Franklin Graham supports Russian anti-gay persecution, disgraces his father and his religion

Franklin Graham supports Russian anti-gay persecution.

 It is commonly believed that in the early days of the Christian church, followers of Jesus dealt with harsh persecution. The tales of  Romans falsely labeling the Holy Communion as "cannibalism," and Christians being thrown to the lions while Roman citizens cheered have entered the canon of legends and we don't know truth from apocryphal tale.

What we do know is that from time to time, enterprising Roman politicians made Christians the scapegoats of the community, thereby leading to various acts of violence while they themselves reaped the spoils.

Throughout the centuries, Christians have faced persecution from different factions, including themselves via unnecessary disagreements regarding denominations and customs.

Not surprisingly and justifiably, Christians have always maintained a fierce devotion to their beliefs. It is a shame that, at least in the case of one Christian, this devotion isn't accompanied with a desire to speak out for other groups facing the same type of persecution.

Franklin Graham, son of the iconic pastor Billy Graham, chose to go the other direction, i.e. embracing the perpetrators of evil rather than the victims. In recent comments, he commended the country of Russia for the recent passage of its anti-gay laws under the lie that it protects children:

Isn’t it sad, though, that America’s own morality has fallen so far that on this issue—protecting children from any homosexual agenda or propaganda—Russia’s standard is higher than our own? In my opinion, Putin is right on these issues. Obviously, he may be wrong about many things, but he has taken a stand to protect his nation’s children from the damaging effects of any gay and lesbian agenda.

The inference that gays will somehow harm children is an old dodge perpetrated continuously because it works.  Whenever someone wants to pass anti-gay laws or keep pro-gay laws from passing, or build a reputation for themselves on the hallmarks of "values" and "family," they exploit children as psychological shields, playing on the heart strings of the ignorant by conjuring up images of oversexed gay men raping children, "indoctrinating" children, or "recruiting" children.

It's the same in Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. The claim that these anti-gay laws in Russia were created to "protect children" is a lie created give Putin more power and popularity. And in exchange, Russian lgbts now face horrible consequences as a result of these laws. The beatings, the unfair arrests, the all-around abject fear which now grips Russia's gay community are the results. The sad irony is that before these laws, Russian children weren't in danger. But they are now, if they are gay.

And with his one ignorant statement, Mr. Graham dips his hand into the blood spilled because of these laws and publicly wipes it on his face with zest.  In doing so, he spits not only his father's legacy, and the faces of Russian lgbts facing daily persecution. He also spits upon his own religion, particularly the memory of Christians persecuted so long ago after themselves being falsely accused.

No matter what your personal or so-called religious belief about homosexuality may be, there is no excuse for making lgbts scapegoats via lies and scapegoating. Jesus never stooped to doling out excuses designed to justify horrible acts of violence and uncaring attitudes about innocent groups of people. It is an awful shame that those who claim to follow Him have no problems doing this. It is an awful shame in the eyes who claim to follow Jesus, political power makes the lives of lgbts disposable liabilities.

Even in today's oxymoronic climate of Christian leaders clutching the lapels of their expensive suits as they trod across immaculately clean carpets of megachurches or before congregations of thousands and in front of cameras broadcasting to millions as they whine about being persecuted simply because they must acknowledge folks with different belief systems, Mr. Franklin's cluelessness is just obscene.

If he wanted to be a leader with as much notoriety as his father, then mission accomplished. But it's notoriety in the other direction. I've been to a Billy Graham crusade and I've seen him on television numerous times. He represented the humility of Christianity, the acknowledgement and respect for a higher power who we must leave all judgement up to while we do whatever good we can for each other.

Franklin now represents the hypocrisy of Christianity, the lack of humility which now plagues the religion but is something no one wants to talk about. Franklin represents the cluelessness that comes with forgetting your past and sacrifices of those who came before you; forgetting the innocent blood shed by those who paved the way to those expensive suits, mega churches with their immaculate carpets, congregation of millions, and television cameras. And especially the lack of shame which comes with scapegoating innocent groups of people in the same manner which your group was scapegoated and using the Bible to justify your sad behavior.

Mr. Graham, you are a disgrace to not only your father, the Christian religion, but humanity as well. I hope that you can see past the glitz which comes with being a supposed acclaimed Christian leader so that you can one day embrace the same humility which made your father such a wonderful person. 

'SC lawmakers continue war on colleges, gay-themed books' and other Monday midday news briefs

Lawmakers to S.C. colleges: Choose freedom or funding - And the drama continues in my state of South Carolina as lawmakers "punish" colleges for getting their students to read gay-theme books. A chilling part of the entire mess which very few are paying attention to is this quote by the author of the legislation, Rep. Garry Smith:

Smith has said the colleges failed to act responsibly in just presenting one side of an issue.

Does this mean that colleges are going to have make a place for discredited ex-gay therapy studies and junk science or legitimate science cherry-picked to demonize lgbts. In MY backyard? I fan myself with anticipation of the multitude of letters to the editor, columns, and posts I can't wait to write should that become a reality. 

'The Death Sentence of AIDS:' Newly minted Wyoming lawmaker stands by controversial book - Would THIS be the junk that Rep. Smith speaks of when he talks about the other side of the issue. Whatever the case may be, it is the MAIN reason why this blog exists and why I wrote the booklet How They See Us: Unmasking the War on Gay America, which you can read about here and download or if you want to skip the preliminaries, you can download it here. It's free, short, and probably the most complete thing you will read about anti-gay propaganda, at least until those with more power in the lgbt community do what they need to do and address the issue head on.

 Photo: NYC church says to 'stone homos' - This just in. Pastor James Manning has lost his damn mind.

 Guinness And Heineken Drop Sponsorships Of Anti-LGBT St. Patrick’s Day Parade - AWFUL situation. By the way, did any of you know that my hometown of Columbia, SC never has that problem of folks attempting to keep lgbts from participating. Heck, the organizers of the parade look forward to our full participation, float and all.

 'Wendy Williams Show' Hosts Transphobic Panel About Transgender Athlete Chloie Jonsson - So much, so much, so much work to do.  

GOP Lawmaker Thinks Businesses Ought To Be Able To Deny Service To Black People - What the "religious liberty" argument can ultimately cause. And this lawmaker's assessment is inaccurate. Someone needs to be schooled on segregation.

