The Depressing Distraction of Comparing Race and Sexual Orientation
Apparently some parents in Philadelphia are upset because school officials had the "audacity" to acknowledge the fact that gays are lesbians are positive contributors of society by declaring October as Gay and Lesbian History Month on the school calendar. (http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=24065)
Inevitably it will probably lead to yet another outcry by some of my fellow African-Americans of the shame of comparing the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s to today's gay rights movement.
Meanwhile same gender loving people of color will yet again be left out in the cold; our needs and visibility will be ignored because of a silly jockeying of moral position.
For the record, I don't like the fact that I hardly ever see any gays or lesbians of color in the cover of the Advocate or that sometimes we get ugly resistance from our fellow gays and lesbians when we put on pride events focusing on our heritage and our needs.
But in all honesty, in the great scheme of things, the methods African-Americans were brutalized is irrelevant when one considers why the brutalization occurred in the first place.
Why indeed were African-Americans victimized in the United States? For that matter, why were over 12 million innocent people slaughtered by the Nazis? Why have Jewish people been the scapegoats throughout the ages.
It is the same reason why thousands of Russians were killed by their own leader Josef Stalin. Or the same reason James Byrd was dragged to death in Texas, the same reason why Billy Joe Gaither, a gay man, was murdered and then set afire, the same reason why Sakia Gunn, an African-American lesbian, was stabbed to death in New York.
It was because of hatred, fear, and the ideas of supremacy and entitlement.
These tainted characteristics are universal. African-Americans have not suffered more than gays, nor have Jews suffered more than African-Americans, et cetera, et cetera.
In short, passing legislation against the gay community because of propaganda that say gays have shorter life spans or that gays molest children at high rates is no different than passing laws based on the idea that African-Americans are inferior or more criminal-minded.
The extent of how one group has been victimized by the hatred of another should never be used as some type of barometer of prominence or status symbol.
Once we lose sight of this, we lose all of our moral integrity.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Being black and gay ain't easy
I see the anti-gay industry had another one of their lovefests in which they patted themselves on the back and criticized everyone else who dares have an opinion that is opposite of their own. (http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/26/anti-gay-summit/)
They call it a Values Voter Summit, but modesty precludes me from calling it what it really is.
But something happened there that really disturbs me.
A black minister, Wellington Boone, actually used a slur to demonize gay people and while it is nothing unusual, it had a deeper meaning for me.
An unfortunate side effect of the election of 2004 is the outreach the anti-gay industry made to black churches. So many of our so-called men of God wanted so much a piece of Bush's "faith based initiative" monies that they gladly attacked the gay community.
And not even with having the decent good taste of being subtle.
I have noticed that black ministers who have joined the anti-gay industry seem to revel in the image of being "attack dogs." Wellington Boone is just one of the new ones.
From DL Foster to Talbert Swann to Ken Hutcherson to Dwight McKissic, some black ministers nationwide are resorting to schoolyard name calling and posturing in order to get their names in press.
They are so wrapped up in their own egos that they don't even see how they are contributing to the problem.
A perfect example would be in my area of South Carolina. One Sunday in a local church (which shall remain nameless) an announcement was made that they had received a substantial monetary grant to educate congregants on HIV and AIDS.
Not less than 30 minutes later, a guest minister stood in the pulpit and inferred that gays are attempting to infiltrate public high schools.
In other words, just how in the hell can this church help stem the flow of HIV when it attacks the very people it should be helping.
For the record, I am a black gay man and I am cynical about the entire thing. A chapter about the hypocrisies of the black church was to be included in my book but I omitted it because I wasn't being fair. I attacked the black church but in all honesty that is only part of the problem.
As long as the mainstream gay community continue to play that diversionary game of "should we or should we not compare the civil rights movement and the gay rights movement" black gays and lesbians will be left out.
As long as we push visual heroes like Lance Bass, Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell without giving any acknowledgement to folks like Keith Boykin, Nadine Smith or Mandy Carter, we are only adding to the problem.
Black gays and lesbians should receive visibility and support but the black church ain't gonna give it to them.
The gay community needs to take up the slack.
Linda Harvey - Phony Expert
I see that Linda Harvey of Mission America is striking again (http://joebrummer.com/WordPress/?p=392)
For the luck of those who do not know, Linda Harvey considers herself a Christian and an expert of the gay community. God will decide on the first, but I will decide on the latter.
This woman has no idea what she is talking about. She spouts homophobia in the guise of expert opinion. She has a history of doing this:
"When people have views supporting homosexuality they should not be involved with youth in any way, period. Because they:
will provide inaccurate, misleading information to kids;
may limit a student’s opportunity to hear warnings about the behavior;
may advocate or model inappropriate behavior;
may be directly involved in the molestation of kids themselves; or
may be in a position to allow others to do so” - Linda Harvey, Fairy Tales Don’t Come True, February 13, 2006
Linda Harvey is a perfect example of an anti-gay industry propaganda technique; that of the phony expert. As far as I know, Harvey has no training or any degrees in assessing gay people. Her biggest attribute is her picture, which casts her as a wholesome mother figure in the guise of June Cleaver.
The anti-gay industry generally don’t recruit third, unbiased parties in their fact gathering. They create their own experts on the subject of homosexuality. And these phony experts, usually in-house employees or some with affiliations to religious conservative organizations, already have anti-gay biases.
Certainly everything they say and do will put homosexuality in a bad light, whether deserved or not, because that is what they are getting paid for. These so-called experts, like Timothy Dailey, Robert Knight, Peter LaBarbera, or Linda Harvey, have no training or background in what they claim to have expert opinions in. It seems that their titles are dependent on how well they look in the media, or how adept they can apply spin.
And then there are people like John R. Diggs.
The following excerpt about Diggs is from my upcoming book:
Some of the most dangerous spreaders of anti-gay propaganda are those masquerade their distortions under the guise of being an objective medical practitioner. While people such as Fred Phelps declare where they stand from the first instant, these “ministers of propaganda” seek to soothe their audience, taking the form of a concerned physician while they spread their biases and lies. It is this crowd that can potentially have more of a damaging effect on how America sees the gay community.
Dr. John R. Diggs is one of these false objective medical practitioners.
He published a study entitled The Health Risks of Gay Sex and it is featured on many so-called “pro-family” web sites as a thorough analysis of gay sex. While Diggs is an M.D., he is also co-chair of the Massachusetts Physician Resource Council, which is a part of the Massachusetts Family Institute, another so-called traditional values organization. Despite his credentials, Diggs’s real aim is to smear gays and lesbians.
The Health Risks of Gay Sex is a distortion-ridden research propaganda piece in the vein of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion (the legendary piece of propaganda that claimed that Jewish people were attempting to take over the world) that seeks to exploit fears and stereotypes about gays and lesbians. Since he is taking the guise of a “concerned professional,” Diggs does not push forth any conspiracy theories, nor does he dehumanize homosexuals by calling them “radical” and the like.
However, the distortions in this study just do not hold up under close scrutiny:
Twice, he includes the study done by Alan Bell and Martin Weinberg in their book, Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity Among Men and Women, as indicative of the entire gay population. In one passage, he even refers to it as “a far ranging study of homosexual men . . .” But Bell and Weinberg never said that their findings were indicative of all gay men. They actually said “. . . given the variety of circumstances which discourage homosexuals from participating in research studies, it is unlike that any investigator will ever be in a position to say that this or that is true of a given percentage of all homosexuals.”
Diggs cites a Canadian study twice in order to claim that gays have a shorter lifespan than heterosexuals. But his citation of the study is a mischaracterization. In 2001, the six original researchers (Robert S. Hogg, Stefan A. Strathdee, Kevin J.P. Craib, Michael V. O’Shaughnessy, Julion Montaner, and Martin T. Schechter) who conducted that study have gone on record saying that religious conservatives (like Diggs) were distorting their work.
In another section entitled Physical Health, Diggs claims that gays are victims of “gay bowel syndrome.” The term is an obsolete medical term. exist and even the CDC does not use it. In fact, if one was to look at the endnotes of Diggs’ study, he would find that two of the sources he quoted concerning “gay bowel syndrome” were from articles in published in 1976 and 1983, which is consistent with the years that the term existed. One last source was a letter to the editor printed in 1994 but Diggs does not make it clear as to what were the circumstances surrounding it.
