge your beliefs. That is what we are supposed to have happen, simple yet profound intellectual discourse. My article was a challenge to some peoples' beliefs; if they cannot stand that, then they oppose the very nature of the University, all universities in fact.”

“The general reaction of both the Pride Alliance and sympathetic parties has mirrored that of a spoiled child who is being tasked to do chores. Rather than comply, they throw a massive tantrum, screaming and shouting names and directing their rage at any target they want because their parent, in this case the University Administration, refuses to discipline them. Consider the plans to protest the Broadside by holding a sit-in at the office, a place I myself go to on average five or six times per academic year. They are directing their rage at hard-working people who actually side with them and vehemently oppose my position on the matter. Such is the puerile action desired, as they have apparently forgotten the past editions of the Broadside when Pride Week was glorified or when favorable coverage was given to their events and positions.”

“As a student senator, do you think you can represent students well when you consider a large minority of the student body to be mentally ill?”

“The reference to 'large minority' recalls for me yet more propaganda one finds in organizations like Pride Alliance: numbers. There is the classic 10 percent of America is homosexual claim, which has been refuted almost as many times as it has printed. Recently to prop up the same-sex adoption effort a statistic was widely circulated that several million adopted children live in same-sex homes, a stat that was grossly exaggerated. Exposing the many numerical inaccuracies of various homosexual advocacy groups could be an entire article unto itself.”

“That trivial point noted, however large the number, the answer is yes. The purpose of Student Government is to represent student interests, that's student, as in academics, parking, dining, etc. Sexual orientation, one way or the other, plays very little if any role in that office. Like any man-made institute Student Government is composed of people who hold distinct views in various issues. One former senator I met early on in my career there believed Republicans were 'flat-earthers.' That being said, I still considered him to be competent to represent the interests of all Mason students, even Republicans. With that in mind, I believe I can accurately represent the interests of the entire student body.”

“Have your articles ever prompted such an outcry in the past?”

“My articles on the Middle East are the usual lightning rods, especially one in which I denounced Palestinian nationalism's legitimacy by quoting Arab leaders through the decades. A rebuttal to that was published in November of 2006, which up until this edition was the last rebuttal I had had printed against my work.”

Did you expect the backlash that has come from the Black Student Alliance in regard to some of your recent articles?

“On the one hand I was surprised, since surveys have shown the African-American community to be mostly morally conservative, so I expected solidarity instead. On the other hand it makes sense, given two items. One, homosexual advocates consider themselves to be the ideological heirs of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. To them, they are the continuation of that struggle. Two, there is the wing of African American politics that thrives on the victim culture, as seen with the call for reparations, affirmative action and racial quotas. This wing corresponds to the victim culture mentality found in nearly all the politics of homosexual advocacy groups. This link politically means that if one opposes anything related to homosexuality, apparently one also opposes anything related to African-Americans. It is a stupid reasoning, but it is there and we deal with it often.”

“Some people are labeling your articles as "hate speech" that is badly researched. What would you say in response to these allegations?”

“Prove it.”