Religious right worries about 'proper' use of the anus and other Tuesday midday news briefs

To my brothers and sisters fighting the good fight today:


Get the people out and get them voting.


Despite the outcome never give up on yourself or the community. If you win, be gracious in victory. If by chance there are any losses, don't get discouraged. But keep pressing on.


Those with power never give up that power without a fight. The barriers of ignorance and fear can't hold back the rushing tide of enlightenment, equality, and righteousness.

Now onto news briefs:

Anus Designed for Exit: Doctor tells DC Council no gay marriage ... because black men spread AIDS via ''down-low'' anal sex?! - This is just so incredibly ignorant that I could't let it go by without comment. Apparently religious right figures are so concerned with the anus not being "properly used" that their mouths are taking up the slack.



Transcript:

''The immediate action of passing the same-sex marriage bill, 18 40 82, is to normalize predominantly homosexual activity such as anal sex and require the promotion in the schools as a legal, normal activity and part of the sex education.... Who will protect the children? There are more HIV infections among young black men who have sex with men, aged 13-29, than among any other age group.... I am aware that students are terrified to be taken out of sex ed. They get on their knees and beg to their parents to be included. Because, to be outside is to be labeled the conservative. To go to the library while everyone else is in class having sex ed, means that you then --. When you refuse to go to sex ed, you then become the group that is discriminated against.... The anus was designed for exit, not entrance.... [Lesbian marriages] are not my argument.''

From Metro Weekly in DC:

Conservative activist Dr. Ruth Jacobs presenting ridiculous testimony as a public witness during the DC City Council's hearing about a pending same-sex marriage equality bill. It's not clear why Jacobs was there since she appears to have traveled down from Rockville, MD, and that she knew nothing about existing District law. In 2007, Jacobs led an effort against a transgender equality bill in Montgomery County claiming that men would expose their genitalia to women and girls, and testifying that the bill would discriminate against ''ex-transgenders.'' During a questioning period, she admitted to Council chair Phil Mendelson that she had no evidence of her claims of a connection between same-sex marriage and HIV infection. Councilman David Catania asked her what gay male sex had to do with lesbians and marriage, especially since lesbians have the lowest rate of HIV infection. Jacobs became flustered and said she wasn't there to talk about that fact. (City Council via Office of Cable Television)

Ken Hutcherson's 'Minority Thought Pattern' as he defends Rush, slavery - You COULD go onto the link to see what exactly is Hutherson is talking about but if you don't have time and want a condensed version of his words, then check this out:

Traditional Values Coalition distorts marketing statistics to attack ENDA

In the midst of the hoopla about ballot initiatives that we have to put up with today, it's "touching" that religious right groups take time out of their busy schedule of trying to deny us marriage equality and non-discrimination rights to make the case that we are so rich that we don't deserve any employment protection at all.

Take the case of Lou Sheldon and the Traditional Values Coalition's push against upcoming ENDA hearings:

ENDA is designed to get homosexuals, bisexuals, cross-dressers, and transsexuals added to the list of federally-protected minorities. If this is accomplished, the LGBT agenda will be imposed on businesses, local, state and federal governments, including public schools K-12, Christian day care centers and camps, plus religious broadcasters with more than 15 employees.

This legislation is based on the false premise that gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered individuals are victims of widespread and systematic discrimination in the workplace.

Marketing statistics from gay marketing companies indicate that the average income for a gay or lesbian is $80,000 a year. The U.S. Census notes that the median income in 2008 for blacks was $34,218; for Hispanics it was $37,913; for Asians it was $65,637. Median income for non-Hispanic white households was $55,530.

In addition, gay marketers say that gays and lesbians spend an estimated $45 to $65 billion a year on travel!


The first part of this statement is a mishmash of bad talking points, distortions, and aggressive semantical words.

We've heard it all before.  And what else should we expect from a man who has no shame in referring to lgbts as "sodomites."

But that claim regarding lgbt income is sure to come up again.

It's a huge distortion but an old strategy used by religious right groups to make the case against non-discrimination protection for lgbts.

In looking at lgbt income, Sheldon cites research done by "marketing companies," but in looking at African-American, Asian, and Hispanic income, he cites the U.S. Census.

The problem with this is that work done by marketing companies is totally different from the work done by the U.S. Census. Marketing companies are generally hired by businesses in order to find where the appeal would be for their product. Of course their work is geared to folks with money, whether they be lgbt or not.

The U.S. Census is mainly an objective way to count numbers and income to gain an idea of how large a population is and what their needs are.

Let me put it this way.

According to religioustolerance.org:

A number of surveys promoted by conservative Christian organizations claim that gays and lesbians have higher incomes than heterosexuals, and thus have no need of civil rights protection in employment.


Perhaps the most famous survey is the one conducted by the Simmons Market Research Bureau in 1988-OCT. It is commonly promoted by the American Family Association, Focus on the Family, Freedom Heritage Forum and other conservative Christian groups. The conclusions were reported in The Wall Street Journal in 1991-JUL. The raw data looks impressive:


Average household Income: Homosexuals: $55,430; National Average: $32,286/yr


Percent College Graduates: Homosexuals: 60%; National Average: 18%


Workers in Professional or Management Jobs: Homosexuals: 49%; National Average: 16%


Taking overseas vacations: Homosexuals: 66%; national average: 14%


The problem with the data is that the values quoted for "homosexuals" are in no way representative of the average gay and lesbian. the survey was taken among homosexuals who subscribe to one of 8 leading gay newspapers; they thus belong to a select group within the les/gay community.

Media Matters.org puts it this way:

The survey's findings, however, did not reflect a representative sample of the national gay population. The Simmons survey polled only readers of popular gay-oriented magazines and those who filled out sign-up sheets for the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. As the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals Inc. (NOGLSTP) noted, "People who buy and read newspapers and magazines tend to have more education and higher incomes. Gay events attract people who can afford to travel or pay an entrance fee."

Media Matters goes on to bring up a fact that is sure to put a kink in Sheldon's obvious attempt to play the lgbt and African-American community against each other:

Indeed, as NOGLSTP also noted, a 1989 study by Simmons found that readers of African-American-oriented magazines like Jet, Ebony, and Essence earned 41 to 82 percent more than the average African-American.

So Sheldon and the Traditional Values Coalition are misappropriating "marketing research" to make a false case against ENDA.

Why that's almost as bad as distorting studies that looked at non-married gay couples to make a case against marriage equality.

Wait a minute. TVC was already beaten to the punch on that one by the Family Research Council.

In all honesty though, truncating credible studies, i.e. distorting their conclusions, the information included in the study, or the purpose of the study, is a religious right hallmark.

So much so that it obviously must be approved Christian behavior according to that new Conservapedia version of the Bible I keep hearing about.

One of these days, I'm going to have to read that thing.

Related posts and articles:

Passive Aggressive

Another flawed piece of work courtesy of the Family Research Council

What are the top religious right lies about the gay community?

Researchers complain about religious right distortion of their work

Family Research Council head misrepresents credible information to hurt ENDA

Bathrooms, Church Exemptions, and Lies: Five ways the religious right misrepresents ENDA

Catholic writer unsuccessfully tries to refute my ENDA post

A collection of articles about tomorrow's ballot initiatives

Tomorrow will be a busy day with ballot initiatives against marriage equality and lgbt non-discrimination rights in several states states.

I thought it would be best to link up to a collection of pieces done by those in the middle of these fights.

Keep praying that we come out on top:

Religious Right Very Much Alive in Tomorrow's Elections

It's time for people in Maine to see 86-year-old Philip Spooner again

Video: Twas the night before [another day where gay lives are put to offensive vote]  

Six Tests for Equality and Fairness

In Maine, turnout is the key to success

The eyes of the nation is on tomorrow and the New York Times breaks it down

Six Tests for Equality and Fairness - The New York Times breaks it down for us about tomorrow.

Don, we now are gays in peril: And we're the one's getting decked in the halls - It never fails. In almost every ballot initiative, the religious right truncates an incident to create a phony martyr.

Guess Who Just Played the Gay Card? - Speaking of something that never fails.

Maine to vote on gay marriage - An important battle that must have a good ending. The Washington Post wages in on the battle.

CNN reports on being black and gay in America

The above clip is from a recent CNN Report on "Blacks and Gay Equality."

While I'm not happy about the name - I don't like the subtle way it pushes the idea that gays and blacks are two separate entities - the clip is awesome.

One thing though - can anyone tell me what exactly is the "gay lifestyle."

I'm not trying to attack my heterosexual brothers and sisters but so many of them have things mixed up.

Homosexuality is not a "lifestyle." Putting on a skin tight dress or wearing your pants down past your ass, drinking and hitting on each other in a club, and then having wild sex that leads to illegitimate births is a lifestyle.

Having four children from three different women, now that is a lifestyle.

Like I said, I am not trying to downplay heterosexual African-Americans but this self-righteous duplicity, the hypocrisy that many invoke in an attempt to justify their ignorance about their lgbt brothers and sisters is stifling.

And when people continue to be stifled, they either die or rebel:

Big hat tip to Pam's House Blend.

Limbaugh exploits 'subtle racism' by calling President Obama 'a child'

Some people may think I am making too much out of the following:

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh slammed President Barack Obama on Sunday, calling him “immature,” "narcissistic," and "inexperienced," in a interview on Fox News.

“He’s a child. I think he’s got a five minute career,” Limbaugh said.

Obviously Limbaugh has a bad concept of what constitutes a short career. A man who was the President of the Harvard Law Review (the first black president), a United States Senator, President of the United States of America (the first black president), AND a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot be compared to a one-hit wonder on the Billboard charts, no matter whether or not you agree with his policies.

But never mind about that.

The "child" comment bothers me tremendously.

Limbaugh seems to be inferring that despite all of his accolades, Obama is inferior; that he would never measure up to be "a man."

His tone hearkens back to when African-American men, no matter how old or no matter how hard working, were publicly disrespected by being referred to as someone who needs supervision from "their betters."

Limbaugh said "child" but I wonder if he meant "boy."

No doubt Limbaugh and his defenders will accuse anyone who bring up the racial connotations of his comments of playing the "race card."

But we all know Limbaugh's history of  interjections of racism into situations that didn't even call for them.

If not, maybe someone should ask Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.

And that's the ugly subtlety of some forms of racism. One doesn't have to use the "n-word," or burn crosses but just imply inferiority like Limbaugh did here.

There is an element who just can't wrap their heads around the fact that a black man worked hard, played by the rules, and attained the heights of success.

The black man will continue to be inferior to them, no matter what he says or does.

And the sad thing is that this element isn't the so-called stereotypical racists with the supposed low intellect and colloquial accent.

This element is on Main Street, hiding their ugliness behind code words, talking points, think tank groups, and bad information freely spread by people in need of a therapist more than they need cameras thrust in their faces by "fair and balanced" media figures playing up their fears and hate.

Through his comments, Limbaugh is giving a "wink and a nod" to this element.

Will Bernice King continue to 'run game' on lgbts of color?

Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., has been chosen to lead the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the organization that her father help to found.

Personally I am reticent about the entire matter; that is to say I am undecided on whether this is a good thing .

Bernice King has been very vocal against marriage equality. She has led marches against it and her opinion of marriage equality is best typified by the following statement:

“I know in my sanctified soul that he (Dr. King) did not take a bullet for same-sex marriage.”

It not so much the statement that angered me but what it represented.

An unfortunate consequence of the cultural battle over marriage equality is how it allowed some black leaders to shirk their responsibilites to lgbts of color.

Evoking the implication that the fight for marriage equality was a bastardized attempt by "wealthy white gays" to piggyback on the so-called untouchable legacy of the 1950s/60s civil rights movement allowed black leaders to neglect the needs of their own.

Never mind addressing the HIV rate amongst African-American MSMs, never mind addressing issues of isolation, and lack of self esteem that plague lgbts of color. As long as the focus was on fighting marriage equality and labeling it as a plot of "the white man," black leaders like Bernice King were able to willfully and intentionally hide the mess of the outright dehumanization of lgbts of color by their own people behind the curtain.

Now that King has a bigger spotlight,  I can't help but to wonder will she continue those shenanigans?

Or will she step up and be a true leader?

Will she take the easy road and publicly demonize lgbts (and by extension lgbts of color) in front of eager crowds via religious condemnations?

Or will she note the irony that in some circles, the same religious condemnations will be thrown at her for being a woman who dares to take a leadership position in the black community?

Will she get the poignancy of President Obama signing hate crimes legislation named after both a heterosexual African-American victim of a hate crime and a gay victim of a hate crime?

Or will the poignancy conveniently slip her mind? Or worse yet, will she try to push away the poignancy via talking points surreptitiously provided by religious right groups?

Will King address the fact that lgbts of color have a place in the black community and deserve as much respect as their heterosexual counterparts?

Or will she try to placate us via silly patronizing comments about "not having a problem with anyone's sexual preference" -  comments that are not the words of a thoughtful conscientious leader but a Machiavellian leader trying to play both sides of the issue.

Will Bernice King break the chains of ignorance and hypocrisy that shackle not only the lgbt of color community but the black community at large?

Or will she add another link to that chain?

I'm waiting to see what Ms. King will do.

And I am not the only one.

Will Bernice King be a leader to ALL African-Americans?

Or will she continue to run game on me and mine?

Know your lgbt history - The Warriors

The Warriors (1979) is a cult classic and one of my favorite movies.

It is about a Coney Island gang going to a conclave in Brooklyn where the leader of the largest gang in New York, Cyrus of the Grammercy Riffs, is uniting them all together to take over the city.

However during the conclave, Cyrus is murdered in the middle of his speech and everyone thinks that the Warriors committed the crime.

This means that the gang members must battle their way back home through a multiude of gangs gunning for their heads.

And to make matters worse, the gangs are clued by a mysterious D.J. (played awesomely by the late Lynne Thigpen) who serves as sort of a biased Greek chorus and urging on the gangs.

These gangs include the Grammercy Riffs, the Baseball Furies, the Orphans, the Turnbull A.C.'s, and the Rogues (the gang who did in fact murder Cyrus).

And then there is my favorite gang, the Lizzies.

Now whether the name is a take off of the word "lesbian" or the infamous Lizzie Borden (the New England woman put on trial and found innocent of the axe murders of her father and stepmother in 1892 and who was rumored to be a lesbian herself) is not known.

Whatever the case may be, when the Warriors are separated into two camps by pursuing police (let't not forget about them either), one group ends up with the Lizzies who offer them comfort and a little touchy-feely.

Of course comfort and a little touchy-feely are the last things the Lizzies have in mind for the Warriors as the following clip (the good stuff begins at 3:02) shows:



I know some folks are going to give me hell about this but I liked the Lizzies.

Despite the fact that the clip embodies three of the ugliest stereotypes about lesbians (i.e. very lascivious amongst each other, very masculine to the point of aggression, and they use sex to manipulate men like one would use toilet paper), I see something different about them.

I've seen so many ugly stereotypes of lgbts and they all have one thing in common - showing our community as the weak or dangerous others.

You can't feel the same way about the Lizzies. Despite seeming like a group of stereotypes, they actually aren't.

They are people in a bad environment who've learned to united and take care of themselves; just like all of the other gangs.

The Lizzies aren't a stereotype here and they aren't the other. They are the norm.

And most of all, they are survivors.

And you have to respect survivors.

Past Know Your LGBT History postings:

Know Your LGBT History - New York Undercover

Know Your LGBT History - Low Down Dirty Shame

Know Your LGBT History - Fortune and Men's Eyes

Know your lgbt history - California Suite

Know your lgbt history - Taxi (Elaine's Strange Triangle)

Know your lgbt history - Come Back Charleston Blue

Know your lgbt history - James Bond goes gay

Know your lgbt history - Windows

Know your lgbt history - To Wong Foo and Priscilla

Know your lgbt history - Blazing Saddles

Know your lgbt history - Sanford and Son

Know your lgbt history - In Living Color

Know your lgbt history - Cleopatra Jones and her lesbian drug lords

Know your lgbt history - Norman, Is That You?

Know your lgbt history - The 'Exotic' Adrian Street

Know your lgbt history - The Choirboys

Know your lgbt history - Eddie Murphy

Know your lgbt history - The Killing of Sister George

Know your lgbt history - Hanna-Barbera cartoons pushes the 'gay agenda

'Know your lgbt history - Cruising

Know your lgbt history - Foxy Brown and Cleopatra Jones

Know your lgbt history - I Got Da Hook Up

Know your lgbt history - Fright Night

Know your lgbt history - Flowers of Evil

The Jeffersons and the transgender community

What you can do to help in Maine, Washington state, and Michigan and other Friday midday news briefs

3-2-1 Countdown for Equality: No Bittersweet Victories - What you can do to win in Maine, Washington state, and Michigan

Obama Expected To Announce End Of HIV Travel Ban - This is good news!

LAPD to cut ties with group linked to Boy Scouts - I'm sorry but the Boy Scouts are NOT the victims here.

What's wrong with being gay? -Throughout the Kevin Jennings controversy, a critical question was omitted.

Transgender speaker approved - Another bit of good news.

Christian Anti-Defamation Commission defends exorcists and hate groups from the 'scary gays'

Now that President Obama has signed lgbt-inclusive hate crimes legislation, every wannabe religious right activist with access to a computer and someone dumb enough to fund them is coming out of the woodwork looking to profit on the supposed coming persecution of Christians by the lgbt community.

Last night, Pam Spaulding clued me in on the following from Gary Cass and the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission:

"In other nations, like Canada, where hate crime laws have been enacted, it is Christians, specifically conservative Christians who hold to the historic Christian faith and it's values, that become the object of institutionalized, governmental hate."


"Christians who dare to tell the truth about the social, moral, spiritual and health consequences of illicit homosexual acts are accused of hate speech and intimidated into silence with threats of fines or jail."


"The fact the hate bill had to be passed in such an unscrupulous and cynical manner (attaching it to the Defense Authorization Act) reveals the depth of President Obama's commitment to a radical, anti-Christian agenda. He will stop at nothing to undermine the will of the majority of Americans to pay back militant homosexual activists who raised millions of dollars for his campaign and worked to get him elected."

So the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission is claiming that Christians will be under siege thanks to President Obama signing hate crimes legislation.

Now this factoid has been refuted continuously, so there is no need to go over it again.

I would prefer to show you just exactly who does the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission feels would need defending from so-called persecution.

Remember the controversy earlier this year about the church in Connecticut, Manifested Glory Ministries, which attempted to exorcise a young teen from the "spirit of homosexuality?"



Guess who went on record defending this vile act?

The Christian Anti-Defamation Commission:

CADC wants to know where is the tolerance for a church who tried to help a young man who freely asked for help to overcome homosexual temptations? No church deserves to be maligned for trying to help a troubled teen who asked for prayer.

Why are homosexuals so outraged?

And then there the group's statement defending those 11 groups who have been referred to as official anti-gay hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center:

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a liberal pro-homosexual legal group, has compiled a list of “hate groups” throughout America. According to their latest list of 926 hate groups, if you advocate for biblical righteousness you are lumped together with violent neo-Nazis and skinheads. This is slanderous on its face.


Fine Christian groups that work hard to protect biblical marriage have been demonized on the SPLC list. The only reason Christian organizations are labeled hate groups is because of their stance on traditional marriage, as defined in the Bible. There is absolutely nothing hateful about this. In fact, the opposite is true. If you will not speak the truth to those lost in homosexuality, or in any other sin, you are unloving.

