One News Now manufactures a problem with the DADT repeal

Recently, the Pentagon reported that the repeal of DADT has gone smoothly without any problems to morale, recruitment or readiness.

However, that message seems to have been lost on the American Family Association's One News Now.

The fake news source recently published a piece which claimed that there have been a number of problems with the DADT repeal, but folks are afraid to speak out:

Retired Army Brigadier General Douglas Lee, board president of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, says troops who oppose openly homosexual military service don't dare say so.

 "Everywhere you look in the military, I think it'd be safe to say there's simply pressure to not rock the boat on this," he offers.

Lee says those who supported DADT have been effectively silenced. "There's no vehicle or way for them to express what they're thinking about these subjects -- they have to suck it up, as they say," continues the retired Army officer.

"There are people now who live in what I call a culture of fear and don't want to speak out about it.

"We get emails and letters and our chaplains get comments in their private sessions with people. There's a lot of discontent out there and concern about this issue." 

And that is the reason why I called One News Now a fake news source.

If there had been a legitimate problem with DADT that the military is not aware of, an actual publication would have conducted some type of investigation, making sure the public was aware of the contents of said "emails," "letters," and "comments."

Note that I said  "if there had been a legitimate problem."  For the most part, this "article" is nothing but hearsay pushed by an organization consumed with its sour grapes.

Right-wing blogs spread ugly rumors about murdered ambassador

Last week, this country suffered an awful tragedy when several Americans were killed due to an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Amongst the people murdered was Ambassador Chris Stevens.

And unfortunately, according to Salon, Mitt Romney isn't the only person who has grossly capitalized on this incident:

Amid the questions about Stevens’ last minutes, there is another rather vile peripheral debate occurring in the right-wing blogosphere. Michelangelo Signorile from the Huffington Post sums up the various rumors:

1) Ambassador Christopher Stevens was gay; 2) that the Obama administration is responsible for his death because it had the supposedly terrible judgment to send a gay man to an Islamic country, or even did it as an intentional provocation, and; 3) that Stevens’ corpse was dragged outside and sodomized by an angry mob because that’s what Muslims do — they have sex with the dead bodies of gay men.

The gay rumors seem to have originated on Hillbuzz.com, the website of Kevin DuJan, who also believes that President Obama is gay. DuJan uses the very, very shaky sourcing of a “Serbian consulate employee [who] identified himself to me as ‘Dino’ and wouldn’t give me any more of a name than that, but told me it was no secret that Chris Stevens was gay and that ‘it was stupid to send him to Libya as the ambassador when he was a known homosexual.’”

The story was picked up by a number of right-wing blogs, including Breitbart.com, which offers this explanation for why Stevens being gay would be at all relevant: “It just seems like one more way the Obama administration needlessly enraged the passions of protesters in that part of the world.” A blogger for the Examiner even speculates that Stevens was sent by Hillary Clinton as an “intentional provocation” to Libya.

As for the claim that Stevens was raped, that seems to have originated from a story  on the Lebanese news outlet Tayyar.org that erroneously cites the AFP, and that was picked up by the Washington Times. The AFP told TWT that the “report falsely quoted our news agency and has no truth whatsover to it.”

What the hell is wrong with these people?

'Boy Scouts helped molesters cover tracks' and other Monday midday news briefs

Boy Scouts helped alleged molesters cover tracks, files show - This is not gloating. This is just sad. Remember how folks like Mike Huckabee were hailing the Boy Scouts for continuing its discriminatory anti-gay policy. I bet they will be silent, that is unless they blame this mess on gays. In reality,it's a matter of the Scouts kicking Little Red Riding Hood out in the forest (by keeping gays out), but giving the Big Bad Wolf (pedophiles) free reign of their house.  

So, should President Obama be concerned about black voters staying home on election day? - My blogging buddy - and one of my mentors - Pam Spaulding nails the point home here. This question is more of a laziness of the media in pushing conflict rather looking into the complexity of the issue. My take on this stupid question is hell no. The need of the black community to exercise our right to vote in this election has been pushed hard from day one. Also, the idea that black folks would be so angry at Obama supporting marriage equality that we would withhold our votes from him is a sad fantasy from the deep recesses of the minds of the ignorant. Especially in churches like mine where the victory of Obamacare in the Supreme Court was hailed as (verbatim words used) "an act of God." Long story short - black folks know what's at stake in this election and we aren't looking at it lightly.  

Rick Warren continues to divide America, alienate gays (as Jesus would)- Rick Warren, the hypocrite. He talks about not being ashamed of voting "in line with the Bible." That's nice but as for me, I remember how long it took him to speak out against that awful anti-gay bill in Uganda. Whatever miniscule respect I had for him then was lost.  

Local Catholics Voice Their Opposition to Marriage Amendment - Good for the Catholics in Minnesota!

GetEqual protests 'Values Voters' Summit

Apparently, on Saturday, the Family Research Council's annual Values Voters Summit got paid a visit from the activist group GetEqual.

According to the blog Back2Stonewall:

Activists walked into the conference carrying a simulated coffin, draped in a rainbow American flag, while reading anti-LGBT quotes from Tony Perkins (head of the Family Research Council, the main organizer of the event)

The private security firm that was hired by the Family Research Council treated the protesters roughly and with no respect — literally pushing and in some cases physically dragging them out of the hotel while protesters chanted “Your values are killing us.!” — many Values Voters attendees shouted at them and some even physically abused the protesters with punches, elbows and kicks and they were being dragged out.

