Family Research Council fails at attempt to smear same-sex couples

The Family Research Council has smeared every aspect of lgbtq life, so of course the organization has to go after same-sex families.

In an absolutely ridiculous attempt, FRC attacked a recent study, All Children Matter, which looked at the inequalities children in same-sex households face. To help with the smear, FRC used an old distorted claim:

The report says "unequal treatment and social stigma" harm these kids, while stubbornly refusing to acknowledge that the destruction of the natural family is the greater threat. Still, some may argue that providing legal "protections" to kids of homosexual parents (by legalizing same-sex "marriage") wouldn't hurt anyone else. Yet scholar Stanley Kurtz has pointed out that in the Netherlands, "a remarkable and long-lasting spike in its out-of-wedlock birthrate" resulted from recognition of homosexual partnerships and same-sex "marriage," because "once marriage stops being about binding mothers and fathers together for the sake of their children, the need to get married gradually disappears." We can't afford to let that happen here. 

But here is the facts about Kurtz's claim that FRC didn't mention.

In 2004, Kurtz, who was affiliated with the Hoover Institute (a right-wing think tank) at the time had written a theory that said when gay marriage was introduced in the Netherlands, it destroyed marriage in general by leading to more out-of-wedlock births.

However, during testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee later that year,  Kurtz admitted he had no proof that same-sex marriage led to out of wedlock births in the Netherlands. When pressed by Rep. Jerome Nadler (D-NY),  Kurtz admitted that he was merely making a systematic argument.

In other words, he took two events and said that one (same-sex marriage) led to the other (out of wedlock births) without providing any evidence of such.

To tell the truth, I am rather disappointed in this latest FRC lie. Usually the organization provides more care in the propaganda it uses against the gay community.

Someone is definitely not on the ball today.

'NOM continues to steal from Obama rallies' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Photo: A mutant strain of NOM misrepresentation (Part 2) - So AFTER getting caught stealing a photo from an Obama rally, what does the National Organization for Marriage do? Why steal another photo from another Obama rally of course. Of course those of us who know NOM shouldn't be surprised at its dirty tricks, but it doesn't hurt to keep a tab on the organization's unscrupulous activities.

Santorum Touts Support For Criminalizing Sodomy - There he goes again. And he has the nerve to whine that WE are picking on HIM.

Report details inequities for kids of gay parents - These are the families Brian Brown, Tony Perkins, NOM, FRC, and the rest of that bunch don't want you to not think about.

Petulant: Archdiocese of NY director 'refuses to link' to cited gay news source - If you are making claims about something, openly refusing to link to the source of your claims doesn't help your credibility my friend.

'Gays want children' - visual history of a lie

1977 - Anita Bryant during the legendary campaign to overturn a non-discrimination ordinance in FL

“As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children, therefore, they must recruit our children’

 1986 - a Concerned Women for America endorsed comic book 

2010 - the National Organization for Marriage:

No mainstream or legitimate medical organization has ever said that gays are harmful to children.  In fact, several groups -  the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Academy of Child Psychiatrists and the Child Welfare League of America - say just the opposite.

But who cares, huh? Why stop a successful lie?

Just when you thought NOM couldn't stoop any lower . . .

Remember what I said in my last post about NOM's audacity? Forget that. The following not only crosses the threshold for audacity but wins the award in perpetuity. Check out the following photo:

Jeremy Hooper from Goodasyou.org (who deals with NOM's lies at a level that even closer than me - I admire his strength and strong stomach) instantly suspected it to be a fake.

And he was right:

From Hooper:

Yes, that's right: They lifted a Reuters photo. From another state. From more than three years ago. Featuring a man who stands against NOM's agenda in most every way possible.

In the long run, it doesn't matter how many victories NOM receives - even though the organization is going to eventually lose this fight against lgbtq equality - the organization has shown itself to be totally devoid of integrity and morality.

Seems to me that anyone looking to this organization to protect marriage or anything they perceive to be "good" and "noble" is barking up the wrong tree. 

Audacity alert - NOM wants Obama to pay for Boehner's junk science

Today, the National Organization for Marriage really decided to raise the bar for unashamed audacity. The organization is now demanding that Obama's Justice Department pay for Speaker of the House John Boehner's defense of DOMA ( the Defense of Marriage Act):

In response to Democratic Rep. Mike Honda of California's calls for hearings on the cost of the House's defense of DOMA, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) released this statement:

"John Boehner and the House are stepping in to do the job that President Obama refused to do: defend a law passed by bipartisan majorities. The cost of hiring lawyers to defend DOMA should be deducted from the budget of the Justice Department," said Brian Brown, President of NOM. "The $1.5 million cost of defending DOMA represent less than one-one hundredth of one percent of the Justice Department's huge $28 billion budget. President Obama's defection of duty is responsible for incurring this cost; he should trim some fat and find the money to pay for it."

The Obama Administration decided not to defend DOMA because it felt that the law could not be defended. Speaker of the House John Boehner decided to take up the slack . . . and stepped into a hornet's nest. He is now set to spend over $1 million on the defense of DOMA. The amount of the defense was earlier set at $500,000 but apparently the lawyer handling the case,  Paul Clement, quickly went through this amount.

Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the defense of DOMA was rooted in chicanery and junk science:

1. Clement tried to sneak in the testimony of former NOM chair Maggie Gallagher in a way which would have kept her from being cross-examined.

2. A professor cited by Clement in a brief defending DOMA, Lisa Diamond, complained that her work was being distorted.

3. Clement is also citing - in a second hand fashion - junk science from discredited researchers. In his defense of DOMA, Clement cites the work of Case Western Reserve University law professor George W. Dent, Jr. But Dent's work - which Clement uses -  cited both Paul Cameron and George Rekers, two discredited researchers. Cameron has been censured or rebuked by several organizations for his bad methodology in his studies. He has published work which claimed, among other nauseating false things, that gays stuff gerbils up their rectums. (Editor's note-  the piece Cameron cited to make this claim - The Straight Dope - actually said that this claim was not true. Cameron dishonestly "flipped the script" to make it seem that The Straight Dope was affirming this claim.) Rekers lost a lot of credibility for last year's scandal when he was caught coming from a European vacation with a "rentboy."

It is for these reasons that Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) demanded a hearing on how money is being spent on the defense of DOMA.

Even if no one ignored that Boehner's defense of DOMA is rooted in bad techniques and junk science - which I noticed NOM did ignore -  the audacity of the organization here is astounding.
NOM just lost a court case in which it sought to sought to hide donors in CA who contributed to the successful effort to pass Proposition 8.

Perhaps NOM shouldn't worry who is paying for the defense of DOMA and focus on releasing its donors as it has been ordered to by law and the courts.

'More schools stepping up to protect gay students' and other Monday midday news briefs

More schools take action to stem anti-gay bullying - This is real good news here.

Battling for gay rights, in Allah's name - Sometimes you have to give homage to folks who are really sticking their necks our for lgbtq equality.
  
New Hampshire Committee To Vote On Repealing Marriage Equality - Of course the move is unpopular with the state's residents. But we know how NOM and company operates. Any opinion is irrelevant unless it matches their point of view or at least has been washed in the slurry of its "gays want to use marriage equality to steal the innocence of children" lies.

Wait, FRC doesn't realize its 'research' is detrimental? Weird, everyone else does- ANYONE who tries to publicly pass the Family Research Council's propaganda off as legitimate research will have hell to pay. And I just happen to have a huge pitchfork in both hands.

Do they want gay youth to commit suicide?

My favorite phony news service, One News Now, is giving a Florida religious right group, the Florida Family Association, room to gripe about what it calls a "gay promotion targeted at children:"

MTV's channel "Teen Nick" has begun airing a promotional announcement for The Trevor Helpline, "a free and confidential service that's open for gay and questioning youth. Be proud of who you are." The organization's website has a constant link called "Things to consider when coming out" and is currently promoting "Gay History Month."

Upon discovering that Target Corporation is the main advertiser during Degrassi, the Florida Family Association -- which describes that program as "shameful" -- prepared an e-mail for the public to send to the CEO and other officials of the retail chain.

They are openly recruiting teens and children to become 'gay' on a program that also promotes the transgender and homosexual lifestyle," laments David Caton, executive director of the pro-family group.

And he wonders how the helpline helps a child or teenager who may be a bit confused about his or her sexuality, since in openly promotes that "if you call this helpline, you are not persuaded to walk away from the lifestyle. You are persuaded to be proud and embrace it." Caton contends that is "irresponsible" on the part of a network that caters to young people, and on the part of Target.

What's irresponsible is letting Caton run his mouth. The hotline he is griping about is a part of the Trevor Project, which is an organization devoted to preventing suicide amongst lgbtq youth.

But apparently suicide amongst lgbtq youth doesn't seem to be a problem to Caton. He seems to think that telling a lgbtq youth to simply change "his or her orientation" will keep them from being bullied at school or isolated at home.

And there, ladies and gentlemen, is the real sad story of how Christianity has been corrupted in this country. By himself, Caton is an unfeeling, uncaring buffoon. But he is not by himself.

Caton is a part of a much-moneyed interwoven system of wannabe Christians who seem to ignore the sick and the hungry in lieu devoted solely on the nonexistent gay menace.

Even as they fund efforts to keep teachers employed who attack their gay students (i.e. Vicki Knox), they attack the programs which gives these students some sort of support in the face of these ugly comments and other indignities heaped on them.

It seems to be a zero sum game to these supposed Christians in which they are willing to sacrifice anything, including the safety and well-being of lgbtq children.


 

Everything you need to know about religious right oppression

When I first saw this on Joe Jervis's site, I told him that I simply had to steal it. Sometimes comic strips and editorial cartoons nail plain truth so succinctly:

Know Your LGBT History - A Cage Without A Key

The 1975 made-for-television movie Cage Without A Key is a juvenile prison picture with a twist.

Susan Dey portrays a young woman who is thrown into reform school after being tricked into committing a robbery. Of course the story is about her trials and tribulations in reform school, complete with the requisite evil prison lesbians. However one character did stand out.

Vastly underrated actress Jonelle Allen (this woman should have gotten more roles because she was awesome) portrays Tommy, another prisoner who is also a lesbian, but becomes Dey's friend and savior.

Wikipedia said the following about her character:

Media researcher Steven Capsuto cites the character of Tommy as probably the earliest well-developed gay teen character on television, as well as the first well-developed non-white gay character.

And of course you know that means, don't you? Allen's character is not long for this world. In fact, she dies saving Dey in the middle of a brawl at the end of the film as the following scene shows (starting at 10:10):




Past Know Your LGBT Posts: .

'NoMoreDownLow.TV celebrates its first anniversary' and other Friday midday news briefs

The Down Low Made Me Do It! - NoMoreDownLow.TV. celebrates first anniversary.

Nigeria seeks to strengthen anti-gay laws - Well this sucks!

Marine Commandant Says He’s ‘Fine’ With Gay Marines Bringing Their Partners To Marine Corps Ball - That ought to make Elaine Donnelly squawk.

15 Inspiring LGBT Religious Leaders - These faith leaders need to be commended for proving that the lgbtq identity and religious faith are NOT necessarily in separate camps.