Here are just two of those "loving" groups:

The Family Research Institute - that is the organization run by discredited researcher Paul Cameron.

We all know Paul Cameron. He is the guy who has been censured by individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds including the American Psychological Association, The American Sociological Association, conservative leader Williams Bennett, and anti-gay group Exodus International.

He is the guy who makes up stories about gay men castrating children in bathrooms.

He is the guy who publishes phony studies claiming, amongst other things, that gay men eat feces.

He is the guy who said the following:

“If you isolate sexuality as something solely for one’s own personal amusement, and all you want is the most satisfying orgasm you can get—and that is what homosexuality seems to be—then homosexuality seems too powerful to resist. The evidence is that men do a better job on men, and women on women if all you are looking for is an orgasm.” - Rolling Stones magazine, March 18, 1999

Then there is Abiding Truth Ministries - that is the group founded by Scott Lively. He is the guy who wrote that fradulent book The Pink Swastika which connects the gay community to the Nazi party; the book that has been repeatedly discredited.

If these three groups (Manifested Glory Church, The Family Research Institute, and Abiding Truth Ministries) are the examples of Christians needing protection from the lgbt community by the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission, then I have one question.

Who is going to protect the lgbt community from the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission?

Related posts and articles:

'Christian' organization doesn't know the difference between a pro-family group and a hate group

Who's crazier? The church that tries to 'exorcise' homosexuality or those who would defend it?

'A Mighty Army' Page 4

Queer Science

The Holy War on Gays

Making Myths

One News Now resurrects old hate crimes lie

It's been an entire day since President Obama signed lgbt inclusive hate crimes legislation into law and no one, pastors included, has been arrested for merely saying that homosexuality is a sin.

But leave it to the American Family Association's One News Now to bring up an old inaccurate story of persecution:

A Christian evangelist who was once arrested, jailed, and charged under Pennsylvania's hate crimes law says the federal hate crimes bill signed into law by President Obama is one of the most dangerous laws in the history of the United States.

. . . Michael Marcavage, director of Philadelphia-based Repent America, was one of 11 Christians who were jailed and charged with a hate crime for carrying Bible verse banners and preaching at a 2004 homosexual pride event in Philadelphia. The charges were later dismissed -- and in 2008, the state's Supreme Court ruled the law had been passed illegally by the Pennsylvania legislature.

Of course One News Now omitted some details about this case.

Marcavage's group (Editor's note - Marcavage is in the picture above) wasn't merely carrying banners and preaching at the Philadelphia pride event. Repent America members allegedly harassed attendants. Supposedly, they began shouting in order to drown out events happening on stage at the events.

When the police attempted to get them to move to an area at the edge of the festival, they not only went deeper into the crowd of gays but also began using a bullhorn to condemn festival-goers.

That was when the group was arrested.

And their behavior at the Philadelphia event was business as usual for Repent America.

Regardless of One News Now's biased tone, we aren't exactly talking about "innocent Christians" here.

One time, according to the organization Philly Pride, in 2003, Repent America members were part of a group of protestors who entered a parade carrying signs that said “God Abhors You” and “AIDS: Judgment or Cure?” Allegedly, they called several people “fags” and told them that they were “going to hell.”

(Editor's note: The above paragraph was changed. The original paragraph contained an error claiming that 11 Repent America members entered the 2003 parade. However this is an error. It is not known just how many protestors entered the 2003 parade or if all of them were Repent America members.  Michael Marcavage of Repent America sent me a letter which said in part:


Repent America members never carried such signs nor ever called people fags as you have cited. In fact, we wholeheartedly oppose such messages and behavior. Philly Pride has been made aware of this and perhaps their website misled you . . .


It is believed that you utilized an article on Philly Pride's website where they strategically placed photographs of "previous demonstrations" to mislead people into believing that it was Repent America . . .

I should also mention that Marcavage said the following in 2005:

 The signs mentioned belonged to a group called the "Street Preachers' Fellowship" . . .  The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, etc. have already printed retractions in regards to similar comments.)

But as I said before, we are not dealing with "innocent Christians."  In August 2004, Repent America members were kicked out of a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game because they raised a banner that told spectators that they were going to hell unless they became Christians.

And while hate crimes charges against Marcavage and his group for their behavior in at the Philadelphia pride event were dismissed, there is another component to this story which One News Now omitted.

When Repent America members tried to sue the city of Philadelphia for violating their rights, they were turned back.

In 2007, a federal judge ruled that the city of Philadelphia did not violate the rights of Repent America members by placing them under arrest. Specifically, U.S. Judge Lawrence Stengel said:

“There is no constitutional right to drown out the speech of another person.”

This decision was upheld by a federal appeals court in 2008.