The comments of the attendee were definitely present in the first video as one can hear them referring to AIDS, etc.

According to Charles Butler of  GetEqual, picketers began protesting Friday night on the outside. He said they were also able to interact with attendees of the Value Voters Summit.

Butler claimed this interaction was successful because some were not aware of the level of homophobia embraced by the Family Research Council. Allegedly, many folks attending had a focus on abortion.

Butler also said the group went inside the raise the level of interaction.

As the video demonstrates, GetEqual's attempt was successful. Not only that, but according to a reporter at Talking Points Memo, one of the attendees of the Values Voters Summit, Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center allegedly said the following:

Now some may go gung-ho for what GetEqual did, while others may criticize the group for the strident manner of its protest, especially in the view of the recent shooting at the Family Research Council headquarters.

Personally, I'm leaning towards GetEqual on this one. While I've never been one for what looks like extreme direct action, I have a serious problem with the desensitized attitude folks, particularly members of the media, have when it comes to the Family Research Council and the attendees of their faux values voters summits. True, they are expressing their opinion, but it's fair to note how decrepit and dangerous their opinions are. The following is a cacophony of vicious slander, lies, and innuendo wrapped up in a Christian veneer about not only gays but a host of other issues. And it leaves one to ask why is GetEqual the only ones angry at this:

Know Your LGBT History - Gladys Bentley

She was a huge part of lgbt history who has been unfortunately forgotten. But during her time, very few could outdo Gladys Bentley:

Gladys Bentley was born on August 12, 1907. She was the eldest of 4 children born to a Trinidad born mother, Mary Mote (Bentley) and an American born father, George L. Bentley. Gladys left home at 16 years old. Like many African Americans of her generation she ended up in New York City's Harlem, the capital of "The New Negro ". For Gladys, her lesbianism made her need to strike out on her own all the more urgent. As she would recall many years later in an Ebony Magazine Article, "It seems I was born different. At least, I always thought so....From the time I can remember anything, even as I was toddling, I never wanted a man to touch me...Soon I began to feel more comfortable in boys clothes than in dresses".

Bentley left Pennsylvania at 16 to be part of the Harlem Renaissance and come out as a bulldagger. She began singing at rent parties and buffet flats and moved on to speakeasies and nightclubs. later she would headline the popular speakeasy the Clam House as well as the Ubangi Club.

She wowed audiences with her powerful voice and obscene parodies of blues standards and show tunes and was famous for her glamorous girlfriends. Very open about her sexuality, Bentley also performed at lesbian bars and once told a gossip columnist she had married a white woman while in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In the 1920s a large part of the elegant town houses and apartment buildings in both Harlem and downtown in Greenwich Village had been converted into cheap rooming flats. In both neighborhoods, artists and intellectuals flocked to this cheap housing in beautiful surroundings. In both neighborhoods, amongst all this creative talent, there was a large Homosexual population. In Harlem this great creative outpouring was also a celebration of optimism about the future of Black America. This era would later be known as The "Harlem Renaissance". The list of gay men, lesbians or bisexuals amongst the "Harlem Renaissance" is more or less a guide to many of the most talented people of the era. Langston Hughs, Countee Cullen, Wallace Thurman, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, and Moms Mabely just to name a few. Audiences of the prohibition era were always craving something new. There was a "Vogue of the Negro" , accompanied by a curiosity for "Pansy Acts" and "Hot Mama" lebian or bisexual singers.

'Milbank calls out Romney, Ryan for kissing up to Family Research Council' and other Friday midday news briefs

‘Values’ voters Romney and Ryan don’t need - Perhaps Washington Post writer Dana Milbank realizes that his defense of the Family Research Council from the designation of "hate group" sent the wrong message because today, he not only rebukes them but also Romney and Ryan for kissing up to them.

 #VVS12 live tweets - For your bulimic edification, Jeremy Hooper is tweeting from the Family Research Council's awful "Values Voters" summit. So far, Michelle Bachmann came very close to calling President Obama a traitor and Jim DeMint called teachers "thugs." And you just know they are going to have "interesting things to say about the lgbtq community.  

NOM didn't have a good night in NY (despite what the spin machine might sputter forth) - According to reports, NOM wasted a rather pretty penny last night in its unsuccessful long strategy of destroying marriage equality in New York.  

Jesse And Terry Ventura Come Out Against Minnesota Marriage Inequality Amendment - Way to go, Jesse and Terry Ventura! 

Gay man thanks Obama for repealing DADT

Sometimes pictures say more than words could ever convey. These two pictures from an Obama rally in Colorado are a prime example:

The pictures came from AfterElton.com, which also says:

Ricky Watson of Littleton, Colorado wipes tears from his eyes after he thanked President Barack Obama for repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” at a campaign rally in Golden, Colorado, September 13. Watson was kicked out of the Air Force 25 years ago for being gay.

Hate group leader advises parents to reject their lgbt children

Tony Perkins

In a speech today, Family Research Council leader Tony Perkins performed a verbal contradiction:

A prominent social conservative leader compared homosexuality to drug use on Wednesday while urging parents not to “condone and enable” a child being gay.

Tony Perkins, president of the anti-gay Family Research Council, made the remarks while speaking at the National Press Club luncheon after being asked if he would disown one of his children if they came out as gay.

Perkins, the father of five children, replied that he wouldn’t “disown my children for anything,” but advised parents they should express disapproval if their children make such an announcement.

Perkins claims that he is not advising parents to disown their gay children, but he certainly is implying it.

What exactly does he think would happen should parents follow his advice when their children come out to them? Just what is his definition of "expressing disapproval" which does not involve disowning a child or acting in a manner which implies great unhappiness which can be construed to a child as a parent disowning them?

We will never know because Perkins did not go into more detail. And we shouldn't be surprised about that. Perkins is a fraud offering artificial solutions to complex problems which do nothing but exacerbate the problems.

Dan Savage had the following to say about Perkins in a tweet:

Hostile parents double gay kids already quadrupled suicide risk. Perkins literally urging parents 2 kill their kids.

While I wouldn't make the statement so succinctly as Savage, I will say this:

Perkins has no degree in psychology, psychiatry, or pediatrics. Those who do - and therefore KNOW what they are talking about - say the following:

1. Parents who are intolerant of their lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) teens may increase the risk that their kids will suffer health problems in young adulthood, such as an increased risk of suicide, depression, drug abuse, and unsafe sex, according to a new report.

Researchers interviewed 53 families with gay teens to identify certain parental behaviors as "accepting" or "rejecting," then surveyed 224 young-adult white and Latino gays and lesbians (ages 21 to 25) to see which of these behaviors they'd experienced during adolescence.

The results? Higher rates of family rejection were strongly associated with poorer health outcomes. Among respondents who had high levels of family rejection:

more than two-thirds said they had tried to kill themselves (vs. about 20% among those who reported the lowest rates of rejection)

many reported high rates of depression, illegal drug use, and substance abuse

46% said they'd had unprotected sex with a casual partner in the past 6 months (nearly twice the rate of those in the least-rejected group) - "Family Rejection as a Predictor of Negative Health Outcomes in White and Latino Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults," Pediatrics, Jan. 2009.

2. I have heard too many LGBT youths tell horrifying stories of violent abuse and rejection from their parents. The teenage boy from upstate New York, who, when his father learned he was gay, he beat him to a pulp, then threw him out of the house and told him that if he tried to come back, he would kill his son and bury him in the backyard. Or the boy from Florida whose father put a gun to his head and said "You are no longer my son. Leave the house now." The 17-year-old transgender child whose mother attacked him when she learned of his male identity, ripping out a piece of his scalp, and screaming homophobic abuse as her child fled. Or the 15-year-old boy who came out to his family at a picnic in rural Delaware. His father, a Christian minister, jumped on him and tried to strangle him. That evening he gathered his belongings into a few garbage bags and banished his son from his home. Or the family that drove their daughter out into the backwoods of New Jersey and tossed her from the car for being a lesbian. This is clearly not something to joke about

Research now documents the terrible scope of this crisis. Approximately 50% of LGBT youth whose sexual orientations and gender identities become known to their families experience some degree of family rejection. A recent report published by the Center for American Progress estimates that there are over 100,000 homeless LGBT youth on the streets of our nation, and that LGBT youth make up to 40% of our nation's homeless youth population. - Carl Siciliano, Family Rejection of LGBT Youth Is No Joke

Of course Perkins will claim that he was telling parents to reject the "lifestyle" and not the child, but don't fall for the false semantics. 
 
If you pardon my candor, when it comes to gay children and their families, Tony Perkins doesn't know his ass from his elbow.

'Hate group leader Tony Perkins wallows in hypocrisy' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Tony Perkins Kicks Off Values Voters Summit By Comparing Homosexuality To Drug Abuse - Right after comparing homosexuality to drug abuse, Family Research Council head Tony Perkins reportedly said “It’s time to dial down your demonization of those who differ with you.” Oh brother! 

 NARTH Posts Article Comparing Homosexuality To Rape - Phony medical group reprints phony article. 

Hundreds rally for gay marriage in Portland, Maine - Good for them because the article also says that NOM is spending $500,000 on the fight. Ugh.  

What Marylanders should know about equality's cynical opposition - And in Maryland, Marylanders for Marriage Equality issued an incredible memo to the media. Let's hope they pick up on it.  

Jesse Jackson Urges Maryland Voters to Support Gay Marriage - Jesse Jackson lays the smack down about marriage equality. 

Barney Frank refuses to apologize for comments made about Log Cabin Republicans

Last week, Congressman Barney Frank caused a huge controversy when he called the Log Cabin Republicans "Uncle Toms."

Many mainstream lgbt organizations distanced themselves from his words.

Yesterday, in a piece published by the Huffington Post, Frank made it clear that he was not apologizing or backing down:

 . . . my use of "Uncle Tom" was based not simply on the awful fact that they have chosen to be actively on the wrong side of an election that will have an enormous impact on our right to equality, both in fact and in the public perception of the popularity of that cause. If the Log Cabin Republicans -- or their even more outlandish cousins, the oddly-named GOProud -- were honestly to acknowledge that they let their own economic interests, or their opposition to strong environmental policies, or their belief that we need to be spending far more on the military or some other reason ahead of any commitment to LGBT equality, and on that ground have decided to prefer the anti-LGBT candidate to the supportive one, I would disagree with the values expressed, but would have no complaint about their logic.

