'Rachel Maddow demolishes ex-gay movement' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Rachel Maddow give the ex-gay movement a deserved swift kick:

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

In both this video and the one I posted with Dan Savage, one fact is clear. The fight for lgbtq equality will not be fought simply in the streets. It will be fought online and in the halls of public opinion. In our zeal to become angry and call upon the protests of the past, we forget to use all of our resources in combating the right. We allow them to have the advantage by not studying their distortions and using our voices to not only shout slogans but also to expose their distortions to the world. Our fight shouldn't entail solely marches, but quiet rooms where we study their lies, formulate rebuttals and use these rebuttals aggressively and on the offensive instead of waiting for the right to attack us.

In other news:

Conservatives’ Anti-Gay Day Of Dialogue Encourages Students To Promote Shame, Depression, And Substance Abuse - Lest we forget, today is the religious right's sham event, the Day of Dialogue. I wouldn't have said a word about this but Think Progress published a dynamite rebuttal to this lie of a day and it needs to be read by as many folks as possible.

Uganda President Defends Anti-Gay Laws - This, my friend, is what you call a super hot mess.

Vote For Marriage NC is bombing - It couldn't have happened to a nicer group of homophobes.

Richard Land's Terrible Week Gets Even Worse as ERLC Launches an Investigation - Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones at gays.

Dan Savage exposes religious right talking head for his lies

I've given Dan Savage hell before, but when he nails something, I've given him his props.

And in this case, Savage gets tremendous props for doing something I have done only once and have dreamed of doing more times - Calling out a religious right talking head on his/her deception.

Equality Matters gives the full story:

On the April 16 edition of KCTS 9’s new show, Public Affairs with C.R. Douglas, the program spotlighted Washington state’s recent decision to legalize same-sex marriage. Panelists included Joseph Backholm – leader of the Protect Marriage Washington effort and president of the Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW) – and prominent gay activist Dan Savage.

While much of the episode followed the show’s signature use of the Socratic Method, the debate became more confrontational after Backholm began discussing same-sex parenting:

BACKHOLM: I think there’s a general understanding of the fact that if you have a million kids who are raised by their mother and father and a million kids who are not raised by their mother and father, knowing nothing else about them, that the million kids who are raised by their mother and father are going to do better.

SAVAGE: That’s bullshit.

BACKHOLM: Now there’s certainly going to be outliers in that–

SAVAGE: Sorry, that’s bullshit.

DOUGLAS: What is your basis for that?

BACKHOLM: I think it’s observable reality. And of course, to my left here, Professor Schwartz knows a lot more about the data, and as she just admitted there’s a lot that we don’t know about this because we have not been -- we haven't been far enough down this road. We don’t have longitudinal data to really be able to study this. But I think most people understand that it’s good for kids to have a mom and a dad and that’s one of the reasons why the current definition of marriage is one that we are in support of.

Savage went on to point out that Backholm’s “observable reality” and “general understanding” actually contradicted the majority of data relating to same-sex parenting. As Savage noted, opponents of marriage equality incorrectly cite studies about single parenting, usually ignoring the “mountain of evidence” – including longitudinal studies – demonstrating that committed same-sex couples are capable of effectively raising children.

Notice how Savage's take down reduced Backholm to ridiculous explanations of his distortions. Savage's ability to call Backholm out for his distortions came no doubt from studying how the opposition works and distorts.

And that highlights something sorely missing from our side. It's not enough to call these folks bigots. We have to study how they lie. And believe it or not, it's relatively easy because these folks are lazy. They rely on the same tactics using the same junk science and the same cherry-picked studies time and time again. It's sad to say but a matter of truth to realize that the only reason why they have gotten away with it is because we have not done the work to call them out.

Savage has clearly shown how it's done.. Now if more of us can do this when we are debating folks like Maggie Gallagher, etc (even though Gallagher will probably talk over you and whine about being unfairly attacked), just think of how much ground we would gain.

And how much ground folks like Gallagher would lose.

Homophobic Matt Barber's sickening love of violent rhetoric leaves one to wonder

Our favorite homophobe, Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel, is at it again. A week after being humiliated by yours truly for attacking a study with no proof that the study was false, Barber is today whining about bullies, making sure to use violent terminology. In this clip, he is talking about the so-called "secular left":

Barber: They're bullies. And we know that we people stand up to the bully on the playground - the bully on the playground intimidates, that's what he does, intimidates people into silence, into fear, into avoiding the bully. And oftentimes the bully is the paper tiger and when the righteous individual who is being bullied defends his or herself and punches the bully in the mouth, guess what, the bully more times than not has a glass jaw, falls down and then everyone on the playground says "whoa, the bully was a weakling after all."

I'm not as concerned with Barber's violent imagery more than the fact that it's so unoriginal. He said pretty much the same thing in 2010 about the Southern Poverty Law Center:

Sometimes the most effective way to deal with a bully is to simply pop him in the chops. While it may not shut him up entirely, it usually gives him pause before he resumes flapping his toxic jaws. It also has the effect of showing the other kids in the schoolyard that they have nothing to fear. Though the bully struts about projecting the tough-guy image, he’s typically the most insecure pansy on the block.

And then there is the following he said about gay sexual intercourse:

 There is nothing "conservative" about "one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it 'love'";

Far be it from me to act as an armchair psychiatrist, but I feel comfortable in saying that Mr. Barber has issues.

Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.

'Religious right defends criminalizing homosexuality (again)' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Religious Right Defends Criminalization of Homosexuality with Warnings of God's Judgment for 'Sexual Paganization'- Stuff like this is why gays get so angry. I mean putting people in jail for being gay? And Richard Land can't talk after the plagiarism scandal he just got caught in.
  


Don't get so angry that you don't study the words and the names of the people involved in this video monstrosity. You see some of these folks (particularly Michael Brown and Peter Sprigg) like to claim that gays are "intolerant" against Christians. When they push that line, I suggest that we throw this video up in their faces . . . every chance we get.

In other news

Catholic Priest Receives Standing Ovation For Shunning Anti-Marriage Equality Petition Drive - And he is one of six who will not team up with the madness in the preceding post.
  
Anti-Gay Extremists Teaming Up For Washington Marriage Fight - You should read the pedigrees of these folks. They are simply nuts! 
  
Openly Gay Candidate Brian Sims Victim Of Vicious, Lying Smear Tactics - Just plain nasty.

Attacks on GLSEN's Day of Silence will fail

The religious right's attack on GLSEN's Day of Silence will fail as it always does.

And the following is the reason why:

Yesterday, I posted a clip from the right-wing Alliance Defense Fund advertising the anti-gay Day of Silence event, Day of Dialogue. Supposedly this Day of Dialogue encourages students to present opposition to the "Day of Silence" in a supposedly "lovingly Christian way."

The name of the event denotes discussion and dialogue. But those who push this event aren't necessarily interested in dialogue. They seem to be pushing the same rhetoric which makes the Day of Silence necessary:


Mat Staver of the Liberty Counsel: "This is not about tolerating any issue or person," he asserts. "It is about a radical and forced agenda of homosexuality that these [days] of silence are promoting, sponsored by the GLSEN organization -- and sometimes under pressure by the schools."

The American Family Association: The Day of Silence, which is sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), fast approaches. This year it will take place in most public schools on April 20. On this day, thousands of public high schools and increasing numbers of middle schools will allow students to remain silent throughout an entire day-even during instructional time-to promote GLSEN's socio-political goals and its controversial, unproven, and destructive theories on the nature and morality of homosexuality.

Linda Harvey of Mission America: "The Day of Silence goal is not, as I am told frequently by outraged emails from misinformed students, to help end all bullying. The goal is to exploit the tender sympathies of kids to promote approval of homosexuality and gender confusion. The agenda is everything; Judeo-Christian morality is the enemy; and sadly, kids are the tools."

Jerry Newcombe of Truth In Action Ministries who comes with the most ludicrous reason to oppose Day of Silence:" It’s sad to see groups like GLSEN be accepted by the teacher's establishment and then allow the platform to go into the public schools and try and indoctrinate children. For example, they have something called the Day of Silence. Now they chose April 20 of all days to be the Day of Silence, I looked that up, I was like, ‘isn’t that Adolf Hitler’s birthday,’ I looked it up and sure enough it is Adolf Hitler’s birthday. I don’t think there’s a link there but how ironic. But they are using this day as a means by which to promote their lifestyle as if it is a positive thing."

It's important to bring those comments to the forefront so that you can further take into account that these supposed Christian individuals are making wild accusations against children who merely want create an understanding of what they go through every day in our nation's schools:





It leaves one to ask just who are the bullies and the indoctrinators?

The Day of Silence will take place on Friday, April 20. For more information about this day, see GLSEN's Day of Silence webpage.

Minister continues to choose NOM's race-baiting over the black community

Harry Jackson

Yesterday, Minister Harry Jackson attempted to defend the National Organization for Marriage from the outcry that the organization planned to manipulate the gay and black communities against each other on the subject of marriage equality.

He sidestepped actually talking about the controversy by claiming that it was a conspiracy between The New York Times and the Human Right Campaign.

Today, Jackson doubled down on that ludicrous conspiracy theory:

In the midst of this fight, LGBT activists have created a mythology to try to explain the fierce minority opposition to their agenda. Primary among these myths is the idea that the National Organization for Marriage, with whom I and many African Americans have been proud to stand, is responsible for dividing racial minorities against the gay community. Nothing could be further from the truth. NOM has instead provided a national platform for racial minorities to voice their heartfelt outrage at an agenda that is trying to hijack the moral authority of the Civil Rights struggle.

Yesterday, Jackson exploited his title as a minister to run defense for the National Organization for Marriage's racism. Now today, he is flat out lying.

Remember again the portion of the documents which Jackson continues to conveniently ignore:

The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks - two key democratic constituencies. We aim to find, equip, energize and connect African American spokespeople for marriage; to develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; and to provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots.

LGBT activists did not "create any mythology" because lgbt activists did not write the documents in question (including the passage.) The National Organization for Marriage did. And when confronted with the documents, NOM leaders Brian Brown and Maggie Gallagher did not deny writing writing it. In fact, they embraced it, claiming that the wording was merely "inapt."

 Let's cut through the bull slung by both Jackson and NOM. It is true that NOM did not create the division between the gay community and some members of the African-American community on the subject of matter equality. But that's not the point. The fact of the matter is that NOM is attempting to exploit this division to the detriment of both groups.

NOM's plan was a  deliberate attempt to exploit both the gay and African-American communities, to play with them like they are lowly toys, and to pull their strings as if they were puppets. It was a deliberate attempt to get the two communities digging at each other's throats and possible put black leaders in harm's way by deliberately provoking the gay community to attack these leaders.

Jackson should be aware that this isn't something you do with communities you are supposed to partner with. This is something done by folks engaging in cock fighting or dog fighting.

It's a classic case of divide and conquer used by the powers-that-be designed to impede the progress of minority communities time and time again.

And what makes it worse is how NOM is able to get Harry Jackson,  a black minister, to run defense for this monstrosity. Harry Jackson, one who is supposed to be a man of God and a protector of the black community, is defending the use of the African-American community as pawns or like toys in a game which in the long run will only benefit probably just one African-American - Harry Jackson.

It is a sad commentary on how some of our black leaders have sacrificed their integrity for the spotlight and the media attention. They seem to reconcile some ludicrous belief in their heads that supposedly since the Bible calls homosexuality a sin, they can engage in any underhanded, morally questionable tactic to undermine the gay community.

While Jackson is grabbing all of his undeserved adulation, in a church somewhere, an lgbt of color is feeling alone and marginalized.

Elderly lgbts of color are feeling like outcasts in their own community.

More importantly, issues in the black community such as education, poverty, and socioeconomic inequality are taking a backseat because this useless weapon of mass distraction that is NOM's plan to divide gays and blacks.

If NOM succeeds in its effort, will the organization be around to help the black community combat our real problems? Will Harry Jackson be around? Or will the lure of being the token black man in the predominant white religious right power structure continue to seduce him?

Jackson's actions remind me of the civil rights movement song "We Shall Overcome," but not in a good way.

As long as folks like Jackson abandon their integrity and exploit their status in the black community to create division and hate, some of us will never overcome, particularly lgbts of color.

I sincerely hope that Jackson is proud of himself.

Related post: Minister sells out Black community for race-baiting National Organization for Marriage

'Gays blamed for Secret Service scandal' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Tony Perkins blames Secret Service Prostitution Scandal on the Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell - A case in which heterosexual men are discovered cheating on their wives with prostitutes (female prostitutes), but apparently gays are to blame for this?

Referendum fails for Baltimore Co. trans law - An attempt to put a just passed transgender non-discrimination bill on the ballot fails in Baltimore. This is good news which needs to be spread to more outlets.

Top 5 Ways Marriage Inequality Hurts Gay Couples During Tax Season
 - A must-read.

More callous than Marie Antoinette - An excellent refutation of a recent anti-Day of Silence piece.

'Bully' question: 'Daddy, what does gay mean?' - A heartbreaking piece on how a father handles the news that his eight-year-old son is being bullied.

Day of Silence vs. 'Day of Dialogue'

This year, GLSEN's Day of Silence will be held this Friday. And to combat it, the religious right are attempting to do something different. Rather than have the event opposing Day of Silence (it used to be called Day of Truth but they have renamed it as Day of Dialogue) after Day of Silence, the religious right is having the event a day before.

Fair enough. But let's be clear about something. The Day of Silence was created to create a dialogue and an  understanding of what many gay youth go through every day in our nation's schools.

'Day of Dialogue' is merely a sad way to combat Day of Silence. There is no dialogue going on nor any truth. It's just an event created by adults who concern themselves more with their false claims about the gay community rather than ensuring that all of our children are safe.

But enough of me talking. For a more to-the-point view, let's compare PSAs.

First there is "Day of Dialogue"



And now, let's look at the Day of Silence (Editor's note - this is a PSA for last year's Day of Silence. This year, the Day of Silence will be held on April 20) :



Which is a genuine attempt to combat a problem and ensure safety and what's a sad attempt to undermine something positive?

You tell me.

Minister sells out Black community for race-baiting National Organization for Marriage

Harry Jackson

The National Organization for Marriage has been steadily attempting to blunt the charges that it engaged in attempts to drive a wedge between the black and gay communities on the subject of marriage equality.

Ever since confidential documents came out detailing NOM's strategy to play the gay and black communities against one another, the organization has engaged in several tactics push aside the knowledge that these documents exist.

The most egregious has been when NOM shines a spotlight on black ministers defending the organization's attempts to manipulate the black community.

The last time NOM tried this was with Bishop George McKinney and in his attempt to defend NOM, he went out of his way to avoid talking about the specific passage in the documents which outlined NOM's wedge strategy.

This week, NOM spotlighted Minister Harry Jackson of the High Impact Leadership Coalition.

Jackson says the following on a post naturally published on NOM's blog:

For three years, I have stood shoulder to shoulder with Brian Brown and the National Organization for Marriage, fighting to protect marriage in Maryland and in our nation's capital.

Together—for the first time in Maryland—we have built a true rainbow coalition of Blacks, Latinos and whites, Republicans and Democrats, Catholics, evangelicals, Mormons and Jews, all working together to protect and preserve marriage. It's a new phase in the battle for marriage—and critical as we head toward a referendum this fall.

The National Organization for Marriage has done so much to protect marriage, not only in Maryland, but in similar battles all across the country.

It's no wonder groups like the Human Rights Campaign and The New York Times are trying to tear our coalition apart.

My answer? Not a chance!

The ugly insinuations and outright lies I have seen over the past two weeks are nothing short of reprehensible. They're trying to create the impression that NOM is exploiting racial division—using Blacks and Hispanics to further its political agenda.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Naturally Jackson doesn't address NOM's documents anywhere in his piece. The documents which said the following on page 11:

The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks - two key democratic constituencies. We aim to find, equip, energize and connect African American spokespeople for marriage; to develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; and to provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots. No politician wants to take up and push an issue that splits the base of the party.

This is nothing that Jackson hasn't done before You see, Jackson has provided cover for the religious right several times. In fact, according to a People for the American Way report, Harry Jackson: Point Man for the Wedge Strategy, he is considered a star in the religious right's supposed outreach into the black community:

In recent years, Religious Right leaders have made a major push to elevate the visibility and voices of politically conservative African American pastors. The star of that effort has been Bishop Harry Jackson. Jackson, the pastor of a congregation in Maryland, has been ushered into the Religious Right’s inner circle since he announced in 2004 that God had told him to work for the reelection of George W. Bush. Since then, Jackson has become somewhat of an all-purpose activist and pundit for right-wing causes – everything from judicial nominations to immigration and oil drilling -- but his top priorities mirror those of the Religious Right: he’s fervently anti-abortion and dead-set against gay equality. And he has enthusiastically adopted the Right’s favorite propaganda tactic: he routinely portrays liberals, especially gay-rights activists, as enemies of faith, family, and religious liberty.

Jackson has big ambitions. He sees himself as a game changer in the culture war, someone who can help conservative Christians “take the land” by bringing about a political alliance between white and black evangelicals. Religious Right leaders see him that way, too, which is why they’ve helped Jackson build his public profile.

The irony is that this report was written over a year before the documents regarding NOM came out. And if you have never heard of the High Impact Leadership Coalition, then don't hate yourself. It's nothing more than a silly shell group which has not pull nor any power in the black community as the vast majority of us have never heard of it. The organization is nothing more than an ego booster created by Jackson to make it seem that the Black church is going hand-in-hand with the predominantly white religious right on several issues.

 Like so many other African-Americans put on a pedestal by conservative groups, Jackson's purpose is not outreach in the black community, but to give the inaccurate impression that predominantly white conservative groups actually care about the black community.

In other words, Harry Jackson is a token. Other African-Americans would use stronger words to describe Jackson's bowing and scraping and "yess suh bossin" to the predominantly white conservative movement.

But I won't. At least not here.

I will say however that  I find Jackson's willingness to defend NOM to be extremely distasteful. He is a liar who sold his integrity and soul to defend an organization who is exploiting his people like they aren't human, but rather chess pieces who exist on NOM's will and pleasure.

His personal feelings about gays are irrelevant. Jackson is a minster, which is a prime leadership position in the black community. Ministers in the black community are seen as protectors. They are not only our voices but our consciences. They are not supposed to lead the community into any type of danger, whether it be physical, mental, or spiritual.

If Jackson was a true black leader, then he should have been demanding answers from NOM for its race-baiting and its attempt to use black people as soulless pawns. But instead, he not only provides cover for it, but participates in this exploitation. I wonder if he realizes how many lgbtq youth will be harmed from hearing their pastors attack them in the pulpit thanks to NOM's strategy.

I wonder if Jackson thinks about the many resources wasted in the black community because of NOM's divide and conquer strategy.

And I wonder if Jackson thinks about how much focus and attention will be taken away from the true problems which plague the black community because of NOM's strategy.

I'm sure that Jackson has thought about these things. And frankly, I'll bet that he just doesn't care.

'NOM's anti-Starbucks campaign continues to flop' and other Monday midday news briefs

Liberty Counsel Revives Campaign against the Day of Silence - And it's a lazy attack. One would think that they aren't even trying anymore.

NOM’s International Boycott of Starbucks is a Total Flop - Poor NOM. The smallest violin in the world plays for them.

Breaking: straight philanthropist Todd Stiefel launches $100,000 matching donation campaign to defeat Amendment One - The momentum against Amendment One continues to grow.

CNN Includes Gay Adoption Advocate In ‘Heroes’ Series - Excellent segment.

Conservative Group Whines About Urban Outfitters’ Gay Advertising - One Million Moms will continue its losing streak.

Focus on The Family staffers were concerned about hate group leader's anti-gay rhetoric

Tony Perkins

Focus on the Family has just written a piece attacking GLAAD for its Commentator Accountability Project.

You will remember that GLAAD began this project as a way of educating the media on the true rhetoric of religious right groups - rhetoric that anti-gay spokesmen are not questioned on by the mainstream media because they put on another face when talking to news organizations like CNN and MSNBC.

In the piece, Focus on the Family's also defends Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council against the group Faithful America. Faithful America recently began a campaign asking that Chris Matthews of Hardball stop featuring Perkins as an expert on his show. Focus on the Family claims that Faithful America and GLAAD wants to silence people like Perkins for supposedly standing up for Christian values:

*By “anti-gay activist,” GLAAD means anyone who believes and speaks out on the truth that God designed sex to unite a man and a woman in marriage, ruling out sexual activity outside that union, with children being a possible result.

But Jeremy Hooper from Goodasyou.org just published something which exposes Focus on the Family as hypocrites. Apparently in January, a staffer from the organization lodged some concerns about Perkins' rhetoric in an email to Hooper:

Hooper says this about revealing the email:

You know what, Focus on the Family staffer? I did stay tuned to see if these concerns made their way to the public. I held up my end of the bargain. But while I was waiting for that to happen, a funny (but not funny "ha ha") thing occurred. I instead watched as Focus on the Family personality after Focus on the Family personality flat-out lied about GLAAD CAP, completely overlooked the "approach and tone" that led someone like Tony on the list, and acted as if we LGBT activists are absolute crazypants opponents of free speech for having and expressing these concerns. I waited patiently, sitting on information that I knew to be true, in hopes that some of you would have the fortitude to publicly talk about reasonable concerns that I know that you know to be true as well.

. . . Even though "off record" was never requested, I never intended to make this public. I never intended to burn down whatever personal bridges had been forged over the years in spite of the deep political differences. I never wanted to force Focus on the Family to go public with their own conversations of concern about Tony Perkins' "approach and tone." The startling lack of ethics and hypocrisy that Focus on the Family has shown towards GLAAD CAP, a project with which I have intimate familiarity, forced my hand.

It is pretty much hypocritical for Focus on the Family to attack GLAAD and Faithful America for lodging concerns about Perkins' anti-gay rhetoric when some in the organization itself has done the same thing.

And Hooper deserves a lot of kudos for exposing this hypocrisy.

Religious right spokesman whines about being labeled as a 'wacko'

Peter LaBarbera

The religious right can't handle scientific proof which destroys their anti-gay narratives.

Last week, it was the Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber who attacked an Australian study which proved what many of us knew - that homophobia leads to poor health in gays.

The results of that particular study reached a conclusion similar to another study conducted but the American Psychological Association.

Barber attacked the study and the APA, calling the organization a political organization. However he neither offered up any other studies refuting the Australian study nor did he provide any proof that the APA has turned "political."

This week, another religious right spokesman attacked another study for proving what many of us probably suspects when it comes to those who are homophobic:

A recent article in Science Daily, a news website for topical science articles, suggests opposition to homosexual conduct is strongest from individuals with an "unacknowledged attraction" to the same gender.

Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) has spent years exposing the true agenda of homosexual activism. He says the idea presented in "Is Some Homophobia Self-Phobia?" is just another myth from the left to take aim at people who oppose homosexuality.

"The larger issue here is homosexuality once was studied as a pathology. Now, liberal academics are studying so-called 'homophobes,'" he notes. "The media and academia are completely trying to normalize homosexual practice, and in the process they have to stigmatize anybody who resists."

Though there are not enough of them, says the activist, the researchers want to convey those individuals as "wackos."

"We've got all these pathologies within the homosexual world -- men who beat their partners, you've got high rates of STDs through the roof for men who have sex with men -- and yet none of that merits a study that would come out and say that homosexual practice is wrong," LaBarbera laments. "Instead, they have to study so-called homophobes."

Like Barber, LaBarbera has no expertise in research or science. And like Barber, LaBarbera offers no refutation to this study simply because he has none.

However if you ask me, perhaps LaBarbera should have kept his mouth shut.

In gay blogging circles, LaBarbera goes by the nom de plume of "Porno Pete" because of his penchant of attending leather events and "street fairs" with his camera, looking for "filthy images" to publicize on his webpage as an example of the so-called real face of lgbt America.

At least he used to until he couldn't take the attention given to him because of it.

That's not to say that LaBarbera has totally abandoned the habit of attempting to shock folks. Recently he published a close up photo of a sexually transmitted disease (anal warts) in a pathetic attempt to demonize the gay community.

That was his attempt. The outcome, however was that he did in fact look like a "wacko."

I'm certainly not making any assumptions about LaBarbera's orientation, but based upon his history of attacking the gay community,  some would probably claim that "the lady doth protest too much, methinks."

Homophobic junk scientist Paul Cameron makes a fool of himself

I couldn't believe this interview when I saw it. From Crooks and Liars:

As Raw Story's Stephen Webster noted, on the heels of a recent study which found that "people who have negative feelings toward homosexuality often have secret attractions to the same sex — and are more likely to have grown up in households that forbid homosexual feelings," we have Thom Hartmann asking about that very topic during this interview with the leader of an anti-gay organization which the SPLC has designated as a hate group.

Hartmann confronts anti-gay leader: Do closeted gays run your movement?:

On Russia Today TV’s The Big Picture Thursday, progressive radio host Thom Hartmann confronted Family Research Institute chairman Dr. Paul Cameron and asked him an unusually pointed question: “Does it concern you that many of your colleagues in the anti-gay movement may actually be closeted gays?”

“Um, no,” Cameron replied. “Very few of them are homosexually interested. First of all, um… Most people are not interested in homosexuality. There’s not at all. A few homosexuals like to say — and they’ve been saying this now for at least the last seven years — almost everybody is bisexual, maybe some homosexual…”

“I’ve never heard anybody say that,” Hartmann replied.

Cameron went on to claim that biologist Alfred Kinsey, whose groundbreaking research pioneered the study of human sexuality, “was gay” and “pushed that idea,” making his scientific findings somehow less valid. “Most of the homosexual leadership… have pushed that idea,” he added. “But it’s not true!”

Cameron didn’t provide any source or research to support his claim, so interested viewers may just have to take his word for it.

It's not surprising that Cameron didn't provide any research or sources to back up his claim. If he did, then that would have given Hartmann an opportunity to pivot towards Cameron's long history of rebukes and censures for his bad research methodologies.

Allow me to break it down for you.

NOM President Brian Brown's twitter account has been hacked

Somebody is doing some serious work against the National Organization for Marriage.

First this week, its Facebook page and twitter account was hacked. And now today, the twitter account of its president, Brian Brown, has been hacked. I think that would be easy to guess because one would doubt that Brown would send tweets like the following:

@SarahPalinUSA yo dickhead, come around my place tonight, we'll finish that game of pump up the volume

3h Brian S. Brown ‏ @briansbrown

I am the world's hottest Christian Love Toilet. Just ask @ThomasPeters @americanpapist His "mother" will even vouch @vomitfetish for me.

3h Brian S. Brown ‏ @briansbrown

If you only knew the things I would do for a Klondike Bar.

3h Brian S. Brown ‏ @briansbrown

@Clarknt67 Who are my secret multi-millionaire donors? Silly question, Scott dear. Care to discuss it over a glass of wine tonight?My place?

3h Brian S. Brown ‏ @briansbrown

@Clarknt67 Who's my favorite Jonas Brother? Now that's a silly question. It's like asking to pick my favorite donut. I like them all!

3h Brian S. Brown ‏ @briansbrown

Good question, @ponteelcinturon. We have to continue allowing Maggie time with the cameras and mics or she'll go cray-cray on us.

3h Brian S. Brown ‏ @briansbrown

Maggie is warmer than Jesus. But I haven't let either of them poink my fat ass for a few days, so my judgement might be off....

3h Brian S. Brown ‏ @briansbrown

@eroticStrawbrry I don't usually top a man, but when I do, it's with you. <3

3h Brian S. Brown ‏ @briansbrown

And of course NOM is going to blame the gay community even though there is no evidence that any of us had anything to do with it. Most likely this is probably the act by a mischievous third party seeking attention by interjecting themselves into a high profile issue.

I almost feel sorry NOM. Almost, but not quite.

Know Your LGBT History - Danitra Vance

Danitra Vance was under utilized when she was a member of the Saturday Night Live cast and that is a real shame. She was an excellent comedian as the above sketch clearly shows.

From Wikipedia:

Born in Chicago, Vance graduated from nearby Thornton Township High School in 1972. In high school she was active in theater and was a member of the debate team. She later attended Roosevelt University and graduated with honors. She then studied drama at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.

Vance was the first African American woman to become a SNL repertory player (not to be confused with Yvonne Hudson from season six, who first appeared as a recurring extra and was hired as a feature player), and was the first lesbian cast member hired (though her sexual orientation wasn't known until her death in 1994). She is best remembered for the sketch "That Black Girl", (a spoof of the 1960s sitcom That Girl), and for her character Cabrini Green Harlem Watts Jackson, a teenage mother who dispensed advice on the do's and don'ts of being pregnant. Both were recurring characters during her time on SNL.

Vance appeared on SNL during a time of great transition for the show; Vance herself became frustrated because her roles in sketches were limited both in visibility and in range - she was often cast in a skit as a secretary, a nurse, a waitress, a young unwed mother dependent on welfare (her recurring character, Cabrini Green Jackson, easily fell into this category), or a maid. This was made evident during the episode hosted by Oprah Winfrey in spring of 1986 where in the cold opening, Vance played Lorne Michaels' personal slave (in the guise of 'Celia' from The Color Purple) who convinces him to force Oprah into performing stereotypically black roles by beating her (as Oprah's character 'Sofia' was in the movie), only to have Oprah strangle him in a headlock before shouting the show's opening line. In a short musical sketch on the same episode, Vance sang "I Play The Maids" (a spin on the Barry Manilow song, "I Write The Songs"), a satirical song that expressed frustration over black actresses (and herself) being typecast as maids in films and on television shows. Ironically, one of Danitra Vance's celebrity impersonations was of Cicely Tyson (in The Pee Wee Herman Thanksgiving Special sketch), who avoided film or TV roles that stereotyped black women.

Perhaps adding to her frustration was her dyslexia which, according to an SNL Trivial Pursuit question and testimony from Al Franken for the book Live From New York: The Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, made it hard for her to read from cue cards and memorize lines (though it wasn't made apparent in most of her appearances).

Vance ultimately chose to leave SNL at the end of the season (along with many other cast members from that season who were fired, including Joan Cusack, Robert Downey, Jr., Randy Quaid, Terry Sweeney -- another homosexual cast member who was hired for the 1985-1986 cast — and Anthony Michael Hall).

She was awarded an NAACP Image Award in 1986 and later won an Obie Award for her performance in the theatrical adaptation of Spunk, a collection of short stories written by Zora Neale Hurston.

Vance was the second female lead opposite Nancy Allen in Limit Up, where she played a guardian angel on assignment for God being played by Ray Charles. She had small roles in The War of the Roses and Little Man Tate and a more significant role in Jumpin' at the Boneyard, for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1990, Vance underwent a single mastectomy and incorporated the experience into a solo skit, "The Radical Girl's Guide to Radical Mastectomy." The cancer recurred in 1993 and she died of the disease the following year in Markham, Illinois. She was survived by her longtime companion, Ms. Jones Miller.

Past Know Your LGBT History posts:

'Catholic bishops playing 'persecution card'' and other Friday midday news briefs

Catholic Bishops: ‘Religious Liberty’ Includes Right To Discriminate Against Gay People, Impose Values - Because apparently it's "persecution" to not be allowed to use gay tax dollars while you discriminate against gay people.

North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue Speaks Out Against Anti-Gay Amendment One: VIDEO - Way to go, Governor Perdue!

Partisan NOM bullies now bullying NH Republicans - A certain group is getting too big for its britches.

PTA chapter in NY addresses needs of gay students - This is pretty cool!

Linda Harvey Decries Gay-Rights 'Radicals' who are 'Out to Wreck' Morality and 'Legitimize Deviance'- Enjoy a good laugh brought to you by crazy Linda Harvey.

MN For Marriage makes odd choice to publicly post strategy call; so listen - Another state, another viciously homophobic pastor.

El Paso Mayor John Cook, Recall Target, Takes Stand Against Anti-Gay 'Bigotry' - Meet one of my new heroes - the mayor who is catching hell for standing up for gay equality.

Religious right spokesman attacks legitimate study on gay health

Matt Barber

Matt Barber of the anti-gay Liberty Counsel is upset.

Apparently a new study has confirmed what many of us knows when it comes to how homophobia hurts gay health:

A conservative attorney disagrees with the findings of "Private Lives 2," a study of Australian homosexuals that suggests discrimination, not lifestyle, is the reason why homosexuals seek psychological counseling -- a conclusion similar to that reached by the American Psychological Association.

The online study was conducted by Malbourne's La Trobe University with the support of Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria, as well as the Victoria state government and the Australian national depression initiative. But Matt Barber, vice president of Liberty Counsel Action, tells OneNewsNow other research has repeatedly concluded that it is the lifestyle -- not discrimination or lack of societal "acceptance" -- that results in homosexuals seeking counseling.

He believes groups like the APA have lost credibility over the years by suggesting otherwise.

"The APA has really in large part simply become a political activist organization," Barber decides. "They are no longer objectively a scientific group that views things through an objective prism; but rather, they are pushing a political, sexual, anarchist agenda."

He says the APA is helping "to facilitate" those caught up in the lifestyle to continue a destructive, unhealthy, immoral and biologically wrong way of living and thinking. "So for the APA to help them rationalize these behaviors, it's really irresponsible of the American Psychological Association to do this," the attorney submits.

That's the gist of the article. Barber offers no proof of his claims that the APA is a "political organization." Nor does he offer up any of the "other research" which supposedly concludes that the supposed homosexual lifestyle is the reason for depression in gays.

Basically it comes down to the fact that Barber simply doesn't like the conclusion of the Australian study and that's why he is trashing it. Nor does he like the fact that the APA has done research confirming the same conclusions of the Australian study.

