Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

Monday, January 24, 2011

David Barton's homophobia channels racism

For those who claim that racism and homophobia aren't alike, or that racism is real while homophobia is a term "created by radical homosexual activists," I turn to the words of pseudo-historian David Barton.

Courtesy of People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch (who will probably start charging me for using so much of their material), comes the words of Barton on a radio program. Barton was claiming that "anti-bullying" initiatives are really the indoctrination blueprints of the lgbt community to nab children. Now pay attention to his words:

There’s a whole lost of this that goes on that parents don’t even hear about but it is going on. All this bullying stuff, as Brian pointed out, it’s not the schools that are doing bullying, it’s the people from outside the schools coming in and saying “oh you got a bullying problem and we need to teach a course for you.” The people living there didn’t see any problem. But it’s these outside agenda-"

Doesn't that phraseology sound familiar. To those who fought the African-American civil rights struggle, the phraseology should sound familiar:

Here, more than anywhere else, movement leaders had to deal with a ferocious form of white supremacist resistance paradoxically fueled by a combination of outside intervention and the apparent futility of that intervention. In the long run the ICC order would lead to grudging desegregation and ultimately to new social mores, but in the short run, the perceived emptiness of the Freedom Riders' victory encouraged continued resistance on all fronts, including voting rights and school desegregation. With the help of meddling federal officials, outside agitators had invaded the state, yet the Mississippi way of life remained intact. Among white Mississippians in 1962, this was the primary lesson conveyed by the Freedom Rides. [Freedom Riders, p. 481-482]

Or how about from the words of Peter de Lissovoy, a civil rights veteran:

The idea of thousands upon thousands of young African Americans in the South being communists really would have been absurd, perhaps even in the wild fantasies of the southerners of those times. I guess the idea was that it was we "outside agitators" from the North who were communists trying to bamboozle the "good Nigras" of the crackers' fond imagination into communist revolution.

Back in those days, there was a belief among Southern whites that African-Americans were fine with segregation and the second class status that it brought. Many of them felt that complaints about segregation were the products of people from the North coming into Southern towns and riling folks up. They called these people "outside agitators."

The belief was a way that many of these people dealt with the hard fact that segregation was wrong and the only reason why African-Americans didn't complain was because they feared for their lives.

Just like racists back then said, "Our Nigras were just fine until them outside agitators from up North riled them up," Barton seems to be saying "there is no problem with bullying until these radical homosexuals come in from outside the community and rile everybody up.

Barton knows that the bullying of lgbt students is a huge problem no matter where it is in the country, just like those Southern whites knew that segregation was a problem with African-Americans.

But back then, racists didn't care what problems segregation caused as long as black folks stayed in " their place"

The question to ask is does Barton feel the same way about lgbt students and bullying.

Related web pages:

Bullying in Schools: Harassment Puts Gay Youth at Risk

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network

Fischer: federal government creating 'hunting grounds for homosexual pedophiles,' and other Monday midday news briefs

Fischer: Anti-Discrimination Rule Will Turn Housing Projects into "Hunting Grounds With Easy Prey for Homosexual Pedophiles" - When Bryan Fischer says crazy junk like this, don't get angry. Spotlight it. Make HIM the face of the religious right.

Michael Musto Tells Calvin Klein: 'Go Back In The Closet' - Musto takes Klein to task. Is his criticism valid? Whichever the case, I think Vince McMahon should headline the next Wretlemania with the two.

Report details warning for fired Mich. asst. AG - Apparently that nut from the Michigan Attorney General's office who stalked that gay college student has been in trouble before. Color ME surprised.

Gay couple alleges police brutality - Excuse me but what the hell?

African-American community needs more honesty and fewer 'apostles, bishops, and prophets'

I sincerely HOPE to step on toes with this post.

I submit to you the REAL problem in the African-American community when it comes to issues of lgbts of color. The following is from a little-noted press conference by some black pastors in Illinois (naturally put together by a predominantly white religious right group - that's always how the story goes) whining that the struggle for lgbt equality isn't the same as the African American struggle for equality:

It's a cute ignorant speech by Ms. Vessel whom I am certain most likely earned her title (s).

But then that's the thing which bothers me.

This woman reminds me of Crystal Dixon. Remember her? She is the former University of Toledo Human Resources Officer who, in 2008, got sacked for writing an anti-gay piece. She became a cause celebre of the religious right in regards to freedom of speech as long as they omit the fact that while she wrote the piece on her own times, she was talking about her employer's policy without the permission of her employer.

The important thing to remember about her for the benefit of this post is that she had claimed to be called by God to preach.

And then there is the case of the 2009 supposed exorcism of a gay teen by a woman who called herself a "prophetess."

Do you get what my point is here?

