A play in which Jesus is portrayed as a
Transsexual women has caused a small group of Christians to stand outside and picket the Tron theatre in Glasgow. The play, which is part of the Glasgay! arts festival, a celebration of Scotland's gay, bi-sexual and transsexual culture (err, sounds great?).
It almost certainly would have passed by unnoticed by anyone (and very possibly with an audience of less than a couple of dozen), but no doubt the publicity will swell the attention it receives.
Somewhat disengenuously the Glasgay! producer Steven Thomson said that "
This work is not intended to incite or offend anyone of any belief system. However, we respect your right to disagree with that opinion." and festival organisers described the protester placards as possibly inciting homophobia.
Somewhat more interestingly Pastor Jack Bell, of the Zion Baptist Church in Glasgow, who took part in the protest, said: "
If this play had treated the prophet Mohammed in the same way there would have been a strong reaction from the Islamic community, but that just wouldn't happen."
As that very thought must have occurred to many of us, I got to wondering why the Muslim community, who occasionally pretend that as Jesus is a prophet of their religion, then their violent protests in the name of Islam are really defending Christians as well, weren't out supporting these Christian protesters.
They weren't of course, as their religion is centred solely on Mohmmed these days.
Of course the Muslims aren't alone in using violence to suppress 'Free Speech'. The Sikhs for example used violent protest to
suppress a play about sex abuse and murder in a Sikh temple. Similarly the
Mohmmed cartoon row was a very violent attempt to stop Western Freedom of Speech.
As Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris, an honorary member of the National Secular Society
said at the time of the Sikh protests "
We shouldn't allow self-appointed religious representatives to restrict the freedom of speech."
Oddly, a play about Muslim girls being
forced in to prostitution to serve in Mujra (courtesan) clubs, was held in the same theatre as the Sikh play was stopped in, with no Muslim protests ..... as our American friends like to say "
Go figure".