You see the Australian study refutes theories put forth by Barber and other religious right phony experts that homosexuality itself is a dangerous "lifestyle." Usually when folks like Barber push this notion, they cite health statistics, like those from the Centers of Disease Control.

But no legitimate study nor any medical organization has ever said that homosexuality in itself is a "dangerous lifestyle." They usually cite outside factors, such as homophobia.  The following is what the CDC said when it comes to HIV/AIDS amongst gay men:

Stigma and homophobia may have a profound impact on the lives of MSM, especially their mental and sexual health. Internalized homophobia may impact men’s ability to make healthy choices, including decisions around sex and substance use. Stigma and homophobia may limit the willingness of MSM to access HIV prevention and care, isolate them from family and community support, and create cultural barriers that inhibit integration into social networks.

Racism, poverty, and lack of access to health care are barriers to HIV prevention services, particularly for MSM from racial or ethnic minority communities. A recent CDC study found a strong link between socioeconomic status and HIV among MSM: prevalence increased as education and income decreased, and awareness of HIV status was higher among MSM with greater education and income

To put it more succinctly, Matt Barber is  typical of the religious right spokespeople. When researchers come out with something they disagree with, they whine about how gays have "infiltrated" or simply cherry-pick the research to push their bogus conclusions about the gay community.

Barber has no expertise in science, research, or health. The reason why he didn't cite any proof to back up his charges is because he doesn't have any.

And he knows it.

Mormon Church trying to overturn marriage equality in Maryland

From the Huffington Post comes this unfortunate bit of news:

Mormons are gathering signatures to bring a referendum on Maryland's marriage equality law to the ballot in November, as the state's pro-gay marriage coalition hires a new leader and a recent poll shows more support in Maryland for the law.

The Washington Blade reports that Mormon Church members are actively working to overturn the law legalizing same-sex marriage that was signed by Gov. Martin O'Malley in March, making Maryland the eighth state to legalize gay marriage. Maryland's law will go into effect in January 2013, if the state's voters don't repeal the law in November.

The Blade published an email sent to Mormons in D.C. and southern Maryland, asking for help gathering 200,000 signatures to bring a referendum on the law to Maryland voters in November -- here is an excerpt from the email:

As you have probably heard, the Maryland legislature passed a same sex marriage bill last February. A coalition of inter-denominational churches throughout Maryland has joined together to try to get a referendum on the November ballot that would allow the residents of Maryland to vote on this bill before it becomes law. Martha Schaerr, who is a member of the LDS Church, is organizing signature collection within Montgomery County and within the LDS Church. We need to collect approximately 200,000 signatures by the end of May. We are looking for people to gather signatures within the LDS community. If you are willing to help with this important effort please contact Martha Schaerr as soon as possible at martha.schaerr@gmail.com or Teressa Wallace at wallacemail@juno.com.

And what's more, when pressed about its possible involvement, the Mormon Church denies it. However, it is difficult to believe this denial:

Mormon Church officials told The Blade that it is not involved with the referendum effort -- but The Blade finds parallels between the Maryland effort and the Church of Latter-day Saints' efforts in California:

Dale Jones, an LDS spokesperson, said the church has no direct involvement in the effort to overturn the marriage law in Maryland. 

“While the Church’s position in support of traditional marriage is well established, the effort in Maryland is not being organized through the Church’s headquarters in Salt Lake City,” Jones said. “Members, of course, will make their own decisions regarding their involvement in local issues.”

But the message recalls the Mormon Church’s lead role in passage of Proposition 8 in California in 2008. The First Presidency of the Church, or its governing body, publicly backed the initiative and reportedly encouraged members during church services to take an active role in contributing money and get-out-the-vote efforts to support the ban’s passage.

Read the entire article here.

'Gays compared to iceberg which sank Titanic' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Father Ryan Refuses Anti-Gay Petitions, Calling Them "Hurtful and Seriously Divisive" - A Catholic priest REFUSES to push anti-gay petitions on his congregations. This is a much needed story to remind folks that it's not the Catholic community which is attempting to undermine lgbtq equality. The leadership is.

Religious Right Marks Anniversary of Titanic's Sinking by Exposing the 'Iceberg' of the 'Radical Homosexual Agenda' - Because apparently gays sank the Titanic. I wonder how these folks celebrate Bastille Day.

Meet Romney’s Pro-Marriage Equality Donors - Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council will probably "love" this.


Maggie’s double-speak on same-sex adoption - Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage is being two-faced about gay adoption? Is there any lgbtq issue that this woman is NOT hypocritical about?

Michele And Marcus Bachmann's 'Ex-Gay' Clinic's Practices Described By Undercover Lesbian Filmmaker - Guess who got caught again?

10-year-old produces awesome anti-bullying videos

This is so good that it needs to go viral. From Think Progress:

California 10-year-old Gerry Orz (“G”) has produced a series of anti-bullying videos based on his own experiences growing up with two moms in advance of next week’s GLSEN's Day of Silence: