Human Dignity

Homosexuals, says the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “must be treated with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided” (No. 2358). Would that John Gibson, of Fox News, applied that dictum equally to the actor Heath Ledger, who died a few days ago from a combination of prescription drugs. (Whether it was a suicide is unclear.) Ledger’s most famous role was playing Ennis Del Mar, the gay cowboy in “Brokeback Mountain,” for which he received an Academy Award nomination. In the film, he says aloud to his dead friend, “I wish I knew how to quit you.” Yesterday on his radio show, Mr. Gibson played that audio clip and said, “Aaah, well, I guess he found out how to quit you!” He later called Ledger a “weirdo.” You can hear it here: “Gibson on Ledger” Apparently, a person’s death is laughable, and he forfeits his dignity as a person, if he accepted a film role as a gay man. Will any religious leaders concerned about “Christian values,” any Catholic leaders concerned about “human dignity,” call for censure against such hateful comments by Mr. Gibson? Perhaps not. He’s the author of “The War on Christmas,” which makes the point that the secular culture has tried to push Christmas out of the public square. Apparently, pushing Christian charity, love for one’s neighbor, and simple respect for the dignity of every human being, out of the public square is less troublesome. Addendum. Mr. Gibson subsequently apologized sincerely for his comments, here: