O'Reilly under fire for defending Ellen DeGeneres

I don't like Bill O'Reilly. He isn't a good journalist but rather a loudmouth bully.

But the one time he makes sense, he gets attacked by members of the religious right.

O'Reilly recent defended popular lesbian celebrity Ellen DeGeneres and the department store JC Penny from attacks by the One Million Moms, a group pushed by the American Family Association. One Million Moms is angry that JC Penny chose DeGeneres as its spokesperson and is demanding that the company reverse the decision.O'Reilly said the following:

“If you remember with the McCarthy era of the 1950s, they were trying to hunt down communist sympathizers and not let them work and put them on a blacklist… What is the difference between the McCarthy era communist blacklist in the ‘50s and the Million Moms saying, ‘Hey, J.C. Penney and all you other stores, don’t you hire any gay people. Don’t you dare.’ What is the difference? . . . The essential question is that a conservative group in this country is asking a private company to fire an American citizen based upon her lifestyle. I don’t think that’s correct.”

Uh oh. He shouldn't have said that. Through its phony news publication One News Now, the American Family Association calls itself striking back via a column by one Michael Brown.

You'll probably be hearing more about Brown in the future, but for now here is the skinny. He is a huckster, a phony, a charlatan. He saw how much press religious right figures are getting by bashing the gay community and decided to join the publicity train to get his piece of the pie.

Anyway, this is part of what he wrote about O'Reilly's comments:

Simply stated, in a media culture where out and proud lesbians like Ellen, Rachel Maddow, and Suzie Orman are as American as apple pie, O'Reilly's reference to the McCarthyism of the 1950s "that banished perceived leftwing job seekers from employment in the entertainment industry" could hardly be more irrelevant.

But that is really secondary to the larger issue -- namely the reason for the Moms' opposition to Ellen as a spokesperson for JC Penney. O'Reilly notes that "DeGeneres is an American citizen," adding that, "She has committed no crime. If she wants to promote equality for gays or gay marriage, that is her constitutional right. She should not be dismissed from anything."

Of course, that is her constitutional right; and of course, she has committed no crime -- but that is not the point. In fact, O'Reilly began his article expressing his sympathies for people who "oppose the in-your-face tactics of some homosexuals" at public events like parades in New York City. "They simply want to be left alone. They don't want to see explicit displays in public that offend their moral or religious point of view."

And that is precisely the issue here. Ellen is the poster-girl par excellence for gay and lesbian causes, and her 2008 "marriage" to Portia DeRossi was celebrated on the front cover of People Magazine. Her 1997 TV announcement that she was gay made television history, and she is an ever-present, always winsome, spokesperson for gay activism.

The gist of Brown's nonsense is that it is perfectly fine to demand that JC Penny fire Ellen because it's not that she is a lesbian, but that she is an out lesbian celebrity who is popular in the public eye.

Perhaps Brown would have wanted JC Penny to find a timid, self-hating in-the-closet lesbians who, in the middle of advertising for JC Penny, would burst into tears and talk about how she hates herself and her life.

I mean how dare DeGeneres conducts herself like she isn't ashamed. Why if that were allowed to happen, people would see lgbtqs as normal. And worse than that, young lgbtqs may feel less isolated and depressed.

And we can't have that happening.

The irony is that Brown makes O'Reilly's point. To target someone not because of any alleged harm they have done, but because who they are is McCarthy-like tactics. And it doesn't matter how you try to pretty up the targeting.  Pouring a ton of sugar on manure doesn't make it edible and disguising a campaign of hate under the guise of family values doesn't make it palpable either.


Editor's note - If you have high blood pressure, avoid the comments section of the Brown's piece. It is filled with idiots citing convenience sample studies on the "so-called dangers of lesbianism." Apparently religious right tactics regarding distorting research have been picked up by their supporters.

Our efforts to expose the religious right lies needs a lot of work

From Faith in Public Life:

On Feb. 14th in New York, Faithful America members and faith leaders including Bishop Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, gathered at MSNBC studios to deliver 20,000 signatures calling on the network to stop inviting hate group leader Tony Perkins onto their news programming.

MSNBC sent down representatives to accept the petitions but remained non-committal about their willingness to change their policy.

The above video is of their delivery combined with footage of Perkins on MSNBC.

 I like what these folks did and I salute their efforts.

But I'm also going to be honest.

I feel a little reticent about news networks banning Tony Perkins on their shows. I hate for him to play the martyr. "Oh they are banning me because they don't want any discussion on homosexuality," Perkins would say. "Oh those intolerant homosexuals."

It is a sad truth that the news media treats Perkins like a legitimate source, regardless of the myriad of things his organization, the Family Research Council, has done to denigrate the lgbtq community. FRC has relied on junk science, cherry-picked studies, or out-and-out lies to demonize us. It is also a sad truth that very few in the media have questioned him on these things

When they do address it, they ask him general questions and allow him to go on a monologue about his supposed Christian values.

What we need is a 60 Minutes type investigation or a huge magazine expose on the Family Research Council and other groups like it. There needs to be a huge amount of detail as to  how these groups pick their so-called experts, how they cherry-pick studies, and their tendency to rely on junk science. There also needs to be some exposure as to how deeply affiliated some members of Congress are to these groups.

And I have said this more than once - I can't believe that the lgbtq community have several magazines and our own network, but none of these entities, at least to my knowledge, have decided to undertake this initiative.

No matter how many petitions we hand in or how loud we gripe, FRC and groups like it will continue to get away with their phony veneer or respectability until WE rip it away.

And frankly we have not begun to do it yet.