Just in the few blocks where I live, there are close to six or seven churches. And while I know there isn't anything wrong with this, I can't help wondering if some of those churches are run by people with a real interest on doing God's work or folks more interested in anointing themselves as "Reverend Doctor Bishop Prophetess Apostle whomever" in order to get a spotlight regardless of the fact that they don't know what the heck they are talking about.

I don't care what the old adage says. Ignorance is NOT bliss. And in the hands of people like the folks I mention, it's a deadly weapon used against lgbts of color

Like so many others, some African-Americans need to be educated on the fact that lgbts of color exist and we are just as normal and beneficial to the community as heterosexual African-Americans.

But our community also has a plethora of individuals who desire titles before their names or wanting their own churches to be filled with people drooling over their every word.

Unfortunately a lot of times, these folks aim their venom at us in order to get that spotlight. Folks such as Bishop Eddie Long who, before the gay sex scandal, not only led marches against the lgbt community but also spoke out publicly against us

And while these enterprising black leaders receive a great deal of prominence (hello Bishop Harry Jackson - another wannabe getting well-known from hurting his own people), lgbts of color, particularly young lgbts of color, are suffering.

We need less "apostles, prophets, reverends, and bishops" and more out and proud lgbts like so:

The question is who should the African-American community stand with - people who are simply standing up for themselves or a sad system of charlatans, liars, and secret humpers out to use God to get meaningless titles before their names.

The choice is yours, my beautiful black brothers and sisters.

Hat tip to Goodasyou and No More Downlow TV

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Michele Bachman makes Dan Quayle look like Albert Einstein

For someone who is a tea party favorite, is always talking about getting us back to the vision of the Founding Fathers, and is conducting classes on the Constitution for members of the House of Representatives, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) isn't up on her Constitutional history. Check out this tweet courtesy of Americablog:

For the benefit of those not aware of the simple stupidity behind this post - All of the Founding Fathers were dead by the time slavery was abolished, seeing that America declared itself free from British rule close to 100 years before the 13th amendment to the Constitution was added. The 13th amendment abolished slavery.

Dear Congresswoman Bachmann, I liked you better when you used to watch gay pride parades while hiding behind bushes.

And some conservative Republicans are actually pushing for her possible presidential candidacy, including one who called her " Reagan in pumps."

Such is the sad state of conservatism in America.

Homophobe tries to play Joan of Arc when he really should try out for Lady MacBeth

Scott Lively, the anti-gay activist partly responsible for the "kill the Gays" bill in Uganda is complaining that he is being unfairly attacked.

Lively has recently claimed to have toned down his rhetoric in an effort to refocus his so-called "good fight" on helping the underprivileged in Massachusetts. However, he is finding out that his past reputation for demonizing the lgbt community will not go away.

And he complained about it in the letter to the editor today in a local Boston newspaper :

I’ve recently been attacked by the Boston Globe (front page), then The Republican and local television news. In these reports and online reader comments, I’m labeled variously a “hate group,” Holocaust denier, anti-Semite, author of a “Kill the Gays” law in Uganda, a racist, murderer, and defender of pedophilia.

Google my name to find 20 years of similar rhetoric by my enemies. It has long passed beyond slander into absurdity. Why the attacks? Because I am a knowledgeable and persuasive critic of the “gay” movement. I don’t run or self-censor under pressure so they keep escalating their rhetoric to discredit me to the public.

For the record, I have never advocated hatred or violence against anyone. I have never denied the Holocaust. I am a strong supporter of Israel and the Jewish people. I did address the Ugandan Parliament but spoke against the death penalty provision in their bill (which did not become law). I pastor one of the most racially integrated congregations in Springfield. I have never killed anyone. And I am internationally known for preaching against all sex outside of heterosexual marriage (including pedophilia).

Mr. Lively, you are being attacked because you are a reprobate homophobe who, while you have not outright called for violence against lgbts, manipulated audiences to that very end.

In his "I am just like Joan of Arc on the cross" letter, Lively omitted several things.

He omitted that he:

Anti-gay activist - Lie told about Obama's Tucson speech is mere difference of opinion

Robert Knight is a long-time anti-lgbt activist. During stints with the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America, he was one of the main voices in denying the lgbt community our equality, even stooping to citing the discredited research of Paul Cameron on numerous occasions.

Knight also helped to write the awful DOMA law that we are trying hard to overturn.

Nowadays, he hangs his hat at Coral Ridge Ministries and the American Civil Rights Union, where he now excels in not only not lying about the lgbt community but also other things such as President Obama's address in Tucson after that terrible shooting.

Knight's column on Obama's address can only be described as a mindless hit piece more interested in causing damage than making sense. He criticized Obama on almost every aspect of the speech, including his comments about little Christina Green, the nine-year-old girl who lost her life in the tragedy.

A perfect example of Knight's "no lie is too ugly to use" tenor in his column is the following claim:

When, for instance, have you been to a memorial service where cheers and yells punctuated the eulogy and where political campaign T-shirts were draped over seats or given out to mourners at the door?

That statement is a lie. The t-shirts were not campaign paraphernalia. The t-shirts, which read "Together We Thrive: Tucson & America," were creation of the University of Arizona.

Now some have said the t-shirts were tacky. Others have claimed that they are important because they united the community. Regardless of your opinion of the t-shirts, to implicate the Obama Administration in any way, shape, or form in their creation is a huge lie.

But that didn't stop Knight. And he isn't backing down on his claim, even after made aware of the truth. The following is an email exchange between him and me:

Me - Dear Mr. Knight,

I see that you have moved from lying about gays to just plain lying.

Your piece about Obama's speech in Tucson was a sad example of just why so many people have a bad impression of Christianity. The liars - like yourself - talk so much that no one speaking truth has a chance to get a word in edgewise. Particularly this sentence was a lie:

When, for instance, have you been to a memorial service where cheers and yells punctuated the eulogy and where political campaign T-shirts were draped over seats or given out to mourners at the door?

There were no campaign political T-shirts draped over the seats. These t-shirts, created by the University of Arizona, did not endorse any candidate nor any political party. They read "Together We Thrive: Tucson & America" - which emphasized support and solidarity after that awful tragedy.

Mr. Knight, you are a sad individual. It's one thing for you to believe your lies, but when you trot them out in the public square, you make a mockery out of those who truly believe in Christ.

Knight - Have you ever been to a memorial service where T shirts with slogans were handed out? And as far as the inappropriate behavior, it may not be Obama’s fault that people did shout outs, etc. But he could have put a stop to it immediately, reminding them of the solemnity of the occasion. He didn’t.

Me - But the t-shirts were not political, which means you told a lie. And far be it from anyone to lecture people on how they cope with tragedy. It wasn't the president's place to do this and just because he didn't is no reason to imply that his administration had anything to do with the t-shirts - lie number two on your part. The Bible speaks against bearing false witness.

Knight - You're stretching the false witness admonition to encompass a difference in opinion. That's a false witness in and of itself. The Unity message is quite political in that it implies that lack of unity caused the shootings, when in fact they were caused by whatever screw is loose inside Loughner's head.

Me - Mr. Knight, this is not a simple case of a difference of opinion. You implied that the t-shirts were campaign paraphernalia and that the Obama administration was behind it. And when the truth reveals just the opposite, you double down on the implication. That's not a difference of opinion on your part but bearing false witness and the spreading of lies.

Knight - You inferred. I said only what happened, which is that “political campaign T-shirts” were handed out. I believe that to be the case. It wasn’t quite as blatant as having shirts with “Change” on them, but it’s close. ASU, like other liberal campuses, is undoubtedly firmly in Democratic hands. By the way, who suggested anywhere that disunity would be a good thing? The Unity call is a sly libel on outspoken critics of Obama, Congress and the whole drive toward big government. By implication, the Tea Parties are supposed to stay quiet or risk being accused of spoiling unity.

Me - Mr. Knight, you have every right to believe what you want but as someone who wrote publicly about this event and also as one who calls himself a Christian, you have an obligation to be truthful. And it is sad that you chose to abandon both of those obligations. This is not about the tea party or politics of any stripe. This is about a simple issue of integrity and you have demonstrated your cluelessness about that word.

Knight - Fine. I didn't think reason would work. Liberals are immune. Believe what you will.

Hilarious conversation until you consider the fact that Knight (and so many others like him) have used that "I don't care what the truth says, if I hold fast to what I say then it will trump the truth" logic to the issue of lgbt equality.

Even when science shows time and time again that people do not choose to be gay, they continue to repeat the lie that the lgbt orientation is a "lifestyle."

Even when medical organizations time and time again prove that children suffer no harm while living in same-sex households, they will repeat the lie that lgbts somehow will harm children.

Even when several researchers complain about how their work has been distorted, Knight and company will ignore them or (as Knight did in the case of Robert Garofalo*) will attack their veracity while still distorting their work.

With Knight and company, we are dealing with people and groups who seem to think that constant repetition trumps truth.

Well they are wrong. Repetition never trumps truth. And lies told in the name of God are still lies.

As long as we remember this and challenge folks like Knight at every turn, we will win.

* In 1998, pediatrician Robert Garofalo complained that religious right groups were distorting his work on lgbt youth. Knight called Garofalo a "thrall of political correctness." - Boston doctor says ads distorted his work on gays, Anne E. Kornblutt, The Globe Staff, The Boston Globe, August 4, 1998

Friday, January 21, 2011

Know Your LGBT History - Flawless

Those who read this blog on a regular basis know that I love me some Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Ever since his heartbreaking performance as a gay man who has a requited crush on Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights (1997), I have had a huge crush on him.

And of course I knew that he was destined to win the Oscar, which he did for portraying another gay man, Truman Capote in Truman (2005).

But alas, Hoffman isn't gay. However, he is excellent in his portrayals of members of the lgbt community.

Like for example in Flawless (1999), a perfectly nice comedy crime drama. Hoffman portrays Rusty, a drag queen who has to teach his upstairs neighbor (portrayed by legendary actor Robert DeNiro) how to speak properly again. DeNiro's character is a police officer who recently had a stroke.

Of course the two bicker, but soon begin to respect each other. However complications and arguments ensue. Don't worry, the movie has a happy ending (sorry for giving that away, but with so many movies in the past involving lgbts which had unhappy endings, I figure you would appreciate knowing this information even if you didn't see the movie.)

Like I said before, Hoffman is an excellent actor and infuses the character of Rusty with dignity, grace, and above all, an attitude for telling it like it is:

The Gay Republicans
Flawless at MOVIECLIPS.com

And I am including this scene because it's so damn funny:

Drag Queen Fight
Flawless at MOVIECLIPS.com

Serial liar joins board of gay Republican group and other Friday midday news briefs

GOProud Adds Andrew Breitbart to Board, Loses Last Shred of Credibility - There is a difference between encouraging differences of opinion when it comes to lgbt equality and looking like a bunch of fools. GoProud leaps over the line and into a huge dark-filled pit.

If NOM's Louis Marinelli wants high road, he *must* take responsibility for past tracks - DO NOT talk about treating lgbts with respect if you can't follow that dictum yourself.

Charges dismissed in raid of gay bathhouse - And somewhere in America, Porno Pete LaBarbera gets angry.

DADT Cost Almost $200 Million In Five Years: GAO Report - Oh yea, we want to bring back THIS policy.

Lesbian girls from USA writes awesome lgbt rap anthem

I love this song and it needs more attention. It's a catchy tune with an awesome beat and most of all, it's coming from us (the lgbt community) instead of a heterosexual rapper giving solidarity with us. Don't get me wrong when I say that because there is nothing wrong with a heterosexual ally giving us support.

All I'm saying is that it is good to hear us voice unity.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Former Navy chaplain claims that homosexuality can be cured through 'exorcisms'

If you give some members of the religious right a voice and enough room, they tend to make themselves look like fools.

And it's shaping up that David Pakman is becoming an expert on this.

Pakman, who has interviewed such "luminaries as Peter LaBarbera, Paul Cameron, and Bryan Fischer, has just added another notch in his six-shooter with today's interview with former Navy chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt.

First a little background information on Klingenschmitt. He is another phony religious right cause celebre who claimed that his religious beliefs was causing him to be discriminated against. In this case, he claimed that he was kicked out of the Navy because for simply "praying in Jesus's name."

Of course the actual story, which you can read about here, has less to do with prayer and more to do with his being insubordinate for wearing his uniform at partisan and political events, a big no-no.

Klingenschmitt's past lies pale in comparison to what he said during the interview with Pakman today. He truly brought "the crazy:"

Truth Wins Out gives a small recap:

It starts with a normal human-to-wingnut discussion of DADT repeal, but then the wingnut goes off the rails, completely and thoroughly. Check it: he advocates EXORCISM as the one true way to “cure” homosexuality, and then goes off on a long tangent about how gay men are lying when we say we’re gay, and that saying we’re gay is the same thing as claiming we are women!

This is yet another example of the close correlation between a hatred of gay people and a deep hatred of women, as this sort of statement, from a man who doesn’t strike me as the epitome of “manliness” in the first place, must be taken in the context of their belief that women are inherently inferior. But it’s truly amazing in the year 2011 to hear religious extremists refer to “diseases” being caused by “demons.” Is Klingenschmitt aware of scientific advancement in the past 500 years, or is his Dungeons and Dragons belief system just more important to him than reality?

Also, there is a point where he describes a creepy ceremony he held with a lesbian sailor, but I won’t spoil that fer ya.

Personally, I'm all for gay exorcisms if it is to bring the "spirit of gay" into men and I get to choose who gets my hands "laid upon them."

Of course the sad alternative would be the following:

Principal - gay/straight alliances are wrong but gay slurs are okay and other Thursday midday news briefs

Long Island Principal Blocks Gay-Straight Alliance, Says Gay Slurs Aren't Really that Offensive - Any principal who thinks that it's okay to use a gay slur should be dismissed, period.

Truth Wins Out Announces Eleven State Tour Highlighting The Harm Caused by the ‘Ex-Gay’ Industry - One of my mentors fighting the good fight against the lies.

FRC Pressuring House Republicans To Eliminate Marriage Equality in DC - And I thought it was the lgbts who were trying to force their will upon folks. Another lie shot to pieces.

Policy on Gay Adoptions Not on Scott Agenda Yet - That is until he can find a way to sneak it in. I hope not but we are watching, Governor Scott.

Finally, the following were announced as GLAAD Media Award Nominees for Outstanding Blog. This is the first time this award will be given:

The Bilerico Project (http://www.bilerico.com/)
Blabbeando (http://blabbeando.blogspot.com/)
Joe. My. God. (http://joemygod.blogspot.com/)
Pam's House Blend (http://www.pamshouseblend.com)
Rod 2.0 (http://rodonline.typepad.com/)

All VERY deserving. And I especially like the fact that Pam's House Blend - a blog where I also post - is in the running.

It's going to be hard to pick just one for the award. Can't they all get it?

Homophobic presidential candidates and bad research make for an ugly Thursday morning

Apparently I am not the only one alarmed with GOP Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty's attempt to kiss up to anti-gay hate groups.

Republicans are alarmed by it too:

It’s hard to see what Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was thinking when he voiced support on Thursday for reinstating the ban on gays serving openly in the military. Pawlenty must know that with almost 80% of Americans supporting repeal, he cannot realistically bring back DADT.

Tellingly, Pawlenty did not say he would fight to reinstate DADT or that he would even make it a priority. What Pawlenty said was “I would support reinstating it”, which is quite different from actively working for reinstatement. I’m sure Barack Obama “would support” a balanced budget, but I don’t expect one from him.

Pawlenty made his statement on the radio program of Bryan Fischer from the American Family Association, a smart choice if you want to sell a book to social conservatives. Unfortunately Bryan Fischer also has a long track record of inflammatory and untrue statements. . . . If Bryan Fischer had made racist or anti-Semitic statements then no respectable Republican would have appeared on his show. How is this any different?

And speaking of homophobic Presidential candidates, I received the following comment regarding my piece on Rick Santorum's attack on same-sex households.

I have evidence that homosexuals are 40 times more likely to molest children. This paper is thoroughly documented. http://www.defendthefamily.com/_docs/resources/6390601.pdf

The following was my response:

Dear Anonymous,

The only reason why I am publishing your comment is to demonstrate your ignorance and homophobia. That link you gave me is chock full of bad citations, including the distortions of several pro-gay books, including the one by Weinberg and Bell (look it up on this blog.) BUT THE BIGGEST PISS POOR distortion is the citation of the work of Mr. George "Lift My Luggage" Rekers. And I haven't even talked about the fact that the author, Judith Reisman is a charlatan who has been literally laughed out of court so many times for her silly attacks on the Kinsey Institute that she has been barred from suing the organization.

If this study is your idea of thorough documentation, I feel VERY VERY sorry for you.

I hope I didn't come off as too mean. I was reading something from Larry Kramer last night and apparently it may have rubbed off.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Rick Santorum begins an ignorant war on same-sex families

Another GOP presidential candidate seems to be jumping on the homophobia train.

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum had a two hour long video with the conservative CNS News. This video, created by People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch, captured his comments about not just marriage equality but gay adoption and same-sex households:

Basically Santorum said that gay adoption shouldn't be allowed because it is "common sense" that we should not "defy nature" just because "a certain group of people want to be affirmed by society"

There are so many things wrong with Santorum's position. First of all, he and the interviewer seem to be implying that children are being taken away from perfectly good homes in order to supposedly suit the "selfish needs" of the lgbt community.

This is a lie. The irony is that Santorum's interview came out the same time as the following:

After a successful fight to overturn Florida’s ban on adoption by gay men and lesbians, the two young brothers adopted by Martin Gill participated in an adoption ceremony in Judge Cindy Lederman's chambers in Miami-Dade County Juvenile Court today, marking the final step in their adoption process. Gill and his partner had served as foster parents to the two brothers for six years. Gill worked with the American Civil Liberties Union to fight for the right to adopt them by challenging Florida’s 33-year-old ban on gay people adopting. As a result of the ACLU lawsuit on behalf of Gill, the ban was ended last year.

“We are thrilled that after so many years, we are officially a family in the eyes of the law,” said Gill. “All children deserve a permanent, loving home. This is a happy day.”

In November 2008, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Lederman held that the statute barring adoption by gay people is unconstitutional and granted Gill's petition to adopt brothers. Last year, the Third District Court of Appeal upheld that decision after the state appealed.

“Martin and his family were instrumental in ending one of the most discriminatory laws in the country,” said Leslie Cooper, staff attorney with the ACLU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project. “Hopefully now, thousands of children in Florida who are waiting to be adopted will be able to know the love and support of having a family.”

To Santorum, no matter how much love and support the Gill family entails, it is inferior to his version of "family" because the fathers are "dirty homosexuals" who only adopted children in order to "force society to affirm their lifestyle. "

All of that other stuff about children being entitled to a "permanent, loving home" is simply a dodge propagated by National Homosexual Headquarters.

What a load of nonsense.

Perhaps before talking about something which he clearly has no knowledge of, Santorum should educate himself on the simple reality of same-sex households. They are here, they are numerous, and they are filled with love and support, just like every normal household should be.

As for now, Santorum wouldn't know common sense if it grew teeth and bit him on his homophobic rump.

And if he steps anywhere near the White House with that attitude - even for a visit, I suggest a serious fumigation of the premises.

Related posts:

Same-sex families are growing rapidly, can no longer be ignored

NOM needs to stop peddling in fantasy and face reality about same-sex families

Lgbts of color out and proud for MLK Day and other Wednesday midday news briefs

With Black History Month just around the corner, it's time for lgbts of color to get an early jump in making sure that our contributions are NOT forgotten. More on No More Down Low TV

More on those CornerStone Policy Research 'Helpful Links' - Let's not forget to keep the liars in check.

DC Marriage Foes’ Voting-Rights Hypocrisy Exposed - It keeps getting worse for the homophobes in DC.

GSA ban lifted by Halton Catholic school board - A rare case in which comparing us lgbts to Nazis actually worked in our favor.

Hospital visits to extend to same-sex couples - Awesome news and an excellent way to end today's news briefs

Same-sex families are growing rapidly, can no longer be ignored

Not too many people are aware of this, but the idea of same-sex families is the proverbial "third rail" for those who fight against marriage equality.

The very existence of these families does more to negate their arguments about "marriage being about the procreation and protection of children" than anything ever said by the lgbt community and our allies.

Therefore, it's not accidental when organizations like the National Organization for Marriage either ignore these families or trivialize them as "untested social experiments."

However, a recent article in The New York Times is serving NOM and other members of the religious right notice to the fact that they cannot continue to push aside same-sex families. From the article, we learn that not only are same-sex families growing in Southern states, but these families are comprised of people of color:

. . . child rearing among same-sex couples is more common in the South than in any other region of the country, according to Gary Gates, a demographer at the University of California, Los Angeles. Gay couples in Southern states like Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas are more likely to be raising children than their counterparts on the West Coast, in New York and in New England.

The pattern, identified by Mr. Gates, is also notable because the families in this region defy the stereotype of a mainstream gay America that is white, affluent, urban and living in the Northeast or on the West Coast.

“We’re starting to see that the gay community is very diverse,” said Bob Witeck, chief executive of Witeck-Combs Communications, which helped market the census to gay people. “We’re not all rich white guys.”

Black or Latino gay couples are twice as likely as whites to be raising children, according to Mr. Gates, who used data from a Census Bureau sampling known as the American Community Survey. They are also more likely than their white counterparts to be struggling economically.

Experts offer theories for the pattern. A large number of gay couples, possibly a majority, entered into their current relationship after first having children with partners in heterosexual relationships, Mr. Gates said. That seemed to be the case for many blacks and Latinos in Jacksonville, for whom church disapproval weighed heavily.

“People grew up in church, so a lot of us lived in shame,” said Darlene Maffett, 43, a Jacksonville resident, who had two children in eight years of marriage before coming out in 2002. “What did we do? We wandered around lost. We married men, and then couldn’t understand why every night we had a headache.”

The bottom line is steadily becoming this - in the argument over marriage equality, same-sex couples and the children they are raising cannot be pushed aside or trivialized as "untested social experiments." Whether those against marriage equality and same-sex household like it or not, there isn't a talking point in existence which will make these families disappear.

Related post:

NOM needs to stop peddling in fantasy and face reality about same-sex families

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Is Pawlenty counting on a homophobic backlash to put him in the Oval Office?

Perhaps I am being too paranoid but it's obvious to me that former Gov. Minnesota Tim Pawlenty is counting on history while making his presidential bid.

Remember, it was the backlash against the civil rights movement (some unfairly grouped it with the excesses of the 60s) which led to Nixon's Southern Stategy and subsequently his election as President in 1968.

With the recent victories of the lgbt community over those who would deny us our equality (i.e. the repealing of DADT, overturning the law against gay adoption in Florida, overturning of the Prop 8 vote), some may think that a backlash against us is inevitable.

How else can one explain Pawlenty's recent moves? Last week while on the tour of his book, Pawlenty talked with Bryan Fischer of the American Family Assocation. Fischer has been called out numerous times for his vicious anti-gay comments, including claiming that lgbts formed the building blocks of the Nazi Party.

However, Pawlenty didn't address Fischer's homophobia because he was too busy cozying up to him, even to the point of promising to reinstate DADT should he be elected as president.

Today, Pawlenty took his wooing of the anti-gay forces a bit further. According to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch:

Pawlenty will continue to court anti-gay leaders by meeting with Iowa’s Bob Vander Plaats and his organization, The Family Leader. Vander Plaats told the Des Moines Register that his group will be “hosting Governor Pawlenty in Iowa” in early February to discuss “pro-family issues, all the way from life and marriage to economic policy and energy policy.”

After losing the race for the Republican nomination for governor, Vander Plaats became a leader of Iowa’s Religious Right after he coordinated a successful campaign to block the retention of three Iowa Supreme Court justices who supported the Court’s unanimous ruling to legalize same-sex marriage. Vander Plaats, who a former aide said is “obsessed with the gay marriage issue,” has since called for the removal of the entire Supreme Court because of the Court's decision in favor of marriage equality. The Family Leader is the parent organization of Marriage Matters, the Iowa Family PAC, and the Iowa Family Policy Center, an organization that attacks “the public health crisis of same-sex activity” and tells church groups that they can “protect your children” from “homosexual activists.”

It's too early right now to see if Pawlenty's efforts will yield any fruition, but it is safe to say that for the 2012 Presidential election, he considers the lgbt community to be food on the menu.

Supreme Court tells Harry Jackson to bug off and other Tuesday midday news briefs

SCOTUS Rejects Appeal from Same-Sex Marriage Opponents in D.C. - I sincerely hope that anti-gay pastor Harry Jackson is getting good money from whoever is causing him to make himself look like a fool.

Globes had 'offensive agenda', says group that finds glee in denying gay kids are all right - Oh look. The Golden Globe Award reveals the lgbt plan for world domination and indoctrination. And I still haven't received the memo as of yet.

'Christian' owners of B&B in U.K. acted unlawfully when they denied room to gay couple - Homophobic discrimination gets a kick in the face, British style.

Anti-gay-marriage bill advances - Ugh, I say. UGH!!

Charles Barkley Speaks Out for LGBT Civil Rights: 'God Bless The Gay People. They Are Great People.' - Way to go, Mr. Barkley!

SC Equality publishes monumental study of state's lgbt community, gets bizarre flack for it

South Carolina Equality, a group dealing with lgbt education and advocacy in SC, has come out with a monumental survey of over 1,000 of the state's lgbt community.

According to Q-Notes:

The survey exposes several needs and challenges currently facing the state’s estimated 117,000 LGBT citizens, advocates say, particularly among LGBT youth in the state’s public schools.

Nearly half (48 percent) of respondents indicated they’d experienced bullying, harassment or discrimination in South Carolina’s public education.

Christine Johnson, head of SC Equality said that she has already begun conversations with state lawmakers in order to get the ball rolling on anti-bullying legislation.

However, according to South Carolina Republican strategist Wesley Donehue, this may be a difficult fight. Donehue said the following in a piece at ProcessStory.com:

There are many Republicans in the General Assembly who will flat out try to kill any bill providing more gay rights. They aren’t the problem for the SC (Equality). Their problem will be the many forward-thinking Republicans who are sympathetic to their cause, but won’t go for putting more laws on the books and creating a special protected class.

Donehue's comments no doubt leaves many (myself included) bewildered, particularly in light of a legislative battle which took place last year over a bill regarding teen dating violence.

In 2009, a bill was pushed through the SC House of Representatives that required schools to create teen dating violence prevention policies.

The bill was a good idea, but it got tainted when a state representative, Greg Delleney, pushed an amendment through requiring the bill to pertain to only heterosexual relationships, ergo excluding lgbt relationships

Delleney said he did this because he was afraid that without this requirement, schools would have to teach children about same-sex relationships.

The bill was killed early last year.

So while Donehue may have been accurate in claiming that SC Equality will have a difficult fight ahead in getting proper legislative responses to its survey, his reasoning seems to be a bit off.

Being considered as a constituency worthy of protection is not the same thing as being put on a pedestal above other constituencies.

The spooky thing will be to see which members of the SC Legislature actually share Donehue's warped point of view.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Homophobia will never erase the contributions of Bayard Rustin to the civil rights movement

On the eve of my 40th birthday, I have just learned that maybe I am too old to be staying out until 3 a.m.

According to fellow blogger Jeremy Hooper of Goodasyou, the religious right group the Illinois Family Institute is using this MLK day to divide the lgbt and black community. They and "40 African-American and religious leaders" will gather to complain about the recent passage of a bill for civil unions. According to them:

The recent passage of the "civil unions" bill has been trumpeted by some lawmakers as an achievement to civil rights. It is not.

Some lawmakers have suggested that King's interest would have included homosexuality. David Smith, Executive Director of the Illinois Family Institute, says, "Skin color is not analogous to behavior. To equate homosexuality to race is offensive and perverts the noble cause of a great man and an important movement in our history."

Peter LaBarbera is very excited about it. Of course LaBarbera, the IFI, and those leaders will conveniently ignores how those associated with the African-American civil rights movement actually supports lgbt equality - Hooper provides many excellent quotes from Coretta Scott King, including:

"I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice... But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King, Jr., said, 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere' ... I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream to make room at the table of brotherhood and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people." -March 31, 1998

“Like Martin, I don’t believe you can stand for freedom for one group of people and deny it to others", she would tell black civil rights leaders angered by gays and lesbians comparing their struggle to their own. She would quote her husband and say, “I have worked too long and hard against segregated public accommodations to end up segregating my moral concern. Justice is indivisible." -June 23, 1994

"Gay and lesbian people have families, and their families should have legal protection, whether by marriage or civil union. A constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages is a form of gay bashing and it would do nothing at all to protect traditional marriages."- March 24, 2004

And of course these folks will conveniently forget about Bayard Rustin, the gay black man who played a crucial role in the civil rights movement. In fact in the world they want to create, the contributions of Mr. Rustin to the civil rights movements never existed or will never be talked about.

Luckily, we don't live in their world, but rather the real world where Rustin will NEVER been forgotten:

Related post:

Whether 'gay rights' or 'civil rights,' it's all about 'human rights'

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Whether 'gay rights' or 'civil rights,' it's all about 'human rights'

David Badash of the blog The New Civil Rights Movement just sent out a tweet asking for folks to respond to a piece on Examiner.com (Cincinnati version). The piece is entitled The difference between gay rights and civil rights and it is written by one Ricky Johnson.

In case you haven't figured it out, it's one of those "lgbts can't compare their struggle for equality to that of the African-American civil rights struggle because you can hide your sexual orientation but not your race and the Bible says that homosexuality is a sin" pieces that always serves to mentally exhaust me for its lack of basic logic and desire to ignore the empathy that one group who has dealt with inequality should have for another group having the same problems.

Rather than go over it, I would rather show the response I wrote. It's short and to the point:

Rick, whether someone can or cannot hide their homosexuality is irrelevant. You forget that some blacks tried to pass as white. Also, please bear in mind that before you refer to the Bible, it was the Bible which was used to justify slavery and segregation. Lastly, your diatribe forgets the basic existence of black lgbts - which I am one. Really there is no difference between "gay rights" and "civil rights" because they are all human rights. And when a group of people are denied their due, whether it be on the basis of discrimination on the basis of race, religion, or sexual orientation, we all suffer.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Latest right-wing lie on Obama's speech abandons all pretense of rationality

This isn't an lgbt issue per se but a very important one in terms of how some on the right lie about not just lgbts but whomever they generally target.

In this case, it's President Obama.

Now while many on the right credited Obama for his excellent speech about the Arizona tragedy, others bent over backwards to attack the president per usual.

First, it was Michelle Malkin (the Lamia of the Right because like the so-named monster of Greek mythology, she usually targets children) claiming that the White House had something to do with the t-shirts given out at the memorial service.

When that story was debunked, Malkin gave a half-assed "okay maybe I was wrong" explanation.

But now thanks to Jim Hoft of Gateway Pundit, Malkin may have something new to sink her fangs into.

Hoft, who never met a lie so outrageous that he wouldn't spread, is now claiming that the White House asked for applause during the memorial service on the Jumbotron:

This is not only just a lie. It's a stupid lie. Hoft is using the closed captions of the speech to make this claim. Media Matters says the following:

Hoft's purported instruction for applause is actually the live captioning for the event. It's the same closed captioning that's made available for television programs.

A University of Arizona information sheet about last Wednesday's service noted that "sign language interpreters and captioning will be available at" McKale Memorial Center. Captioning is available for some large events - at McKale and elsewhere. Indeed, a release for a separate event at McKale notes that "captions will appear on the overhead Jumbotron."

But here is the kicker, according to the blog, Little Green Footballs:

And it gets better, because the other dim bulbs of the wingnut blogosphere are now co-signing Hoft’s post. Pamela “Shrieking Harpy” Geller: “TOGETHER WE WRITHE”: OBAMA MAKING HIS BONES ON THE BONES OF THE DEAD

Doug Ross: White House: we were shocked that Tucson memorial crowd hooted and hollered throughout because our APPLAUSE signs were actually quite discrete

. . . And now, of course, it’s at Pajamas Media.

Betcha it will probably be on Fox News next week.

And I know just how they will do it. One of the Three Witches of Fox News (think the Three Witches of Macbeth), whether it be Gretchen Carlson (the supposed dumb one), Laura Ingraham (the shrew), or Megyn Kelly (the one who takes pictures in GQ magazine looking a bit "free") will bring it up with an innocent comment such as "people are saying . . ." or "some controversy is now developing over . . ." knowing fully well of course that there is no controversy and the only folks who are saying anything over this are the ones spreading the lie.

THAT is how some members of the right push phony controversies, folks. It's not accidental but an intentional lie on the pretext of "innocent discussion."

Now I know we are supposed to be engaged in civil conversations with those on the right, but I'm beginning to think we'd be better off with silver, crucifixes, holy water, and stakes.

No doubt there are some who will accuse me of betraying President Obama's cry for civility by what I have just written. But I disagree.

Civility is never the enemy of calling out liars and sometimes you can successfully walk the path of calm dialogue only after calling out those whose livelihood it is to litter that path with clutter.