Surgeon general nominee questioned over rulings on gays

Herald-Leader ^ | May. 31, 2007 | Art Jester

[Baladas]

The nomination of University of Kentucky professor Dr. James W. Holsinger as U.S. Surgeon General has come under fire from groups that fear his actions as a high-ranking official in the United Methodist Church indicate he is anti-gay.

Holsinger, 68, who holds UK’s Charles T. Wethington Jr. Chair in the Health Sciences and is a former chancellor of UK’s Chandler Medical Center and a former state Secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, is being challenged for his role in decisions by the United Methodist Judicial Council, the denomination’s highest “court” that rules on disputes involving church doctrine and policies.

In his role on the nine-member Judicial Council, Holsinger has opposed a decision to allow a practicing lesbian to be an associate pastor in Philadelphia, and he supported a Virginia pastor who would not permit an openly gay man to join the church. In both instances, Holsinger’s supporters say, he was correctly interpreting and applying church policy.

The reaction from the gay and lesbian community has been pointed.

“Dr. James Holsinger has demonstrated in the past that he harbors religious-based prejudice towards homosexuals,” said Jamie McDaniel, coordinator of Soulforce Lexington, the local chapter of a national organization committed to nonviolent resistance against the use of religion to oppress lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. “As a gay American, I am deeply concerned over any Surgeon General nominee not being healed of such personal prejudice.”

Holsinger’s pastor, the Rev. David Calhoun of Hope Springs United Methodist Church in Lexington, is one of the doctor’s friends and supporters who said his interpretations of church policy have been correct and reflect longstanding majority opinion within the denomination.

“Fears that he would not be fair or compassionate in distributing health care to gay and lesbian individuals is totally unfounded and ludicrous,” Calhoun said. “Jim cares about people no matter who they are.”

A date has not been announced for confirmation hearings for Holsinger’s appointment. He will go before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, chaired by Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. If the committee approves the nomination, it will go to the full Senate for its final approval. Three Democrats on the committee are presidential candidates: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clilnton of New York, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, a graduate of the University of Louisville law school. The GOP members include Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. Kentucky’s senators, Republicans Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning, are not on the committee.

Holsinger has been a member of the United Methodist Judicial Council since 2000 and has been its president since 2004.

In addition to his medical degree and a doctorate in anatomy and physiology, both from Duke University, Holsinger’s several degrees include a master’s degree in biblical studies from Asbury Theological Seminary.

He has been a trustee there since 1990 and was board chairman from 1997 to 2004.

In nominating Holsinger last Thursday, President Bush said the doctor will focus on the problem of childhood obesity. Holsinger has declined to comment publicly until the Senate hearings get under way.

Holsinger’s role in the Judicial Council’s decisions was first reported by former Herald-Leader religion writer Frank Lockwood, who is religion editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Little Rock and operates the Bible Belt Blogger Web site.

Representatives of the gay and lesbian community in Kentucky say the U.S. surgeon general needs to be able to keep politics and health policy separate.

Christina Gilgor, executive director of the Kentucky Fairness Alliance, an organization that seeks equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, said: “While serving on the Methodist Judicial Council, Dr. Holsinger voted to ban a lesbian from the clergy and a gay man from lay membership. We expect America’s ‘top doctor’ to promote healthy public policy, not ideology.”

Concerns about Holsinger have also come from gay groups on the national level.

“We can only hope that . . . Dr. Holsinger would rely on scientific data and not church doctrine,” Joel Ginsberg, executive director, Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, said in a statement. “The Senate should take a hard look to make sure he isn’t another in a long line of ideologically driven Bush administration nominees.” Holsinger’s supporters in Lexington say he won’t be driven by ideology if he’s confirmed by the Senate.

The Rev. Martina Ockerman, executive director of Nathaniel Mission, a United Methodist nonprofit in Lexington, has known Holsinger for many years through church and civic activities.

“He’s very accessible,” Ockerman said. “He really has a heart for working for the poor and the indigent community.”

Added Emery Wilson, former dean of UK’s College of Medicine: “I have a lot of respect for him because I think he’s very open-minded about a lot of things.” Wilson said Holsinger is the most qualified person he can think of to be surgeon general.

[Baladas]

The UMC is usually criticize for being too liberal on social policy, all religion must be bad religion to the likes of Ted Kennedy.

[Old Professer]

Would they rather have Minnie Lee Jones?

[plain talk]

So. Probably most churched politicians belong to churches that do not accept gays as pastors. This is assinine.

[little jeremiah]

Later read/pingout.

[FormerLib]

Sounds as if they are applying a religious test for people to serve in the public sector.

Odd, I thought we didn’t do that in the US...

[little jeremiah]

So now every public official, elected or appointed, has to be vetted to make sure that he is "gay friendly", apparently. What crap. In CA, judges who are members of the BSA can't preside over any cases involving homosexuals. The homosexual radicals wanted to make it so that no judge who was a member of the Boy Scouts could even be hired.

Keep in mind, homosexual activists and their supporters don't want tolerance. They want utter dominance.

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[Alouette]

“We can only hope that . . . Dr. Holsinger would rely on scientific data and not church doctrine,”

Such as, the scientific data that shows the homosexual lifestyle to be even more hazardous and life-threatening than smoking?

[gidget7]

“As a gay American, I am deeply concerned over any Surgeon General nominee not being healed of such personal prejudice.”
“While serving on the Methodist Judicial Council, Dr. Holsinger voted to ban a lesbian from the clergy and a gay man from lay membership. We expect America’s ‘top doctor’ to promote healthy public policy, not ideology.”

Healed exactly how?? since he is a medical doctor and is promoting a lifestyle or it’s practices which are both beyond unhealthy!
As a Doctor, and especially as Surgeon General he SHOULD be promoting a policy of health!! Homosexuality is anti-health. Physicians are not suppose to be guided by your public policy or ideology. Maybe just maybe he knows of the danger of your disease ridden lifestyle, and maybe being a physician, he cannot tell you otherwise or promote mutilating your bodies in the name of ideology and abhorrent sex.

[gidget7]

overzealous spell check, should be “isn’t” promoting.