Blogging: Idle Gossip or Real Potential? (Blog Effect Part I)

Villanova Cancels Invitation to Radical Gay Rights Performer Who Blames Catholic Blogs

Following a report by The Cardinal Newman Society, Villanova University, a Roman Catholic Augustinian University outside Philadelphia, has now cancelled the invitation to a militant gay rights performance artist who had been asked to be an artist in residence this April and lead workshops for students.

The school released a statement announcing that Tim Miller, a pro-abortion rights and pro-gay marriage performance artist who often appears nude on stage, would not be hosting a week-long workshop on campus in April.

“Villanova University embraces intellectual freedom and academic discourse. Indeed, it is at the very heart of our University and our Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition. With regard to the forthcoming residency and performance workshops by Tim Miller, we had concerns that his performances were not in keeping with our Catholic and Augustinian values and mission. [Well let's just be direct and say they aren't.]

“Therefore, Villanova has decided not to host Mr. Miller on our campus. Villanova University is an open and inclusive community and in no way does this singular decision change that.” [Notice the fear of being harrassed about not being inclusive. That is about the worst thing a university can be accused of these days it appears.]

As The Cardinal Newman Society reported, Miller, according to Facebook, sued the National Endowment for the Arts for pulling a grant due to his obscene “art,” he’s been arrested dozens of times, is a very public advocate of gay marriage and abortion rights, and is a member of the anti-Catholic group ACT UP which once sent protesters to interrupt Sunday mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York and desecrated the Eucharist, according to The New York Times.

Far from renouncing his membership in ACT UP after that 1989 incident, Miller remains a member of ACT UP, according to Facebook, and even called the group’s confrontational tactics, “the single most influential thing in my life.“

Miller’s “art” has reportedly included simulating intercourse and lewdly exposing his naked body.  Has has criticized the “hideous religious baggage” that Americans have and said laws defending traditional marriage are “right out of the Third Reich.” [Perfect. Let's invite him to our Catholic university.]

Miller responded to the cancelled invitation from Villanova in news reports by blaming Catholic blogs [Good work.], saying that they were spreading “this bizarre lie that I’m anti-Catholic [Wait I thought we were part of the Nazi party?]… People tell these lies and it gets people who read these blogs worked up.” [No…it doesn't merely get them worked up. It makes them informed and outraged. So the outrage is due to nothing…I mean there's absolutely no reason people should be angry, is that what you are saying?]

“Times have changed,” he reportedly said. “We’re in a much more coercive, censorious time.” [Really? Compared to when? The middle ages or Third Reich? I don't know why I'm making these comments…I don't even know the guy.]

The school had billed the performance workshop as “an intimate process of self-discovery and exploration, focusing on identity and culture, questions of diversity and difference, knowledge of self and others, etc.”

To read the original report from The Cardinal Newman Society please click here.