The damaging aspect of the Log Cabin argument, to repeat the most important point, is that they may mislead people who do not share their view that tax cuts for the wealthy are more important than LGBT rights into thinking that they are somehow helping the latter by supporting Mitt Romney and his Rick Santorum platform.

It is a good thing for Republicans to try to influence other Republicans to be supportive of LGBT rights. The problem is when they pretend to be successful when they haven't been, and urge people to join them in rewarding the Republicans when they have, in fact, continued their anti-LGBT stance. I have been hearing the Log Cabin Republicans proclaim for years that they were improving the view of that party towards our legal equality. In fact, over the past 20 years, things have gotten worse, not better.

. . . Some have complained that in comparing the Log Cabin Republicans to Uncle Tom, I was ignoring the fact that they are nice. I accept the fact that many of them are nice -- so was Uncle Tom -- but in both cases, they've been nice to the wrong people.

Teabagger - Obama secretly a gay slut who likes bathhouses

Sometimes you something so bizarre that it makes you speechless. The following counts as at least 20 of those times.

From the Huffington Post:

The right wing Tea Party author and conspiracy theorist who last month suggested that Obama might be secretly gay is at it again, this time citing both a Chicago-based ex-gossip columnist and an investigative journalist who are making similar claims about the president.

Jerome Corsi, who, despite his books sales is not a credible author, spoke with Kevin DuJan in a new article for WND. DuJan, who reportedly worked as a gossip columnist in Chicago during Obama's years as a community organizer and an Illinois senator, alleges that the president was actively involved in the city's gay bar and bathhouse scene.

"It was preposterous to the people I knew then to think Obama was going to keep his gay life secret,” DuJan, who describes himself as "conservative, Christian gay man" on his website, is quoted as saying.

Suggesting that the president's closeted life "would have to come out just like John Edwards’ secrets came out," DuJan says that Obama is "homosexual" as opposed to bisexual, and went on to note: "If you just hang out at these bars, the older guys who have been frequenting these gay bars for 25 years will tell you these stories. Obama used to go to the gay bars during the week, most often on Wednesday, and they said he was very much into older white guys."

You can read Corsi's full article here. 

Now before you start laughing, I am going to tell you something which may depress you:

For his lies, someone is paying Corsi more than a lot of us make in a year . . . combined.

It's like that old say - God sometimes demonstrates what he thinks of money by who He chooses to give a lot of it to.

'Romney wasn't aware that same-sex families existed' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Mitt Romney's Reported Interactions With Massachusetts Same-Sex Couples Detailed - According to this article, Romney reportedly said to same-sex couples meeting with him, “I didn’t know you had families." Ugh!

Reminder: Terry Jones is also *INCREDIBLY* anti-gay - That Islamophobic SOB who got our Libyan ambassador murdered is also a homophobe. Forms of hatred usually travel in packs.

 The First “Approve Referendum 74″ TV Ad Airs Statewide in Washington - Sweet!Let's get marriage equality in Washington state!

  New National Strategy For Suicide Prevention Calls For More Data On LGBT Communities - YES! 

Uh oh! Controversy brewing with Ann Romney and Family Research Council?

Earlier reports said that his Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, would be speaking at the Family Research Council's annual Values Voters Summit, or as I like to call it - "God loves us better than the rest of you heathens and he has designated US to save America" summit. You can clearly see that she is listed in the guide below:

Since it was announced that she would be there, there was controversy about her appearing with an anti-gay hate group.

Now it seems that there has been a 360 180 degree turn. According to BuzzFeed:

Despite a program advertising her attendance at this weekend's Value Voters Summit, Ann Romney never planned to attend the social conservative conference, the campaign told BuzzFeed.

"Mrs. Romney is not scheduled to attend VVS this weekend. To my knowledge, it has not been on our schedule," said Sarah Haley, a campaign spokesperson.

As of Tuesday evening, the online schedule for the conference, which is hosted by the Family Research Council (FRC), still had Mrs. Romney attending the Friday morning plenary session, from 8:40 a.m. to noon.

 . . . Sending (VP candidate Pau) Ryan to court the summit is one thing, but Mrs. Romney could risk jeopardizing her role as the soft, humanizing face of the campaign if she's perceived as engaging in divisive culture war issues. It's something she apparently realizes: Last week she repeatedly declined to answer an interviewer's questions about same-sex marriage, saying she wouldn't engage in "hot-button" issues.

Also, according to BuzzFeed, FRC gave a statement about Mrs. Romney not attending:

FRC spokesperson Darin Miller told BuzzFeed that the "people listed on the online program were those both invited and confirmed. Only the ones with an asterisk next to their names were confirmed — and Mrs. Romney never had an asterisks."

I suppose that's a reasonable explanation if you looked at the full schedule of events. The only question I have is why in the heck did FRC put her name in the program in the first place?