Related post: 16 reasons why the Family Research Council is a hate group

'NOM lies about Maggie Gallagher's disastrous MSNBC interview' and other Wednesday middday news briefs

 Video: Maggie Gallagher Debates Entire MSNBC Panel! - So NOM finally posts the clip of Maggie Gallagher's disastrous interview on MSNBC and naturally declares her the winner. Apparently NOM was watching an interview from an alternate universe. Those who aren't barred from posting should feel free to remind the organization of this.
 
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: NOM's Maggie Gallagher Discusses "Ex-Gay" Therapy At CPAC - Despite her insistence that she doesn't support reparative (ex-gay) therapy, a recent interview at CPAC, NOM's Maggie Gallagher seems to be slyly endorsing the inaccurate tenets behind reparative therapy. Draw your own conclusions.

Dangerous game: Vander Plaats says protecting LGBT kids from bullying is like playing in street - They certainly love the hyperbolic language.

EXCLUSIVE: Nancy Pelosi Supports 2012 Democratic Party Platform Including Marriage Equality - Way to go, Nancy Pelosi!

Oklahoma elects first openly gay state senator - Kick ass!

First Gay Group Forms On U.S. Military Base - Awesome!

Victoria Jackson embarrasses herself in debate with lesbian author

Former Saturday Night Live member Victoria Jackson has made a name for herself these days by being a controversial conservative Christian who is very public about her beliefs that President Obama is a communist, Glenn Beck is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and that the television show Glee is part of a plot to "indoctrinate" children into homosexuality.

But that damn voice of hers is annoying. She reminds me of the legendary comedian Gracie Allen on helium with cramps and an eternal bad attitude.

But to some folks, she is a hero for her stances and her willingness to engage those who disagree with her point of view (in an attempt to refute their arguments and make them look foolish, no doubt.)

In the video above, Jackson was at the conservative CPAC and she takes on Ellen Ratkin, lesbian and author of  The Other Side of the Family: A Book for Recovery from Abuse, Incest and Neglect (1990). The two were debating the nature of God.

Personally, I thought Jackson was way out of her league. But you decide who came out on top.

Black Love - The Quest for Marriage Equality

In an earlier post, I mentioned that when it comes to marriage equality and the African-American community, there is a tendency to ignore the certain complexities of the issue and paint all blacks with a homophobic brush. One of those complexities is basically simple - those of us in the black community who benefit from marriage equality and support marriage equality can't get a word in edgewise in the discussion because of the loud bleating of the black folk who don't support the issue, the white-dominated religious right eager to exploit these voices, and the media too damn lazy to not allow themselves to be bamboozled by a false narrative.

The following video previews demonstrate my point. From youtube:

"Black Love: The Quest for Marriage Equality" follows four gay and lesbian couples on their quest to marry and demonstrates how their commitment to love impacted their lives. The film examines the special rewards and challenges of same-gender relationships, how marriage equality can be a part of the solution to the structural and economic issues faced by many Black families, and the strategies that are needed to bring full acceptance of gay and lesbian people to the Black community. In this video, Rev. Dr. Christine Wiley and her husband, Rev. Dr. Dennis Wiley, co-pastors of Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ, discuss the risks they took to become an inclusive and affirming church. They were among the first Black clergy in DC to support marriage equality.

And then there is this clip - Ivan Walker and Wymond Satterwhite were married on August 27, 2011. In this clip they discuss the joys of raising their kids and being a family.




There are a LOT of African-Americans who support marriage equality. We just have to elbow our way to the microphones.

'Jon Stewart skewers 'war on religion' lie' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

This Jon Stewart clip about the so-called war on religious liberties have to do with objections to President Obama's compromise on contraception. However, it's so exceptional that you can put it to any situation, particularly when the religious right pulls out the "war on religion" card against the lgbtq community:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

In other news:


Anoka-Hennepin Gender-Neutral School Policy: Minnesota School Board Ends Policy Blamed For Bullying - I hope the new policy is much better than that awful one they had before pertaining to our lgbtq kids.

Clause by Clause With Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill: Anyone Can Be “Liable To Suffer Death” - That nasty bill still haunts us. It needs to die.

Valentine's Day 2012: Best Gay And Lesbian Kisses From Movies, Stage And Around The World (PHOTOS) - Happy Valentine's Day, folks.

'Porno Pete' LaBarbera oversteps his bounds with attack on NAACP

'Porno' Pete LaBarbera

I apologize in advance if folks get offended by this post.

 Porno Pete LaBarbera (so named for his tendency to attend subcultural gay events such as leather conventions, take pictures and describe actions in lurid details) seems to be "enamored" with interviewing North Carolina "diaper pastor" Patrick Wooden on the so-called "mechanics of gay sex."

As you all know, LaBarbera had that silly failed press conference a while back protesting the Southern Poverty Law Center's designating him and several other religious right organizations as hate groups because of the propaganda they spread about the lgbtq community.

It was there that he and Wooden seems to have "bonded." Since that time, LaBarbera and Wooden have conducted an interview so long that LaBarbera had to break it up into five parts.

It was during one of these this interviews in which Wooden made the false claim that gay men have so much anal sex that they require surgery and diapers and also that they use baseball bats, gerbils and cell phones as sexual instruments. Other tidbits of these interviews had Wooden making all sorts of nasty comments about Chaz Bono, legendary blogger Pam Spaulding (Wooden said she needs to find a man who will rock her world), and of course the transgender community.

'Diaper pastor' Patrick Wooden

I should also note that Wooden is instrumental in helping the National Organization for Marriage push for an anti-marriage equality amendment in North Carolina. NOM has been silent on Wooden's radio commentaries.

As I said before, LaBarbera became infamous for his past activities at subcultural events, such as leather conventions. But now he seems to have abandoned attending these functions. However, based on his interviews with Wooden, he has not abandoned his lurid imagination when it comes to gay sex. He seems to have traded one vice (taking pictures of gay men) for another (regaling his audience about gay sex).

