Sorry Newt, but the American Family Association IS a hate group

Bryan Fischer - one reason why AFA is a hate group.

With the Family Research Council taking the lead in attempting to smack down the Southern Poverty Law Center's charges of it and other "morality groups" being anti-gay hate groups (and doing a pitifully bad job at it), it's almost easy to forget the other groups on SPLC's list.

Luckily we have former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich to remind us of another group on the list - the American Family Association.

Speaking with Think Progress today, Gingrich insisted that the AFA - a group he is teaming up with in order to create a network of "political oriented pastors"- isn't a hate group. This is what he said during the interview:

"You bring a series of allegations that I can’t check about a group that is largely a Christian based membership group, that is fairly widespread in its membership and I suspect most of those people do not in any way think of themselves as a hate group even if that’s how you would characterize them."

 According to the SPLC:

Methodist minister Donald E. Wildmon formed the National Federation for Decency in 1977, changing its name to the American Family Association (AFA) in 1988. Today, the group, which was taken over by Tim Wildmon after his father’s 2010 retirement, claims a remarkable 2 million online supporters and 180,000 subscribers to its AFA Journal. It also broadcasts over nearly 200 radio stations.

The AFA seeks to support “traditional moral values,” but in recent years it has seemed to specialize in “combating the homosexual agenda.” In 2009, it hired Bryan Fischer, the former executive director of the Idaho Values Alliance, as its director of analysis for government and policy. Taking a page from the anti-gay fabulist Scott Lively (see Abiding Truth Ministries, above), Fischer claimed in a blog post last May 27 that “[h]omosexuality gave us Adolph Hitler, and homosexuals in the military gave us the Brown Shirts, the Nazi war machine and 6 million dead Jews.” (Ironically, the elder Wildmon was widely denounced as an anti-Semite after suggesting that Jews control the media, which the AFA says “shows a genuine hostility towards Christians.”) Fischer has described Hitler as “an active homosexual” who sought out gays “because he could not get straight soldiers to be savage and brutal and vicious enough.” He proposed criminalizing homosexual behavior in another 2010 blog post and has advocated forcing gays into “reparative” therapy. In a 2010 “action alert,” the AFA warned that if homosexuals are allowed to openly serve in the military, “your son or daughter may be forced to share military showers and barracks with active and open homosexuals.”

Gays aren’t the AFA’s only enemies. In late 2009, Fischer suggested that all Muslims should be banned from joining the U.S. military. “Islam is a totalitarian political ideology,” Fischer added in August 2010. “It is as racist as the KKK. ... Allowing a mosque to be built in town is fundamentally no different that granting a building permit to a KKK cultural center built in honor of some King Kleagle.” A little later, according to the Huffington Post, Fischer said that whatever the government does to "to make it unthinkable for America's youth to join a white supremacist group," it should also do "to make it as unthinkable for a resident of America  to embrace Islam." Around the same time, the Huffington Post said, he blogged that Muslim values are "grossly incompatible with American values," and therefore no place in America should allow a mosque to be built.

And lest we forget,  Fischer is the same guy who:

• made an ugly racial slur about President Obama,  

• viciously attacked a Medal of Honor recipient, and  

• wrote a ridiculous piece about the supposed lack of morals of Native Americans.

Aside from Fischer, AFA is the same group which publishes the phony news journal One News Now, which supposed publishes news from a "Christian point of view." Of course this usually means the articles are inaccurate and one-sided.  And some of them border on ludicrously offensive, such as the one asserting that African-Americans who vote for Obama are choosing their race over their faith.

And of course, what "respectable" anti-gay group wouldn't make the inaccurate homosexuals are oversexed, diseased pedophiles claim:

• A direct mail letter from Don Wildmon of the American Family Association included this emotional appeal. "For the sake of our children and society, we must OPPOSE the spread of homosexual activity! Just as we must oppose murder, stealing, and adultery! Since homosexuals cannot reproduce, the only way for them to 'breed' is to RECRUIT! And who are their targets for recruitment? Children!"

• Among homosexual lifestyle and sexual practices are included: "sex with boys...eating and/or rubbing themselves with the feces of their partners...urinating on or in their partners...sadomasochism...bondage...sex with animals."- http://www.afa.net, Homosexuality in America: Exposing the Myths.

• Homosexuality is "a sexual behavior that is killing our young people and destroying families". - AFA ACTION ALERT via email, 4/25/97

• "homosexuals seem to favor leniency regarding pedophilia" - http://www.afa.net, Homosexuality in America: Exposing the Myths.

• "Prominent homosexual leaders and publications have voiced support for pedophilia, incest, sadomasochism, and even bestiality." - http://www.afa.net, Homosexuality in America: Exposing the Myths.

Michael Johnston - another reason why AFA is a hate group.

And to top it all off, there is a matter of the Michael Johnston controversy.

Johnston was an "ex-gay" leader who spoke about how he turned his back on homosexuality after catching HIV. He was even featured in a video made by the American Family Association called "It's Not Gay." However, in 2003 it was discovered that he was having unprotected gay sex.

So what did the AFA do? Why the organization continued to sell the video featuring Johnston talking about his "freedom from homosexuality" regardless of the fact that Johnston's actions proved his claim to be an ugly lie.

Bottom line - if the American Family Association is a Christian organization, then God must have lowered his standards.

The only reason why the AFA should be considered as a hate group is because there isn't a word which better describes the depths of the depravity this group has sunk in defense of its supposed "values."

Hate group organizing pastors and their churches and other Monday midday news briefs

Porno Pete LaBarbera's 'Truth Academy' fails AGAIN - I swear Peter, you are the cure for the Monday blues. Heads up to my friend Matt Algren for keeping a close watch on this madness.

Fischer's Religious Test: Romney's Mormon Faith "Ought To Be An Issue in 2012" - Bryan Fischer doesn't like Mitt Romney because he is a Mormon. How delicious.

An Iowa Stop in a Broad Effort to Revitalize the Religious Right - All jokes aside - when a known anti-gay hate group is organizing scores of pastors it can only mean trouble. But for who?


NOM Goes Ballistic Over Virginia’s New Foster Care And Adoption Regulations - Pay attention folks. I have been noticing how the National Organization for Marriage has been encroaching on other issues besides marriage equality.

Family Research Council accidentally admits truth about hate group charges

On two recent occasions, the Family Research Council has again attacked the Southern Poverty Law Center's accusation that it passes along propaganda and bad information about the lgbt community.

But if you ask me, FRC should have left well enough alone.

The first instance was during a recent long-winded prayer to God expressing how the organization would like the so-called cultural battle in the United States to turn out.

FRC's "prayer"  encompassed such issues as Planned Parenthood, Obamacare, DADT, and ENDA. 

But what caught my attention is this passage about supposed "Guerilla Warfare Against Conservatives:"

Human Rights Campaign (HRC) leader Joe Solmonese’s called upon homosexual activists everywhere to wage war against Tony Perkins for writing that Christian compassion requires speaking the truth about homosexuality; then the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) asserted and continues to assert that FRC is a “hate group” because it publishes social science data with which some homosexual activists disagree.

The section about "Christian compassion" actually links to the piece Perkins wrote in The Washington Post last year regarding the "supposed harms of homosexuality." It's the piece which he got justifiably grilled for deliberately distorting scientific data.

And that has a lot to do with the subtle change in which FRC addresses the problems with SPLC in the next passage of its prayer.

FRC interpreted the problem with SPLC calling it a hate group as simply because "it publishes social science data which some homosexual activists disagree"

This a big shift from what FRC and its supporters, such as Mike Huckabee, were initially claiming.

Originally, FRC said that it were under attack for upholding the "Judeo-Christian moral views, including marriage as the union of a man and a woman."

Now,  it seems that FRC is giving a tacit acknowledgment that the problems with SPLC  goes beyond the organization's supposed "Biblical beliefs."

And THAT is exactly what the argument should be about - i.e. FRC's deliberate distortion of scientific data to demonize the lgbt community, whether it be:

• misinterpreting the words of legitimate researchers,

• practicing the sin of omission in studies about lgbt health,

• inaccurately comparing married heterosexual couples in the United States to unmarried gay couples in foreign countries, or

• splicing footage of EEOC head Chai Feldblum to make her seem anti-religious.

And then came the second incident in which FRC addressed SPLC's accusations.

FRC member Peter Sprigg gave an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network in which he said the following:

“I don't expect everyone to agree with some of the things that we assert about the homosexual lifestyle but we do present evidence in support of those assertions. And they are certainly not falsehoods or fabrications,” Sprigg said.

However, Sprigg is inaccurate. He went on to make an assertion that most men who molest boys identify as gay or bisexual.

But, according to OnTop Magazine:

Research on the subject, however, suggests that most abusers identify as straight or have no interest in consensual sexual relationships with adults. In 1978, after screening nearly 200 men incarcerated in Massachusetts for molesting children, Dr. Nicholas Groth concluded that “the adult heterosexual male constitutes a greater risk to the underage child than does the adult homosexual male.”

That point is important to remember because in 1992, FRC came out with a study making the same assertion regarding gay men and pedophilia that Sprigg made to CBN. Dr. Groth at that time wrote FRC a letter demanding that his work be removed from its study:

If you are, in fact, familiar with my research, you must realize that my studies have indicated that homosexual males pose less risk of sexual harm to children (both male and female)--from both an absolute and a percentage incidence rate--than heterosexual males. Your statement that "the evidence indicates that disproportionate numbers of gay men seek adolescent males or boys as sexual partners" appears to come from the assumption that if an adult male is attracted to a male child, this adult male's sexual orientation is ipso facto homosexual.

Since your report, in my view, misrepresents the facts of what we know about this matter from scientific investigation, and does not indicate that my studies on this topic reach conclusions diametrically opposed to yours, I would appreciate your removing any reference to my work in your paper lest it appear to the reader that my research supports your views.

Furthermore, the CBN report made reference to a study in the Archives of Sexual Behavior which supposedly backed up FRC's position regarding gay men and pedophilia.

But  CBN conveniently didn't mention that FRC head Tony Perkins was again justifiably grilled for how he distorted the study on MSNBC's Hardball.

In that particular case,  Perkins inaccurately used the study to generalize about the entire gay male community. In addition, he misquoted the study to further generalize about gay men.

All in all, the only thing Sprigg spoke accurately about in the CBN interview was the need for us to start debating the claims FRC makes about the lgbt community. I agree fully with that. And let's begin the debate with how FRC gathers its data. 

FRC is not as blatantly hateful as the Klan, but that makes the organization more dangerous. Under the veneer of respectability and morality, FRC either passes off  junk science or presents social science in a wrong manner to deliberately smear the lgbt community and make us appear - inaccurately - as a public health risk and a threat to religious liberty.

Clearly SPLC's accusations are having an effect on FRC if it feels the need to constantly address them.

However, FRC's problem is that every time it addresses these charges, the organization digs itself deeper in its hole of lies.

Related posts:

The top 12 lies of Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council

The Family Research Council's deceptive use of social science to defend DOMA 


Family Research Council pulling the 'gay = promiscuous pedophiles' card to defend DOMA

Family Research Council has yet to come out with 'detailed response' against SPLC charges 


Family Research Council defends itself with distorted studies . . . again

Know Your LGBT History - The Gay Deceivers

Back in 1969 when gays and lesbians couldn't serve openly in the military, Hollywood came out with a comedy about that very subject.

The Gay Deceivers is a very droll movie about two men who pretend to be gay in order to avoid the draft. Subsequently, they are watched by the military and have to keep up the charade. They move into a gay apartment building where they try to blend in with the neighbors.

The Gay Deceivers is remembered for two reasons. One is the portrayal of gay actor Michael Greer. Supposedly he worked with the screenwriters to tone his character down and make him more positive. As the clips show, I don't think it worked.

The second reason is the twist ending. Apparently when the two men are caught in their lie, the Army investigators let them go free because they themselves are gay and don't want any heterosexuals in the military:







Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

Paul Cameron rears his homophobic head in Colorado hearing and other Friday midday news briefs

'You're not gay, just bi-boned' - Porno Pete LaBarbera hits a brick wall of truth. I hope it hurt.

Colorado Republicans Block Civil Unions Bill As Opponents Warn Of ‘AIDS Tax,’ End Of Times - I hear that some Colorado Republicans reluctantly voted against the bill but what I want to now is WHAT IN THE HELL WAS PAUL CAMERON DOING THERE AS AN "EXPERT WITNESS!!" DOESN'T HE LEAD AN ANT-GAY HATE GROUP?

Wilson: Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Repeal An "Insult" To Democracy - Why do a majority of Congressmen from South Carolina embarrass the state?

Obama nominates lesbian attorney to federal bench - Hot damn!

Man feared execution after arrest in Saudi Arabia for homosexuality - A good reason why we need that UN resolution.

Porno Pete LaBarbera's Hate Academy begins today

Today is the first day of Peter LaBarbera's so-called two-day "Truth Academy," in which he and other religious right "experts" seek to brainwash the next generation on the finer points of homophobia.

Apparently it's taking place at Columbus, OH. Discover Christian Church, 2900 Martin Rd., Dublin, OH 43017; near intersection of Sawmill Rd. and Rt. 161 and the theme is “The Hate Labeling of Christians: Why It’s Happening and What We Can Do.”

Point of fact - Christians are not being labeled as "haters." Only LaBarbera and those who partake in his homophobic shenanigans. To put it plainly, all of the speakers invited to LaBarbera's "truth academy" richly deserve the label of being a "homophobe."

A good friend of mine, Matt Algren, broke it down rather nicely:

• Robert Gagnon reduces being gay to “you’re doing sex wrong.”

• Rena Lindevaldsen says that the United States government shouldn’t have the power to decide whether people have sex unless those people are gay, in which case the government must imprison them.

• Greg Quinlan is just glad he isn’t “a flaming faggot” (his term) and says that people have the right not to have gay sex…but they don’t have the right to have gay sex. Because gay people have AIDS.

• Peter LaBarbera uses long-disproven rhetoric disguised as research to demonize LGBT people as mentally ill sexual predator “fascists.”

• Linda Harvey says that LGBT teachers will molest children, and that gays in the military want to bring the nation down. Also, she says HIV/AIDS and other diseases are part and parcel of gay sex.

• Matt Barber agrees with them that gays are sexual predators, but he says we want to molest soldiers. He also calls gays “fascists,” not unlike friend Scott Lively does when he claims that gays are responsible for genocide in Nazi Germany and Rwanda.

• David Kupelian wraps it all up by declaring (falsely) that Christians in America are being persecuted and thrown in jail for not liking gay people very much.

These are not Christian people. These are liars motivated by vicious homophobia and anti-gay animus so pathological that they probably should seek psychiatric care.

There will be a group protesting this madness and I hope they raise sufficient hell.

Tennessee anti-gay group steals tacky video from Florida

The tactics of homophobia are never new. They are as old as the Earth itself - appeal to people's ignorance and fear and you will have success. Case in point is this ad by the The Family Action Council of Tennessee:



Does this ad look familiar? It should. In 2009, a group which called themselves Citizens for Good Policy out of Gainesville, FL ran the same ad in an effort to defeat an anti-discrimination ordinance:



Luckily the effort to defeat the anti-discrimination ordinance in FL lost by a large majority, proving that people don't always fall for vindictively inaccurate scare tactics about men in women's restrooms..

Hopefully Tennessee will be further proof of this. It's pathetic that these groups can't think of a reasonable argument against anti-discrimination ordinances so they have to conjure up lies about children in danger.


Hat tip to Truth Wins Out.

Anti-gay groups receiving federal funds and other Thursday midday news briefs

Legislature OKs out-of-state gay marriages - Good things are happening in Washington State.

Gay marriage ban is simply wrong for state - A column from Indiana simply nails it.

Religious groups receive federal funding despite anti-gay political activity - The only reason why this is happening is because the lgbt community isn't raising sufficient hell over it.

Religious Right Favorite Trent Franks Poised To Run For Senate - Lord give us strength!

Gay people 'at higher risk of chronic illness' - Watch how the religious right distort this report by omitting the reason why this is so - i.e. lack of strong family support.

The National Organization for Marriage's ugly face on video

The National Organization for Marriage tries to push itself as an organization dedicated to preserving the "sanctity of marriage." However do not be fooled. As the following video featuring its leaders and followers demonstrates, it is just yet another homophobic religious right group, albeit one with deep pockets.



By the way, this video is from the excellent webpage nomexposed.org, which should be a resource for every lgbt and ally concerned with marriage equality and NOM's dishonest efforts to impede marriage equality

Related post:

Yes Maggie Gallagher, you are bigoted and NOM is homophobic. Here's why.

Matt Barber - 'Homosexuals are picking on me!'

My favorite religious right pet is at it again.

On Monday, the Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber made an absolutely ridiculous (even for him) comment that young lgbts are committing suicide because supposedly "they know they are committing a sin."

Needless to say Barber got some negative pushback - which he richly deserved - for such an irresponsible comment.

Today, he tried a little pushback himself. According to People for the American Way's Religious Right Watch, Barber spoke with another favorite religious right pet of mine, Peter LaBarbera, and proceeded to wax Biblical about the so-called wages of sin and homosexuality:

You know, scripture says ‘woe to those who call evil good and good evil.’ When homosexual activists and other ‘progressives’ in the pro-sin movement are exposed to biblical truth, their reaction is invariably visceral and loud. There’s ‘nothing new under the sun.’ This ‘kill the messenger’ strategy is age-old and knee-jerk. These folks, as a matter of course, call evil good and good evil. Of course their gripe isn’t with me. I’m nothing. I’m nobody. Their problem is with their Creator, the natural order and the fallen state of mankind. They’re just lost.

… Right, as you know I’ve never been one to mince words or sugarcoat things. That’s how God hardwired me. I also shared my opinion that many of those caught-up in the homosexual lifestyle intuitively know that such conduct is sin – that it’s both immoral and unnatural behavior. Objective truth is objective truth. God has written His laws on the hearts of every man, woman and child. We’re all spiritual beings created in the image of our sovereign Lord. We are also all sinners. Scripture says that not one of us is righteous. When we sin, we create separation between ourselves and God.

God’s word also says that when we sin sexually, it’s particularly egregious because our bodies are the temple of Christ. This separation from God – a natural result of sexual sin – can lead to depression and even despair. It’s a no brainer. I pointed out that such despair and inner conflict can logically be one factor that might contribute to teen suicide. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to witness, but it’s a very painful reality.

In reality, I doubt many of us in the lgbt community have a problem with Barber. I for one love it when he runs his mouth.  All the better for me to paint him as the personification of the religious right - seemingly organized and moral, much moneyed and highly connected. But in the very core of all of that "perfection" is a dark pit made up of deception and lies; naked hatred and foul homophobia.

So you will forgive me for laughing just a little. Okay a lot. It's always amusing to me how some folks  blame God for their hatred and call out Scripture to cover up their own homophobia. "Don't blame me," their mantra always seems to me." Blame God."

Yeah right. I'm sure it was God who led Barber to make ugly, vindictive remarks about members of the lgbt community, such as calling the transgender community "she-males" like he did in this tweet:

February 23, 2011: Today’s Army: Trannies, drag queens & she-males, oh my! http://tinyurl.com/6kcrssb

Or making uncalled-for remarks about our gay and lesbians fighting soldiers:

And I'm sure God is behind his constant and noticeable mentions of gay sex. I mean let's not forget his ruminations about anal intercourse - which shows he had obviously given it some thought:

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

That's right. The fact that Barber is a rabid homophobe who obsesses about gay sex is all because of God.  If this is the case, it would prove one thing - God has a seriously warped sense of humor.

EEOC calls HIV a disability and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Montana House Blocks Attempt to Decriminalize Homosexuality - Unbelievable.

DOMA is like a cobra - Nothing is more cute than a homophobe wearing earrings.

Cuomo to LGBT Leaders: I Expect Vote on Marriage Equality in ‘Six to Eight Weeks or Maybe Sooner’ - We will see.

New EEOC Regulations Include HIV as a Disability - I wonder how this will play out. I personally don't see any problems with it.

The Proper Way To Defend Marriage - Hilarious!!!!

Marcia Walden - another religious right story of lies

One of the most effective strategies of religious right organizations is to take an incident which looks like Christians are being discriminated against because of lgbt equality and push it hard in the media before the truth is discovered.

And usually the truth turns out that the situation is a bit more complicated than the "innocent Christian vs. intolerant homosexual agenda" scenario set up by these groups.

We've seen this in the recent case of the British couple who were turned down as foster parents.

And now to fight ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Family Research Council is pulling out an old case - that of Marcia Walden.

From FRC's blog:

Marcia Walden, a licensed counselor in Georgia, explains why she was fired after referring a homosexual client to a colleague. Marcia referred the client to another colleague because offering counseling services would conflict with her Christian beliefs on homosexuality. Under ENDA legislation currently before Congress, Christian employers and employees across the nation would experience similar attacks on their Constitutional right to freedom of religion, speech and association.

FRC features a video of Walden tell her story. I won't embed that video because I think it's unfair. The purpose of the video is to gain sympathy for Walden. However appealing to emotions masks the fact that in this case, there are two sides to the story.

This is the real story according to court documents:

Walden's employer, Computer Science Corp had a contract with the CDC to provide counselors. Walden was counseling a CDC employee who told her about the problems she was having with her relationship with another woman. The employee had gotten emotional because it was a very sensitive situation involving a child in the relationship and forgery in order to steal credit.

It was then that Walden informed the CDC employee that her religious beliefs precluded her from providing counsel. Walden then sought another counselor to handle the client's referral.

Now even though the client was satisfied with the new counselor, she felt "judged and condemned" by Walden. She also felt that Walden's body language - her nonverbal communication - indicated disapproval of her relationship.

After an investigation, Walden's supervisor suggested another way she could refer clients to another counselor without mentioning her "personal values." Walden was specifically asked if she could tell clients in seeking same-sex relationship advice that she didn't have relationship counseling experience. Walden refused. Apparently Walden wanted to tell clients that her personal values precluded her from counseling them.

And this is the rest of the story via Pam's House Blend:

• The CDC later requested Walden's removal from the contract.

• With no other counseling positions available in the Atlanta area, CSC laid Walden off and noted that she would preserve her benefits if re-hired by CSC within a year.

• Walden refused to pursue further employment with CSC, believing that the inclusion/diversity policies made it hostile toward Christians.

So Marcia Walden's case is not about her being fired because of her Christian beliefs, but rather she handled duties. When people come in for counseling, it is generally a sensitive situation and they should not be made to feel like they have done anything wrong. Walden chose to express her beliefs in an unprofessional manner and was penalized for it.

By the way, the courts agreed because Walden lost her case.

But as we have seen on so many occasions with so many other cases, she lives on as a religious right cause celebre.

Seven ways the Family Research Council have lied about ENDA

Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) will be introducing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in Congress this week. There is probably no way in hell with this rabid tea party Republican Congress that this will pass.

However, according to blogger Joe Jervis, the Family Research Council has chosen to take advantage of the situation anyway by relaunching their Stop ENDA campaign complete with a webpage of lies and fear stories.

I say I can do them one better by digging up past posts about how FRC has lied about ENDA:

Family Research Council deliberately misinterpret words of Obama official to discredit ENDA - The Family Research Council deliberately distorts the words of John Berry is President Obama's director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to claim that the passage of ENDA will lead to an overturning of DOMA.


Family Research Council head misrepresents credible information to hurt ENDA - In testimony against ENDA, FRC head Tony Perkins uses anecdotes and distorts a study on lgbt health.


Family Research Council exploiting Amanda Simpson's appointment to stop ENDA - The Family Research Council exploits the presidential appointment of transgender Amanda Simpson to call ENDA a "Crossdresser Protection Bill."


Family Research Council getting extremely 'scary' about ENDA - FRC channels the image of the Grim Reaper to assist in its lies about ENDA.

Religious right groups can't make up their minds when lying about ENDA - FRC falsely calls ENDA the Discrimination Against Christian Workers Act and uses one-sided anecdotes of people fired supposedly for their Christian beliefs.


FRC: Gays and lesbians shouldn't be employed in 'some' jobs - When FRC says "ENDA would mandate the employment of homosexuals in inappropriate occupations," are they implying the homosexuality = pedophilia lie?


Family Research Council gearing up to fight ENDA with distortions - blah, blah, blah, the "crossdressers" and liberals are trying to silence Christians.


Related posts:

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

A Gay Disney character? and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Mississippi Sheriff Reinstates Fired Gay Corrections Officer - This is good news indeed!

Truth Academy: Putting It All Together - If you have the stomach for it, Matt Algren breaks down Porno Pete LaBarbera's homophobic "truth academy."

WorldNetDaily screeches - Disney animator: 'Gay' characters only matter of time - This needs no introduction. It's World NUT Daily after all.

Tea Party Group Warns of White "Extinction" In America - SUUUURE it's not about racism.

Let kids access sites, ACLU tells school - I agree. Let students get adequate resources regarding their orientations

Catholic bishops don't want to give housing to lgbts

Some on the right tell us that lgbt equality will trump people's right to express their religious beliefs. In some cases maybe that's not a bad idea, such as the following:

U.S. Catholic bishops are urging federal housing officials not to adopt proposed rules that would bar groups that receive federal funds from discriminating against gays, lesbians or transgender persons in housing programs.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development said the new rules, proposed on Jan. 24, would “ensure equal access” to programs that help the elderly, sick, and impoverished find stable housing.

Citing recent studies, HUD said gays and lesbians face discrimination in the private housing market, and one in five transgender persons reports homelessness due to bias.

“In considering the mounting evidence of violence and discrimination against LGBT persons, the department is concerned that its own programs may not be fully open to LGBT individuals and families,” HUD said in January.

Lawyers for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops say the new rules would force some religious groups to compromise their beliefs or quit HUD housing programs.

“Faith-based and other organizations should retain the freedom they have always had to make housing placements in a manner consistent with their religious beliefs, including when it concerns a cohabiting couple, be it an unmarried heterosexual couple or a homosexual couple,” said Anthony Picarello and Michael Moses, lawyers for the bishops conference.

The lawyers’ remarks came in a letter to HUD as part of a public comment period that ended Friday (March 25). A spokeswoman for HUD could not be reached immediately for comment about when the new policy would take effect.

So in other word, these Catholic bishops would let people homeless rather than give housing to someone who may be an lgbt if that person is in a relationship but can't get married due to the anti-gay marriage laws. That doesn't strike me as very Christian.

The irony of the situation is that Jesus - whom these bishops claim to serve - was born in a manger because his parents were turn away from the inn on the night of his birth. Apparently there was no room.

Years later there is still no room, but this time it's in the hearts of those who claim to serve Him. There is no room for love or basic kindness.

Is this what Christianity has become? A selfish precept in which those needing love and support take a backseat to egos?  HUD is the last thing these bishops should worry about if they continue to be show such hatred and callousness in God's name.

Related post:


Catholic Church Urges HUD On LGBT Americans: “Let Them Go Homeless.”

Matt Barber - Jesus's Sleazeball

Apparently the disease of the mouth which affects the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer is spreading to other religious right figures.

According to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch:

Liberty Counsel’s Matt Barber took to the airwaves to bash President Obama and organizations working towards bullying-prevention, joining other Religious Right opponents of anti-bullying programs. Along with Shawn Akers, who like Barber works for both Liberty University and Liberty Counsel, Barber railed against the alleged use of “a ‘Trojan Horse’ strategy, using language of bullying and violence and creating safe schools” to implement “a homosexual activist political indoctrination agenda and a curriculum of pro-homosexual propaganda.” Barber also said that Obama is “furthering a separate but equal policy” that supposedly favors gay and lesbian students and employs an “Alinsky-style, homo-fascist tactic to stifle any dissent.” Barber concluded by claiming that “kids who are engaging in homosexual behavior often look inward and know that what they are doing is unnatural, is wrong, is immoral, and so they become depressed and the instances of suicide can rise there as well.”

Just in case you have the stomach for it, here is the video:




This isn't the first time Barber has made negative comments about young lgbts. In October of last year, he referred to young gay men  who had recently committed suicide as "sexually confused."

By the time I've gotten home today, Barber's comments had been discussed and vilified by several other blogs. Subsequently, that leaves me racking my brain trying to think of a new angle.

But I can't. Matt Barber is a sleazeball. He is the very worst of those who would call themselves Christian. Is this what the body of Christ is about; a bloated, ignorant man who makes his money off of attacking and stigmatizing a community of Americans simply because he doesn't like their sexual orientation?

For the record, Barber is not a physician nor is he a researcher. He is a failed boxer and a failed insurance salesman who weasled his way into a prime post with the religious right. His entire career has been a lie and a mockery to all that's is truly moral.

Now those who have a background in such things say that when lgbt children are bullied and picked on, they are more likely more to be depressed and more likely to commit suicide.

Barber doesn't know what the hell he is talking about and what's worse is the phony pity he displays for lgbt youth in light of the fact that his comments and actions regarding the lgbt community in general resemble that of a schoolyard bully.

Among other things, he

criticized Home Depot for daring to acknowledge that same-sex households exist,

slurred the name of an Obama appointee in a pitiful attempt to be clever,

defended countries that persecute lgbts,

told a highly dubious story about a gay man sexually assaulting men in his military unit, and

compared lgbts and progressives in general to idol worshippers and child sacrificers of Biblical times.

But it is in the area of "criticizing," i.e. talking about gay sex where Barber has made a, shall we say, niche for himself.

During one of those annoyingly dreary "God is telling us to take back America" conferences in September of last year, Barber reportedly urged attendees to

. . .focus on the “ick” factor around gay sex and on claims that homosexuality is a health threat, which he called the movement’s “Achilles heel.”

This is not even counting the vindictive comments he has made about members of the lgbt community via his tweets:

•  January 14, 2011: “Look pal, you won’t be able to ‘ask’ or ‘tell’ if you don’t get your hand off my knee! http://yfrog.com/h4d67zoj
•  January 25, 2011: Soldiers, does your foxhole buddy have your back or want to rub it?
•  January 29, 2011: Drudge:”Man Subjected To Body Cavity Search At Traffic Stop.” Other News: “Barney Frank Waves Down Police in Traffic.” http://tiny.cc/spo05
•  January 30, 2011: DADT repeal implementation underway. “Slap fighting” & “tickle parties” to be added to special forces training. http://tiny.cc/jfcdx
•  January 31, 2011: She-male model stirs Brazil fashion show. In other news: Man buys Rolex & discovers it’s a knock-off. http://bit.ly/gxcfVW
•  January 31, 2011: SNL skit mocking Tranny inanity has homosexual activists fuming (warning: a little crude) http://bit.ly/ewYd0A
•  February 1, 2011: Queering the Marines: From morally upright 2 immorally down-low. From semper fidelis 2 limp-wristed fellas http://bit.ly/fBcuqH
•  February 23, 2011: Today’s Army: Trannies, drag queens & she-males, oh my! http://tinyurl.com/6kcrssb
•  February 25, 2011: The homofascist bullying & brainwashing begins: “Combat troops to get gay sensitivity training:” http://bit.ly/dKqh4b

Seems to me if Matt Barber really cared about lgbt youth, he would put a gag in his mouth.  And if he really cared about the integrity of his Christianity, he would keep the gag in his mouth.

GOP candidates want to reinstate DADT and other Monday midday news briefs

Transgender Protections Bill Clears Maryland House - Not bad. Not bad at all.

Boston Globe: 'Same-sex marriage no longer such a divisive political issue' - I am still cynical about that. The right always has a way of whipping up resentment and fear.

Go ahead, GOP -- let Bryan Fischer moderate your debates. Please. We insist. - Pay attention. This will come back to haunt GOP Presidential candidates.

Haley Barbour Joins Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty In Call To Undo DADT Repeal - Ugh. And speaking of things that will come back to haunt GOP Presidential candidates.

Religious right using Exodus/Apple controversy to make money, settle old scores

Actress Olivia DeHavilland once remarked in a movie that "you just can't keep hogs away from the trough."

That statement is definitely one which sprung in my mind during the Exodus International/Apple controversy.

Last week, the organization Truth Wins Out led the charge to get Apple to dump Exodus International's "gay cure" phone app through a petition which over 150,000 people signed.

Now there has been some controversy over this, including in the lgbt community, because some felt that Truth Wins Out violated Exodus's International's free speech.

Nonsense. Apple is a private company and freely chose to remove that app after the complaints. Also, Apple shouldn't have approved the app in the first place. The ex-gay methodology is junk science and leads folks to down a primrose path of lies in thinking that their God-given sexual orientation is something they should be ashamed of. That sort of thing causes more harm than good by sowing self-hatred and repression.

If Apple wants to approve apps for junk science, then why not one for lobotomy or phrenology?

Naturally the reactions to controversy have been varied. The Family Research Council wasn't even involved, but has the temerity to raise money from the situation:

A story in the news this week proves once again what we’ve been saying for years. Liberals want to silence pro-family conservatives like you and me. In a stunning decision, Apple withered under pressure from homosexual activists and censored an application that offers help to people struggling with homosexuality. The app for ex-gays was created by Exodus International–and before this week, it had a 4+ rating from the iTunes store. Exodus is another victim of the growing campaign to silence Christianity in America. As a reader of my emails, you know that the Southern Poverty Law Center falsely labeled FRC a “hate group” for standing for biblical norms regarding sexuality. Liberal activists use this label and demand that media outlets censor FRC staff and research.