Anti- gay pastor - 'It wears me out to see two men together. It does something to me'

I took these clips from my blogging buddy friend (and the Arn Anderson to my Tully Blanchard), Jeremy Hooper:






I know that I am supposed to get angry at the words of Southern Baptists of Texas Convention President Terry Turner, but I can't.

They are simply too funny. I can just picture gay men in the church, whether they be behind him in the choir stands or in the pews, secretly laughing to themselves because of unintentional Freudian slip of his words.

And check out the urgency in his voice when he talks about how wrong it is for gays and lesbians to be together. It would be another thing that should get me angry, but I can just picture two black women talking to each other on the phone:

"Please? That queen? Who is he trying to kid?"

or even better:

" I don't know who he is trying to condemn. Like we don't know his son is dating so-and-so."

Turner underscores the hypocrisy in some black churches about the gay community. We sing in choirs, we are deacons, usher board members, even pastors and no one is naive about who we are. But publicly, we are reviled.

So how do lgbts of color deal with it, you ask? How do we deal with the conflicted feelings of loving our religion and our church while having to deal with homophobic leaders?

Here is a big secret - People like Turner make it so easy for us sometimes with their stridency because they give us so much to laugh at.

'NOM wants to boycott T-Mobile' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

NOM recruiting a T'd off America - Because NOM's boycott against General Mills and Starbucks have been SOOOOOO successful. (Yeah that's sarcasm.)

 College Football Player Kicked Off Team After Outing Himself - What the hell?

 Pat Robertson reminisces about the days when wife beating was A-OK - Gotta LOOOVE Pat Robertson's "Christian values."  

LaBarbera Denounces 'The New Normal' for its 'Incredible Propaganda,' Wants Ex-Gays on TV - But ex-gays have already been on tv. Didn't "Porno Pete" see that episode of Will and Grace? 

Mother Jones: Jewelry Company Owner Funding Anti-Gay, Pro-Romney Ads - I say keep it up. Another ad like that and we will get marriage equality in no time at all. 

Harry Jackson - NOM's $80,000 Negro

Harry Jackson

According to Right-Wing Watch, African-American minister Harry Jackson made some pointed comments about minorities supporting the Democratic party conveniently just in time for the upcoming election:

Harry Jackson spoke at the iPledge Sunday prayer service last night where claimed that minority voters were selling out and bowing their knee to Baal by voting Democratic and, in the process, threatening the welfare of this nation because 'if God lifts his hand from America, we lose it all." As such, Jackson told African Americans and Hispanics that they have got to "vote your Biblical values" and "decide that you're going to come off of an ideological plantation and into the freedom of the liberty of the sons of God."

Jackson then went on to proclaim that the reason America is facing tough economic times "is because we have not been biblically faithful" because the nation has been seeking to redefine God's definition of marriage:

People for the American Way called Jackson the point man for the religious right's attempt to exploit the black community.

And that designation certainly pays well.

According to Mother Jones magazine, Jackson has received $20,000 from the National Organization for Marriage's "education fund" for his efforts to exploit the opinions of those in the black community who do not agree with marriage equality.

In addition, in 2010, Jackson attempted to get a measure on the ballot opposing marriage equality in D.C. In pursuit of that effort, he led the group Stand for Marriage DC.  According to documents attained by Mother Jones magazine, NOM gave $60,000 for that effort.

So apparently phony civil rights activist William Owens isn't the only black pastor NOM has in its back pocket in its attempt to sabotage President Obama's African-American support.

One wonders if Harry Jackson is NOM's "secret weapon." After all, he is bought and paid for to tune of $80,000.

Religious right member wants to give children false information on gay community

Linda Harvey

Linda Harvey, the former ad executive who supposedly "found Jesus," the woman who believes that gays don't exist but nonetheless has warned against taking children to gay physicians, has created an easy Q and A guide designed to traumatize . . . I mean "educate" children about the gay community:

Have you wished you could find a simple flyer for your older grade school or middle school children about homosexuality?

Well, Mission America has developed one.It's clear, concise and provides a beginning basis for a more in-depth study later on.

You can read and download it below. Feel free to print this as needed and give to your children, grandchildren, or your church group.

Questions and Answers for Kids about Homosexuality

If you wish, click on the above link to read it. However to say yourself some retching, I will highlight the more interesting parts. Harvey's Q and A makes the following statements:

So… does that mean that being “gay” is right?

Well, the simple answer is, no.

Long ago, people all over the world saw that when grown-ups love each other, it’s almost always a man and a woman. And that’s how children are born, through a mom and a dad loving each other. They hold hands, kiss and all that.

But once in a while, a man wants to date and love another man, or a woman wants to date and love a woman.

Most cultures long ago decided this was very wrong. And they made rules against it, for a lot of good reasons (more grown-up stuff). First of all, two men can never create their own child. Neither can two women. And two men kissing-- well, it just doesn’t seem right. That’s because it isn’t!

When God made the world, in the beginning, He created just two types of humans: a man and a woman. He told them to join together and become husband and wife (Genesis 2:18-25).

After some time passed, sin came into the world, and people started doing things they shouldn’t. Some of those things involved having homosexual feelings.

. . . When Jesus came, He repeated what God said about marriage –that it should only be one man and one woman (Matthew 19:4-6). And we should not forget that Jesus was really God on earth, so He should know!

So would God be in favor of two men getting married, or two women? Absolutely not!