An email LaBarbera sent talking about the fifth part of the interview he conducted with Wooden caused me to momentarily, shall we say, forget that I'm a child of God:

Below is the final installment of my five-part interview with Pastor Wooden -- a bold and courageous Truth Teller who has become a good friend. Please take 45 minutes to listen to this lively discussion and pass it on to your friends. Patrick nails it on how liberal Black leaders like Al Sharpton, Barack Obama, and NAACP President Ben Jealous are utterly out-of-touch with rank-and-file, churchgoing African Americans on the issue of homosexual sin. That's why ever since Patrick's first interview with AFTAH, he has become a huge target for bigoted and often vicious "gay" militants.

Poor Patrick Wooden for being "a target."  Whatever happened to the good old days when you could get away with accusing gays of wearing diapers and stuffing gerbils up their rectums?

I got slightly angry at LaBarbera for his comments regarding Sharpton, Jealous, the NAACP, and President Obama. You see these folks have been attempting to create a much needed conversation in the African-American community regarding lgbtqs of color.

In addition, The North Carolina chapter of the NAACP and a coalition at North Carolina Central University - a historically black college have come out against that awful anti-marriage equality amendment.

Washington state marriage equality bill is signed - Equality rules!

According to Think Progress:

The law will not take effect before June 7, three months after the conclusion of the legislative session. However, if opponents succeed in putting a question of marriage on the November ballot defining marriage as a union between one mand and one woman, the law would be suspended until the certification of election returns in December.(Gov Chris) Gregoire predicted that the people of the state of Washington “will say yes to marriage equality in the state of Washington” if the law is reviewed in a referendum.

'ANOTHER false 'religious liberty' case bites the dust' and other Monday midday news briefs

Federal court dismisses suit against UT - This is one of those "religious liberty" fake outs from way back. In 2008, University of Toledo associate vice president for human resources Crystal Dixon was fired for writing a piece in the area newspaper objecting to a previously written by the Toledo Free Press’ editor-in-chief on gay rights. Using inaccurate information, Dixon said that gays rights and African-American civil rights cannot be compared. But the substance of her piece was not what led to her dismissal. In her piece, she talked about university policy and without the permission of the university. In ruling against her, the court said:

“…The balance of [Ms. Dixon’s] interest in making a comment of public concern is clearly outweighed by the University’s interest as her employer in carrying out its own objectives. Therefore, [Ms. Dixon] has failed to establish that her speech was protected,” the judge wrote. “[Ms. Dixon] also claims that she was fired for violating an impermissibly vague speech policy. However, the damage she did to her ability to perform her job and to the University provide ample justification for her termination.”

Christopher Cain, Atlanta Anti-Gay Attack Suspect, Arrested And Charged With Aggravated Assault And Robbery - Good. Put that SOB under the jail if he is guilty!

Roland Martin's Controversial Tweets Draw Attention To Issues Faced By LGBT Blacks, Activists Say - To put it as simple as I can, Roland Martin's tweet AND the article above are two reasons why THIS gay black man carries peppery spray at all times. It's a reality, children.

CPAC Speakers Seek To Dismiss The Lives Of LGBT People - They do it all of the time. No shock there.

NOM's Maggie Gallagher caught lying on MSNBC

Editor's note - It happened again. So many things going on that I decided to write two posts this morning rather than one. After reading this one, please feel free to pan down and enjoy "Whines about 'attacks on religious liberties' reveal a lack of faith"

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

They say that when some animals are cornered, they fight with both cylinders.

In the case of Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage, she chose to fight back with lies. Lies which can be easily refuted by a simple google search.

Gallagher was  interviewed recently on Up With Chris Hayes and it didn't go well for her.

According to Scott Wooledge of Daily Kos, when she was vigorously challenged on NOMs claims, she got defensive and told a bunch of lies (the good stuff starts at 8:44):

  . . . The sparks really fly when Richard Kim, executive editor of TheNation.com, gets a chance to address Gallagher. He begins by saying:

Kim: I think you and your organization have really failed to present any evidence that same-sex marriage impacts heterosexual marriages. You also however have advocated for gay reparative therapy, as has the National Organization for Marriage, you have called homosexuality a "dysfunction" and not normal...

Gallagher: No! I have not! I have not! I have not done any of those thing

Kim: So it's hard to escape the conclusion that there is just anti-gay animus and bigotry behind your campaign.

Gallagher: You know you are making up---well, you can make up any conclusions you want. But you have just made up a bunch of facts that aren't true.

Gallagher then proceeded to say that NOM does not advocate for gay reparative therapy. Kim then called attention to several articles on NOM's webpage which called homosexuality a mental health problem.

The following were Maggie's exact words:

"No there isn't. You are confusing us with some other organization. It's not true.

Gallagher said also that she keeps a close view of what goes on the blog and just because NOM links to a piece doesn't mean the group endorses it.

Of course that explanation is just plain ludicrous. Linking to a piece  doesn't mean you endorse the piece. It is all about context. And generally when NOM links to pieces about the lgbtq community, the inference is that we are the "diseased other out to destroy society." So I am of the opinion that there is a slight degree of endorsement in the pieces that NOM links to. Gallagher used  the "we don't endorse everything we link to" defense in December when it was discovered that NOM's blog linked to an article A "Bad Catholic" Case Against SSM?

Whines about 'attacks on religious liberties' reveal a lack of faith

The cries about "attacks on religious liberty" says a lot more about those making the charges than the parties accused of such offenses.

On the surface, the claims evokes images of ugly persecution, including the rounding up of people into camps where they will be the victims of all sorts of evil.

Now while there may be anecdotal examples of people and companies being too zealous to not show religious favoritism, such an image is a serious flight of fancy.

This is not to say that there weren't cases of religious persecution in the past. The Romans accused Christians of cannibalism and starting the Great Fire, thereby justifying their feeding them to the lions and other brutal acts.

Mary I of England - a Catholic stalwart - burned over 300 of her subjects at the stake for practicing the so-called wrong religion of Protestantism.

Even as we speak, Christians are being persecuted in foreign countries.

But the argument of "attacks on religious liberties" cries out for a degree of levity

Being fed to ravenous lions by vindictive Romans in no way compares to Catholic Charities not being able to take gay taxpayers' money for the adoption of children while declaring these gays unfit under the guise of religion.

Nor does being burned at the stake by a zealot queen compare to not being able to interfere with women receiving vital contraception.

To even imply so is the flight of fancy of an entity with a martyr complex. And more to the point, it is an indictment on the faith of those who would push such bogus images.

I come from the black worship experience, which was very vital to the survival of the African-American community in this country.

Before the days of the mega-churches and the sold out arenas, my people clung to their songs, wooden churches, and faith even in the face of ugly oppression. Down south, we sang and worshipped with vigor even though we were aware that at any moment, any racist with a bad attitude would and could snuff out our very lives and get away with these wanton acts of violence.

So why did we do it? Simply because of our faith in God. We knew that in spite of all that we faced, God would see us through our trials and tribulations and into better days.

And to a degree, we were right.

So to those crying about "attacks on religious liberty," many of whom have it better than any of my black ancestors, I say where is your faith?

If you truly believe in God, then you have nothing to worry about. The Bible which you claim to follow says that no weapon formed against you will prosper.

If there is some type of conspiracy to beat down your "religious liberty," wouldn't it be doomed to fail?

What are you scared about?

Or could it be that these cries about "attacks on religious liberty" are nothing more than cynical ploys to either scare your followers or appeal to your own egos?

R.I.P. Whitney - America loses its Queen of the Night

Whitney Houston  (1963 - 2012)

You mean same-sex families have children? Alert the Marines!

The entitlement and audacity of some who oppose lgbtq equality never ceases to amaze me.

Of all of the false hysterical claims they make, the one about children has to take the cake.

"If marriage equality is accepted, children will be forced to learn about gays."

The nerve of such statement is exceeded by its inanity. Same-sex families are raising children across America and guess what? These children are attending public schools and are being vocal about their families, as they should be.

So to all of those so-called moral folks who think they own the patent on the word "family," marriage equality doesn't need to be legalized for your child to know about same-sex families. The odds that they probably have classmates in same-sex homes are very good.

As it should be. Any home which provides love and support ought to be celebrated.

A perfect example of this is the following is Spencer Perry, 17, son of Prop. 8 plaintiffs Kris Perry and Sandy Steir, talking about the damage Prop. 8 has caused his family and what has changed because of this week's 9th Circuit Appeals Court ruling.

Perry is not a hypothetic. He is a reality - one of many:

Know Your LGBT History - Nell Carter

I was especially sadden when actress and singer Nell Carter passed away in 2003. She was one of the few celebrities I had wanted to meet. She was truly an awesome lady.





From Wikipedia:

Born Nell Ruth Hardy in 1948 to Horace and Edna Mae Hardy in Birmingham, Alabama, Carter was one of nine children. She overcame adversity and personal hardships before finding success as an actress. Her father died in an accident with a power line. A man raped her when she was 16, and she became pregnant from the attack, giving birth to a daughter, Tracy.

She was in the 1971 rock opera Soon, which closed after three performances. She was the Music Director for the 1974 Westbeth Playwrights Feminist Collective's production of "What Time of Night It Is". Carter appeared alongside Bette Davis in the 1974 stage musical Miss Moffat, based on Davis' earlier film The Corn Is Green. The show closed before making it to Broadway. She broke into stardom in the musical Ain't Misbehavin, for which she won a Tony Award in 1978. She also won an Emmy for the same role in a televised performance in 1982. Additional Broadway credits included Dude and Annie.

In 1979, she had a part in the Miloš Forman-directed musical film adaptation of Hair. Her vocal talents are showcased throughout the motion picture soundtrack. One of the more memorable moments in the film involves her rendition of the song "White Boys" where she can be seen dancing playfully as she performs the song (alongside Ain't Misbehavin co-star, Charlayne Woodard).

In 1978, Carter was cast as Effie White in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, but departed the production during development to take a television role on the ABC-TV soap opera, Ryan's Hope in New York. When Dreamgirls premiered in late 1981, Jennifer Holliday had taken over the lead. Carter also took a role on television's The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, before landing a steady role as housekeeper Nell Harper on the sitcom Gimme a Break!, for which she earned Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations. The popular show lasted from 1981 to 1987.

'NOM ally - Use chemicals to 'cure' gays' and other Friday midday news briefs

New York Rabbi: Use Chemicals To ‘Cure’ Homosexuality - And this guy just happens to be an ally of the National Organization for Marriage. But just use chemicals. Why not shock treatment? They used to do that once. I bet NOM will register no comment on this one.

NJ Family Policy Council: Homosexuality Is Unhealthy, Can Be Cured, Linked To Pedophilia- Old lies die hard, don't they?

Top 10 questions on next steps in the Prop 8 trial - What you need to know about the next step in the Prop 8 trial.

Glitter-Bombing: Is It Fabulous Or Foolish? (POLL) - Glitter-bombing is lazy and stupid. Visibility for the sake of visibility is counterproductive. And the best work for equality is not done in front of the cameras. We need to organize and marshal all allies in this battle.

Supporting Ellen DeGeneres = supporting fisting for children?

Ellen DeGeneres

By now, you all know of the ridiculous attack on JC Penny by the religious right group One Million Moms simply because the company has partnered up with popular lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres,

It hasn't gone well for One Million Moms (a sham offshot of the anti-gay hate group the American Family Association). Many folks have been turned off of the boycott because it's nothing more than wanton homophobia. This group don't like DeGeneres because she is a lesbian. In fact, not only has JC Penny dug in, but people, such as radio personality Howard Stern, have voiced strong support of the store and DeGeneres,

But like a moron who continues bash his head against a brick wall while ignoring the pain, One Million Moms and its supporters slog on.

Sandy Rios

Take for example this awful piece written by former Concerned Women for America employee Sandy Rios:

Imagine you had to make a case against Ellen DeGeneres being the new spokesman for JCPenney. Ellen is charming and delightful ... witty, warm and engaging. What's not to like about Ellen DeGeneres? And yet for thousands ... yeah millions of Penney's customers, it is an unsettling proposition.

American Family Association's OneMillionMoms have said as much. In fact they've asked JCPenney to reconsider their choice of a spokesperson. They've launched a campaign to get Penney customers to tell the retailer how they feel. But thousands are fighting back, including the new CEO of JCPenney, former Apple executive Ron Johnson, who said, "I think Ellen is someone we all trust. She's loveable, likeable, honest and funny, but at her soul, we trust her." On-line petitions have sprung up sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination, GLAAD, in fierce defense of DeGeneres. It's the intolerant Religious Right pitted against the affable and charming Ellen DeGeneres and really, on that basis it is a losing battle.

School superintendent stands up to 'ex-gay' group

The recent controversy regarding an ex-gay group, PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays) distributing flyers to students at a Maryland school district just took an interesting turn.

Montgomery School Superintendent Joshua Starr expressed his opinion about the controversy and he didn't mince any words. According to Pink News:

Superintendent Starr said the school was legally bound to allow the group to spread their message, as it is with all non-profit organisations, even though the group’s message that sexuality can be changed is rejected by medical professional bodies.

He reportedly told students: “This group has figured out how to use that law to spread what I find to be a really, really disgusting message, frankly.”

Needless to say, PFOX officials were angry at Starr's words. They are demanding that Starr be censured:

Regina Griggs, executive director of PFOX said: “We call on the Montgomery County Board of Education to enforce its Nondiscrimination Policy and censure Starr immediately.

“The Policy mandates that schools provide ‘an atmosphere where differences are understood and appreciated, and where all persons are treated fairly and with respect in an environment free of discrimination and … abuse.’ Clearly Superintendent Starr has violated the Board’s Policy.

“Starr’s verbal abuse, disrespectful behavior, and slurs against the ex-gay community amount to hate and illegal sexual orientation discrimination, which are all forbidden by the Policy.”

I frankly think that Griggs is full of it. Starr has not stopped the schools from distributing the flyers so I fail to see where there is any discrimination.

Truth Wins Out, an organization dedicated to fighting  the lies of "ex-gay groups" also points out the irony of PFOX officials whining about Starr's statement:

The president of PFOX, Greg Quinlan, refers to LGBT people as “flaming faggots” and a board member, Peter Sprigg, supports imprisoning LGBT people and once claimed we should be “exporting” homosexuals. The despicable organization even has a “prayer” on its site that says: “Father, I want to thank you for the awesome change you have wrought in MY life. How you allowed me to survive while I was trapped under the deception of homosexuality, that it even resembled ‘life’.”

PFOX’s former President, Richard Cohen, was permanently expelled from the American Counseling Association for multiple ethics violations. Prior to his stint at PFOX, Cohen was a Moonie and once even belonged to the Wesleyan Community Church, a Vashon Island cult that practiced naked “therapy” in churches. Cohen’s therapy outfit, The International Healing Foundation, sent a representative to Uganda to speak alongside a holocaust revisionist at a conference with the goal of “wiping out” homosexuality.

In my opinion, Starr's comments about PFOX's message being disgusting was on the mark, if rather a bit too nice for my tastes. He should have made comments about the organization's cast of characters.

Hat tip to Truth Wins Out.

'Gays will lose because they are perverts' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Editor's note - It is rare that I receive negative comments on my posts and it is even rarer that I feature these posts. However a comment today on my Chai Feldblum post deserves a spotlight. A certain anonymous (funny how they are always anonymous) commentator wrote me the following:

Sorry, guys, but you will loose in the end. Last time I checked, the Sun was still coming up in the East. You are perverts not because of your sexual proclivities but because of your mentality. Zero sum game, as Chai said. Normal people win, you loose.

Of course I had to answer him/her back. To read what I said, go to the post in question. And if you feel the need to respond to him/her yourself, by all means please do. Don't be too mean (no threats or vulgar language) or try to totally annihilate the child.. Save some for other commentators.

In other news:

Marriage Equality Bill Introduced in Illinois - In 2004, anti-marriage equality bills hit the country like a tidal wave. I think it's time for us to have a tidal wave of our own.

Eye doctor warns of dangers 
of political protest 
on gay 
marriage - Stop this glitter-bombing shit now!

Uganda gov’t says it does not support anti-gay bill reintroduced to parliament this week - Let us pray that this awful bill does not succeed.

Truth Wins Out to Slam Newt Gingrich for Hypocrisy on Marriage Equality in Thursday Roll Call Ad - Pluck that turkey, Truth Wins Out!

Another religious liberty fraud bites the dust

Marcia Walden

In the middle of all of the controversy about Roland Martin, Proposition 8, and Washington state, I almost missed this positive strike against the fraudulent talking point of "religious liberty:"

The federal appeals court in Atlanta has rejected claims by a former counselor for the CDC who said she was was fired for refusing to advise employees in same-sex relationships because of her religious beliefs.

The court said it accepted Marcia Walden's sincerity that her devout Christian beliefs prohibited her from counseling clients in same-sex relationships. But it found Walden was laid off because her superiors disapproved of the way she referred a lesbian client to another counselor and were concerned how she would handle future referrals.

Walden's lawyer, Byron Babione, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, expressed disappointment with the ruling. "It is unlawful to punish a Christian for abiding by her faith, particularly when she made every effort to accommodate the interests of a potential client," he said. "... We are determining next steps to ultimately vindicate Marcia and the freedoms for which she’s fighting."

Walden's lawyer and those whining about the supposed violation her "religious liberty" conveniently omit the entirety of the case. 

BREAKING - Washington state House of Representatives passes marriage equality bill

Simply awesome:

The state House Senate voted 55-43 Wednesday afternoon to legalize same-sex marriage.

On Feb. 1, the state Senate voted 28-21 in favor of marriage equality.

Next up, the bill goes to Gov. Chris Gregoire, who has vowed that she will sign it into law.

During Wednesday’s session, the House swiftly voted down every single amendment offered by Republicans that would have altered the bill.

Then, the floor debate began with Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle. Pedersen shared with his fellow lawmakers about how domestic partnership is not equal to marriage equality, and how it has impacted him and his partner, Eric, and their four children. His heartfelt speech was also punctuated with humor, invoking gentle laughter.

Rep. Jay Rodne, R-North Bend, spoke out against marriage equality. Rodne argued that “marriage is about life,” as in procreation, and that gays and lesbians will not gain “validation and acceptance” via marriage. He gave the usual spiel offered by conservatives and the Religious Right, spitting out half-truths and falsehoods.

Rodne, visibly angry, said he took solace that the bill could be undone by a future legislature or at the ballot box. He then plopped down in his seat, a grimace crossing his face.

Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton, smiled at lawmakers as she spoke in favor of “traditional marriage.” She falsely claimed that religious institutions are under attack over this issue.

Rep. Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma, said the bill was “about couples, about family, about kids, about love and about commitment.” She talked about her partner of 23 years and how they fit too much into the category of soccer moms.

“I’m voting for this bill because it strengthens families,” Jinkins said.

More details here. Congratulations to the folks of Washington State!

Fake black leaders always ignore gay communities of color

So CNN put Roland Martin on suspension for his homophobic Superbowl tweets.

Good, but pardon me for not dancing in the streets. I used to like Martin but gradually I began to peg him as another one of those phony leaders in the African-American community.

I'm talking about the type who are always talking about being the voice of the black community or coming out with something they call "The State of Black America."

What they actually mean is that they are the voice of the heterosexual black community and that "State of Black America" seems to always omit the lgbtq community of color.

Don't get me wrong though. They always come around to us when its National HIV Testing Day. God forbid that they would have to acknowledge that we have lives having nothing to do with catching diseases. Or that many of us are highly successful and are raising children. Or - gasp and swoon - many of us attending affirming churches.

And they definitely won't talk about issues such as the recent one involving the brutal gay bashing of that young man, 20-year-old Brandon White:



The sad thing is not Martin's tweet, it's the fact that he and lot of other black leaders will probably ignore this incident, even though it is the symptom of a degree of ugliness in the black community.

If it were a black man attacked by a group of whites, there would have been a huge ado. If it were a straight black man attacked by other black men, then we would hear about how awful it is that young black men are killing each other.

But because it was a gay black man, there seems to be a sad silence. And please don't think that it's not deliberate.

It is deliberate.

And it's something that me and my lgbtq brothers and sisters are used to. You see, if we were heterosexual, Martin and so many other black leaders in the public eye would use their platforms to lift us up. However because we are lgbtqs of color, they use their platforms to hold us down and out of sight.

'Victim of brutal gay bashing speaks out' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Beating victim to speak out - Good for him! We are on your side, my friend. Stay strong.

Myth: ‘Gays make more money than non-gays’ - If one wanted to write a piece on the myths perpetrated against the gay community, it would fill a 26 volume encyclopedia.

The making of gay marriage’s top foe - A definitive piece on NOM's Maggie Gallagher. Not necessarily salacious but it gives a bleak picture of her fight against marriage equality.

Ellen Responds To ‘One Million Moms’ Boycott Of JC Penney: ‘My Haters Are My Motivators’- Handle your business Ellen!

Religious right spokesman tells deliberate lie on Obama appointee

Robert Knight deliberately smears Chai Feldblum

Robert Knight is a longtime stalwart in the religious right, fighting against lgbtq equality in organizations such as the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, and the Coral Ridge Ministries.

He also has a reputation of either relying on junk science or making stuff up and doubling down when questioned on it. I witnessed this last year during a short brouhaha between he and I over a speech President Obama made after that awful shooting in Arizona.

Yesterday, Knight wrote a piece attacking marriage equality in Maryland. His argument was that marriage equality would lead to attacks on so-called "religious liberties."

Knight lists a few examples, but one caught my eye:

Georgetown University Law Prof. Chai Feldblum, whom President Obama appointed to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, is one of the more honest gay activists.

Feldblum writes that when it comes to civil rights, "we are in a zero-sum game: a gain for one side necessarily entails a corresponding loss for the other side."

I once asked Ms. Feldblum at a seminar if it bothered her that a Christian club would be thrown off a college campus for not having gay leaders or others who reject basic Christian doctrine. She shrugged, smiled and said, "Gays win, Christians lose." I did admire her candor.

Prop 8 supporters too scared to testify, too bold to whine after the fact

Why didn't Maggie Gallagher testify at original Prop 8 trial?

In celebration of today Appeals Court ruling against Proposition 8, I was going to write something uplifting about the perseverance of the lgbtq community.

But I decided not to.

For one, I am sure that there are so many others who are going to be dwelling on that subject. For another, based upon the reactions coming from the religious right, I feel that another direction is in order, i.e. a missive directed to Maggie Gallagher, the National Organization for Marriage, the Family Research Council, and all of those other folks whining about today's ruling.

This missive would have included Mitt Romney because of his negative words today. However, seeing that it is Mitt Romney, I figure a week from now will find him supporting the ruling.

Maggie Gallagher sent out the following twitter message:

Meanwhile, others such as the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, etc. have sent out the usual junk about "unelected judges," "activist judges," "redefinition of marriage," and all of the other hyperbolic mess we have come to expect from them.

But here is my question and it's relatively simple.

Just where were these folks when the original trial was taking place last year? Why didn't any of these folks testify as to why Prop 8 was needed? Remember, the pro-Prop 8 side could only find two witnesses and both did a poor job defending the law. One witness, David Blankenhorn, inadvertently made the case for the anti-Prop 8 side?

Where was Gallagher, Brian Brown, Peter Sprigg, Tony Perkins, or any of these other folks who put so much work in getting the law passed? Gallagher's tweet alleges that seven million people voted for the law. However amongst those seven million, only two witnesses could be found?

Who are they kidding?

All of this outrage after the fact is bogus. It's a diversion and a pitiful one at that. It's an attempt to obscure a basic fact.

And that basic fact is that Proposition 8 was built with deliberate lies that Maggie Gallagher, Tony Perkins, Peter Sprigg, and the rest of those pushing it were too fearful to defend in court.

None of these people - not one - had the guts to stand up in court, take an oath, and attest to the veracity of the claims they made regarding what allegedly would happen should marriage equality become legal in California because they knew that the lawyers attacking the law - David Boies and Ted Olson - would call them out and reveal their deception.

So Maggie dearest and the rest of you folks, please stop whining. You are not fooling anyone. You dug this hole yourself so you have no reason to cry out when the dirt comes in to bury you.

'Brutal attack caught on video underscores that anti-gay violence is NOT funny' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

The next time CNN correspondent Roland Martin feels the need to make fun of anti-gay violence, he should take a look at this video (I apologize for its graphic nature):




According to the GA Voice:

WorldStarHipHop.com posted a video to its website today of an apparent Atlanta street gang beating a man the gang called a “faggot.” The video was posted on the site with the headline, "Dead Wrong: Man Wearing Skinny Jeans Gets Sucker Attacked & G'z Throw a Tire On Him for Being Gay."

“Jack City, no faggots,” a man says at the start of the video. “Jack City” is an apparent reference to a street gang.

The operator of the camera was also heard shouting “No faggots in Jack City, man” at least four times during the beating. The apparent hate crime occurred outside a neighborhood grocery store on McDaniel Street, according to The Smoking Gun website.

There is no indication of when the video was filmed.

In other news:

TODAY: 12th Annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - You can't tell me that there is no link between the violence seen above, Roland Martin's flippant remark about anti-gay violence and how gay black men feel about their own community. These feelings have a way of making them susceptible to negative behaviors which lead to HIV/AIDS.

Baltimore County Residents Decry, Belittle Transgender Nondiscrimination Protections - Same appeal to ridiculous fears. What a load of horsecrap.

White House Condemns Virginia’s Anti-Gay Adoption Bill - Good for the White House!

History hashtagged: The #Prop8 waiting game - The Ninth Circuit Court will make a decision about Proposition 8 today. And when it comes down, I will be at work. But go here to see it as it happens.

NOM's Brian Brown tried to steal Bayard Rustin's legacy during recent debate

Bayard Rustin

One thing said during the debate between NOM's Brian Brown and Freedom to Marry Evan Wolfson last week got my blood boiling.

And this morning, I am still pissed.

More to the point, I'm pissed off to the highest levels of "pissivity."

The reason for this is a claim Brown made during the debate. It happened at 6:20 when he was attempting to refute a point Wolfson made regarding on the unfairness of voting on people's rights. During his point, Wolfson brought up Congressman and civil rights legend John Lewis. This is what Brown said:

And while Evan brings up Congressman Lewis, Dr. Walter Fauntroy who organized Dr. King's March on Washington . . . actually supports the notion that people should vote on this."

Brown then goes on a tangent about how African-Americans supposedly oppose marriage equality at a high number. Of course Wolfson refutes this notion, but let's just analyze Brown's above statement.

 How dare he.

Walter Fauntroy is a former Congressman and a civil rights legend. He was one of the coordinators of the March on Washington. He was the D.C. Coordinator. But he did not organize the march.

That designation belongs to Bayard Rustin, an openly gay African-American who, until recently, never got his due.

It was Rustin who was the chief organizer. He was the planner. According to The Washington Post, Rustin was "the man widely viewed as the only civil rights activist capable of pulling off a protest of such unprecedented scale."

I know it is in the game plan of NOM to play the gay and black communities against one another, but to yank proper credit from Bayard Rustin for his role in the March on Washington and assign it to another black leader supporting NOM's position goes beyond the pale. It's insulting to me as a gay man and an African-American.

Regardless of whether this gaffe by Brian was intentional or not,  it says a lot about what he and NOM actually thinks about the black community.

And that's not much.

If the gaffe was intentional, it demonstrates how Brown and NOM are willing to exploit the African-American community, even at the point of altering our history to suit their agenda.

And if Brown's comments was not intentional, then the implications are worse. It demonstrates that NOM and Brown doesn't care enough about black people to get our history correct. All that matters to them is the success of manipulating the black community against the gay community.

I sincerely hope those black leaders who are kissing up to NOM are paying attention.

But who am I kidding? Even if they were, I doubt it would make a difference.

Who needs integrity when publicity (and most likely money) calls?

South Carolina license plates will celebrate gay equality

There are so many directions I can go today whether it be the Roland Martin controversy, the Prop 8 decision coming down tomorrow, or that awful anti-gay bill in Uganda.

But I decided that I don't focus on my own state of South Carolina enough. Something good is percolating down here and I think folks should know about it:



The point is that it's not always about New York, California, or any metropolitan city. South Carolina has an awesome, thriving lgbtq community that doesn't get its due. A lot of it has to do with regional cliqueness. The South is not an ignorant place to be nor are we all backwood yokels.

We are actually very progressive.

By the way, if you want to vote in the poll mentioned in the video, go here. We are winning but more favorable votes never hurts.

One more thing - I hope you enjoy the scenes from SC Pride. As seen, we KNOW how to party!

Go to scequality.org and click on the license plate to get instructions on how to purchase your very own.

'NOM's Brian Brown does badly in debate against Evan Wolfson' and other Monday midday news briefs

Freedom to Marry's Evan Wolfson debated the National Organization for Marriage's Brian Brown yesterday on NYC's WABC 7 and annihilated his arguments. It's like I have been saying before. Our side speaks truth from the heart while Brown's side speaks like robots programmed with talking points. This is better than sex and chocolate.


And in other news:


CNN's Roland S. Martin apologizes via Twitter for Super Bowl Tweets that angered LGBT community - Mr. Martin should look at this as a cultural lesson. I know many African-Americans who got incensed on a personal level at the photo of Arizona governor Jan Brewer putting her finger in President Obama's face. In the case of the lgbtq community, words advocating violence against the lgbtq community gets us incensed, no matter how lighthearted they were meant to be. But now that we are on the subject, how about more lgbtqs of color on your show, Roland . . . .

New York City Council Balks At Resolution Endorsing Churches In Public Schools - I can just hear the whines about "religious liberty" now.


No surprise: NC anti-gay Pastor Patrick Wooden pimps his ‘life-earned,’ non-academic doctorate - Well, well, well, the "diaper pastor" Patrick Wooden has false credentials. He should fit right in with the religious right on that score.

REPORT: 16 Million Employees Could Receive Nondiscrimination Protections From Executive Order - Go for it, Mr. President!

Washington state group pushing anti-gay junk science

Joseph Backholm - a "new" leader pushing same old junk science.

When the news came that the Washington state Senate had passed the bill allowing marriage equality, opponents began rallying to put the possibly soon-to-be law on a referendum before voters.

One group that will most likely be in the forefront of this effort is the Policy Family Institute of Washington. According to Equality Matters:

One of the most prominent anti-gay groups currently working to defeat proposed marriage equality legislation in the state of Washington is the Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW). Led byJoseph Backholm, FPIW has played a central role in organizing anti-gay efforts in the state over the past several years, including opposing efforts in 2009 to expand domestic partnerships to include same-sex couples.

Last week, Backholm testified before a Washington Senate sub-committee, urging senators to put the issue of marriage equality to a referendum and have voters to decide if “moms and dads do matter.”

Although FPIW presents itself as a typical “pro-family” organization, the group openly promotes anti-gay propaganda has ties to some of the country’s most notorious anti-gay hate groups.

According to a local Washington newspaper, The Herald Net, the 33-year-old Backholm has been called a new type of leader for the religious right:

What's made Backholm's voice stand out in the chorus of gay marriage opponents is its tone. There's less fire and brimstone and more stoic argumentation, a product of his training as a lawyer and toils as a policy wonk.

"He's not a flag waver, Bible waver or stomp around kind of guy," said Pastor Joe Fuiten of Cedar Park Assembly of God in Bothell, who served on the Family Policy Institute board of directors when Backholm came on board. "He's not a hired gun. He believes in what we're all about. It's always good for our side to be represented by someone like that."

This could present a problem because it would seem that the so-called new stoic voice will be repeating the same discredited information. Equality Matters also pointed out an article on the group' resource page:

Also included in the “Resources” page is an article by George Dent – Professor of Law at Case Western Reserve University – titled “No Difference?: An Analysis Of Same-Sex Parenting.” The article contains a number of anti-gay smears, including the myth that homosexuals molest children at higher rates than heterosexuals:

The claim that living with a same-sex couple does not affect a child’s sexuality is implausible. “It would be surprising indeed if . . . children’s own sexual identities were unaffected by the sexual identities of their parents.” Even young children may sense, or be told by others, that their guardians are unusual--queer--thereby initiating their sexualization at an unusually early age.There is evidence that children raised by homosexuals are more likely to engage in homosexuality and to feel confused about their sexual identity. [...]

Further, “gay men tend to be even more preoccupied than most straight women with their bodies, physical attractiveness, attire, adornment and self-presentation.” They may choose to marry only when they no longer feel attractive enough for the promiscuity of the homosexual “meat market.” [...]

Does Dent's article sound familiar? It should. Dent's article is being used by the lawyer hired by the House of Representatives - Paul Clement - to defend DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act).

In writing about this last year, I pointed out a number of huge errors in “No Difference?: An Analysis Of Same-Sex Parenting.”

On page four, Dent cites both Paul Cameron and George Rekers, both discredited researchers. Cameron has been censured or rebuked by several organizations for his bad methodology in his studies and Rekers lost a lot of credibility two years ago when he was caught coming from a European vacation with a "rentboy."