Picture taken from http://wildhunt.org/blog/2008/03/even-intolerant-fools-deserve-free.html


Sources:

The arrest of 11 Demonstrators at Outfest 2004, www.phillypride.org/news.
html

Michael Marcavage: Bible tells us to execute homosexuals, www.exgaywatch.com, February 11, 2005

Charges Over Gay Festival Disruption Dismissed, 365Gay.com, February 17, 2005

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit over Protest at Gay Festival, Southern Voice, January 25, 2007

3rd Circuit Upholds Removal of Christian Protesters at Gay Pride Event, The Legal Intelligencer, July 17, 2008

Another heterosexual South Carolina public official . . . another sex scandal and other Thursday midday news briefs

Prosecutor found with stripper fired - In South Carolina where they ban gay marriage, heterosexual government officials can't keep their hands to themselves whether it be in Argentina or a graveyard.

Porno Pete LaBarbera Too Hateful Even For Maine's Anti-Gay Haters - Will wonders ever cease?

Three Degrees of Separation: LaBarbera, Gallagher, and Stand for Marriage Maine - But wait. If anti-gay marriage folks in Maine denounce Peter, then why won't one of their biggest donors do the same?

Judge Rules Against Anti-Gay Marriage Group - And it gets better!

School Board Objects to Pictures of Gay Americans - Goodbye Barbara Jordan, Bayard Rustin, Lorraine Hansberry, Alan Turling, Alexander the Great, etc., etc.

Mr. LaBarbera goes to Maine and no one gives a damn

As I mentioned yesterday, Peter LaBarbera traveled to Maine to butt into the fight against marriage equality.

He took with him such "experts" as Brian Camenker of the hate group Mass Resistance.

Apparently the press conference was very, very sparsely attended:

About eight people held signs at the news conference, which featured Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, which is based in Illinois; and Brian Camenker of Mass Resistance, a Massachusetts pro-family group.


"I'm here today to address the media in Maine, and to speak to the people of Maine, about the "yes" vote on Question 1, and what we know to be the intimidating influence that radical homosexual groups have had in influencing a 'no' vote on Q1," Madore said.


In response, Jesse Connolly of No on 1 said he's proud of the financial support the campaign has gotten from a variety of groups, including the Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.


"Have we received money from HRC and the task force?" he said. "Absolutely. They are wonderful organizations that do a lot of good for a lot of good people."

If you ask me, the Fruedian slip of the millenium occured when LaBarbera made this statement:



Based upon LaBarbera's consistent years of anti-gay activity, one wonders if he is talking about the Maine vote or his personal life.

But since I am not a psychologist, I refuse to speculate on such matters.

The following links give a much better story than I about the entire situation:

The day the hate groups took over the anti-gay campaign in Maine

Audio and video: Peter LaBarbera's anti-gay 'rally' at Maine statehouse draws feeble numbers

President Obama signs hate crimes legislation and the clock begins

As far as I am concerned, let's not be so quick to let this story regarding hate crimes legislation die just yet.

Religious right groups have claimed that adding sexual orientation and gender identity to existing hate crimes legislation would lead to pastors being arrested in the pulpit for simply preaching that homosexuality is a sin.

Let's test that theory. To the right of this page is a countdown clock.

Are religious right claims true? How long will it take before pastors are led away in handcuffs, like so:

Make no mistake about it, this claim about pastors being arrested is a lie - an blatant lie that has been refuted continously.

And now that they have lost this round, will the religious right try to put this lie on a shelf, close the door, and never bring it up again?

I think they will try. And I also think we must never let them get away with it.

Religious right group's entire campaign against lgbt equality have been built on junk science, anecdotes taken out of context, distortion of legitimate research . . .

and fear stories having no basis in reality.

I say we remind the nation about how wrong their fear stories are.

Anti-gay marriage side in Maine getting desperate, more on the FRC/Paul Cameron connection, and other Wednesday midday news briefs

MassResistance's Brian Camenker Joining PornoPete At Augusta Statehouse! - Anti-gay marriage side in Maine getting desperate. Good. When you get desperate, you get careless.

Peter, Paul, and anti-marry: 'No on 1' to challenge 'Yes on 1's' liability-in-waiting - And when those who call themselves your enemies get desperate, you take advantage.

Family Research Council: Obama program to help gay elderly is wasted since gays die young anyway. Is FRC again using "science" of known hate group? - I made a huge post out of this but failed to illustrate the Paul Cameron connection like it needed to be illustrated. Luckily Americablog Gay has my back.

Scholastic Reverses Decision: Will Include LGBT-Inclusive Book in Book Fairs - They had better have put it back in the book fair!

The Big Con: How Matt Barber Swindled Me Out of $30 - This just in: Matt Barber's book is a big fat fraud!

Endorsing hateful anti-gay comic books is a Christian virtue to Beverly LaHaye

When we talk about religious right groups , it's important that we don't allow that we don't allow them to whitewash their beliefs or activities.

A perfect example of someone trying to do this is Concerned Women for America founder Beverly LaHaye speaking at a recent event in Texas about the history of her group:

Beverly LaHaye remembers standing in her kitchen about 30 years ago when she heard a secular feminist declare on national television that they spoke for America's women.

The California preacher's wife shared virtually none of National Organization for Women founder Betty Friedan's beliefs, LaHaye told a crowd of at least 100 people Monday during a dinner at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center.

She realized Christian women were "in the majority, but we had no voice," LaHaye said. "We were silenced."


Three decades later, her nonprofit activist group, Concerned Women for America, included 500,000 members fighting for the return of conservative Christian values to American life, she said.


. . . LaHaye, the wife of the accomplished Christian leader the Rev. Tim LaHaye and the author of nine books about the importance of being an effective Christian wife and mother, urged the crowd attending the Southern Baptists of Texas annual convention to become more active in politics to defend those values.


She called for the reintroduction of God into the day-to-day functions of American politics, where she said the framers originally intended him to be as they created the country more than 200 years ago.


. . . She repeatedly encouraged the audience to "stand up against the wiles of the devil" and join their Christian faith and with activism.


"It's time for Christian men and women to stand up for righteousness," LaHaye said.

Now I could go on a tear about how her group, Concerned Women for America, is no different from all of the other religious right groups with its eagerness to demonize the lgbt community via Paul Cameron studies, junk science, and distorted science. I have in the past and most likely will do so in the future.

However, in this case, I think I will let the following comic do the talking.

This 1986 comic was created by a man named Dick Hafer and it is a vile representation of some of the most evil anti-gay lies out there.

This was the time when the AIDS crisis was in full bloom, ignorance was all around and Paul Cameron was a credible name.

If these images get you angry, then good.

They are supposed to:

You can click on the pictures to see them larger. If you want to see the entire comic (God help you) go here.

But what does Beverly LaHaye have to do with this vile comic book that stigmatizes the lgbt community? Why she endorses it (again click on the image to get a larger view of it):

Her endorsement is the second one and reads as follows:

America needs to wake up to the facts regarding the Homosexual movement. Dick Hafer exposes the depravity of their lives iin his book, Deathstyle. This is a book which needs to be read by all of those concerned about our society and our nation.

The comic was was printed over 20 years ago, but far as I know, LaHaye has never rescinded her or Concerned Women for America's endorsement of it.

And that's just one of the reasons why this comic must not be forgotten, particularly when one takes into account that Concerned Women for America continues to use some of the bad statistics housed in it (i.e. Paul Cameron's work).

Also, never mind what you may see on shows like Hannity and the O'Reilly Factor when CWA and other religious right spokespeople come aboard with their carefully versed, clipped speech about the so-called persecution of Christians.

This comic book is their true face. And we should bring it out for public viewing with as much vigor as LaHaye and company try to hide it.

Editor's note - The webpage featuring this comic is not anti-gay. It's a site that looks at "problem-based comics" from the past.

Maine's governor shows guts, endorses marriage equality

This is awesome:

Maine governor joins families in fight for marriage equality

Governor John E. Baldacci met with Bangor families at the home of Sally Dobres to discuss marriage equality for the state of Maine.


"In the past, I opposed gay marriage while supporting the idea of civil unions," the governor said before the small crowd. "I came to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage."

More here

With a little over a week left to go, the folks in Maine still need your help and prayers.

The following commercial says it all:

Anti-gay hot mess in Washington, D.C. and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Hot mess in Washington, D.C. - This is the testimony of one of those speaking against marriage equality in Washington, D.C.:



Speechless, I tell you. I'm just speechless

And in other Tuesday midday news briefs:

Seven Days, Folks- Seven Days. Lemme Ask: Do We Want A Win In Maine? - An excellent question with the vote seven days away. Keep working and keep praying.

Army Secretary: Repealling DADT Would Not Cause Major Turmoil - Shhhh! Don' tell Elaine Donnelly just yet. LOL

Video: Joe's hostility laid Behar - Uh Mr. Joe the Plumber, yes you have a right to your opinion. But no you don't have the right to voice that opinion and expect others who disagree with you to shut up.

Family Research Council's coldhearted attack on lgbt senior citizens

Religious right groups often place themselves on the pedestal of virtue and respectability. However if one assesses how they conduct business, one would wonder if they actually deserve to be knocked off that pedestal.

Last weekend, it was Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel actually defending countries who torture and execute lgbts

Yesterday, the Family Research Council spoke out against Obama Administration plans to create a national resource center for lgbt seniors:

HHS has no idea how many LGBT seniors exist. No one does! The movement is only a few decades old, and people who are 80- or 90-years-old didn't grow up in a culture where it was acceptable to identify with this lifestyle.

Of course, the real tragedy here--apart from the unnecessary spending--is that, given the risks of homosexual conduct, few of these people are likely to live long enough to become senior citizens! Yet once again, the Obama administration is rushing to reward a lifestyle that poses one of the greatest public health risks in America.

Only a few decades old? Who knew 20 or 30 years was such a short time?

What a crude and totally insensitive remark.

And totally untrue. Via that ugly statement, FRC tried to refute information supplied by the Obama Adminstration as to the number of lgbt seniors:

Experts estimate that as many as 1.5 to 4 million LGBT individuals are age 60 and older. Agencies that provide services to older individuals may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with the needs of this group of individuals. The new Resource Center for LGBT Elders will provide information, assistance and resources for both LGBT organizations and mainstream aging services providers at the state and community level to assist them in the development and provision of culturally sensitive supports and services. The LGBT Center will also be available to educate the LGBT community about the importance of planning ahead for futurelong term care needs.

Also, according to a September 18, 2008 issue of Newsweek:

Over the next 25 years, persons in America who are 65 and older are expected to grow from about 12 to 20 percent of the total population, and various estimates indicate that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals will comprise 7 to 10 percent of that senior population. Meanwhile, like the Baby Boomers of all stripes, aging gays and lesbians are radically redefining what it means to be a senior—and how they fit into the larger community. They're coming out of the closet, vocalizing their experiences and needs, and, most importantly, demanding public recognition. "If you go back 40 years, there were virtually no openly gay seniors," says Gary Gates, a senior research fellow and demographer at the Williams Institute. "But now you have a large enough group that people are paying attention."


It doesn't matter whether or not the specific number of elderly lgbts are known.

The point is finding out who they are and taking care of their needs, i.e. a perfect reason for the creation of this national resource center.

But we shouldn't be surprised that FRC feels the need to attack the idea.

Just noting the existence of lgbt seniors refutes the "gays have a short life span" and the "homosexuality poses a great health risk" lies that FRC and other so-called pro-values groups push.

In fact, it is their continued citings of discredited Paul Cameron data, reliance on outdated studies, and constant distortion of legtimate studies that have led these lies to take root in the minds of many people.

But the meanspirited way FRC went about attacking the idea of an lgbt senior resource center belies its claim to be a Christian organization.

Expressing a belief that homosexuality is a sin is one thing. Actively trying to throwing a monkey wrench into plans to help senior citizens simply because you do not agree with their sexual orientation is entirely  something else.

And part of FRC's reasoning for its opposition actually goes against the nature of Christianity.

In the Bible (Matthew 25:45), Jesus said " . . .whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." 

So now FRC,  which claims to espouse the values that Jesus taught, is implying that since the number of lgbt senior citizens are allegedly small, they shouldn't warrant any help from the government.
The organization must be reading that new Conservapedia version of the Bible everyone is talking about.

In its eagerness to espouse its version of "values," FRC seems to have abandoned basic Christian decency, as well as common human decency.

The organization forgets that some of these lgbt seniors could be someone's mother, someone's father, or a veteran.

And  isn't it moral to take care of our elderly citizens, period?

In the real world, the answer to this question would be yes. But in the bizarro world of pseudo Christian values that FRC populates, we know the answer is "only if they are not homosexuals."

Hat tip to www.Goodasyou.org

Related articles and posts:

Gay couples enter golden years with more risk

‘Invisible And Overlooked’

The Family Research Council continues to use 'outdated' work

How religious right groups distort legitimate research to demonize the gay community

Why we should care about Paul Cameron

U.N. official defends murder of lgbts and the religious right defends HIM

Obama to sign hate crimes bill Wednesday afternoon, my clock to go up Wednesday night

Finally on Wednesday afternoon at 4:45 p.m., a bit of justice will prevail:

President Obama will sign lgbt inclusive hate crimes legislation into law

President Obama intends to sign into law Wednesday a long-sought hate crimes protection measure as part of a major defense bill, according to an administration source.

The president plans to pen his name to the fiscal year 2010 defense authorization bill, which includes a provision known as the Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The measure would make illegal hate crimes based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, among other categories, and would allow the Justice Department to assist in the prosecution of such crimes.


And in related news, my online countdown clock will go up Wednesday night.

For those not in the know, allow me to explain.

Religious right groups and their cohorts have been spreading the lie that this new law attacks free speech. Despite all evidence to the contrary, they say it will lead to such things as pastors not being able to say that homosexuality is a sin for fear of being arrested for hate crimes violation.

My clock will serve as a reminder of just how inaccurate this claim is.

It will show how long it takes from Obama signing the legislation to a pastor getting arrested for merely preaching that homosexuality is a sin.

Of course no pastor will ever be arrested for simply preaching that homosexuality is a sin and that's the point of my clock - to show the inaccuracy of this claim.

And on a larger scale, I want to demonstrate just how ugly and empty the tactics religious right groups use to scare people of faith.

Lastly, I hope to challenge the lgbt community to be more assertive in refuting religious right lies.

Just think - if they are wrong about this claim (and they are), just what else are they wrong about? What lies are they getting away with because we haven't been aggressive enough in challenging them?

The only problem I've run into is trying to find an html program of an online clock. I used to have the sites saved but can't seem to find them now.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.