Some people claim they were “born” homosexual. But there is no well-accepted science that backs up that idea. Strong feelings are not proof of anything.

And, a lot of people who don’t even believe in God agree. From Asia to India to Africa to Latin America, most people now and throughout history agree that being homosexual or “gay” is wrong.

So if you hear that everyone thinks being “gay” is okay, don’t believe it—even if that person is a grown-up, or even if he leads a church. There are many, many people who still follow God’s teachings, still believe their common sense, and believe that romance, dating and marriage are for a boy and girl, a man and woman.

And then comes my favorite part - bullying:

But what about bullying? When one kid picks on another, that’s always wrong.

If the bully uses bad words or makes up false stories that someone is “gay,” or calls a boy names like “sissy,” or worse, that’s horrible!

Always speak up and help someone who is being bullied.

BUT… it’s not right to tell someone that being homosexual is okay. The person may be feeling sad because of being bullied, but never try to make him or feel better by saying “gay” is okay.

Who needs science when you have Linda Harvey? Harvey is obviously seriously clueless when it comes to middle school children. And I am betting that the majority of them would laugh themselves silly after reading her tripe.

'Religious right eating crow over DADT repeal' and other Monday midday news briefs

Editor's note - I apologize for the cheap plug, but if you haven't read this morning's post, Paul Ryan, other Republicans need to come clean about night of Obama's inauguration, then please do and then send it to your friends via Facebook, Twitter, or any other services. It is highly important that this story gets out. 

 Don't Ask Don't Tell Study Shows No Negative Effects On Military One Year After Repeal- Excellent story but the caveat tells the difference between us and the religious right. If there had been a negative effect, we would be hearing about it from them until literally the cows come home. How many of us are willing to drill this positive news into the heads of the public until they can recite it by heart. Or will be we distracted by a new controversy involving Perez Hilton or Madonna?  

Kirk Cameron Blames Anti-Gay Controversy On Liberal Press - Oldest whine in the book. Apparently its the "media's fault" that Cameron verbally attacked the gay community. 

 Harry Jackson at FRC summit: God will fix the economy if we sufficiently shun gays - I feel confident in saying that it doesn't work like that.  

First Fact Check: Washington Bishops Statement on R-74 - Fact checking lies about marriage equality never hurts.

Paul Ryan, other Republicans need to come clean about night of Obama's inauguration

Draper's book includes startling revelations

In April, a book Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives by Robert Draper was published. The book detailed the shenanigans of the House of Representatives after the 2010 election in which the Republican Party, with the help of the Tea Party Movement, retook the House of Representatives.

However, an eyebrow-raising portion of this book came at the prologue where Draper detailed that several top Republican lawmakers, on the night of President Obama's inauguration in 2009, planned ways to undermine his agenda. According to Sam Stein of The Huffington Post:

According to Draper, the guest list that night (which was just over 15 people in total) included Republican Reps. Eric Cantor (Va.), Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), Paul Ryan (Wis.), Pete Sessions (Texas), Jeb Hensarling (Texas), Pete Hoekstra (Mich.) and Dan Lungren (Calif.), along with Republican Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.), Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Tom Coburn (Okla.), John Ensign (Nev.) and Bob Corker (Tenn.). The non-lawmakers present included Newt Gingrich, several years removed from his presidential campaign, and Frank Luntz, the long-time Republican wordsmith. Notably absent were Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).

For several hours in the Caucus Room (a high-end D.C. establishment), the book says they plotted out ways to not just win back political power, but to also put the brakes on Obama's legislative platform.

"If you act like you're the minority, you're going to stay in the minority," Draper quotes McCarthy as saying. "We've gotta challenge them on every single bill and challenge them on every single campaign."

The revelation that some Republicans were planning to undermine President Obama's agenda on the night of his inauguration did play in various outlets. For the most part, conservatives and Republicans ignored it while Democrats registered shock at something they probably already suspected.

Paul Ryan

Many of the players involved in the 2009 meeting played prominent roles when it came to undermining Obama:

Gingrich was once an aspiring presidential candidate where during a debate earlier this year, he infamously called Obama the "Food Stamp President"

Sen. DeMint was heard bragging in 2009 that if Republicans stopped the passage of Obamacare (which they didn’t), it would mark Obama’s “Waterloo.”

During the debt ceiling debacle spurred by Republican stridency in 2011, Rep. Cantor undermined any dealings that  Boehner and President Obama could have had to end the crisis.

And even though they were absent from the meeting, both McConnell and Boehner have publicly undermined President Obama.

McConnell actually bragged in 2010 that the number one goal of Republicans was to hold President Obama to one term.

According to Time Magazine, in 2009, Boehner reportedly instructed House Republicans to publicly trash the just released $815 million stimulus bill on cable, on YouTube, on the House floor.

And collectively, Republicans have held up Obama's American Jobs Act for over a year. According to Think Progress, the American Job Act has been praised by several economists:

Moody’s Analytics estimated the American Jobs Act would create 1.9 million jobs and add two percent to gross domestic product.

The Economic Policy Institute estimated it would create 2.6 million jobs and protect an addition 1.6 million existing jobs.\

Macroeconomic Advisers predicted it would create 2.1 million jobs and boost GDP by 1.5 percent.

