In a chilling preview of what may come, incoming House leaders seem willing to compromise one of the most basic rights for all Americans: freedom of expression. “Outraged” by a video about the AIDS epidemic by a gay artist, two prominent Republican leaders recently demanded censorship of artistic expression at a Smithsonian museum, and got it.
We can’t let this stand. Tell GOP leaders in Congress that we will not allow them to cater to their friends on the fringe who want to censor art they deem offensive. That’s not how America works.
Far-right extremists and some GOP leaders -- including Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Eric Cantor (R-VA) – loudly complained about the video in Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. The eleven-second segment in question portrays a Jesus statue with ants crawling on it to symbolize the suffering of AIDS patients. In an unbelievable display of knee-jerk outrage, Cantor demanded that the exhibit be "pulled," calling it "an outrageous use of taxpayer money," even though the exhibit is 100% privately funded.
If Boehner and Cantor are about to become the Speaker and Majority Leader in the House, they need to know we’re not going to let them run roughshod over speech and expression that they don’t like. But right now, it looks like the right-wing extremists are winning – the video was removed from the exhibit.
The First Amendment is a basic freedom, and we expect elected officials to protect that freedom. Use your freedom of speech right now -- tell Boehner and Cantor that you expect them to stop attacking the Hide/Seek exhibit and uphold the basic right of freedom of speech and expression.
As Republicans or Democrats, conservatives or liberals – we may disagree about cultural or social issues in the media, in public spaces, or in art galleries. That’s the beauty of a free democracy. But we can agree that elected officials should never threaten to silence those with whom they disagree.
Thank you for standing up for our basic freedoms – and for taking action.
- The Change.org Team
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