Well, it's starting to get ugly now.
A group calling itself MasonBigotry.org protested today outside of an academic program at UCLA, specifically going after respected professor Margaret Jacob, and demanding that her organization return Masonic sponsorship money because of Georgia and Tennessee's anti-gay policies.
Here is their website.
They also have a list of "demands" on their website (good luck with that, folks). Also on the website, they have posted video of several confrontations with Masonic groups, and even an interview with Pennsylvania's Past Grand Secretary Tom Jackson.
In the grand scheme of things, this is little more than an embarrassment. But especially in California where movements like this are common, I suspect they are going to become more recurrent.
Most of the outside world understands little or nothing about the way Masonic administration works, and making changes in Freemasonry is like trying to stop an aircraft carrier. Because of our rules, attempting to change existing Masonic law can take years to accomplish. That doesn't sit well with "movements" like this, who expect their views to be adopted immediately. So, we will have to deal with this for quite some time, I'm afraid.
A group calling itself MasonBigotry.org protested today outside of an academic program at UCLA, specifically going after respected professor Margaret Jacob, and demanding that her organization return Masonic sponsorship money because of Georgia and Tennessee's anti-gay policies.
Here is their website.
They also have a list of "demands" on their website (good luck with that, folks). Also on the website, they have posted video of several confrontations with Masonic groups, and even an interview with Pennsylvania's Past Grand Secretary Tom Jackson.
In the grand scheme of things, this is little more than an embarrassment. But especially in California where movements like this are common, I suspect they are going to become more recurrent.
Most of the outside world understands little or nothing about the way Masonic administration works, and making changes in Freemasonry is like trying to stop an aircraft carrier. Because of our rules, attempting to change existing Masonic law can take years to accomplish. That doesn't sit well with "movements" like this, who expect their views to be adopted immediately. So, we will have to deal with this for quite some time, I'm afraid.