Study - same-sex families are growing at a wide rate

To hear some members of the religious right talk, any progress of lgbtq equality is the result of a nefarious plan to supposedly "indoctrinate" folks.

However as the following snippet of an Associated Press article proves, there are no evil plans, just the steady flow of progress:

The number of gays and lesbians adopting children has nearly tripled in the last decade despite discriminatory rules in many states, according to an analysis of recent population trends.

"It's a stratospheric increase. It's like going from zero to 60," said Miami attorney Elizabeth Schwartz, who has coordinated more than 100 adoptions for gay and lesbian families in the last year. "I think many really dreamed of doing this but it wasn't something they ever thought would become a reality."

About 21,740 same-sex couples had adopted children in 2009, up from 6,477 in 2000, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. About 32,571 adopted children were living with same-sex couples in 2009, up from 8,310 in 2000. The figures are an analysis of newly released Census Bureau estimates.

The New York-based Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute released a report Thursday culminating a four-year project surveying 158 gay and lesbian parents and their experience with the adoption process. Their researchers found the highest number of homosexuals adopted children from Massachusetts, California, New York and Texas.

Several states specifically prohibit same-sex couples from adopting jointly, while others have a patchwork of discriminatory policies that make it difficult for gays and lesbians to adopt either as individuals or as couples. But some states have eased restrictions on gay families.

No doubt the religious right will step gingerly around this issue. "Same-sex households are untested social experiments," they will say. "The true effects of these households have not been seen."

It's all a bunch of poppycock.

The point is clear. These families illustrate the point that when it comes to same-sex household and the gay community in general, we are not talking about hypothetics or abstract concepts.

Same-sex households encompass real people with real families - just like every other normal American family. And whether folks like it or not - be it a teacher who attacks a gay display at her place of employment or marriage clerks who refuse to do their elected duties - there is going to have to be some acknowledgement AND respect of these families.

All of the talking points in the world aren't going to change that.

NOM exploited the Civil Rights Movement in California case loss

More details are emerging from today's court case in California in which the National Organization for Marriage and the other organizations forming the group ProtectMarriage.com lost the bid to keep its donor identities secret.

And there is one detail which stands out. In its attempt to keep its donor list secret, ProtectMarriage.com compared itself to the NAACP during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

According to The Sacramento Bee:

Joe La Rue, a lawyer for the group (Protect Marriage.com), said in oral arguments today that those donors would remain exposed to harassment "so long as these names are perpetually kept on the state's website."

. . . California law requires the disclosure of the identity of anyone who contributes $100 or more to a campaign. ProtectMarriage.com said the $100 limit was too low, and it claimed it qualified for an exception to disclosure laws once granted by the U.S. Supreme Court to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Socialist Workers Party.

The article goes on to say that the judge presiding over the case, U.S. District Judge Morris England, Jr. was very skeptical about this:

The Socialist Workers Party involved relatively few people, he said, and belonging to the NAACP in the early 1950s "could cause you to be killed." In contrast, he said, Proposition 8 proponents not only enjoyed the support of millions of people, but prevailed in the election.

England's skepticism probably had to do with the evidence which was given to him as "proof" of harassment:

The judge read from a batch of declarations in which people claimed yard signs were stolen, that they received harassing phone calls, or, in one case, that people protested outside someone's business. "That's the extent of what happened," he said.

The article goes on to say even in the face of England's skepticism, ProtectMarriage.com's lawyer continued to push the comparison, even bringing up segregation and "Jim Crow" laws.

So in the world of NOM, someone protesting your business or stealing your yard sign is the equivalent of getting shot to death in your front yard (Medgar Evers) or being beaten half bloody (Fannie Lou Hamer).

The irony of NOM's defense is stark when one takes into account how in New York, Maryland, and North Carolina, the organization used black pastors to claim the gay community is trying to "piggyback" on the struggles of African-Americans during the Civil Rights Movement.

It definitely proves that in this fight over marriage equality, there is exploitation of the Civil Rights Movement and the African-American community in general.

But it's not coming from the gay community.

NOM loses in court for the 2nd time this week - this time in California

The following just came in:

Supporters of the 2008 ballot measure that outlawed same-sex marriage in California have lost a lawsuit that sought to block their past and future campaign finance records from public view.

A federal judge in Sacramento on Thursday ruled against ProtectMarriage.com and the National Organization for Marriage, saying the two groups failed to prove they should be exempted from the state's campaign disclosure laws.

Mollie Lee, a lawyer in the San Francisco City Attorney's office, says U.S. District Judge Morrison England Jr. ruled from the bench after a brief hearing and plans to issue a written opinion later.

The two groups, which sponsored and helped finance the gay marriage ban known as Proposition 8, filed the lawsuit in January 2009, claiming their donors were harassed after their names appeared on the Secretary of State's web site.

This loss come days after NOM lost a court case in Washington State. In that particular case, NOM sought not to disclose the names of 137,500 people who two years ago signed Referendum 71 petitions to bring the state’s domestic-partnership law to a vote.

NOM may try to push the idea that people who support their efforts are being harassed but according to the courts, that theory is bupkis.

Why is NOM fighting so hard not to disclose its backers?

I wish someone would put the question to Brian Brown or the rest of that bunch.

Thank you Blabbeando for the tip.

UPDATE -  NOM exploited the Civil Rights Movement in California case loss

Hey religious right! No one CARES about your opinion of Spirit Day!

The religious right have been very measured about Spirit Day. Other than the following stupid comment from Brian Raum of the Alliance Defense Fund, they have been silent:

"We should not turn a blind eye to the physical and mental harms that people engaged in homosexual conduct bring upon themselves by chalking those harms up to 'stigma, discrimination, and victimization'—demanding more health studies and changes to the medical system—rather than dare ask people to reconsider the path they are traveling down. Instead, we tell them 'it gets better' when, in fact, it does not."

I'm not linking to this loser. Instead, I think I am gong to link to the White House and what they have say about Spirit Day:

If you visit Facebook today, or Twitter, or Tumblr, there's a good chance you'll be seeing purple.

October 20th is Spirit Day -- a celebration begun one year ago by a teenager named Brittany McMillan to honor the memory of young people who have taken their lives after being bullied.

It has become a day when people all over the world wear purple to show support for LGBT people and speak out against the bullying of LGBT teens.

In 2010, millions participated.

This year, the White House is going purple on Facebook, as well. You can also join the celebration by making your social networking icon purple, or just adding a statement of support.

And October 20th is also a day to remember that it does get better.

And of course, the page contains a message from President Obama, Vice President Biden, and the White House staff. It's an old message but VERY appropriate:

'Fox News declaring war of misinformation on transgender child ' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Fox News, Keith Ablow Misinform About Transgender Child - It's like I've been saying. Sooner or later Fox News will turn its guns of misinformation fully on the gay community. Can you picture a future where the network conducts a one-sided interview with Peter Sprig on his junk science studies or pushing the phony idea that Paul Cameron is a "victim" of the gay community? This is merely cocktail canape right now.

‘Morning Joe’ Slams Herman Cain For Claiming That Being Gay Is A ‘Choice’ - Herman Cain is the perfect religious right candidate. He asks for proof that would refute his claims and when he receives the proof, he claims that he didn't hear it.

PFOX caught in yet another spinjob; also, grass still green - When I first saw this, I was about to go into ORBIT! Thank you Jeremy Hooper for showing PFOX's claim to be a lie. Giving FRC's Peter Sprigg "special thanks" for serving on a school board is like giving a wolf an award for quickly killing a lamb before eating it.

Gay vandalism claim likely a hoax - Was Porno Pete's claim of a vandalism a hoax or not? Box Turtle Bulletin weighs in.

Once Upon A Time, Barber Called For The "Repeal Of All State And Federal Hate-Crimes Laws" - And speaking of said claim, Matt Barber isn't wasting any time milking it by calling for it to be prosecuted under laws that he didn't necessarily agree with a while back.

UPDATE: Tenn. School Will Permit Pro-GSA T-Shirts After Principal Reportedly Harassed Student - A bit of good news for Spirit Day.

To my beautiful gay children . . .

Today is Spirit Day where over a million Americans will be wearing purple to show support to our lgbt children and also speak out against bullying.

I want to do something extra by way of video montages.

I want our lgbt children to remember something important.

You are not alone. And while millions will show their support to you today, just keep in mind where you come from.

You come from a long line of kings and queens, world builders and civilization savers.

While some will stoop to their lowest level to take away things from you, remember that they can never take your dignity or self-worth

And especially your potential to do great things:

Bigot doesn't want gay doctors to care for children

I've come to the conclusion that the "former ad executive who found Jesus" Linda Harvey is the homophobic version of the Designing Women character Suzanne Sugarbaker, but light on the charm and extra heavy on the crazy.

The following comment she made today about children and gay doctors more than illustrate my point:

Transcript:

How do you feel about open homosexuals tending to your child in a health care setting? Do you think these folks provide good role modeling at a time when your child is very vulnerable? I was thinking about this recently when I heard that Children’s Hospital in Columbus has a homosexual employees group called NCHARGE, which stands for Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Advocates Representing Gay Employees. The meeting minutes of this groups reveal that they participated in last June’s gay pride parade, that they participated in a health expo on adolescent health this summer and that they’re concerned about same-sex partner benefits. They’re also planning to be identified with rainbow lapel pins.

But let’s say your eleven year-old has broken her leg rather badly and needs to be in the hospital a few days, which would you prefer: a nurse who’s proud of her lesbianism, who has rainbow identifiers on her work clothing, or a nurse who does not?

I would like to suggest that parents think long and hard about this. If you want your children to admire people who proclaim a homosexual lifestyle, they’re involvement with your child during a hospital stay is sure to be an influence. And let me be clear that folks involved in these behaviors can be certainly competent workers but they are tacking on to their workplace identity one that is highly offensive to many people and can be erroneously influential to children who won’t, or shouldn’t, see the whole picture of how this behavior really manifests itself.

Here’s what parents can do: select your pediatrician very carefully, first of all. There are a few homosexual doctors treating kids, there are far more nurses, LPNs, technicians and other health care workers in these lifestyles so you may want to consider writing a letter that you file with your pediatrician that should your child ever be hospitalized, you do not want your child to be treated or cared for by one of these members of the Children’s Hospital gay employees group except in the case of an emergency situation. But for routine in-hospital care where contact with your child would be required, your values should be respected.

Harvey confuses the hell out of me. A while back, she claimed that gay people don't exist. So if there are no gay people, then there can be no gay doctors. And if there are no gay doctors, then parents are "worrying" needlessly, aren't they?

I know you all want to say rude things about Harvey, but don't. As for me, I've long stopped getting upset at Harvey's comments.

I now look at her as our friend. Nay, she is one of our best ally in fighting the religious right.

You see, there are people like Tony Perkins, Brian Brown, Maggie Gallagher, and Peter Sprigg who formulate the deceptive idea gays are aggressive bullies and that we aren't the targets of some folks attempting to push us back in the closet.

They come with junk science, half-baked anecdotes, and carefully phrased talking points designed to obscure the truth.

But Harvey lets her homophobic "freak flag fly." Forget the talking points, Harvey just flat don't like us and is not afraid to say it.

She is the true face of the religious right and thus the face we need to remind people of when they come with their phony stories of "bullying gays" or "religious persecution."

Harvey voices what a lot of them actually think. As more Americans see and hear of  people like Harvey, they will get a correct indication of what the gay community has to deal with day after day after day.

So at least try to suppress your desires to call Harvey every name in the book. Try not to get too angry at her nonsensical claims.

Just let girlfriend do the work for us.

'Porno Pete is always good for a laugh' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Excellent video:




LaBarbera Warns That If "Homosexual Activists" Gain Power, "Evil Will Rush In" - Porno Pete is always good for a laugh.


Democrats Eyeing DOMA Repeal - Excellent!

HRC President sends letter to GOP candidates: ‘You’ve been duped’ by NOM - Unfortunately I don't think they care but get it out there anyway.

Hundreds Protest, Defend Teacher Over Anti-Gay Facebook Remarks at NJ School Board Meeting: VIDEO - I'm less concerned about this teacher and more concerned about the student potentially hurt by her comments. If NOM even tries to make her the next "victim" of so-called "gay persecution," I am so ready for it. I already have a piece written.

Congressman wants hearing on Boehner's defense of DOMA

Just a little note about DOMA via Think Progress:

Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), the ranking member on the House Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, is requesting a hearing on House Speaker’s John Boehner’s (R-OH) “irresponsible, backdoor use of taxpayer money to pay the private law firm Bancroft PLLC to represent the House in support of the constitutionally-questionable Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA),” he announced in a press release. The legal team that Boehner and the Republicans hired has come under harsh criticism for arguing that homosexuality is a choice, misrepresenting research, and relying on such experts as ex-gay advocate George Rekers and the National Organization for Marriage’s Maggie Gallagher. House Democrats are also calling on Boehner to hold a a briefing on his efforts, which are have cost taxpayers more than a million dollars.  

The continued defense of DOMA is slow-moving train wreck which continues to pick up speed.

Related posts:

House Republicans Continue To Allege That Homosexuality Is A Choice

Boehner set to waste $1 million of taxpayer money on bad DOMA defense

Democratic lawmakers not happy with Boehner's DOMA defense

Religious right doom - DOMA trial a repeat of the Prop 8 trial?

Boehner's DOMA defense contains junk science, bad sources
  
Top Five Homophobic Statements From Boehner’s DOMA Briefs

Paul Cameron - why the religious right can't keep him 'in the closet'

Paul Cameron

From a favorite site of mine, Box Turtle Bulletin, comes news that an old adversary of the gay community is taking a trip to Moldavia:

Scott Long, former director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, has learned that American anti-gay extremist Paul Cameron is headed to Moldova to oppose proposed anti-discrimination legislation which would include sexual orientation. Long writes:

Moldova is a splinter of a country between Romania and Ukraine, a point of contention between Russians, Turks, and others for centuries, and one of the poorest states in Europe. An anti-discrimination bill that prohibits unequal treatment on grounds including sexual orientation is before its Parliament, due for debate at month’s end.

In the days before the debate starts, Paul Cameron is coming to town. An e-mail from the Alianţa pentru Salvarea Familiilor din Moldova (Alliance to Save the Family in Moldova) announces that the “U.S. sociologist, founder and president of Family Research Institute” will stay from October 24-29, and “will share the U.S. experience in implementing anti-discrimination legislation.” There will be a roundtable with “representatives of various parliamentary committees, ministries and other institutions of the state,” plenty of lobby meetings with lawmakers — and, of course, media will be saturated with Cameron’s fake statistics.

For the younger folks in the gay community and for the rest of the folks who may not be aware of Paul Cameron, allow me to introduce you to a little bit of sordid anti-gay history. Every lie, every piece of distorted of junk science about the gay community, even some ways in which religious right groups distort actual science to demonize the gay community were either formulated or "improved upon" by Paul Cameron.

He is the man is responsible for pushing the following myths about the gay community:

Lesbians are more likely to die in car wrecks,

Gay men molest children at a high rate and are more likely to be serial killers,

Gay men stuff gerbils up their rectums,

Gays and lesbians in the military are more likely to rape their heterosexual counterparts.

Basically, it was Cameron who in the 80s came up with the idea of aggressively using science to prove that homosexuality is a "dangerous lifestyle." The problem is to do this, Cameron attained a reputation for either distorting legitimate science or distorting his own work to gain the conclusions he wanted from his "studies." He has also been discredited and censured by many group and individuals on the left, the right, and in the middle due to his bad research techniques. Several of his studies have been criticized for such errors as having small sample sizes, showing an anti-gay bias in interviews, and not having enough responses to establish a suitable analysis.

'NOM called out on hypocrisy' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

For Children of Same-Sex Couples, a Student Aid Maze - If receiving student aid is this much of a problem, just think of the other problems children in same-sex households have to deal with. You see this is what NOM and the rest of the religious right and their phony victims want to take attention away from - real victims of discrimination and prejudice.

NEW YORK: State GOP Senator Rips NOM's Hypocrisy Over Campaign Donations - Sen. Grisanti calls out NOM's lies.

Story to Watch: Va. Residents Show Support for LGBT-Inclusive Adoption Measures - Good for Virginians!

Black and Transgender: A Double Burden - Kudos to The Root for running this very important piece.

Fox Host Attacks College For Voluntary LGBT Application Question - The way Fox News misrepresented this situation should serve as a warning to the gay community. Imagine a highly-watched news network aggressively pushing anti-gay half-stories and homophobic guests. Fox isn't doing it with the fierceness it is using to undermine President Obama. But imagine one day if it does.

Please forgive me Mr. Rick Santorum for not feeling sorry for you

Rick Santorum feels like he has been bullied by a recent episode of Saturday Night Live which made fun of his run for president:

Santorum -- depicted by actor Andy Samberg in the sketch, titled "Yet Another GOP Debate" -- suggested that the segment was "bullying" during an interview with New Hampshire radio station WGIR on Sunday. The former Pennsylvania senator said he had been "hammered" by "the left" for his support of conservative principles.

"The left, unfortunately, participates in bullying more than the right does," Santorum said. "They say that they’re tolerant, and they’re anything but tolerant of people who disagree with them and support traditional values."

I don't feel the least bit sorry for Santorum. He is a public figure which makes him a target for comedians. Over the years SNL has made fun of  many public figures from President Obama to Star Jones.

And when Santorum acts like he is Joan of Arc at the stake, it makes it harder for me to sympathize with what a mockery his name has become.

Yesterday, another child committed suicide because he couldn't deal with the bullying which comes with being openly gay.

And unfortunately he is the latest in a long line of children who feel that there will not be a better tomorrow for them because of the ignorance of others.

I hate that. Any decent person would hate that. Any decent Christian would hate that.

So you will have to forgive me if I don't feel sorry for you, Mr. Santorum.  You are a self-righteous phony who deserves every bit of mockery rained down upon you.

In the early days of Christianity, their oppressors crucified them, fed them to lions, and burned them like torches. Somehow, I don't think that being made fun of by a late-night comedy show compares to these atrocities.

Mr. Santorum, you are not being bullied. Your ignorance is indicative of the reasons why others think its okay to bully.

So please get over yourself and stop acting like a straight-up BIYAAAATCH.

Catholic Church is overstepping its bounds against marriage equality in Minnesota

Minneosta Archbishop John Nienstedt

The Catholic Church in Minnesota is continuing a dangerous precedent:

Archbishop John Nienstedt sent a letter to every priest in the state at the start of October urging them to put every Catholic church in Minnesota to work passing a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

“It is imperative that we marshal our resources to educate the faithful about the Church’s teachings on these matters, and to vigorously organize and support a grass roots effort to get out the vote to support the passage of the amendment,” the letter read. It went out on Oct. 4 to every priest in the state.

The archbishop said it wants priests in every parish to identify a “church captain” in order to create an “ad hoc committee” in every church in the state. The “church captain” is a component of the Schubert Flint strategy used in 2008′s divisive Proposition 8 battle in California.

The strategy mirrors a similar one used by conservative Christians in California to pass Proposition 8 and end marriage rights for same-sex couples.

 . . .  According to Nienstedt’s letter, the church captains will be organized by the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the Catholic church, which will in turn report to the Minnesota for Marriage coalition for statewide efforts. Minnesota for Marriage is made up of the Minnesota Family Council, MCC and the National Organization for Marriage.

“A major issues will be placed before the State of Minnesota in the November 2012 election. a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman,” Nienstedt wrote. “The sanctity of marriage and vital role of the family is at stake. It is a firmly-held teaching of our church that a marriage is a union of a husband and a wife, and that they together are the ones suited to be a father and a mother.”

First of all, I wonder if this is legal for a tax-exempt organization to take such a role in the political process?

Court to NOM - Give up the names!

According to NOM Exposed, the National Organization for Marriage got smacked down by the courts today:

We just referenced Doe v Reed last month in our memo on the campaign finance shenanigans of the National Organization for Marriage. NOM, you’ll recall, justifies hiding its donors (and thus files endless lawsuits to keep those donors secret) due to, they claim, harassment and intimidation (and worse) from LGBT advocates.  Such harassment and vandalism has gotten so bad, apparently, that tenet #4 on NOM’s presidential marriage pledge has called for “investigations” of LGBT Americans who, supposedly, are responsible for such vandalism.

Well, today, a federal judge, a George W. Bush appointee, has ruled against NOM’s phony argument.  According to the Seattle Times, the judge said  “Protect Marriage [an off-shoot of NOM] failed to show any ‘serious and widespread threats, harassment, or reprisals against the signers of R-71, or even that such activity would be reasonably likely to occur upon the publication of their names and contact information.’”
More from the paper:

A federal judge on Monday issued a ruling that publicly releases the names of 137,500 people who two years ago signed Referendum 71 petitions to bring the state’s domestic-partnership law to a vote.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle of Tacoma ends a legal fight between the Secretary of State’s Office and the religious conservative group Protect Marriage Washington.

The group had argued in court that petitions bearing the names of the signers should be sealed to protect them from harassment, while the state maintained that the petitions need to remain public.

The article said that the group will appeal the ruling, which continues to bring up the simple question - just what is NOM trying to hide?


Related post:

NOM trying to sidestep Minnesota disclosure laws

'Top 25 celebrity coming out stories' and other Monday midday news briefs

25 Celebrity Coming Out Stories That Shocked The World - To be honest, a few of these coming out stories weren't shocking. I mean George Michael? Come on. One observation though. For all of the criticism about the Black church and homosexuality, this list actually mimics the Black church - i.e. black women stepping up in leadership roles in regards to vital issues (even though it is only one black woman on this list) while unfortunately black men are absent.

Linda Harvey denounces 'unwashed mob', continues to throw mud at same - In the world of the religious right, a teacher who attacks an lgbt display at her school while using some of the nastiest language to put down the gay community is a victim and any comment expressing disapproval of gays - no matter how ugly and venomous - is perfectly okay whereas it would NOT be okay if the comment had to do with race or religion. Okay.

Oregon May Seek To Overturn Anti-Gay Marriage Ban On 2012 Ballot - Things just got interesting in Oregon.

Pennsylvania Professor Humiliates Lesbian in Class, Calls Her 'Disgusting, Unnatural, and Abnormal' - A future "victim" of the so-called gay agenda. Whatever happened to the "good old days" when you can verbally attack gay students without reprisal, huh? The next thing you know, you won't be able to use the "n" word to describe black students.

Santorum Claims Herman Cain Is Too Pro-Gay, Compares His Fight Against Marriage Equality To Lincoln Fighting Slavery - And then Santorum whines about gays attacking him.

Catholic Charities wants state to sanction its discrimination

The Catholic Charities of Illinois are trying to have it both ways:

Illinois State Senator Kyle McCarter (R-Lebanon) on Wednesday filed legislation that would amend the state's civil union law to allow Catholic Charities to continue to license foster and adoptive parents without serving same-sex couples.

McCarter's proposal, SB2495, would amend the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, signed into law in January, to allow faith-based agencies like Catholic Charities to decline to provide foster care and adoption services to applicants who "would constitute a violation of the organization's sincerely held religious beliefs" and refer them to other agencies.

The new legislation is the latest development in the ongoing saga between Catholic Charities agencies and the state Department of Children and Family Services who, earlier this year, canceled $30.6 million worth of contracts with Charities because they claimed the agencies were not providing services for the state in a way consistent with its non-discrimination law.

Supporters of the Catholic Charities - the National Organization for Marriage included - will have folks fooled that this is an issue of personal religious beliefs. They seem to always conveniently forget the monetary aspect.

They want to have things both ways - i.e. thinking the Catholic Charities should have a right to state monies even as it discriminates against taxpayers who supplies that money.

To me, the choice is simple - if you don't want to abide by the rules which come with the money, then don't take the money.

Meet the people who scare the religious right

When people like Rick Santorum, Ann Coulter, and Maggie Gallagher or groups like the National Organization for Marriage claim that being black and gay isn't the same or falsely claim that the gay community is trying to piggyback on the struggles of the black community, just remember the people in the following videos.

They are the people who Santorum, Coulter, and Gallagher don't want you to see.

These are the people who NOM doesn't want you to see. To the homophobic race-baiters seeking to divide and conquer both communities, they are most dangerous people in the world:







Editor's note - I am aware of the unfortunate fact that the African-American transgender community is not represented with a video montage. Unfortunately I could not find one. So what does that tell us? We may be closer to where we want to be but we still have miles to go in order to get there.

If there is a video out there, please send it to me and I will feature it on my blog.

BUSTED! NOM supported poll against marriage equality called out for distortions

This piece is pretty significant as far as I am concerned because it is the lead story of the Huffington Post's Gay Voices section:
 

Contrary to almost every other national poll regarding marriage equality, Deseret News, a newspaper owned by the Mormon Church, claims that two thirds of Americans oppose marriage equality.

When the mouthpiece of the Mormon Church publishes a new poll showing that two thirds of Americans now oppose marriage equality, it raises some questions. One needs to ask who conducted the poll, who was questioned, and whether respondents reflect the demographics of the national population. There is little such information in the article. All it or the attached graphics indicate is that 1,000 randomly chosen adults in 50 states were surveyed.

Did these people represent groups proportionally, or, as in a previous National Organization for Marriage poll, was it skewed toward older respondents? Deseret News doesn't say, nor do they reveal whether respondents reflect the population distribution of the states. For instance, a poll that over-surveys residents of the South will be skewed in one direction, while one that over-surveys residents of the Pacific states and New England would give very different results.

And that's only the beginning. Other juicy tidbits of the article includes revealing the author of the poll: - Gary Lawrence

Latter-Day Commentary describes him as an "LDS, Republican, conservative hawk" who was the "state LDS grassroots director for the Protect Marriage coalition. Brother Lawrence, who has served as a bishop has spent over 35 years studying opinions and behaviors of the American public."

 . . . Lawrence is a political propagandist who earned a pretty penny peddling anti-gay polls. He is also being paid by NOM and the right-wing Minnesota Family Council to produce poll results on their behalf. Minnesota Independent reported that "the groups touting the survey are remaining mum about the poll's details." Lawrence said that he can't release the data "purchased by an outside group." At least he didn't suggest they fork out $29.50 for his book on how Mormons can "improve their image, and spread the gospel."

The article should be read in its entirety.

James Peron of the Moorfield Storey Institute - the writer of the piece - did his job well. He should be commended, as should the Huffington Post for giving the article prominence.

It is worth mentioning that NOM trumpeted the results of this poll yesterday on its blog. Perhaps someone - in a polite manner because we NEVER need to stoop to their level - should let the organization know that its face is now cracked and on the ground.

This is what children will learn about gay history

I have not forgotten that this is LGBT History Month. How very appropriate that some folks in California who tried to stop the teaching of gay history failed miserably in their attempt.

Don't let them or anyone talking about children "being indoctrinated to accept a lifestyle" fool you with their phony talking points. The clip below - courtesy of The Legacy Walk - gives a true picture of what children will be learning when it comes to the contributions of the gay community.

We are more than merely an "orientation." We are a people.

And frankly, I don't see how it's such a bad thing for children to know:

Know Your LGBT History - In & Out

I'm going to catch so much hell for this but I loved In & Out.

It was a 1997 comedy which was inspired by Tom Hanks' Oscar speech (when he won Best Actor for Philadelphia.) In the speech, he thanked one of his teachers and classmates.

In&Out repeated the speech moment but made one big difference.

What if Hanks had accidentally outed the people he thanked.

That's what happens in In & Out when an actor (played by Matt Dillon) thanks one of his high school teachers from the podium and outs him as a gay man.

Only one thing, however. No one knows that the man is gay, including the teacher himself.

Okay, some folks didn't like this movie because they felt it exploited stereotypes about gay men. This is true. Kline's character is a stereotypical gay man who likes Barbara Streisand and has a "fey" manner about him even while constantly insisting that he isn't gay.

And there are some scenes - i.e. the dance scene and the "I am Spartacus" type ending - which I felt were corny as hell:



But the saving grace of this movie has to be the performances. Tom Selleck is okay as the openly gay talk show host willing to exploit the entire incident for ratings. I found Kline to be marginal as the main character. Of course the scene everyone remembers is when Selleck liplocks Kline:



However the person who really steals the show in this movie, and this becomes its saving grace, is Joan Cusack as Kline's fiance - a woman who is counting on marrying him so much that she lost weight and based her entire self-worth on the fact that he would lead her down the aisle.

Cusack received a much deserved Oscar nomination for her role as a jilted bride (you really didn't think they would get married, did you?)




Not to worry though. This is a comedy, which means it has a happy ending for all parties involved, including Cusack. Guess who her character ends up with at the end of the movie?

Past Know Your LGBT Posts: .

'Family Research Council pushes more hate' and other Friday midday news briefs

POLL: New Hampshire Voters Want To Preserve Marriage Equality Law, Vote For Candidate Who Opposes Repeal - The question is will it be the same after NOM inundates them with lies about gays wanting to harm the innocence of children.

Those 'Values' keep a comin': FRC bus seats another uber-extreme voice - FRC pushing more hate. Sad.

Teacher's anti-LGBT Facebook rant crosses the line -  - Sorry but if this teacher had said the same thing about religion or ethnic groups as it pertained to displays at her job (like the situation did here with the gay community), there would be no talk of this being a "free speech" issue. Furthermore I refuse to believe you can claim that EVERY negative comment made about the gay community is a simple expression of a religious belief.

Shaquille O’Neal, Amy Poehler Among Celebrities In New Anti-Bullying PSAs - You have to admit. This is pretty cool.


Gay Military Personnel To Join NOH8 Campaign For Marriage Equality - Ending Friday's news briefs on a positive note.

Liberty Counsel is LYING about Dakota Ary case

Remember the recent case of Dakota Ary - the student who was supposedly suspended for "merely" claiming that homosexuality was a sin last month.

To recap - after a media blitz in which Ary's family and the religious right group the Liberty Counsel boggarted the public with only one side of the story, it was later learned via the teacher, Kristopher Franks, involved in the situation that Ary was not as innocent as portrayed.

Apparently the nonchalant statement he made was a part of an alleged campaign of harassment he and a few other students were conducting against the teacher.

However because the laziness of the media and the willingness of the religious right push a phony victim, the talking point that Ary was persecuted drew enough negative attention to cause the teacher to be investigated.

Needless to say though that the teacher was exonerated.

But now weeks after the entire incident is over, the Liberty Counsel is trying to claim victory so to speak by claiming that the school district has said that Ary did nothing wrong:

“In fact, in his file is a letter now that says that Dakota has a right under the First Amendment to express his own personal opinion consistent with his First Amendment protections,” (the Liberty Counsel's Mat) Staver remarks. “So we are very pleased with this as the result has now taken a few weeks, but the result is exactly what we were looking for.”

However this is what the letter actually said:

The Fort Worth Independent School District has concluded its review of the removal of Dakota Ary from the German class led by Kristopher Franks.

This review was conducted in accordance with District policies and was essential for two reasons: 1) Dakota’s claim of a potential First Amendment violation and 2) the implication that bullying behavior might have been involved. After carefully reviewing the information gathered, the District has determined that neither potential issue has validity.

A perceived student conduct violation does allow for the temporary removal of a student. The District then considers two questions before assessing discipline. The first is whether there has been a violation of the Student Code of Conduct. If so, the District then determines the appropriate consequence for such a violation. But in this case, as in all cases, if the perceived violation is determined not to be true, the student is returned to class, as soon as possible, without consequence. Unfortunately, Dakota remained in in-house suspension for almost four hours before returning to his assigned classes without a consequence. While the delay was due to the District’s attempt to carefully consider the competing interests presented by the referral, we do apologize for the delay in returning Dakota to class.

As previously stated, Dakota was not punished for expressing an opinion and there is no permanent record of his being punished for expressing an opinion. We recognize Dakota has the right to express an opinion in a manner consistent with law and policy.

The letter says that neither issue - a: the possiblity that there was bullying involved and b. Ary's First Amendment rights being violated - had any validity.

Furthermore, the letter make something clear  - Ary's First Amendment Rights were not violated.

That last part is probably something which Staver is seizing upon to claim victory:

We recognize Dakota has the right to express an opinion in a manner consistent with law and policy.

Of course Ary does. Everyone has that right. The point was the question of whether or not Ary's manner was consistent with law and policy.

If you ask me, it sounds as if the district is trying to this controversy and unfortunately is playing into the Liberty Counsel's hands. I bet a steak dinner that  the organization pushed hard for this letter as a way of claiming victory and covering up for the fact that it intentionally jumped the gun to make Ary a victim before the case was even fully investigated. And I bet the organization pushed hard to have that last statement about Ary's "First Amendment rights"  be included.

But the clincher of the Liberty Counsel's audacity is the following statement by Staver:

Homosexual activist teacher Kristopher Franks was also suspended while his classroom conduct was under investigation. Staver says that on Frank's return to the classroom, he remained under close supervision.

“He was accompanied by an administrator from the school in the classroom to observe his behavior,” Staver explains. “The teacher is clearly on notice now that his action is inappropriate, that what he did is wrong, and he’ll no longer be able to use the classroom as a bully pulpit to promote his homosexual agenda.”

As far as it is known, Staver's statement is inaccurate. Staver does not reveal who gave him that information. His claim about the teacher "being put on notice" is not in the letter.

As as stated before, Franks was fully exonerated.