The Family Research Council vs. Reality

I, and so many others, are of the opinion that the Family Research Council is a deceptive hate group which exploits Christianity in order to gain power and hide its anti-gay animus. However, let's allow the group to defend itself:

Isn't it cute how that video tugs at the heart strings. However here are some things the Family Research Council left out:

 

Know Your LGBT History - My Beautiful Laundrette

There are those who once claimed that playing a gay character would destroy an actor's career. Even in light of the suppose new open-mindedness in Hollywood, some still believe this.

However, not to many people remember that even at the time when this could have been seen as true, there was an exception to this rule - Daniel Day-Lewis.

In 1985, four years before he won his first of three Oscars for Best Actor (which is an Academy Award record),  Lewis portrayed a gay man in a movie which I personally thinks still holds up even to the stuff out today.

My Beautiful Laundrette was  comedy-drama set in London during the Margaret Thatcher era. It tells the story of a British Pakistani young man (Gordon Warnecke) who hopes to make a success out of a rundown laundrette.  There are tensions with right-wing Londoners who don't like Warnecke's ethnicity. Amongst them is a man he recognizes as an old school mate (Daniel Day-Lewis).

It's later which we find out that they had a relationship in school when they choose to continue to the relationship in spite of all of the stuff going on.

My Beautiful Laundrette is a refreshing movie in that it treats a gay relationship with no pretension at all. It also presents the tension between British Pakistanis and right-wing Londoners without any shred of apology or moralizing.

Best of all - and folks hate me for doing this but I feel that lgbts should know when movies pertaining to us have happy endings - it all works out for Lewis and Warnecke. In spite of the fact that they have to hide their relationship from Warnecke's parents and Lewis's friends (who would probably kill Lewis if they knew that he was gay), there is a happy ending. It's not one of those stand up and cheer moments.

Rather, it's a nice and quiet acknowledgement of the simplicity of love.


Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

'AFA cuts ties with anti-gay group leader Austin Ruse after comments supporting murder of university leaders' and other Friday midday news briefs

No matter how they attempt to twist it, it's nasty images and claims like above which is a main reason why organizations like NOM is losing in their war against marriage equality and lgbt families. Desiring a family and the taking care of children is not a competition between the lgbt and heterosexual community. It's a simple fact that all of the false talking points and junk science can't erase.

In other news:  

American Family Association Cuts Ties With Austin Ruse After He Called For Professors To Be Shot - Damn! You know you must be really out there if the American Family Association (who employs the insanely homophobic Bryan Fischer) thinks you are too extreme to be associated with.  

Why The Most Often Cited Anti-Gay ‘Expert’ Has Nothing Useful To Say About Same-Sex Marriage - Speaking of anti-gay junk science, Zack Ford of Think Progress completely decimates Mark Regenrus' infamous junk study on same-sex families and children.  

Porno Pete Upset About Nice Honey Maid Ad Featuring Wholesome Gay Family - Gasp! How dare an ad show a normal gay family!  

The State of Black LGBT People and Their Families - Cause you just KNOW that neither Roland Martin nor the rest of the heterosexual black media will talk about this crucial issue.

 Obama Administration Orders Some Insurers To Cover Gay Spouses - Slowly but surely, equality will happen.

Anti-gay group leader Austin Ruse flees twitter after controversial comments about shooting university leaders

Ruse

Oh you "mean, intolerant" progressives and liberals! What did you do to "poor" Austin Ruse.

Yesterday,  Ruse - president of the SPLC-designated anti-gay hate group the Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute - made the wild comment that university leaders should be lined up and shot.

Earlier today, he wrapped himself up in ghetto- fabulous bravado, alternating between claims that he made the comments as a figure of speech, he made the comments to get the liberals upset, and it doesn't really matter because "dumb liberals" are trying to silence him:

I guess he got the message that no one was buying his ridiculous explanations because Ruse later took his profile off of twitter completely.  I really can't blame him for this. I would catch his occasional twitter comments today and he was getting blitzed by folks either angered or alarmed at his rhetoric.

Anti-gay group president Austin Ruse makes sad attempt to explain away his call to violence against university leaders

Austin Ruse

Yesterday Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute  - one of the newest additions to SPLC's list of anti-gay hate groups -  made the following shocking statement as he raged against a Duke University student who just revealed herself to be a porn actress:

That is the nonsense that they teach in women’s studies at Duke University, this is where she learned this. The toxic stew of the modern university is gender studies, it’s “Sex Week,” they all have “Sex Week” and teaching people how to be sex-positive and overcome the patriarchy. My daughters go to a little private religious school and we pay an arm and a leg for it precisely to keep them away from all of this kind of nonsense. I do hope that they go to a Christian college or university and to keep them so far away from the hard left, human-hating people that run modern universities, who should all be taken out and shot.

In a later twitter conversation (initiated by me), Ruse attempted to explain away his comments in between insulting another blogger and myself:

@holybullies Your poor sap. You think you can give me a big audience? Right. You are your two readers. a huh..
— Austin Ruse (@austinruse) March 12, 2014

@austinruse u poor thing. is that the best u got? i'm disappointed. u wanna talk about Russia now?
— Holy Bullies (@holybullies) March 12, 2014

@holybullies Poor sad hater....
— Austin Ruse (@austinruse) March 12, 2014

Family Research Council ally against SPLC has odd history of 'attacking' anal sex

Rep. Bob McDermott

Below this post is one explaining how the Family Research Council, with the help of a state representative in Hawaii is attacking the Southern Poverty Center for a workshop held for teachers regarding tolerating differences in classrooms.

The post goes into detail as to how this is actually a vendetta against SPLC for naming the Family Research Council as a hate group in 2010. However, there is more information regarding the state Rep. Bob McDermott, who is leading the charge against SPLC.

Apparently he is known for his bizarre attacks against a sexual education program which he feels talks too much about anal sex. Earlier this year, he held a press conference complaining about the program, Pono Choices. According to the Honolulu Civil Beat:

Bob McDermott, it seems, is obsessed with anuses.

In particular, the state legislator believes that the anus is not the same as a penis or a vagina because it isn't involved in making babies.

Public schools should not teach kids in grades 6-8 that anal sex is appropriate behavior — something the Republican representing Ewa, Ewa Beach and Iroquois Point, argues is part of the "agenda" of a Department of Education sex-ed program called Pono Choices.

"The anus is presented as genitalia, just another sex organ," he informed reporters at a press conference at the Capitol Thursday. "This is another example of forced 'equality' by ignoring the natural function of the rectum and anus. Therefore 'political' correctness dictates that the male rectum and the female vagina are 'equal' in terms of being sexual organs. This totally ignores the obvious facts of human biology and reproduction."

McDermott wants the DOE to pull Pono Choices from schools or revise it to his liking because, he contends, it is not medically accurate or age-appropriate, and it does not adequately warn of the dangers of sex between gay men. 

Anti-gay group Family Research Council continues silly vendetta against the Southern Poverty Law Center

Tony Perkins of FRC

Imagine my weariness when I opened my email to yet another notice from the Family Research Council about the false controversy involving the Southern Poverty Law Center workshop in Hawaii:

What's the going rate for political groups to buy classroom time these days? InHawaii, it's $250. At least that's what the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is paying teachers for the opportunity to present its radical message to kids as young as six and seven. The pay-to-play scheme is getting plenty of attention in the state, as more reporters dig deeper into the stipend scandal that lured teachers to take SPLC's two-day "Tolerance" workshop. While the Department of Education investigates the ethics complaint filed by State Representative Bob McDermott, more information is surfacing about the stipend scandal. Turns out, the $250 paid for a lot more influence than people originally knew. On top of the initial kickback, teachers were eligible for more money "if they implemented and submitted one lesson stemming from what they learned at the workshop, wrote up five implementation logs and agreed to be observed teaching the anti-bias material in the classroom." In other words, SPLC is paying teachers for access to students -- and worse, its employees will be fanning out in classrooms across Hawaii for "observation."

Oh clutch the pearls! However, don't be fooled. This is yet another much ado about nothing. From the Hawaii News Now:

A state lawmaker has filed an ethics complaint against the Department of Education because he said it broke the law by allowing an outside nonprofit to pay teachers stipends for attending a controversial anti-bias workshop. The Department of Education held the two-day training session at Wist Hall on the University of Hawaii Manoa campus a couple of weeks ago to help social studies and English teachers work anti-bias and multicultural lessons into their teaching.

The curriculum was created by the Southern Poverty Law Center for the workshop attended by 28 public school teachers.

State Rep. Bob McDermott (R- Ewa, Ewa Beach) said it went far beyond teaching tolerance. 

"It goes into forced acceptance, affirmation and celebration of behaviors that people of faith or creed or moral code find objectionable," McDermott said.    

McDermott is upset that suggested reading lists for children in kindergarten through 2nd grade include a short story called "10,000 Dresses," about a little boy who likes to wear dresses. 

There's a second story about two gay penguins.  

"Why does a first grader need to know about two homosexual penguins? Please, tell me.  Are we trying to indoctrinate, brainwash them?" McDermott asked. 

In other words, there is no controversy other than a state official raising a fuss over a workshop while being spurred on by FRC's hysterical notices.  It wouldn't be a surprise should it be discovered that McDermott and FRC are in "close contact" with each other about this situation.

Anti-gay hate group president Austin Ruse expresses desire for university leaders to be shot

Austin Ruse

A few years back when the Southern Poverty Law Center declared several organizations to be anti-gay hate groups, these organizations (specifically the Family Research Council), like-minded Congressional leaders, and "weak sister" pundits bent over backwards to excuse these groups and their rhetoric.

Some even claimed that these groups were being targeted because allegedly they were merely "Christian groups who disagreed with gay marriage."

I want to hear these folks have to say in light of the following statement from Austin Ruse, president of the anti-gay Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute  - one of the newest additions to SPLC's list of anti-gay hate groups - as he rails against a Duke University student who just revealed herself to be a porn actress:





Transcript:

That is the nonsense that they teach in women’s studies at Duke University, this is where she learned this. The toxic stew of the modern university is gender studies, it’s “Sex Week,” they all have “Sex Week” and teaching people how to be sex-positive and overcome the patriarchy. My daughters go to a little private religious school and we pay an arm and a leg for it precisely to keep them away from all of this kind of nonsense. I do hope that they go to a Christian college or university and to keep them so far away from the hard left, human-hating people that run modern universities, who should all be taken out and shot.

According to Truth Wins Out:

 The World Congress of Families (Ruse's group) serves as a vessel to bring worldwide hate groups together, as one can see from perusing the sponsors for their international events. The Religious Right has lost the culture war in the United States, and they realized over the past decade that they would have to expand internationally in order to keep their pocketbooks solvent and their ideology relevant. They prey on nations mired in institutional poverty, and they aid foreign governments who find scapegoats that distract their citizens from turning a keen eye on their leaders’ role in their plights quite handy. Both the World Congress of Families and C-Fam have been vocally supportive of Russia’s anti-gay laws, with the WCF expressing support in a press release not long after the Duma’s final vote on the “propaganda” law. The World Congress also held a roundtable in US House of Representatives office space recently in order to teach American “pro-family” activists how to export their hate around the world. Austin Ruse, president of C-Fam, expressed regret that the United States wouldn’t be able to start the sort of pogrom against LGBT people that Russia has, as he praised Russia in their efforts. It’s likely that the international activities of these groups contributed heavily to the SPLC’s decision to label them hate groups.

In other words, if Ruse expresses a desire for university leaders to be shot, God only knows what he wishes for the lgbt community.

As I said before, I want to hear if any folks are going to defend him against the SPLC. You just know the defense is going to be epic.

Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.

'NOM losing credibility, Jason Collins signed for the rest of the year' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

No more gloating from you, Brian Brown.

How the National Organization for Marriage Was Banished to the Basement at CPAC 2014 - A delightful story from Michelangelo Signorile on the rapidly decreasing influence of the National Organization of Marriage, particularly with folks at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference. But before you begin dancing in the streets, allow me to tell you a short Biblical story on the danger of complacency:

 The prophet Elisha was visited by the King of Israel, Joash, while on his death bed. Elisha told Joash to take some arrows and strike them on the ground. Joash smashed the arrows on the ground three times. Elisha was furious, telling the Joash that he should have struck the arrows at least five or six times on the ground until they were destroyed. The arrows represented the enemies of Israel. Because Joash was timid, the Israelites would defeat their enemies only three times instead of repeatedly until these enemies were consumed. 

And that is how we should look at not only NOM, but all groups who would seek to keep us from full equality. I don't mean physical destruction, of course. I am talking about the consistent way the lgbt community, via blogs, word of mouth, articles, lawsuits (thank you, Fred Karger), and other methods, came together and consumed NOM by ripping away its lies and phony talking points. Gone are the days when Maggie Gallagher rubbed defeats in our faces. Now we have them on the ropes and NOM is slowly sinking into a pit of  irrelevancy. Let's not slack up now. Let's continue to beat the arrows on the ground until they are consumed. 

In other news briefs (if you haven't gotten bored with my preaching yet):

Slaying of Lesbian Couple in Galveston Investigated as Possible Hate Crime - I am hoping and praying that the perpetrator of this awful crime is caught immediately. 

 Concerned Women For America Drops Out Of World Congress of Families Moscow Summit - An anti-gay group showing tact? I can't believe it. 

 Nets Plan To Sign Jason Collins For Rest Of NBA Season - Awesome!!  

How not to hold a commentator accountable starring Fox News' Jeanine Pirro - It's crap like this which makes it so difficult to expose anti-gay lies. Journalists need to learn to do their damn jobs!  

Experts, officials address concerns over transgender student athletes - You mean all of those spooky claims they made when the law protecting transgender students in CA was passed isn't taking place? Why that would mean Fox News and company were (gasp and swoon!) lying!

South Carolina legislators 'punishes' colleges for offering gay-themed books

Smith

It's as if South Carolina legislators have meetings on new ways to embarrass the state:

The $70,000 in money taken away from two colleges for assigning gay-themed books is a minuscule part of South Carolina’s $24 billion budget next year. But an effort to restore the money took up a majority of the first day of deliberations over the state’s spending plan in the S.C. House Monday.

Amendments sponsored by the House’s minority Democrats to give back $52,000 to the College of Charleston and $17,142 to the University of South Carolina-Upstate – the cost of the reading programs – were rejected soundly by near 2-to-1 margins in the GOP-controlled House.

The ongoing controversy over the book choices has led to a national debate over the role of government in publicly funded colleges.

 . . .  Rep. Garry Smith, R-Greenville, who spearheaded efforts to cut the schools’ funding, said the books – “Fun Home,” chosen by the College of Charleston, and “Out Loud: The Best of Rainbow Radio,” chosen at USC Upstate – do not reflect the community standards of S.C. taxpayers.

 . . . The House is expected to consider a budget amendment Tuesday that would have the state set aside $1 million from each public college’s state money until they ban using “pornographic content” in classes and requiring any students to take a class that includes a nude model. The amendment from state Rep. Mac Toole, R-Lexington, does not define “pornographic content.” He said most people understand the definition. Toole’s amendment also would require colleges to start courses on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights before the money is released. 

The "community standard" argument is a weak excuse for those who don't want to own up to their homophobia. I contributed an article to the "Best of Rainbow Radio" and I am a taxpayer. I RESENT Rep. Smith appointing HIMSELF as the arbiter of community values. How dare he makes such a judgement about books he obviously has not read and people he obviously don't know. Since apparently my life doesn't fit his definition of community values, perhaps he should refund the portion of my tax dollars which pays his salary. If he deems my life as not adequately reflecting his definition of community values, I deem his pockets not fit for my community cash.

And that goes double for Rep. Toole. Instead of requiring colleges to start courses on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, Rep. Toole should make it a point to read the two items himself.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/03/10/3317994/sc-house-votes-to-penalize-colleges.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2014/03/10/3317994/sc-house-votes-to-penalize-colleges.html#storylink=cpy

Fake study fails to damage Southern Poverty Law Center; gay community needs to wake up

There are some in the lgbt community who believe that the Southern Poverty Law Center's naming of groups like the Family Research Council and the American Family Association as anti-gay hate groups has proven to be ineffective.

This notion comes from a degree of laziness which I will get into later in this post. However, right now I wish to state specifically that this notion is categorically false. And if my post this morning about the Family Research Council's pathetic attack on SPLC doesn't convince you, then this following item - courtesy of Equality Matters - should do the trick:

Right-wing media figures are celebrating a new paper purporting to demonstrate anti-Christian and anti-conservative bias in the Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) listing of extremist hate groups - conveniently ignoring the clear biases of the paper's author and the paper's glaring methodological problems.

On March 10, Breitbart.com's in-house anti-gay extremist Austin Ruse touted a new "study" from University of North Texas sociologist George Yancey, the author of "Watching the Watchers: The Neglect of Academic Analysis of Progressive Groups," a paper appearing in the journal Academic Questions. In the "study," Yancey purports to have found that the SPLC's practice of identifying and labeling hate groups ignores extremism on the left, instead maligning right-wing groups like the Family Research Council (which Yancey calls the "Family Research Center"). Moreover, Yancey charges that the SPLC is far too liberal with its use of that designation, unfairly smearing sensible conservatives as hateful bigots.

The author of this piece, Luke Brinker, breaks down the immense problems of this "study" into four points:

 1. It Isn't A Study:

Yancey's paper - republished in full on Breitbart's website - is little more than a screed against the SPLC filled with right-wing boilerplate. ("Progressive groups who value tolerance may display intolerance when reacting to conservative individuals," Yancey writes, echoing conservative bloviators like Erick Erickson) But Yancey's "study" lacks a systematic and coherent methodology. There's no objective metric by which he determines whether the SPLC goes too hard on conservative groups and too easy on leftist ones.

'Human rights advocates challenging Uganda anti-gay law in court' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

The anti-gay right is going to be so mad at Honeymaid Crackers and I've already bought the champagne to celebrate the freak out. 

In other news:

Human Rights Advocates Challenge Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Law In Court - NOW we are getting somewhere in Uganda!

Human Rights Groups Petition Uganda’s Constitutional Court over Anti-Homosexuality Act - More details on this story courtesy of the awesome Box Turtle Bulletin.

 Meet the American Pastor Behind Uganda's Anti-Gay Crackdown - If you have not already read this article on Scott Lively, I suggest that you do.  

New York City Schools Implement Transgender Inclusion Guidelines - Sweeet!

 Meet The World's LGBT Billionaires - Or as six of them shall be known as - "Alvin McEwen's new husbands."  Of course I don't intend to marry them all at the same time and sue me already for being so predatory but a Queen needs his "security.

Michele Bachmann, Matt Barber are just so TIRED of being 'picked on' by 'the gays!' - I'm posting to this again because I'm just so darn proud of it!

Family Research Council creating false hysteria about SPLC program in Hawaii

FRC's Tony Perkins

The Family Research Council is attacking the Southern Poverty Law Center again.

Ever since SPLC named FRC as an anti-gay hate group for consistenly and deliberately launching inaccurate attacks against the lgbt community, FRC has been taking  potshots at the organization. From accusing the group of attempting to taint the military against Christians to falsely linking the group to an awful near massacre at FRC headquarters (in which a deranged young man, Floyd Corkins,  attempted to force his way in, shoot FRC employees, and stuff Chick-Fil-A sandwiches down their throats), FRC has been practically itching to seek some sort of retribution against SPLC.

And every time the organization attacks SPLC,  it gives SPLC's supporters (and yes you can include me in that group) an opportunity to publicly prove the fact that FRC is in fact an anti-gay hate group.

This is the latest attack from FRC:

They say you can't buy love, but that won't stop SPLC from trying! Money may be no object for the anti-Christian group, but mainstream support certainly is. Facing growing scrutiny for their tainted and biased "research" from the military to the media, Southern Poverty Law Center is resorting to bribing teachers to force their agenda into the public schools where unsuspecting children reside. In Hawaii, eyebrows shot up at the news that SPLC was giving teachers a $250 kickback just for attending a local training session on "Teaching Tolerance." The cash incentive struck a lot of people as odd, including state Representative Bob McDermott. In academia, where educators are used to paying for trainings -- not profiting from them -- McDermott thought something smelled fishy with SPLC's offer. In a letter to Hawaii State Department of Education District Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi, he asked the office to put the brakes on the session. Matayoshi refused and instead gave the department's blessing to the workshop, which SPLC held the first weekend of March.

That's FRC's sordid rendition of the story. However, a more objective piece from the Hawaii Reporter reveals that the claim of "paying teachers to attend the program" is merely a cover for yet another attack on the lgbt community:

The “agenda” of the program concerns McDermott, because he said there's obvious “social engineering,” including a “disproportionate focus on normalizing homosexuality,” while also trying to discredit Christian beliefs. “The theme of this curriculum is so called ‘anti-bias’ unless, of course, you are a person of faith. One example is the following: ‘Patrick is being raised in a very strict and exclusionary fundamentalist Christian home…’. If that is not biased I do not know what is,” McDemott said.

And there is the rub. From the FRC:

Digging deeper into SPLC's materials, the state rep was outraged to see that almost 25% of the example scenarios "deal with gay acceptance." "Why is the gay population -- which is no more than 4% of the general population -- consistently disproportionately represented in these new teaching materials?"

And yet another portion of the article - courtesy of the Hawaii Reporter - which FRC omitted in its hysterical article:

 Maureen Costello, director of the Teaching Tolerance program, said the organization works around the country with various school districts within the guidelines of the school districts, either by donating to the schools or paying a small stipend to teachers who help improve the pilot program and Hawaii did in fact approve teachers to receive stipends.

 . . .  "There is real tension around the LGBT issues and some faith based people. We work to find common ground. Every parent wants their child to feel safe and accepted at school. We want everyone to get along even if they do not share the same values," Costello said.

Costello said the pilot program is still being revised and Hawaii teachers across the state are having input into the final product. Some teachers have told the law center that they believe more information on native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders should be included, and the law center is working to incorporate that suggestion, she said. Costello also offered to meet with McDermott or his staff via Skype to give them access to the full curriculum and to review it with them.

One wonders if McDermott will take Costello up on the offer. I think he should. I also think he should leave FRC by the wayside because it's obvious that the organization is using him to not only unfairly attack the lgbt community (the main reason why SPLC declared it to be a hate group) but also to make inaccurate statements about SPLC, such as the following:

 . . . it's a program that may be coming to a school district near you. According to Costello, SPLC has been dangling money in front of educators -- and schools -- for the opportunity to teach the kind of "tolerance" that motivates people to bring guns into office buildings and shoot innocent people.

Whatever the case may be, it's not farfetched to say that FRC doesn't give a damn about the safety of Hawaiian students. Nor does the organization care about anything else but "settling the score" against SPLC.

Perhaps FRC should school itself on what the Bible says about revenge, especially if said revenge is against a justifiable action.

Related post:

16 reasons why the Family Research Council is a hate group

Michele Bachmann, Matt Barber are just so TIRED of being 'picked on' by 'the gays!'

Courtesy of Right Wing Watch comes a double fetishization of the persecution nonsense thanks to Gov. Jan Brewer's recent veto of that awful anti-gay segregation bill.

Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel, accompanied by Gordon Klingenschmitt, just can't stop comparing "Christians" like himself to Jewish people living in Nazi Germany:



Oh yeah, Matt. This is 1939 Germany because we all know that the Nazis let Jewish people speak freely about being persecuted with no reprisal at all. I mean the similarities are so startling that I had to check my calendar.

But not to be outdone by Barber is soon-to-be former Congresswoman Michele  Bachmann who is just tired, TIRED I SAY, of being picked on and bullied by lgbts. Why how dare we act as if we have rights like "regular folks," including the right not to be discriminated against by secular businesses. Listen to how she lies about the Arizona bill while whining:



You know, the cover all for people with nothing intelligent to add to a conversation used to be "I have a right to my opinion." Thanks to Bachmann, it's the word "constitution."

'Anti-gay business owners = Jews in Nazi Germany' and other Monday midday news briefs

Who else but the homophobic Matt Barber?

BarbWire: Anti-Gay Business Owners Like Jews In Nazi Germany - Matt Barber's love for bad hyperbole tires even ME out. I mean come on!!  

The South's Stunning Embrace of Gay Marriage - Fascinating article. A few years from now and I may be able to tie the knot in SC. 

BREAKING: Black Lesbian Couple Found Dead in Galveston County, Texas - Sad situation, especially because they were raising a child together. All prayers go out to the families, especially the little five-year-old who had her mothers taken away.

 How One Vermont Town Tried To Force Out A Lesbian Couple - Unbelievable but true. Huge kudos to the ladies for not putting up with this awful treatment. 

 FINALLY! A conservative in conservative media outlet admits animus drives 'protect marriage' fight - I mean really, with enemies like Linda Harvey, who needs friends?

Ben Carson needs an intervention before he destroys his legacy

Ben Carson is becoming a truly sad case. The more he panders to white conservatives (yes, I said it), the less he will be remembered as a legendary neurosurgeon who overcame the odds to succeed in life. Instead, he will be remembered as a low-budget Alan Keyes, i.e. another black man whose ego makes him and his immense intelligence into a nasty caricature.

'Michigan's 'expert witness' against marriage equality says gays are going to hell' and other Friday midday news briefs.

Gay People Are Going To Hell, Says Expert Witness In Michigan Gay Marriage Trial - Michigan's attempt to defend its law against marriage equality and second parent adoption is a black comedy of errors. It's first "expert witness" is barred from testifying by the judge because he wasn't that much of an expert. It's second "expert witness" is lambasted by his own university and the media for his discredited study while he was testifying about how said study proves same-sex parenting harms children. And now this. THIS "expert witness" said that lgbts are going to hell. Then he claimed that he wasn't biased. 

Liberty Counsel/Liberty University's Matt Barber has gay sex on the mind (again. typically. oddly.) - Matt Barber is talking about "gay sex" again, y'all. I say the next time he does it, we present him with an award. 

 Oliver North: GOP Must Oppose Marriage Equality Like It Fought Slavery - This is Oliver North. Lawbreaker in the Iran-Contra scandal. Passing negative judgement on marriage equality and talking about morality. DAMN!!  

Democrats Demand Administration Act On LGBT Workers’ Rights - Love me some President Obama but even he needs some pointing to the right direction.

 U.S. Evangelicals Forced On The Defensive Following Uganda's Anti-Gay Laws - They had better be.

NOM looks downright pitiful during conservative conference CPAC

This weekend, conservatives will be gathering for CPAC, or the Conservative Political Action Conference. It's a time where they all get together to make outrageous statements and talk about how Obama is the devil and lgbts are his handmaidens. Oh they also make some ridiculous comments about "American Exceptionalism" and how conservatism is the supposedly the "way, truth, and the light."

It's a bunch of nonsense, but you would think that at such a conference, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) would be popular. Guess again:

Sad anti-marriage equality booth at #CPA2014. Only reporters have stopped by in past 10 mins. pic.twitter.com/HAcG4q3hAe
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) March 6, 2014

Prepare to lose THIS battle, Bryan Fischer

Poor Bryan Fischer. The lgbt community is obviously driving him insane. He tries to sound like General George Patton rallying the troops here but he comes across as a crazy old man who really needs to either stop obsessing so much about lgbts or address desires he has possibly deep inside his psyche (Editor's note - I'm not implying that Fischer is gay, but if he was, his case would be the only time I would support reparative therapy.)

'Fox News personality tries to connect drag show to military sexual assaults' & other Thursday midday news briefs

Laura Ingraham Wonders If Drag Show Is Linked To Military Sexual Assault - Uh no. Of course she offers no proof but since when does a Fox News pundit offer any proof or rational arguments? 

Inspired By Debate Over Anti-LGBT Bill, Arizona State Senator Comes Out As Gay - This is pretty cool. An act of homophobia creates a new hero
.

Gene Therapy Seems Safe, May Help Control HIV - It's too early but a good sign. 

 Poll Tracks Dramatic Rise In Support for Gay Marriage - Just in case you haven't heard . . .  

Ugandan Lesbian Evicted, Landlord Cites 'Jail the Gays' Law - This is what anti-gay groups want for us in this country.

All of the 'evil and dirty' things that the gays do

Phil Burress

Yesterday, courtesy of People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch, I read Ohio anti-gay activist Phil Burress make a claim that gay men have "as many as 200 sex partners."

A day later, Burress' outrageous claim continues to haunt me not only for its inanity but because it brings to focus something which has been dwelling in my mind for a long time in little bits and pieces.

I've read and heard so accusations against the lgbt community by the religious right that I've now come to the conclusion that these folks are just sloppy with what they say. Seriously, it's as if they don't care that eventually, someone will demonstrate just how incoherent their claims are.

So with that in mind, bear with me here. The following are the claims made about the lgbt community over the years by religious right and anti-gay activists:

Gays are sick people:

 Their [gay] minds are perverted, they’re frankly sick people psychologically, mentally, and emotionally.” – Bishop EW Jackson 

 Yet almost all gays make lots of money:

 “You know, I saw yesterday how much -- how much money the homosexual community has. I mean, good gracious, the average homosexual makes four times more than I do . . . I mean, they're not -- these people are not in poverty or hurting or denied or anything else.” – Donald Wildmon, American Family Association 

Gays are only a small part of the population: 

“Relying on three large data sets: the General Social Survey, the National Health and Social Life Survey, and the U.S. census, a recent study in Demography estimates the number of exclusive male homosexuals in the general population at 2.5 percent and exclusive lesbians at 1.4 percent.” – Family Research Council in its inaccurate brief “Homosexuality and Child Abuse” 

 Yet gays “control” the culture: 

“Homosexual activists in many ways, drive our culture, they decide what’s going to be in a movie, we see all the portrayals, homosexuals are the most positively portrayed in the movies and on television.” – Peter LaBarbera, Americans for Truth 

 Gays “bully” all of those who oppose them: 

“Instead, what we have is the gay Gestapo who go out and try to intimidate morally, economically, professionally, and personally anyone who speaks out against the homosexual agenda.” – Jeffrey Kuhner, The Washington Times 

Gays “Recruit” children:

 “. . . Folks who cannot reproduce want to recruit your children. What we are facing is a radical force of people who want to change what America looks for the next twenty years . . .” – Bishop Harry Jackson 

And are plotting to either destroy or change America and “silence” Christians:

 “Those special gay rights would require Christians not to speak against –would require us Christians not to speak against homosexual rights . . . because if we did, we could be charged with bullying or censored for it.” – Buster Wilson, American Family Association 

“Through a carefully crafted, decades-old propaganda campaign, homosexuals have successful cast homosexuals - many of whom enjoy positions of influence and affluence - as a disadvantage minority” – Matt Barber, Unmasking the “Gay” Agenda 

And while generating all of this mayhem, gays still manage to find time to have all sorts of mind-boggling wild sex with multiple partners:

“One study determined that homosexual males have from between 20 to 106 sexual partners per year. It’s no wonder that homosexual men account for over 50% of all hepatitis cases, and still account for over 50% of all AIDS cases despite the fact that they only make up 1-3% of the population.” – Matt Barber, The Gay Agenda vs. Family Values, December 12, 2004 

“Homosexual activists claim their lifestyle, which in some cases includes thousands of sexual partners, should be sanctioned, protected, and granted special rights by society. Would you critique this stance?“ – a question on Dr. James Dobson's web page. Dobson is the former head of Focus on the Family.

Allow me to surmise.  According to the religious right, the lgbt community is comprised of sad and sick individuals who make a lot of money, who are only a very small of the population but yet control the culture, bully those who oppose us, recruit children, and work to silence Christians and alter America while finding the time to have lots and lots and lots of sex.

Wow! How do we find time to do all of that? How do we find time to be all of that? But what boggles my mind even more is the claim by Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel that we have been engaging in a "propaganda campaign" for decades. Barber is neither the first nor the only anti-gay activist claiming that the lgbt community has been engaging in a long-term Machiavellian plan to control America and supposedly cast ourselves as victims.

How come this is the first time I've heard of such a plan?

Seriously, who's in charge of this thing? Is it the Gay Mafia or, as some anti-gay activists call us, "Big Gay?" How do I become a member? And if I do, can I be given a super cool alter-ego.

No joke. I've always imagined myself as sort of a James Bond villain with a alter-ego name like "Coochie Everlasting" or "Baron von Superbitch." I can just see myself leading an army of killer drag queens who wear razor blade studded wigs like actress Pam Grier wore in Coffy. Or better yet, they can convert their stiletto heels into miniature machines guns and shoot heat seeking missiles from their false brassieres.

It could totally work.

In all seriousness, while it is fun to laugh at the ridiculous lies anti-gay activists say about us, let's not forget that  there are people who take these claims as fact. And unfortunately, as we have seen in places like Russia and Uganda, these people generally act upon that ignorance.

So let's not spend so much time laughing that we forget to call out anti-gay propaganda  for the lies that they are.

Editor's note - My list of anti-gay comments is a semi-brief rehashing from a larger list in How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America.

'Drag show, gays blamed for Putin's invasion of Ukraine' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

AFA's McCullough: Putin Invaded Crimea As A Result Of Military Drag Show, US 'Sissification' - We've been blamed for floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and 9/11. Is it any surprise that we are invaded for this? 

Anti-gay pastor makes false claim about GLAAD's CAP - Those defending Michigan's law against marriage equality is having a seriously rough time at it. First their "expert witness" is totally humiliated and now their "religious leader" is totally dogged online. Guys, you don't tangle with my friend Jeremy Hooper without back up and even then you are still outgunned.

The Washington Times Is Concerned About The "Sexual Proclivities" Of Wedding Cakes - Because apparently the first thing on our minds when getting married is getting folks to create obscene wedding cakes.

Illinois Attorney General: Marriage Equality Can Begin In All Counties - Well it's about time. 

Editor's note - This evening, if all goes well, I am going to be posting a very interesting but logical piece tentatively called All of the 'evil and dirty' things that the gays do.   Look for it. You will enjoy it.

I almost feel sorry for discredited professor Mark Regnerus. Almost but not quite

Regnerus

To say that things don't look good for discredited University of Texas professor Mark Regnerus would be an understatement. Apparently the paradox of  your own university denouncing your work while at the same time you are testifying in a trial as an "expert witness" seems to be an angle which has the media humming.

That's all folks have been talking about and no doubt attorneys for the state of Michigan - who called Regnerus to testify in defense of  the state ban on marriage equality and second parent adoption - cannot be pleased.

The press coverage has been more ugly than those pictures of celebrities without their make up. And naturally because I don't like the machinations of anti-gay groups or their supporters, allow me to feature snippets from two of the most brutal articles.

The first is from Brad Dickerson of the Detroit Free Press. The headline, Defense of Michigan's same-sex marriage ban rests on scholar scorned by peers, should give one an indication of the article's direction:

Academics have been running from Regnerus since 2012, when he reported that a broad-based population survey he had conducted at the behest of the conservative Witherspoon Institute supported the institute’s contention that children are more successful when they grow up “with their married mother and father.”

Opponents of same-sex marriage immediately began citing Regnerus’ study as scientific proof that laws banning such unions were justified by concern for the welfare of children raised in same-sex households.

But fellow academics have taken issue with everything from the origins of Regnerus’ study (two conservative groups that oppose gay marriage paid the associate professor $785,000 to commission it) to his population sample (which was limited to children born long before same-sex marriages became legal anywhere in the U.S.).

The most damning criticism centers on Regnerus’ admission that he deliberately structured his study to compare children whose parents had a same-sex relationship with those who grew up in opposite-sex households undisturbed by separation or divorce.

Discredited researcher Mark Regnerus has rough cross-examination

Regnerus

Today, University of Texas professor Mark Regnerus was crossed examined by the lawyers seeking to overturn Michigan's law against marriage equality and second-parent adoption.

Regnerus is the author of the discredited study which claimed that same-sex parenting harms children.  Even though the study has been denounced by several sources, including Regnerus' own university, the state of Michigan called him as an expert witness.

Yesterday, he was questioned by the lawyers for the state of Michigan. If you ask me, I think he burned himself big time:

 The Human Rights Campaign linked to tweets by Tresa Baldas, a staff writer for the Detroit Free Press, who noted that Regnerus admitted that he is “not a fan” of same-sex marriage and that adoption and foster-parenting are “not the ideal” and that he is “not a fan” of in vitro fertilization because in his view, it “reduces kinship.” Baldas also tweeted that Regnerus denied creating the study to derail same-sex marriage but said that a group that funded it wanted to use it before the Supreme Court.

For now, there isn't a lot of information about how he did in today's cross examination from the media because much of the attention seems to be focused on the paradox of a professor's own university AND his own department in the university - sociology - denouncing his research.

 However, if the following tweets hold true, it can be assumed that Regnerus had a rough time at it.

'Fox News personality - lgbts are 'sore winners'' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

George Will, Fox News Contributor, Claims LGBT People Are 'Sore Winners' - I've read this article twice and I STILL don't know what this man is talking about.

Mark Regnerus, Disputed Gay Parenting Study Author, Testifies On Same-Sex Marriage - Eh. I'm not impressed with his testimony. BUT he gets cross-examined today. Sock it to HIM! 

 Mark Regnerus’ Own Sociology Department Calls His Anti-Gay Conclusions ‘Fundamentally Flawed’ - Meanwhile . . .

 Pastor leading Michigan's anti-equality fight: Homosexuality is 'bondage' that 'leads to destruction and death' - And why do our opposition rely on discredited studies? Because I don't think stuff like this would fly in court.  

Washington Times Columnist: Liberals Using Michael Sam To Distract From Benghazi - Aw hell! Who told him? I swear some of us simply can't keep our mouths shut.

Anti-gay groups and their supporters have a disturbing history of distorting scientific research

Mark Regnerus

This so-called culture war over lgbt equality is so immersed in the religious angle and the "personal story" angle that there is scarcely attention paid to how anti-gay groups make attempts at either distorting scientific research or relying on junk science in order to denigrate the lgbt community.

An incident - reported last week by Science Insider and brought to my attention via Truth Wins Out - should give us an idea of how dangerous it is for the lgbt to not bring attention to this aspect:

On 24 February, Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, signed a draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law, after 2 months of declining to do so. Science, he says, changed his mind—in particular, the findings of a special scientific committee his Health Ministry had appointed earlier in the month. “Their unanimous conclusion was that homosexuality, contrary to my earlier thinking, was behavioural and not genetic,” Museveni wrote to President Barack Obama on 18 February, in response to Obama’s pleas that he not sign the bill. “It was learnt and could be unlearnt.”
But some scientists on the committee are crying foul, saying that Museveni and his ruling party—Uganda’s National Resistance Movement (NRM)—misrepresented their findings. “They misquoted our report,” says Paul Bangirana, a clinical psychologist at Makerere University in Kampala. “The report does not state anywhere that homosexuality is not genetic, and we did not say that it could be unlearnt.” Two other committee members have now resigned to protest the use of their report to justify the harsh legislation . . .

What seems like a deliberate attempt by Museveni to distort science in order to justify that awful bill puts him in a wide company of folks guilty of the same offense, i.e. distorting science to justify anti-gay persecution or stances against lgbt equality. For over two years, bloggers and activists in the lgbt community and the scientific community in general have been waging a war against a bogus study created by University of Texas professor Mark Regnerus.

'Judge refuses to allow marriage equality opponent to testify in Michigan case' and other Monday midday news briefs

Michigan's witness in gay-marriage trial barred - A short article details a huge embarrassment for those defending Michigan's ban on marriage equality. It's really their own fault though. The judge rules that a doctoral candidate isn't necessarily an expert witness yet and therefore cannot testify in support of the ban

Star Parker: Gays Forcing Christians 'Into The Closet' - Star Parker is the epitome of the perfect black conservative spokesperson. She leads an organization with probably herself as the only member and she doesn't do anything worthwhile but collect money and prestige for being the black face whenever conservatives and the religious right want to exploit the black community.

Watch This Fox News Host's Heartfelt Apology To The Intersex Community - Yes. Hell froze over. 

Here’s The Anti-Gay ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill Arizona Lawmakers Are Still Considering - It's really never over with these folks.

Liberty Counsel, Mission America among seven groups now designated by SPLC as anti-gay hate groups

This ugly tweet, no doubt, is probably one of the reasons the Liberty Counsel is now an SPLC-designated anti-gay hate group

The Southern Poverty Law Center has added seven more anti-gay organizations to its list of anti-gay hate groups.

No doubt the standard whine of these groups will be the same one offered up by the Family Research Council when SPLC named it as a hate group a while back, i.e. "we are being attacked because we don't believe in gay marriage, we are trying to preserve Christian morality, we are being silenced."

That whine was a lie then and is still a lie. SPLC makes it clear that religious beliefs are not a reason why they call out these groups:

 . . . the SPLC’s listings of these groups is based on their propagation of known falsehoods — claims about LGBT people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities — and repeated, groundless name-calling. Viewing homosexuality as unbiblical does not qualify organizations for listing as hate groups.

So allow me - with the help of other sources such as Truth Wins Out, People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch and GLAAD's Commentator Accountability  Project - to list just a few reasons why some of these groups were named as anti-gay hate groups


Pacific Justice Institute - This CA organization is  by Brad Dacus. Dacus has:

 defended a pastor who said gay people are abmoinations who deserve to be stoned to death

claimed that by fighting for a marriage system that discriminates against same-sex couples, he is "fighting for the soul of Western civilization"

But I think the main thing which may have caught SPLC's attention was PJI's recent actions in a failed attempt to defeat a law which would protect transgender students. The organization  fabricated a story about a transgender teenager harassing other students; when story broke, Dacus accused those challenging his organization's version of events of "trying to supress the truth"  The student whom PJI attacked was put on suicide watch.

The Pray in Jesus Name Project  - This organization, as far as I am aware, is comprised of one person - Gordon Klingenschmitt.

Klingenschmitt has said that any judge ruling for marriage equality should be considered as a domestic enemy

He has also claimed that gay soldiers undermine the military because they have to stop in the middle of combat situations in order to change their diapers.

Klingenschmitt also said that people who are not going to heaven (i.e. lgbts) don't deserve equal protection under the law.

Mission America - another organization which is comprised of one person, Linda Harvey. Harvey is a former advertising executive who supposedly found religion.  The filth coming out of her mouth includes the following:

claimed that same-sex couples use their kids as "props": "The kids are essentially props to be trotted out, sadly, at events like "pride" parades"

claims that gay/straight alliances in schools promote diseases.

expressed support for the anti-gay laws in Russia

advised parents to not take their children to gay doctors

 Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM). According to Truth Wins Out:

Both the World Congress of Families and C-Fam have been vocally supportive of Russia’s anti-gay laws, with the WCF expressing support in a press release not long after the Duma’s final vote on the “propaganda” law. The World Congress also held a roundtable in US House of Representatives office space recently in order to teach American “pro-family” activists how to export their hate around the world. Austin Ruse, president of C-Fam, expressed regret that the United States wouldn’t be able to start the sort of pogrom against LGBT people that Russia has, as he praised Russia in their efforts. It’s likely that the international activities of these groups contributed heavily to the SPLC’s decision to label them hate groups.

The Liberty Counsel - If one wanted to pinpoint a single reason why the Liberty Counsel is on this list, they could point to Matt Barber, a member of the organization who attacks the lgbt community with extreme animus while at the same time, blending his homophobia with "homilies" of his faith.  In the past, Barber:

has said that gay male relationships constitute "one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it ‘love’”

said gay people "purchase kids" and treat them "like having little pets or something"

pushed idea that same-sex parenting is tantamout to child abuse

and is responsible for pushing that vile tweet posted at the top of this article; the tweet which implies that gays want to molest Boy Scouts.

All in all, these groups have earned their designation as anti-gay hate groups. But let's not mistake what needs to be done. Kudos should be given to the Southern Poverty Law Center for calling these organizations out and pinpointing their deceptions and hatred of the lgbt community.

Now it is the job of the lgbt community to raise hell about it. In other words, let's not waste time complaining about who didn't get the designation of being an official anti-gay hate groups. Let's use what we have been given to educate and to break the connection between religion and homophobia.

The two have no business being connected.
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