Goldman Sachs estimated it would add 1.5 percent to GDP.

Even more problematic than this is the seemingly cynical ho-hum attitude of the Beltway media and punditry about these revelations. Their jaded "big deal, it's Washington" and "we've seen it all before" attitude is a huge part of the problem.

Its their schizophrenic mindset which leads them to pound us relentless about the sad state of the economy and the gridlock in Washington, while remaining clueless on how to put two and two together. Or in layman's terms, when you have government officials and their allies pretending to be J.R. Ewing on Dallas or Alexis Colby on Dynasty, the needs of the people they have sworn to serve are bound to suffer.

A case can be made that Republicans' preoccupation with damaging Obama over the needs of their constituents has played a part in the slowness of the country's economic recovery.

And five months later after these revelations have become known, the 2009 plot should take on a new poignancy because some of the players of this game are taking huge roles in the 2012 election.

For example, Frank Luntz has been recently hired by CBS to be an "analyst" for the upcoming election.

But most importantly, Paul Ryan is now Mitt Romney's running mate for the White House. This allows him to go from state to state and speak on the stump as to how Obama's legislative agenda has supposedly failed.

Of course, judging from his acceptance speech at the recent Republican Convention, Ryan omits his role in making sure Obama's agenda had troubles. Remember, he claimed that Obama ignored for the findings of Bowles-Simpson debt commission when in fact he himself derailed the commission by leading a bloc of Republicans to vote against its findings.

Bottom line - questions need to be asked to all of those who took part in that 2009 meeting, particularly Paul Ryan. Before he lambasts Obama's alleged failed legislative agenda, we need to know how much did he contribute to this supposed failure and was it deliberate?

Ryan and Mitt Romney claim to be America's comeback team, but that claim is extremely specious if Ryan helped to orchestrate something which put America in a position to need a comeback in the first place.

Legislator backs off from desire to silence football player on marriage equality

Brendon Ayanbadejo

After being made a complete fool out of because of his letter demanding that the Baltimore Ravens silence Brendon Ayanbadejo from supporting marriage equality, Maryland legislator Emmett Burns is backing off:

After drawing national attention for his attempt to muzzle a football player who supported gay rights, a Maryland delegate walked back his position Sunday and said Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo should be allowed to speak out in favor of same-sex marriage.

"Upon reflection, he has his First Amendment rights," Del. Emmett C. Burns Jr., a Baltimore County Democrat, said in a telephone interview. "And I have my First Amendment rights. … Each of us has the right to speak our opinions. The football player and I have a right to speak our minds."

Burns, who is also the pastor and founder of the Rising Sun First Baptist Church in Woodlawn, has been under fire for a letter he wrote last month urging Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti to "take the necessary action" and order Ayanbadejo to "cease and desist" his advocacy of gay rights.

 . . .   Ayanbadejo penned a column in The Huffington Post explaining his support, taped a web-only video for the Maryland same-sex marriage campaign and — most recently — offered a pair of tickets to Monday's season-opening game against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium as a fundraising incentive.

TV host Ellen DeGeneres, political analyst Keith Olbermann and fellow NFL player Chris Kluwe were among the stars and media personalities who rushed to Ayanbadejo's defense in the past few days, while no major groups added their voice to Burns' cause. The Ravens ownership also publicly supported their player.

Though the Burns letter came from an opponent of same-sex marriage, the overwhelmingly negative reaction to it and the even the timing seem to have handed supporters a win. Ayanbadejo said he has a stack of invitations to speak to the national press this week — including an offer from DeGeneres to fly to California for a live appearance on her show.

Maryland will be one of four states to vote on same-sex marriage in November. The issue has never been upheld by referendum, though advocates point to positive poll numbers and high-profile endorsements as evidence momentum is on their side.

All together now - HA! HA!

Hat tip to Facebook friend Michael Barber

Vikings player writes scathing letter in defense of free speech on marriage equality

Chris Kluwe

Yesterday, I wrote about how Maryland lawmaker Emmett C. Burns Jr. sent a letter to Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, asking for the team to reprimand player Brendan Ayanbadejo for speaking out for marriage equality.

Today, I am glad to report that Burns has been universally condemned for his attack on Ayanbadejo's right to free speech.

However, the best condemnation has come from Minnesota Vikings player Chris Kluwe. In an absolutely scathing and hilarious letter, Kluwe took Burns to task:

Dear Emmett C. Burns, Jr.,

I find it inconceivable that you are an elected official of the United States government. Your vitriolic hatred and bigotry make me ashamed and disgusted to think that you are in any way responsible for shaping policy at any level. The views you espouse neglect to consider several fundamental key points, which I will outline in great detail:

1. As I suspect you have not read the Constitution, I would like to remind you that the very first amendment in this founding document deals with the freedom of speech, particularly the abridgment of said freedom. By using your position as an elected official (when referring to your constituents in order to implicitly threaten the Ravens organization) to argue that the Ravens should silence Brendon Ayanbadejo from voicing his support for same-sex marriage, not only are you clearly violating the First Amendment, but you come across as a narcissistic fromunda stain. What on Earth would possess you to say something so mind-boggingly stupid? It baffles me that a man such as yourself, a man who relies on that same First Amendment to pursue your own religious studies without fear of persecution from the state, could somehow justify stifling another person's right to free speech. To call that "hypocritical" would be to do a disservice to the word. "Mindfuckingly, obscenely hypocritical" starts to approach it a little bit.