We are honored to serve on these frontlines, but we need your help. Please help us stand for marriage and healthy human sexuality with your gift today.

Does the Family Research really want to remind people of its hate group designation, especially in light of the fact that the organization has yet to come up with a detailed response as to how can comparing gays to pedophiles, telling lies about the supposed short gay life span, and claiming that gay parents hurt children (all of which FRC has done) can  be seen as "biblical norms."

But as for religious right responses, none takes the cake like Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth:

In an interview with the American Family Association's One News Now, LaBarbera said the following:

"Major corporations are now openly discriminating against people of faith at the hands of radical homosexual groups like Truth Wins Out -- and don't be fooled by the name. Truth Wins Out is one of the most hateful, extremist homosexual organizations on the planet, and they're targeting ex-gays for their persecution."

And then on his own webpage, LaBarbera, who obviously never misses a chance to milk a situation, went a bit farther with a dig against Exodus International:

There are some interesting side stories and ironies to this second of two Apple cave-ins to LGBT pressure-campaigns. One is that Exodus International — a leading umbrella group for people desiring to abandon homosexual practice or resist unwanted same-sex desires – has gone out of its way (too far, in our view) NOT to offend homosexual activists. And look where it got them. In fact, a while back Exodus declared that it was disengaging from the ”Culture War” over homosexuality (in favor of ministry pursuits) – yet now it is thrust right back into it. This is a lesson for all naive Christians who think that by somehow sidestepping the cultural battle over homosexuality, it won’t rage on, with homosexual activists attempting to muzzle the Gospel.

LaBarbera's snide comment no doubt stems from a situation in 2009 when he and Exodus Vice President Randy Thomas had a very public feud over a vulgar comment made by the Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber about lgbts.

Exodus International raised an objection to the following comment made by Barber, which LaBarbera published on his webpage:

It boils down to this: there is nothing “conservative” about — as Barber inimitably puts it — “one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it ‘love.’” Or two women awkwardly mimicking natural procreative relations or raising a child together in an intentionally fatherless home.

Exodus's objection led to an amusing flame war on Exodus's webpage between Thomas and LaBarbera which allowed us to gain a peek at the pettiness of the so-called Christian personalities fighting against the alleged gay agenda.

No doubt, LaBarbera felt the need to settle old scores in his response to the the Apple situation by, with Christian love of course, kicking Exodus International when they are down.

So the way I look at it, the Exodus/Apple controversy is a win for the lgbt community.

We demonstrated what we can get accomplished when we all are on the same wavelength and two entities who fight hard against our equality have been exposed for being money-hungry and calculating (FRC) and vindictive (Peter LaBarbera).

Gay fathers face problems gaining acceptance

I love articles like the following published today by South Coast Today which talk about gay father. The more we talk about lgbt families, the more visibility we have. And THAT is a type of visibility that we need:

When Scott Wagenhoffer-Zahn was 4 years old, and his parents got married in Oregon, a minister grabbed his arms, looked him right in the eyes, and said, "You will burn in hell."

Scott started to cry. That may have been one of the first times he experienced prejudice, but it was hardly the last. That minister, some bullies at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich and others have objected to both his parents being men.

Even his uncles. One, Jimmy, said "that's just wrong" when Scott's father Steve Wagenhoffer of Orleans announced at one Thanksgiving dinner that he and his male partner were adopting two babies. "My younger sister wanted nothing to do with me," Steve Wagonhoffer says. "Her husband (Jimmy) believes you can 'catch gay,' so he keeps his kids away from me."

"When our other father and Steve got divorced," remembers Scott, now 16, "our father's brother, Uncle Bob, said, 'I'm sorry, but that's how those relationships end up. I'm sorry because I won't be seeing you in heaven.'"

Scott and brother Alex, also 16, have never even met their uncle Jimmy and tell the story of the estrangements with a sense of amazement.

The rejection from the family, though, was a foreshadowing of the kind of anti-gay rhetoric that Steve, Scott and Alex have been hearing for years. Says Alex, "People say sexuality is a taught thing. They say that a gay father will teach you to be gay. But sexuality is genetically wired into us. Hatred is the taught thing."

More here.

Know Your LGBT History - Reflections in a Golden Eye

Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away this week, was a gay icon. There is no doubt about that. However between you and me, I wish she had the opportunity to be in more lgbt positive movies.

The two movies she starred which featured lgbt portrayals weren't exactly positive. One was Suddenly Last Summer (1959) and the other was this monstrosity, Reflections in A Golden Eye (1967).

In Reflections in A Golden Eye, she portrayed the overly amorous wife of an Army captain (Marlon Brando). It is a movie about lust, and repression (Brando's character is a repressed gay man lusting after an army soldier (Robert Forester) who is fond nude horseback riding.)

Not one of my favorites:



Past Know Your LGBT History Posts: