When I was a child, a visit from the preacher meant a flurry of activity. Aside from the usual ritual of cleaning and cooking, it produced a frantic effort to locate the family Bible, blow off a few years’ accumulated dust and display it prominently — but not so prominently that the preacher’s suspicion might be aroused — in the living room.

That was 50 years ago.

Today, not even an impending visit from the pastor sends folks scurrying for the Good Book faster than any mention of gay people. It is nothing short of astonishing to note how devout some folks become when confronted with the idea that LGBT people should enjoy the rights everybody else takes for granted, even other varieties of “heathens.”

Tuesday, the Starkville Board of Aldermen voted, 5-2, to override Mayor Parker Wiseman’s veto of the board’s Jan. 6 decision to rescind the city’s anti-discrimination policy and Plus-1 health insurance plan, both of which recognized the basic humanity of the LGBT community.

The anti-discrimination policy included LGBT people as a protected group while the health insurance plan would have made it possible for city employees to include their gay partners on their insurance.

It marked the seventh time in roughly a year these issues have been before the board in one form or another, and you could tell that folks on both sides of the argument were pretty much exhausted by Tuesday evening.

Even though the crowd was as large as it was for previous debates on the subject, the hour-plus citizen comment period covered ground that had already been pretty well plowed and the emotional energy so evident in previous discussions simply wasn’t there.

The board ultimately voted to rescind both policies, primarily because that’s the way Jesus would have wanted it, we were told.

Lisa Wynn, who has throughout the process has displayed the kind of spine you generally associate with an eel, voted to rescind. She was joined by the avowed pro-discrimination bloc of Henry Vaughn and “Don’t Call Me Roy” A. Perkins — neither of whom have apparently ever felt the sting of discrimination — David Little and, of course, Ben Carver, who prior to this matter had displayed the sort of religious zeal you might typically expect of a house cat.

Just prior to the vote, Carver revealed he himself had suffered from discrimination because of his heroic stand on this issue. The man has been practically martyred, it appears

“How many of you have a fake Twitter account about them?” a grievously wounded Carver asked the audience. Such are the trials of the Suffering Saints of Starkville.

Even so, Both Carver and Little noted that their backs were sore from all the patting they had received from constituents.

That will change, of course. Ross Barnett and George Wallace were never more popular than they were at what is now recognized as their worst moments, especially among those who professed to be “good Christians.”

Someday in the not so distant future, the board’s affirmation that it is acceptable to discriminate against LGBT people will be viewed as a regrettable episode in the city’s history and the names of Roy A. Perkins, Henry Vaughn, Lisa Wynn, David Little and Ben Carver will be remembered for their misguided, hateful positions on the matter. Perhaps a commemorative plaque is in order.

Until then, I suppose we can take comfort in the knowledge that the city of Starkville discriminates against the same people Jesus would have discriminated against.

Mark Twain once said that if Jesus ever came back to the earth, the last thing he would be is a Christian.

Tuesday’s board meeting only improved his argument.

Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].