2. You wrote, "Many of your fans are opposed to such a view and feel it has no place in a sport that is strictly for pride, entertainment and excitement." Holy fucking shitballs. Did you seriously just say that, as someone who is, according to your Wikipedia page, "deeply involved in government task forces on the legacy of slavery in Maryland"? Have you not heard of Kenny Washington? Jackie Robinson? As recently as 1962 the NFL still had segregation, which was only done away with by brave athletes and coaches daring to speak their mind and do the right thing, and you're going to say that political views have "no place in a sport"? I can't even begin to fathom the cognitive dissonance that must be coursing through your rapidly addled mind right now; the mental gymnastics your brain has to tortuously contort itself through to make such a preposterous statement are surely worthy of an Olympic gold medal (the Russian judge gives you a 10 for "beautiful oppressionism").

3. This is more a personal quibble of mine, but why do you hate freedom? Why do you hate the fact that other people want a chance to live their lives and be happy, even though they may believe in something different from what you believe, or act differently from you? How does gay marriage affect your life in any way, shape, or form? Are you worried that if gay marriage became legal, all of a sudden you'd start thinking about penis? ("Oh shit. Gay marriage just passed. Gotta get me some of that hot dong action!") Will all your friends suddenly turn gay and refuse to come to your Sunday Ticket grill-outs? (Unlikely. Gay people enjoy watching football, too.)

I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won't come into your house and steal your children. They won't magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster. They won't even overthrow the government in an orgy of hedonistic debauchery because all of a sudden they have the same legal rights as the other 90 percent of our population, rights like Social Security benefits, childcare tax credits, family and medical leave to take care of loved ones, and COBRA health care for spouses and children. You know what having these rights will make gay Americans? Full-fledged citizens, just like everyone else, with the freedom to pursue happiness and all that that entails. Do the civil-rights struggles of the past 200 years mean absolutely nothing to you?

In closing, I would like to say that I hope this letter in some small way causes you to reflect upon the magnitude of the colossal foot-in-mouth clusterfuck you so brazenly unleashed on a man whose only crime was speaking out for something he believed in. Best of luck in the next election; I'm fairly certain you might need it.

Sincerely,
Chris Kluwe

P.S. I've also been vocal as hell about the issue of gay marriage, so you can take your "I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing" and shove it in your closed-minded, totally-lacking-in-empathy pie hole.

And then Kluwe appeared on MSNBC to defend his letter:

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

Know Your LGBT History - Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes was always one of my favorite comedians when she was on the Chris Rock Show.

And when she came out during the Proposition 8 fight in California, she became a role model. And trust me, sistas of color need more openly lesbian role models:








Past Know Your LGBT History posts:

'Zach Wahls rocks Democratic Convention, NOM slanders First Lady' and other Friday midday news briefs

Zach Wahls, son in a same-sex household, refutes the negative lies about same-sex households during his speech at the Democratic National Convention:

 

NOM and its phony, paid for studies can go to hell. Zach is the reality.

NOM Manipulates Michelle Obama’s Speech For Race-Wedging Purposes - Speaking of NOM, why should we be surprised that the organization is doing this? It has already proven its lack of shame.

 Harvey: 'Seriously Evil' Bill Restricting Ex-Gay Therapy Puts Youth 'At Risk'- Because apparently forcing children to go to fraudulent "ex-gay" therapy which can damage them further is a good thing.

 How to Determine If Your Religious Liberty Is Being Threatened in Just 10 Quick Questions - This is an AWESOME questionnaire! 

Lawmaker demands that NFL player Brendan Ayanbadejo be reprimanded for supporting marriage equality

Brendan Ayanbadejo

The National Organization for Marriage likes to spotlight people who are allegedly "attacked" or "persecuted" because they speak out against marriage equality.

But what about those who are attacked because they speak out for marriage equality.

Like Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendan Ayanbadejo. His support of marriage equality has a Maryland lawmaker demanding that he receive a reprimand:

Emmett C. Burns Jr. sent a letter to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, asking for the team to curb Ayanbadejo's support of the issue.

"I find it inconceivable that one of your players, Mr. Brendon Ayanbadejo would publicly endorse Same-Sex marriage, specifically as a Raven Football player. Many of my constituents and your football supporters are appalled and aghast that a member of the Ravens Football Team would step into this controversial divide and try to sway public opinion one way or the other.

"Many of your fans are opposed to such a view and feel it has no place in a sport that is strictly for pride, entertainment and excitement.," Burns wrote. "I believe Mr. Ayanbadejo should concentrate on football and steer clear of dividing the fan base.

"I am requesting that you take the necessary action, as a National Football League Owner, to inhibit such expressions from your employees and that he be ordered to cease and desist such injurious actions. I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing."

Ayanbadejo isn't backing down. He tweeted the following:

“The fight is not about same sex marriage or interracial marriage or slavery or equal rights for women. The fight is for equality for all!”

and

Football is just my job it's not who I am. I am an American before anything. And just like every American I have the right to speak!!!

By the way, here is a video of Ayanbadejo supporting marriage equality: