Straight men's contest planned

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Straight men's contest planned

By Lori StabileThe Republican, Massachusetts, December 17, 2005

Holland - Pastor Thomas J. Crouse is looking for a few good heterosexual men.

Crouse, pastor of Holland Congregational Church, is not running a dating service. He is sponsoring a "Mr. Heterosexual" contest, where contestants will tear Oprah magazines, play "Name that Potato Chip" blindfolded, discuss the best use of duct tape and display a talent.

All for $100 and a "Mr. Heterosexual" trophy.

The event will also feature an appearance by a man who once lived what Crouse calls "the homosexual lifestyle" but has been "freed through Jesus Christ."

"If someone's a homosexual and struggling with homosexuality, then Jesus Christ can free them from that," Crouse said. "Christ is the answer for all sinners."

The contest has raised concerns from gay activists, and after threats of protests, Crouse is now looking for a new location to hold the Feb. 4 event. He said he has received "threatening, perverse and jaded" e-mails.

"Sturbridge Host Hotel told me today they won't hold it there," said Crouse, blaming pressure from the gay community.

"I anticipated some reaction, but what surprises me is how intolerant people who preach tolerance can be. I'm not a gay-basher ... This is a funny event," said Crouse, who discussed the contest with Tucker Carlson recently on MSNBC.

Rob A. Okun, executive director of the Men's Resource Center for Change in Amherst, had not heard of the event before being told about it yesterday, but said it "misses an opportunity to bring men together in a positive and celebratory way."

"It's unfortunate that in the guise of having a fun event ... that a darker subtext exists ... It is divisive, and at a time when more and more of the world is recognizing the legitimacy of gays and lesbians and transgendered people," Okun said.

Just because his critics find the contest offensive, doesn't mean that it is, Crouse said.

Crouse first mentioned Mr. Heterosexual on his radio show at 760 WVNE-AM.

"I said, 'No one ever has anything for heterosexuals,'" said Crouse, adding jokingly that he was going to do a Mr. Heterosexual contest. Enthused callers rang in, offering ideas. It took off from there.

Crouse is advertising the contest on the Web site www.mrhetero.com where coffee cups and T-shirts that say "100% Hetero" and "designed by God" are available.

The controversy has even touched the Tantasqua Regional School District. Holland Congregational meets at Tantasqua Regional High School because, with 450 members, it outgrew its space at the church.

"What are the criteria you use in determining who can and cannot use the school for such purposes, especially by a pastor who offends a large segment of society with his anti-gay vitriol?" wrote Wayne Bates, a Boylston business owner and gay activist, in an e-mail to Tantasqua Superintendent Kathleen Reynolds and School Committee members.

Reynolds said she received a legal opinion that says school buildings must be open for community use. "We cannot deny them," she said. "We take no position, pro or con."

The church, founded in 1765, is not "your average Congregational church," Crouse said. It takes the Bible literally - meaning no gay marriage, and homosexuality is a sin. It is not affiliated with the United Church of Christ.

"At this point, I'm more committed than ever to doing (Mr. Heterosexual). We're not allowed in this society to say anything that's not politically correct," Crouse said. "The most important message to give is freedom through Jesus Christ."

He said he may hold the contest in other states, and refuses to "bow to the pressure of gay activists."

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