I see the anti-gay industry had another one of their lovefests in which they patted themselves on the back and criticized everyone else who dares have an opinion that is opposite of their own. (http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/26/anti-gay-summit/)
They call it a Values Voter Summit, but modesty precludes me from calling it what it really is.
But something happened there that really disturbs me.
A black minister, Wellington Boone, actually used a slur to demonize gay people and while it is nothing unusual, it had a deeper meaning for me.
An unfortunate side effect of the election of 2004 is the outreach the anti-gay industry made to black churches. So many of our so-called men of God wanted so much a piece of Bush's "faith based initiative" monies that they gladly attacked the gay community.
And not even with having the decent good taste of being subtle.
I have noticed that black ministers who have joined the anti-gay industry seem to revel in the image of being "attack dogs." Wellington Boone is just one of the new ones.
From DL Foster to Talbert Swann to Ken Hutcherson to Dwight McKissic, some black ministers nationwide are resorting to schoolyard name calling and posturing in order to get their names in press.
They are so wrapped up in their own egos that they don't even see how they are contributing to the problem.
A perfect example would be in my area of South Carolina. One Sunday in a local church (which shall remain nameless) an announcement was made that they had received a substantial monetary grant to educate congregants on HIV and AIDS.
Not less than 30 minutes later, a guest minister stood in the pulpit and inferred that gays are attempting to infiltrate public high schools.
In other words, just how in the hell can this church help stem the flow of HIV when it attacks the very people it should be helping.
For the record, I am a black gay man and I am cynical about the entire thing. A chapter about the hypocrisies of the black church was to be included in my book but I omitted it because I wasn't being fair. I attacked the black church but in all honesty that is only part of the problem.
As long as the mainstream gay community continue to play that diversionary game of "should we or should we not compare the civil rights movement and the gay rights movement" black gays and lesbians will be left out.
As long as we push visual heroes like Lance Bass, Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell without giving any acknowledgement to folks like Keith Boykin, Nadine Smith or Mandy Carter, we are only adding to the problem.
Black gays and lesbians should receive visibility and support but the black church ain't gonna give it to them.
The gay community needs to take up the slack.
Linda Harvey - Phony Expert
I see that Linda Harvey of Mission America is striking again (http://joebrummer.com/WordPress/?p=392)
For the luck of those who do not know, Linda Harvey considers herself a Christian and an expert of the gay community. God will decide on the first, but I will decide on the latter.
This woman has no idea what she is talking about. She spouts homophobia in the guise of expert opinion. She has a history of doing this:
"When people have views supporting homosexuality they should not be involved with youth in any way, period. Because they:
will provide inaccurate, misleading information to kids;
may limit a student’s opportunity to hear warnings about the behavior;
may advocate or model inappropriate behavior;
may be directly involved in the molestation of kids themselves; or
may be in a position to allow others to do so” - Linda Harvey, Fairy Tales Don’t Come True, February 13, 2006
Linda Harvey is a perfect example of an anti-gay industry propaganda technique; that of the phony expert. As far as I know, Harvey has no training or any degrees in assessing gay people. Her biggest attribute is her picture, which casts her as a wholesome mother figure in the guise of June Cleaver.
The anti-gay industry generally don’t recruit third, unbiased parties in their fact gathering. They create their own experts on the subject of homosexuality. And these phony experts, usually in-house employees or some with affiliations to religious conservative organizations, already have anti-gay biases.
Certainly everything they say and do will put homosexuality in a bad light, whether deserved or not, because that is what they are getting paid for. These so-called experts, like Timothy Dailey, Robert Knight, Peter LaBarbera, or Linda Harvey, have no training or background in what they claim to have expert opinions in. It seems that their titles are dependent on how well they look in the media, or how adept they can apply spin.
And then there are people like John R. Diggs.
The following excerpt about Diggs is from my upcoming book:
Some of the most dangerous spreaders of anti-gay propaganda are those masquerade their distortions under the guise of being an objective medical practitioner. While people such as Fred Phelps declare where they stand from the first instant, these “ministers of propaganda” seek to soothe their audience, taking the form of a concerned physician while they spread their biases and lies. It is this crowd that can potentially have more of a damaging effect on how America sees the gay community.
Dr. John R. Diggs is one of these false objective medical practitioners.
He published a study entitled The Health Risks of Gay Sex and it is featured on many so-called “pro-family” web sites as a thorough analysis of gay sex. While Diggs is an M.D., he is also co-chair of the Massachusetts Physician Resource Council, which is a part of the Massachusetts Family Institute, another so-called traditional values organization. Despite his credentials, Diggs’s real aim is to smear gays and lesbians.
The Health Risks of Gay Sex is a distortion-ridden research propaganda piece in the vein of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion (the legendary piece of propaganda that claimed that Jewish people were attempting to take over the world) that seeks to exploit fears and stereotypes about gays and lesbians. Since he is taking the guise of a “concerned professional,” Diggs does not push forth any conspiracy theories, nor does he dehumanize homosexuals by calling them “radical” and the like.
However, the distortions in this study just do not hold up under close scrutiny:
Twice, he includes the study done by Alan Bell and Martin Weinberg in their book, Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity Among Men and Women, as indicative of the entire gay population. In one passage, he even refers to it as “a far ranging study of homosexual men . . .” But Bell and Weinberg never said that their findings were indicative of all gay men. They actually said “. . . given the variety of circumstances which discourage homosexuals from participating in research studies, it is unlike that any investigator will ever be in a position to say that this or that is true of a given percentage of all homosexuals.”
Diggs cites a Canadian study twice in order to claim that gays have a shorter lifespan than heterosexuals. But his citation of the study is a mischaracterization. In 2001, the six original researchers (Robert S. Hogg, Stefan A. Strathdee, Kevin J.P. Craib, Michael V. O’Shaughnessy, Julion Montaner, and Martin T. Schechter) who conducted that study have gone on record saying that religious conservatives (like Diggs) were distorting their work.
In another section entitled Physical Health, Diggs claims that gays are victims of “gay bowel syndrome.” The term is an obsolete medical term. exist and even the CDC does not use it. In fact, if one was to look at the endnotes of Diggs’ study, he would find that two of the sources he quoted concerning “gay bowel syndrome” were from articles in published in 1976 and 1983, which is consistent with the years that the term existed. One last source was a letter to the editor printed in 1994 but Diggs does not make it clear as to what were the circumstances surrounding it.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Approaching 500 hits
As my hits approach 500, again I would like to thank everyone for having an interest in my work. I thought I would forgo my usual diatribe and go into more detail as to the creation of the book Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters.
My book is the culmination of a two year study of anti-gay industry studies and reports about our community.
In actuality, it is a book that's over ten years in the making for me.
I think that as some of us get older, we forget how it is to first come out and to try find correct information as to who we are and what our futures hold. I can remember how when in college I was attempting to find good information on the gay community, I kept getting saddled by the lies of Paul Cameron, etc. It depressed me to no end how housewives and others portrayed by the media as "ordinary American citizens" would repeat Cameron's information as fact. It was devastating to my sense of self esteem to have some housewife who did not know me portray me as the "other" or the "threat" to her family.
Luckily my first boyfriend was very well read and he provided me with material that told the truth about Cameron's lies and how the anti-gay industry spreads propaganda about us.
As the years went by, my depression gave way to anger. It was anger at how these so-called moral people would tell lies on me and mine and how those who have leadership positions in the gay community seemed to not be as aggressive as they should have been in calling out Cameron, Gary Bauer, Robert Knight, etc.
And that is where I am now. I do believe that our survival lies in not only telling the true story about our lives but pointing out (in an unapologetically aggressive manner) how people like Peter LaBarbera, DL Foster, Robert Knight, Lou Sheldon, etc. lie on an almost daily basis about who we are.
In short, I have said it once and I will say it again: the gay rights movement needs more Genghises than Gandhis. We need aggressive intelligent people who will challenge the anti-gay industry and the so-called "pro family" groups and make them explain things like why they continue to use Paul Cameron's work or why have at least 10 researchers have complained about how their work is being misused.
I hope my book will be one of the first steps of this endeavor. Seeing that it is my first book, I will be self publishing it myself via Cafe Press. I email the sources, ask permission for the usage of work, design the front cover and will handle all of the press for the book. I will also pay for the publication of the book.
To me, this is a strategic step not designed for profit but to shift the so-called cultural war to the point as to where it should be.
We should not have to explain our lives to people like Dobson, Sheldon, etc.
They should be explaining their desire to lie about the gay community not just to us but to the American public at large.
As my hits approach 500, again I would like to thank everyone for having an interest in my work. I thought I would forgo my usual diatribe and go into more detail as to the creation of the book Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters.
My book is the culmination of a two year study of anti-gay industry studies and reports about our community.
In actuality, it is a book that's over ten years in the making for me.
I think that as some of us get older, we forget how it is to first come out and to try find correct information as to who we are and what our futures hold. I can remember how when in college I was attempting to find good information on the gay community, I kept getting saddled by the lies of Paul Cameron, etc. It depressed me to no end how housewives and others portrayed by the media as "ordinary American citizens" would repeat Cameron's information as fact. It was devastating to my sense of self esteem to have some housewife who did not know me portray me as the "other" or the "threat" to her family.
Luckily my first boyfriend was very well read and he provided me with material that told the truth about Cameron's lies and how the anti-gay industry spreads propaganda about us.
As the years went by, my depression gave way to anger. It was anger at how these so-called moral people would tell lies on me and mine and how those who have leadership positions in the gay community seemed to not be as aggressive as they should have been in calling out Cameron, Gary Bauer, Robert Knight, etc.
And that is where I am now. I do believe that our survival lies in not only telling the true story about our lives but pointing out (in an unapologetically aggressive manner) how people like Peter LaBarbera, DL Foster, Robert Knight, Lou Sheldon, etc. lie on an almost daily basis about who we are.
In short, I have said it once and I will say it again: the gay rights movement needs more Genghises than Gandhis. We need aggressive intelligent people who will challenge the anti-gay industry and the so-called "pro family" groups and make them explain things like why they continue to use Paul Cameron's work or why have at least 10 researchers have complained about how their work is being misused.
I hope my book will be one of the first steps of this endeavor. Seeing that it is my first book, I will be self publishing it myself via Cafe Press. I email the sources, ask permission for the usage of work, design the front cover and will handle all of the press for the book. I will also pay for the publication of the book.
To me, this is a strategic step not designed for profit but to shift the so-called cultural war to the point as to where it should be.
We should not have to explain our lives to people like Dobson, Sheldon, etc.
They should be explaining their desire to lie about the gay community not just to us but to the American public at large.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
The"ex-gay" movement: Let's not forget what it's really all about
I see that James Dobson's Focus on the Family is bringing its "ex-gay" sideshow, "Love Won Out" to California. (http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060923/UPDATE/60923004)
Naturally, there will be many of us and our supporters who will stand against this group and their plateau of lies.
But something has bothered me. In fact, it always bothers me when I read about how we stand against those who want to perpetrate the "ex-gay" lie.
We are not telling the full story behind their lies.
What I mean is that every time I read about these groups, their spokespeople like to present a "we just want to present our point of view" front for the media.
They seem to be turning the "tolerance" message upside down and I don't think we challenge them on it as successfully as we should. We should invite media and the public to see who exactly is pulling the strings behind the "ex-gay movement."
But another excerpt from my upcoming book spells it out in a better fashion. This is from one of the chapters I had to exclude for the sake of space:
The ex-gay movement is nothing but a front, a dodge, a diversionary tactic by religious conservative organizations. These ex-gay groups speak out of both sides of their mouths and lie every time. They claim that they only exist to introduce change to anyone who has a problem with their homosexuality, but their actions and especially the company they keep, prove otherwise.
Ex-gay groups exist only to make life miserable for those homosexuals are in fact happy with their orientation. If one would take a critical look at the ex-gay movement, he would find the dirty fingerprints of the anti-gay industry all over it.
Or in the words of Surina Khan, associate analyst at Political Research Associates:
"The ex-gay movement provides political cover for a significant new phase in the Christian Right’s long-running anti-gay campaign. . . Instead of simply denouncing homosexuals as morally and socially corrupt, the Christian Right has now shifted to a strategy of emphasizing personal salvation for homosexuals through the ex-gay movement. Behind this mask of compassion, however, the goal remains the same: to roll back legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people . . ."
The closet, Wayne Besen, Talbert Swann, and D.L. Foster
In June 2004, an African-American minister, Talbert Swann edited a book entitled Closing the Closet: Testimonials of Deliverance from Homosexuality. According to Swann’s webpage:
"Fifteen former gay men and eight former lesbians providing inspiration, motivation, support, and biblically based guidance to homosexuals who desire to be free from their current lifestyle. They pour their hearts out and tell the story of how God transformed them from lives of misery and shame to a committed, joy-filled, blessed existence as man and women living in accordance with God’s word."
Wayne Besen blasted the book as propaganda, saying he doubted the book’s credibility because some of the "ex-gays" it used were affiliated with so-called "pro family" groups.
"Why did this book us a number of ex-gay lobbyists who get paid to say that they’ve changed," he said. " . . . I question whether ex-gays who are independent of fundamentalist political groups actually exist."
Besen’s criticism was answered back by Swann and another minister, D.L. Foster. Swann said:
"If Mr. Besen was interested in making an informed critique he sould have at least read the book. He would have known that of the twenty-three testimonies printed, many have "normal jobs and normal lives" and are not, as he so condescendingly puts it professional flacks for right-wing political groups."
But Besen was correct in his assertion and Swann was misleading in his. Of the 23 testimonials, a great majority of them were affiliated with so-called "pro family" groups or groups who collaborate with such organizations.
These include:
Stephen Bennett - Focus on the Family
Mike Haley - Focus on the Family
Alan Chambers - Exodus International
Bob Ragan - Exodus International
D.L. Foster even goes farther and accuses Besen of being "exgayphobic." Foster also accuses Besen of attacking ex-gays for money and even goes as far as calling him a lunatic. The entire summation of Foster’s letter is that Besen was attempting to shut the voices of "ex-gays" who only want to tell how they were able to transform from being gay.
"His totalitarian agenda won’t be successful in trying to silence us," Foster said. "Besen’s tactics would serve him much better in Saudi Arabia, but this is America."
Foster’s attempt to garner victimhood status for "ex-gays" such as himself is an outright deception. It also further underscores the fact that the ex-gay movement are an engineered front for the anti-gay industry.
The ex-gay movement is quick to grab what they think is a textbook tactic of the gay rights movement: victimhood status. Their leaders and spokespeople are always complaining that they are being discriminated against; that "gay activists" are being intolerant against them, that they are just trying help people who want to change and denying people the choice of "turning away from homosexuality" is discriminatory.
However, prominent ex-gay Stephen Bennett (a contributor to the book) was the Special Issues Editor on Homosexuality for the American Family Association and has spoken in behalf of Concerned Women for America.
Alan Chambers (another contributor) has spoken out against civil unions for gay and lesbian couples.
Even Foster has a blog where he spotlights negative news articles concerning gays and lesbians, attempting to paint the entire community with a bad brush, much like white racists webpages does to the black community. He claims that he is merely showing the true face of the gay rights movement.
Exodus International’s website utilized studies with data from the Kinsey Institute (Homosexuality: Is It Just Another Lifestyle by Alan Medinger) while at the same time utilizing other studies that criticizes Alfred Kinsey, the founder of the Institute (Kinsey and the Homosexual Revolution by Judith Reisman).
Clearly Exodus International is using data that it claims is not credible.
NARTH also repeats John Diggs’s poor study on the sexual activities of homosexuals, as well as Paul Cameron’s discredited data.
And all of these groups, as well as other "ex-gay" groups link themselves with Focus on the Family’s "Love Won Out" tour, which spotlights ex-gays
. . . Every prominent ex-gay is on the payroll of organizations like Focus on the Family or the Traditional Values Coalition - organizations who believe that gays are evil and out to destroy American culture and values. If the ex-gay movement wants credibility, the first step would be to work on their autonomy. They should distance themselves from Dobson, Sheldon, Wildmon, etc.
'Nuff said.
I see that James Dobson's Focus on the Family is bringing its "ex-gay" sideshow, "Love Won Out" to California. (http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060923/UPDATE/60923004)
Naturally, there will be many of us and our supporters who will stand against this group and their plateau of lies.
But something has bothered me. In fact, it always bothers me when I read about how we stand against those who want to perpetrate the "ex-gay" lie.
We are not telling the full story behind their lies.
What I mean is that every time I read about these groups, their spokespeople like to present a "we just want to present our point of view" front for the media.
They seem to be turning the "tolerance" message upside down and I don't think we challenge them on it as successfully as we should. We should invite media and the public to see who exactly is pulling the strings behind the "ex-gay movement."
But another excerpt from my upcoming book spells it out in a better fashion. This is from one of the chapters I had to exclude for the sake of space:
The ex-gay movement is nothing but a front, a dodge, a diversionary tactic by religious conservative organizations. These ex-gay groups speak out of both sides of their mouths and lie every time. They claim that they only exist to introduce change to anyone who has a problem with their homosexuality, but their actions and especially the company they keep, prove otherwise.
Ex-gay groups exist only to make life miserable for those homosexuals are in fact happy with their orientation. If one would take a critical look at the ex-gay movement, he would find the dirty fingerprints of the anti-gay industry all over it.
Or in the words of Surina Khan, associate analyst at Political Research Associates:
"The ex-gay movement provides political cover for a significant new phase in the Christian Right’s long-running anti-gay campaign. . . Instead of simply denouncing homosexuals as morally and socially corrupt, the Christian Right has now shifted to a strategy of emphasizing personal salvation for homosexuals through the ex-gay movement. Behind this mask of compassion, however, the goal remains the same: to roll back legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people . . ."
The closet, Wayne Besen, Talbert Swann, and D.L. Foster
In June 2004, an African-American minister, Talbert Swann edited a book entitled Closing the Closet: Testimonials of Deliverance from Homosexuality. According to Swann’s webpage:
"Fifteen former gay men and eight former lesbians providing inspiration, motivation, support, and biblically based guidance to homosexuals who desire to be free from their current lifestyle. They pour their hearts out and tell the story of how God transformed them from lives of misery and shame to a committed, joy-filled, blessed existence as man and women living in accordance with God’s word."
Wayne Besen blasted the book as propaganda, saying he doubted the book’s credibility because some of the "ex-gays" it used were affiliated with so-called "pro family" groups.
"Why did this book us a number of ex-gay lobbyists who get paid to say that they’ve changed," he said. " . . . I question whether ex-gays who are independent of fundamentalist political groups actually exist."
Besen’s criticism was answered back by Swann and another minister, D.L. Foster. Swann said:
"If Mr. Besen was interested in making an informed critique he sould have at least read the book. He would have known that of the twenty-three testimonies printed, many have "normal jobs and normal lives" and are not, as he so condescendingly puts it professional flacks for right-wing political groups."
But Besen was correct in his assertion and Swann was misleading in his. Of the 23 testimonials, a great majority of them were affiliated with so-called "pro family" groups or groups who collaborate with such organizations.
These include:
Stephen Bennett - Focus on the Family
Mike Haley - Focus on the Family
Alan Chambers - Exodus International
Bob Ragan - Exodus International
D.L. Foster even goes farther and accuses Besen of being "exgayphobic." Foster also accuses Besen of attacking ex-gays for money and even goes as far as calling him a lunatic. The entire summation of Foster’s letter is that Besen was attempting to shut the voices of "ex-gays" who only want to tell how they were able to transform from being gay.
"His totalitarian agenda won’t be successful in trying to silence us," Foster said. "Besen’s tactics would serve him much better in Saudi Arabia, but this is America."
Foster’s attempt to garner victimhood status for "ex-gays" such as himself is an outright deception. It also further underscores the fact that the ex-gay movement are an engineered front for the anti-gay industry.
The ex-gay movement is quick to grab what they think is a textbook tactic of the gay rights movement: victimhood status. Their leaders and spokespeople are always complaining that they are being discriminated against; that "gay activists" are being intolerant against them, that they are just trying help people who want to change and denying people the choice of "turning away from homosexuality" is discriminatory.
However, prominent ex-gay Stephen Bennett (a contributor to the book) was the Special Issues Editor on Homosexuality for the American Family Association and has spoken in behalf of Concerned Women for America.
Alan Chambers (another contributor) has spoken out against civil unions for gay and lesbian couples.
Even Foster has a blog where he spotlights negative news articles concerning gays and lesbians, attempting to paint the entire community with a bad brush, much like white racists webpages does to the black community. He claims that he is merely showing the true face of the gay rights movement.
Exodus International’s website utilized studies with data from the Kinsey Institute (Homosexuality: Is It Just Another Lifestyle by Alan Medinger) while at the same time utilizing other studies that criticizes Alfred Kinsey, the founder of the Institute (Kinsey and the Homosexual Revolution by Judith Reisman).
Clearly Exodus International is using data that it claims is not credible.
NARTH also repeats John Diggs’s poor study on the sexual activities of homosexuals, as well as Paul Cameron’s discredited data.
And all of these groups, as well as other "ex-gay" groups link themselves with Focus on the Family’s "Love Won Out" tour, which spotlights ex-gays
. . . Every prominent ex-gay is on the payroll of organizations like Focus on the Family or the Traditional Values Coalition - organizations who believe that gays are evil and out to destroy American culture and values. If the ex-gay movement wants credibility, the first step would be to work on their autonomy. They should distance themselves from Dobson, Sheldon, Wildmon, etc.
'Nuff said.
Friday, September 22, 2006
A. Nicholas Groth, American Family Association and a Time Line
First, from the Department of Freudian Slips and Giving People Enough Rope to Hang Themselves, I bring you . . . Peter LaBarbera:
"I think the corporate world is now in a rush to embrace the gay agenda fully," he offers. "They don't see a downside, and it's up to pro-family Americans to create a downside." - List of 'Gay'-Friendly Companies Continues to Grow, Agape Press, September 21, 2006 (http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/212006f.asp)
And speaking of our friend Peter, an earlier post (What exactly is a "headless monster?") featured his usage of a discredited study in order to claim that gay men molest children at high rates. For those who remember this post, the bone of contention in the study was that one of the sources, A. Nicholas Groth, demanded that his name be taken off of the study since its espoused a theory that his work contradicts.
In looking over the studies of other so-called "pro family" groups, I found something interesting. It is so interesting in fact that it can only be shown through another one of my timelines:
August 21, 1984 - A. Nicholas Groth complains to the Nebraska Board of Examiners of Psychologists that a certain researcher by the name of Paul Cameron is misusing his work to make the claim that gay men molest children at a high rate. (http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,010.htm)
October 19, 1984 - The Nebraska Psychologists Association pass a resolution distances itself from Cameron's work. (http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,010.htm)
June 2001 - The American Family Association publishes Homosexual Agenda Targeting Children Part 4: Access to children: homosexuality and molestation. The piece pushes the same theory Cameron did. And also includes some references to Groth's work, excluding the fact that he found in his study that homosexuality and pedophilia are not linked. (http://www.afa.net/homosexual_agenda/childrend.asp)
June 10, 2002 - A. Nicholas Groth writes a letter to Timothy Dailey of the Family Research Council demanding that any reference of his work be removed from Dailey's piece, Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse, because the study contradicts his work. (http://www.hrc.org/Content/ContentGroups/News_Releases/20021/Researcher_Cited_in_Anti-Gay_Report_Criticizes_the_Study_as_Biased_and_Misleading.htm)
September 22, 2006 - The American Family Association study remains on the website intact and unchanged. The references to Groth's work remain, excluding the fact that his study found that homosexuality and pedophilia are not related.
First, from the Department of Freudian Slips and Giving People Enough Rope to Hang Themselves, I bring you . . . Peter LaBarbera:
"I think the corporate world is now in a rush to embrace the gay agenda fully," he offers. "They don't see a downside, and it's up to pro-family Americans to create a downside." - List of 'Gay'-Friendly Companies Continues to Grow, Agape Press, September 21, 2006 (http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/212006f.asp)
And speaking of our friend Peter, an earlier post (What exactly is a "headless monster?") featured his usage of a discredited study in order to claim that gay men molest children at high rates. For those who remember this post, the bone of contention in the study was that one of the sources, A. Nicholas Groth, demanded that his name be taken off of the study since its espoused a theory that his work contradicts.
In looking over the studies of other so-called "pro family" groups, I found something interesting. It is so interesting in fact that it can only be shown through another one of my timelines:
August 21, 1984 - A. Nicholas Groth complains to the Nebraska Board of Examiners of Psychologists that a certain researcher by the name of Paul Cameron is misusing his work to make the claim that gay men molest children at a high rate. (http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,010.htm)
October 19, 1984 - The Nebraska Psychologists Association pass a resolution distances itself from Cameron's work. (http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,010.htm)
June 2001 - The American Family Association publishes Homosexual Agenda Targeting Children Part 4: Access to children: homosexuality and molestation. The piece pushes the same theory Cameron did. And also includes some references to Groth's work, excluding the fact that he found in his study that homosexuality and pedophilia are not linked. (http://www.afa.net/homosexual_agenda/childrend.asp)
June 10, 2002 - A. Nicholas Groth writes a letter to Timothy Dailey of the Family Research Council demanding that any reference of his work be removed from Dailey's piece, Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse, because the study contradicts his work. (http://www.hrc.org/Content/ContentGroups/News_Releases/20021/Researcher_Cited_in_Anti-Gay_Report_Criticizes_the_Study_as_Biased_and_Misleading.htm)
September 22, 2006 - The American Family Association study remains on the website intact and unchanged. The references to Groth's work remain, excluding the fact that his study found that homosexuality and pedophilia are not related.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Paul Cameron on The Daily Show: Not as funny as you think
From what I understand, our friend Paul Cameron was on the Daily Show earlier this week. - http://www.exgaywatch.com/blog/archives/2006/09/paul_cameron_on_2.html#comments
Now I did not see the clip (the disadvantages of not having cable and having dial up) but from I understand, he provided a good laugh to the many who saw it.
But don't the laughter fool you. Cameron may have looked like a buffoon but he is anything but stupid.
He is a classic example of a headless monster in that he has been refuted and discredited many times by legitimate sources but the anti-gay industry continues to prop him up as a legitimate researcher and critic of the gay community.
And even when he is not referred to by name, so-called "pro family" groups feature his work as legitimate.
An earlier post on this blog demonstrated how Lou Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition simultaneously claims that Cameron's work is not credible but still refers to it (Paul Cameron, the Traditional Values Coalition, a little game that I like to call "Time Line")
I think a few more examples of Cameron's influence is in order via another book excerpt:
In May 2005, Cameron announced the completion of another study that supposedly proved that homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking and being overweight. What he did was take over 10,000 obituaries from the gay newspaper the Washington Post and compare them to a CDC report entitled AIDS Cases in Adolescents and Adults, by Age - United States, 1994-2000. He claimed that this supported his early gay life span study.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said otherwise. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC's National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, said Cameron uses bad methodology. He also said:
"[The CDC] does not collect statistics on the life span of gay men. While gay men continue to be severely impacted by HIV and AIDS, AIDS-related death data cannot be used to indicate that homosexual men live shorter lives than heterosexual men overall."
The CDC's condemnation meant nothing to the Agape Press. In June 2005, it claimed that Cameron's life span study had been proven to be correct.
"New government research has found what most conservatives have been saying for years about the dangers of the homosexual lifestyle. . ."
Agape Press did not print a rebuttal from the CDC to this statement.
Nor did the CDC's rebuke mean anything to Rev. Bill Banuchi, head of the New York chapter of the Christian Coalition.
In June 2005, he said that gays should wear warning labels. His rationale was the following:
"We put warning labels on cigarette packs because we know that smoking takes one to two years off the average life span, yet we 'celebrate' a lifestyle that we know spreads every kind of sexually transmitted disease and takes at least 20 years off the average life span according to the 2005 issue of the revered scientific journal Psychological Reports" - Christian Coalition: Gay Warning Labels, 365Gay.com, June 13, 2005
Even the Southern Baptist Convention used this study. In that same month, the convention looked at a resolution issued by evangelist Voddie Baucham, Jr calling for churches to "investigate whether their local school district has a 'gay-straight' alliance or other homosexual clubs." The resolution also tells churches to "encourage parents' removal of their children from schools that have curricula or programs that treat homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle."
Part of this resolution referred to Cameron's study:
"Whereas, there is evidence that the homosexual lifestyle reduces life expectancy more than smoking;"
In May 2005, a 16-year-old teenager by the name of Zach Stark told his parents that he was gay. His parents put him in a reparative, or ex-gay program entitled "Love In Action." Zach's situation became widely known because of a blog he was keeping about his coming out. His parents were faced with negative scrutiny as to how they could place their child in such a program.
Zach's father, Joe Stark, explained their decision on a July episode of Pat Robertson's "The 700 Club." One of the reasons he gave cited a bastardized version Cameron's life span statistic:
"We felt very good about Zach coming here because . . . to let him see for himself the destructive lifestyle, what he has to face in the future, and to give him some options that society doesn't give him today," Stark said. "Knowing that your son... statistics say that by the age of 30 he could either have AIDS or be dead."
In June 2005, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed two bills; one dealt with abortion, while the other was a "defense of marriage" bill. Accompanying Governor Perry was televangelist Ron Parsley. Parsley had this to say about homosexuality:
"Gay sex is a veritable breeding ground for disease. Only one percent of the homosexual population in America will die of old age. The average life expectancy for a homosexual in the United States discounting AIDS is forty-two years of age . . . A lesbian can only expect to live to be forty-five years of age." Perry schmoozes with gay bashers, Austin Chronicle, June 10, 2005
Not only was Parsley quoting a Cameron statistic, but he even generalized about the lesbian population even though lesbians made up only two percent of Cameron's sample group. Parsley repeated that lie in an August 9, 2005 issue of Agape Press. He said the following:
"I'm against the homosexual lifestyle because the average life expectancy of a homosexual and a lesbian in the United States is forty-two and forty-five versus seventy-five and seventy-nine. These people are fighting for a lifestyle that is robbing them of half of their life expectancy." - Pastor Contends Christians Have An Obligation to Warn Homosexuals, Agape Press, August 9, 2005
Cameron's claim that homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking has even made its way to the lower echelons of the Bush Administration. In July 2005, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter asked that the national Health and Human Services look at a certain website because it allegedly showed inaccurate information about homosexuality and contraception.
The website, 4parents.gov, had information from an organization called the National Physicians Center for Family Resources. Health and Human Services had hired the organization to create its content. The chairman of the National Physicians Center for Family Resources board John Whiffen said the organization was correct regarding what it had printed about homosexuality. He said:
"It's fairly well-accepted that somking is not a good idea. It takes seven years off of your life. It appears that male homosexuality takes more than that off your life." - Specter seeks review of teen health site, Washington Blade, July 29, 2005
Paul Cameron is no laughing matter and it would be in our best interest to tell the truth about him every chance we get.
From what I understand, our friend Paul Cameron was on the Daily Show earlier this week. - http://www.exgaywatch.com/blog/archives/2006/09/paul_cameron_on_2.html#comments
Now I did not see the clip (the disadvantages of not having cable and having dial up) but from I understand, he provided a good laugh to the many who saw it.
But don't the laughter fool you. Cameron may have looked like a buffoon but he is anything but stupid.
He is a classic example of a headless monster in that he has been refuted and discredited many times by legitimate sources but the anti-gay industry continues to prop him up as a legitimate researcher and critic of the gay community.
And even when he is not referred to by name, so-called "pro family" groups feature his work as legitimate.
An earlier post on this blog demonstrated how Lou Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition simultaneously claims that Cameron's work is not credible but still refers to it (Paul Cameron, the Traditional Values Coalition, a little game that I like to call "Time Line")
I think a few more examples of Cameron's influence is in order via another book excerpt:
In May 2005, Cameron announced the completion of another study that supposedly proved that homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking and being overweight. What he did was take over 10,000 obituaries from the gay newspaper the Washington Post and compare them to a CDC report entitled AIDS Cases in Adolescents and Adults, by Age - United States, 1994-2000. He claimed that this supported his early gay life span study.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said otherwise. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC's National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, said Cameron uses bad methodology. He also said:
"[The CDC] does not collect statistics on the life span of gay men. While gay men continue to be severely impacted by HIV and AIDS, AIDS-related death data cannot be used to indicate that homosexual men live shorter lives than heterosexual men overall."
The CDC's condemnation meant nothing to the Agape Press. In June 2005, it claimed that Cameron's life span study had been proven to be correct.
"New government research has found what most conservatives have been saying for years about the dangers of the homosexual lifestyle. . ."
Agape Press did not print a rebuttal from the CDC to this statement.
Nor did the CDC's rebuke mean anything to Rev. Bill Banuchi, head of the New York chapter of the Christian Coalition.
In June 2005, he said that gays should wear warning labels. His rationale was the following:
"We put warning labels on cigarette packs because we know that smoking takes one to two years off the average life span, yet we 'celebrate' a lifestyle that we know spreads every kind of sexually transmitted disease and takes at least 20 years off the average life span according to the 2005 issue of the revered scientific journal Psychological Reports" - Christian Coalition: Gay Warning Labels, 365Gay.com, June 13, 2005
Even the Southern Baptist Convention used this study. In that same month, the convention looked at a resolution issued by evangelist Voddie Baucham, Jr calling for churches to "investigate whether their local school district has a 'gay-straight' alliance or other homosexual clubs." The resolution also tells churches to "encourage parents' removal of their children from schools that have curricula or programs that treat homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle."
Part of this resolution referred to Cameron's study:
"Whereas, there is evidence that the homosexual lifestyle reduces life expectancy more than smoking;"
In May 2005, a 16-year-old teenager by the name of Zach Stark told his parents that he was gay. His parents put him in a reparative, or ex-gay program entitled "Love In Action." Zach's situation became widely known because of a blog he was keeping about his coming out. His parents were faced with negative scrutiny as to how they could place their child in such a program.
Zach's father, Joe Stark, explained their decision on a July episode of Pat Robertson's "The 700 Club." One of the reasons he gave cited a bastardized version Cameron's life span statistic:
"We felt very good about Zach coming here because . . . to let him see for himself the destructive lifestyle, what he has to face in the future, and to give him some options that society doesn't give him today," Stark said. "Knowing that your son... statistics say that by the age of 30 he could either have AIDS or be dead."
In June 2005, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed two bills; one dealt with abortion, while the other was a "defense of marriage" bill. Accompanying Governor Perry was televangelist Ron Parsley. Parsley had this to say about homosexuality:
"Gay sex is a veritable breeding ground for disease. Only one percent of the homosexual population in America will die of old age. The average life expectancy for a homosexual in the United States discounting AIDS is forty-two years of age . . . A lesbian can only expect to live to be forty-five years of age." Perry schmoozes with gay bashers, Austin Chronicle, June 10, 2005
Not only was Parsley quoting a Cameron statistic, but he even generalized about the lesbian population even though lesbians made up only two percent of Cameron's sample group. Parsley repeated that lie in an August 9, 2005 issue of Agape Press. He said the following:
"I'm against the homosexual lifestyle because the average life expectancy of a homosexual and a lesbian in the United States is forty-two and forty-five versus seventy-five and seventy-nine. These people are fighting for a lifestyle that is robbing them of half of their life expectancy." - Pastor Contends Christians Have An Obligation to Warn Homosexuals, Agape Press, August 9, 2005
Cameron's claim that homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking has even made its way to the lower echelons of the Bush Administration. In July 2005, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter asked that the national Health and Human Services look at a certain website because it allegedly showed inaccurate information about homosexuality and contraception.
The website, 4parents.gov, had information from an organization called the National Physicians Center for Family Resources. Health and Human Services had hired the organization to create its content. The chairman of the National Physicians Center for Family Resources board John Whiffen said the organization was correct regarding what it had printed about homosexuality. He said:
"It's fairly well-accepted that somking is not a good idea. It takes seven years off of your life. It appears that male homosexuality takes more than that off your life." - Specter seeks review of teen health site, Washington Blade, July 29, 2005
Paul Cameron is no laughing matter and it would be in our best interest to tell the truth about him every chance we get.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Why a book like the one I am writing is needed.
First of all, I would like to thank all of my readers. This is my eleventh post and I will be reaching 300 hits within this week.
It just goes to show that so many of us are interested in taking on the anti-gay industry . I am all for educating Americans about who we are but I won't do it in a way that reduces me to a beggar. "Please tolerate me" is not a phrase that will ever come out of my mouth.
I have reconciled myself to the fact that some Americans will never accept the gay community.
And that is fine.
What I am talking about through my book and blog is the fact that religious belief alone is no reason to dictate to anyone how their lives are going to be. And I as a gay man will not apologize for my desires to have a good family, children, or any of parts of that lovely American Dream that I believe so much in.
And I will not allow anyone to make me live my life based on their interpretations of how they think I live or what they think I do in the bedroom.
In accordance to that, I think we as a community need to expose the lies of James Dobson, Lou Sheldon, Peter LaBarbera, and company. We need to be unapologetically aggressive, but also show discipline and resolve.
We need to make them justify the fact that they are lying in the name of God.
But I think I can put it better through a rough excerpt of my book:
Gays and lesbians make up to two to 10 percent of the American population and come in every age and ethnic group. These are people with real lives. They work, eat, sleep, and pay bills just like everyone else. In fact, according to the 2000 Census, over 300,000 of them are raising children in this country.
But despite all of this, the United States is not educated as to who exactly they are. Many don’t know any out-of-the-closet gays and lesbians. Many who do know out-of-the-closet gays and lesbians do not take the time to learn about them or their lives.
Also, many Americans regard themselves as Christians and to many of these Christians, homosexuality is a sin. Therefore when people like Timothy Dailey and Robert Knight put forth their lies and propaganda about the gay community while at the same time claiming that they are on the side of righteousness, it is relatively easy to persuade people of faith that they are speaking the truth.
Backed by this propaganda, those who call themselves "people of faith" often repeat some of the most vicious, un-Christian lies with not only a straight face but a self assurance that what they are saying is the gospel truth:
"The "alphas" in homosexual relationships, be they men or women, are many times recruiting younger partners. A vast percentage of those who enter the homosexual life do so after having been sexually initiated by an older person of their sex – be it consensual or not – it usually has the feel of enticement or seduction." - Kevin McCullough, The ‘Gay’ Truth, May 30, 2003
"... there is an abundance of evidence that homosexual couples do not make the optimum family unit. We have also seen evidence that homosexual couples prey on young males and have in some instances adopted them in order to have unfretted access to subject them to a life of molestation and sexual abuse." - Tennessee State Representative Debra Young Maggart to a constiuent, February 25, 2006
"The newest thing in Chicago, it's becoming a trend, and you're gonna find this hard to believe...sex with infants" ... "It's not enough that they have...you know when you engage in perversion, and homosexuality is perversion, we don't hate the gays mind you, we don't hate them, we hate what they're doing...pretty soon that perversion is like addiction, it's not enough, so you need to graduate to something else. You need to move on. So now they're having sex with animals, a small group that's getting bigger, sex with infants, sex in the street in Chicago out in the open, it's just getting more and more perverted." - Guy Adams, August 2, 2006
. . . If someone wants to believe that gays and lesbians are going to hell, then that is his or her right. After all, this is America and the First Amendment guarantees anyone the right to espouse whatever beliefs they want. In this country, we have Jehovah Witnesses, Seven Day Adventists, snake handlers, Muslims, Jews, etc.
But the passage of laws is a more complicated process.
Laws are created to guard the public trust and to protect that same public from harm. Jewish people in this country cannot pass laws based upon their interpretation of the Talmud anymore than Muslims can pass laws based on their interpretation of the Koran. In that same spirit, Christians cannot pass laws in this country based on their interpretation of the Bible. Just because one’s religion tells him that homosexuality is a bad concept does not mean he can pass laws discriminating against gays and lesbians.
That is, unless he can prove that the public good is preserved by such laws.
Therefore, in order to prove that gays and lesbians should not have any protection of laws, so-called "pro-family" organizations have created a written and oral pattern of deception that is not only blatant in its attempts but shameful in its audacity. In their zeal to prove the worst about the gay community, the anti-gay industry runs roughshod over science and truth. They have created a houses of pseudo-scientific studies based on distortions, lies, headless monsters, and legitimate studies taken out of context , which are then pushed by fake experts, Ph.D.s, conservative columnists and bloggers, and ignorant people of faith all willing to sacrifice their integrity on the altar of an alleged higher calling.
And to make matters worse, they work to undermine credible information that has proven time and time again that their ideas of the gay community are fallacies.
And the effects of their propaganda campaign can only be described as damaging.
Children who tell their parents they are gay are being kicked out of their homes or shipped to "reparative therapy" camps where they are supposed to be transformed into heterosexuals because Concerned Women for America has "research" that says that homosexuality is a "destructive lifestyle."
Legislation that would keep gays safe from job-discrimination face the accusation that it is just a backdoor way to force acceptance for the "homosexual agenda" because the Family Research Council has "research" that says so.
Schools across the country are ignoring the well-being of gay students in that they are not allowed to mention the word "homosexual" in sex education classes because Timothy Dailey, Robert Knight, or Peter LaBarbera has "research" that says homosexuals are coming into schools to indoctrinate the next generation and cause them to become infected with diseases like "gay bowel syndrome."
These so-called "pro-family" organizations are using phony statistics and half truths almost on a daily basis in attempts to defeat pro gay laws, deny gay children the right to form support groups, to hinder correct safe sex information from being made public, and any other way they feel they can stop the so-called gay agenda; an agenda that does not exist.
I have always believed that the truth in every situation will come out. I also believe in sometimes giving that truth a little nudge to the light.
First of all, I would like to thank all of my readers. This is my eleventh post and I will be reaching 300 hits within this week.
It just goes to show that so many of us are interested in taking on the anti-gay industry . I am all for educating Americans about who we are but I won't do it in a way that reduces me to a beggar. "Please tolerate me" is not a phrase that will ever come out of my mouth.
I have reconciled myself to the fact that some Americans will never accept the gay community.
And that is fine.
What I am talking about through my book and blog is the fact that religious belief alone is no reason to dictate to anyone how their lives are going to be. And I as a gay man will not apologize for my desires to have a good family, children, or any of parts of that lovely American Dream that I believe so much in.
And I will not allow anyone to make me live my life based on their interpretations of how they think I live or what they think I do in the bedroom.
In accordance to that, I think we as a community need to expose the lies of James Dobson, Lou Sheldon, Peter LaBarbera, and company. We need to be unapologetically aggressive, but also show discipline and resolve.
We need to make them justify the fact that they are lying in the name of God.
But I think I can put it better through a rough excerpt of my book:
Gays and lesbians make up to two to 10 percent of the American population and come in every age and ethnic group. These are people with real lives. They work, eat, sleep, and pay bills just like everyone else. In fact, according to the 2000 Census, over 300,000 of them are raising children in this country.
But despite all of this, the United States is not educated as to who exactly they are. Many don’t know any out-of-the-closet gays and lesbians. Many who do know out-of-the-closet gays and lesbians do not take the time to learn about them or their lives.
Also, many Americans regard themselves as Christians and to many of these Christians, homosexuality is a sin. Therefore when people like Timothy Dailey and Robert Knight put forth their lies and propaganda about the gay community while at the same time claiming that they are on the side of righteousness, it is relatively easy to persuade people of faith that they are speaking the truth.
Backed by this propaganda, those who call themselves "people of faith" often repeat some of the most vicious, un-Christian lies with not only a straight face but a self assurance that what they are saying is the gospel truth:
"The "alphas" in homosexual relationships, be they men or women, are many times recruiting younger partners. A vast percentage of those who enter the homosexual life do so after having been sexually initiated by an older person of their sex – be it consensual or not – it usually has the feel of enticement or seduction." - Kevin McCullough, The ‘Gay’ Truth, May 30, 2003
"... there is an abundance of evidence that homosexual couples do not make the optimum family unit. We have also seen evidence that homosexual couples prey on young males and have in some instances adopted them in order to have unfretted access to subject them to a life of molestation and sexual abuse." - Tennessee State Representative Debra Young Maggart to a constiuent, February 25, 2006
"The newest thing in Chicago, it's becoming a trend, and you're gonna find this hard to believe...sex with infants" ... "It's not enough that they have...you know when you engage in perversion, and homosexuality is perversion, we don't hate the gays mind you, we don't hate them, we hate what they're doing...pretty soon that perversion is like addiction, it's not enough, so you need to graduate to something else. You need to move on. So now they're having sex with animals, a small group that's getting bigger, sex with infants, sex in the street in Chicago out in the open, it's just getting more and more perverted." - Guy Adams, August 2, 2006
. . . If someone wants to believe that gays and lesbians are going to hell, then that is his or her right. After all, this is America and the First Amendment guarantees anyone the right to espouse whatever beliefs they want. In this country, we have Jehovah Witnesses, Seven Day Adventists, snake handlers, Muslims, Jews, etc.
But the passage of laws is a more complicated process.
Laws are created to guard the public trust and to protect that same public from harm. Jewish people in this country cannot pass laws based upon their interpretation of the Talmud anymore than Muslims can pass laws based on their interpretation of the Koran. In that same spirit, Christians cannot pass laws in this country based on their interpretation of the Bible. Just because one’s religion tells him that homosexuality is a bad concept does not mean he can pass laws discriminating against gays and lesbians.
That is, unless he can prove that the public good is preserved by such laws.
Therefore, in order to prove that gays and lesbians should not have any protection of laws, so-called "pro-family" organizations have created a written and oral pattern of deception that is not only blatant in its attempts but shameful in its audacity. In their zeal to prove the worst about the gay community, the anti-gay industry runs roughshod over science and truth. They have created a houses of pseudo-scientific studies based on distortions, lies, headless monsters, and legitimate studies taken out of context , which are then pushed by fake experts, Ph.D.s, conservative columnists and bloggers, and ignorant people of faith all willing to sacrifice their integrity on the altar of an alleged higher calling.
And to make matters worse, they work to undermine credible information that has proven time and time again that their ideas of the gay community are fallacies.
And the effects of their propaganda campaign can only be described as damaging.
Children who tell their parents they are gay are being kicked out of their homes or shipped to "reparative therapy" camps where they are supposed to be transformed into heterosexuals because Concerned Women for America has "research" that says that homosexuality is a "destructive lifestyle."
Legislation that would keep gays safe from job-discrimination face the accusation that it is just a backdoor way to force acceptance for the "homosexual agenda" because the Family Research Council has "research" that says so.
Schools across the country are ignoring the well-being of gay students in that they are not allowed to mention the word "homosexual" in sex education classes because Timothy Dailey, Robert Knight, or Peter LaBarbera has "research" that says homosexuals are coming into schools to indoctrinate the next generation and cause them to become infected with diseases like "gay bowel syndrome."
These so-called "pro-family" organizations are using phony statistics and half truths almost on a daily basis in attempts to defeat pro gay laws, deny gay children the right to form support groups, to hinder correct safe sex information from being made public, and any other way they feel they can stop the so-called gay agenda; an agenda that does not exist.
I have always believed that the truth in every situation will come out. I also believe in sometimes giving that truth a little nudge to the light.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Paul Cameron, the anti-gay industry and pedophilia
One of the charges I make consistently in my book is that when the anti-gay industry are not using discredited researcher Paul Cameron's work, they copy his bad tactics or his outrageous theories.
Nowhere proves this more than in the subject of gays and pedophilia. Cameron believes the theory that if a man molests a boy then that man is automatically gay. Bear in mind that he distorted a study by Dr. A. Nicholas Groth to prove his theory and Groth complained vehemently about the misusage of his work. (see earlier post)
Unfortunately, as this May 4, 2005 letter to the editor to the Wall Street Journal, Cameron still believes his theory to be accurate:
“When the perpetrator and the victim are of the same sex, you are looking at a homosexual perpetrator. (When the victim is of the opposite sex, there is some uncertainty because homosexuals often molest children of both sexes) . . . Most people understand that a thief is someone who steals. Even though he loudly proclaims his honesty, a man is known by his actions. . . . Action trumps claims. Likewise , to most of us . . . a homosexual is someone who has sex with his own sex. Whether he’s married, also has sex with women, etc. - - if he has sex with boys or men, he’s a homosexual. Action trump claims.”- (Paul) Cameron responds to ‘Numbers Guy’, The Wall Street Journal, May 4, 2005
But other more credible researchers have said just the opposite. American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Academy of Child Psychiatrists and the Child Welfare League of America, all say that the homosexuality and pedophilia are not linked.
However, this means nothing to members of the anti-gay industry. When having to decide between credible research and research that caters to their religious beliefs about the "evils" of homosexuality, so-called "pro family groups" pick Cameron every time:
"The ‘gay agenda’ targets children. They’re luring kids into homosexual behavior. There is a strong undercurrent of pedophilia in the homosexual subculture." – Robert Knight, Rolling Stone, March, 18, 1999
Homosexual activists, of course, have created a propaganda tool that helps them avoid taking the blame for same-sex molestations. Whenever a boy is molested by a man, homosexuals label him a “pedophile,” which is supposedly distinct from homosexuality. This propaganda technique has blinded many journalists and academics to the truth: A person who molests a same-sex child is a homosexual. - Lou Sheldon, Big Brothers-Big Sisters Organization Faces Homosexual Child Molester Threat
"If he's (a man) into molesting boys, that's homosexual behavior. It's academic nonsense to talk about these people as heterosexuals.” Peter LaBarbera, Homosexuals more likely to molest kids, study reports, BP News, May 30, 2001
“Most cases of sexual abuse of children and adolescents involve boys being assaulted by men. This is by definition 'homosexual' since it involves same sex sexual abuse.” - Linda P. Harvey, Homosexual Agenda Escalates in Public Schools, June 21, 2001
And one more thing: while the quotes may be old, some even over five years old, none of these people or organizations have gone on record changing their positions.
I never knew Jesus approved of lying.
One of the charges I make consistently in my book is that when the anti-gay industry are not using discredited researcher Paul Cameron's work, they copy his bad tactics or his outrageous theories.
Nowhere proves this more than in the subject of gays and pedophilia. Cameron believes the theory that if a man molests a boy then that man is automatically gay. Bear in mind that he distorted a study by Dr. A. Nicholas Groth to prove his theory and Groth complained vehemently about the misusage of his work. (see earlier post)
Unfortunately, as this May 4, 2005 letter to the editor to the Wall Street Journal, Cameron still believes his theory to be accurate:
“When the perpetrator and the victim are of the same sex, you are looking at a homosexual perpetrator. (When the victim is of the opposite sex, there is some uncertainty because homosexuals often molest children of both sexes) . . . Most people understand that a thief is someone who steals. Even though he loudly proclaims his honesty, a man is known by his actions. . . . Action trumps claims. Likewise , to most of us . . . a homosexual is someone who has sex with his own sex. Whether he’s married, also has sex with women, etc. - - if he has sex with boys or men, he’s a homosexual. Action trump claims.”- (Paul) Cameron responds to ‘Numbers Guy’, The Wall Street Journal, May 4, 2005
But other more credible researchers have said just the opposite. American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Academy of Child Psychiatrists and the Child Welfare League of America, all say that the homosexuality and pedophilia are not linked.
However, this means nothing to members of the anti-gay industry. When having to decide between credible research and research that caters to their religious beliefs about the "evils" of homosexuality, so-called "pro family groups" pick Cameron every time:
"The ‘gay agenda’ targets children. They’re luring kids into homosexual behavior. There is a strong undercurrent of pedophilia in the homosexual subculture." – Robert Knight, Rolling Stone, March, 18, 1999
Homosexual activists, of course, have created a propaganda tool that helps them avoid taking the blame for same-sex molestations. Whenever a boy is molested by a man, homosexuals label him a “pedophile,” which is supposedly distinct from homosexuality. This propaganda technique has blinded many journalists and academics to the truth: A person who molests a same-sex child is a homosexual. - Lou Sheldon, Big Brothers-Big Sisters Organization Faces Homosexual Child Molester Threat
"If he's (a man) into molesting boys, that's homosexual behavior. It's academic nonsense to talk about these people as heterosexuals.” Peter LaBarbera, Homosexuals more likely to molest kids, study reports, BP News, May 30, 2001
“Most cases of sexual abuse of children and adolescents involve boys being assaulted by men. This is by definition 'homosexual' since it involves same sex sexual abuse.” - Linda P. Harvey, Homosexual Agenda Escalates in Public Schools, June 21, 2001
And one more thing: while the quotes may be old, some even over five years old, none of these people or organizations have gone on record changing their positions.
I never knew Jesus approved of lying.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
The anti-gay industry can't stop lying
An article in Friday's Agape Press demonstrates yet again the tendency for so-called "pro family groups" and their cohorts to spread propaganda about the gay community.
Agape Press is yet another tentacle of the anti-gay industry. This so called "news source" is an extension of Tim Wildmon's American Family Association and is another place where the anti-gay industry can spread lies about the gay community unchallenged.
This Friday's article, Surveys Reveal Sex Practices of Homosexuals (http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/152006g.asp) claims that a sex survey in the August 15, 2006 edition of The Advocate reveals that "the homosexual lifestyle continues to be plagued by promiscuity and unsafe sexual practices."
First of all, a sex survey in one magazine cannot be taken to be indicative of an entire community. I for one did not fill out the survey and I know that many others didn't. So what does that say about us?
But the use of sex surveys in order to demonize the entire gay community is an old canard of the anti-gay industry. Our friend Paul Cameron used a sex survey as one of his cites of information in his refuted piece, Child Molestation and Homosexuality.
The survey Cameron used was a book published in 1979, The Gay Report. Now according to the webpage Box Turtle Bulletin (linked below):
"The Gay Report was modeled after many other informal sex surveys which were popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Magazines like Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and Playboy often conducted reader surveys."
In fact, 2,500 of the survey answers from The Gay Report came from a gay pornographic magazine, Blueboy.
Gay pornographic magazines cannot be considered as indicative of the gay community any more than Hustler magazine can be considered as indicative of the heterosexual community.
And andendum to this is the fact that the Traditional Values Coalition continues to claim that the The Gay Report is indicative of the gay community - i.e. The Gay Report: A Survey of Homosexual Sexual Habits. - http://traditionalvalues.org/pdf_files/GayReport.pdf
But more about that later.
My segueway into the history of the anti-gay industry using sex surveys to demonize the gay community was to show that when so-called "pro family" groups do not cite Cameron by name, they copy his bad research tactics.
As it is, Agape Press's usage of the sex survey from the Advocate is filled with distortions that can only be meant as intentional.
For example, look at this quote from the article:
"The poll found that 20 percent of homosexuals said they had had 51-300 different sex partners in their lifetime, with an additional 8 percent having had more than 300."
This is true but the way Agape Press cited the survey findings in this case was a misrepresentation.
The original question was:
"During your lifetime, how many different same-sex partners have you had sex with?"
The 51-300 range given by Agape Press is actually a combination of different answers. The original answers were:
9.92 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 51-100 sexual partners
9.58 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 101-300
Agape Press combined these two totals to make a 20 percent figure.
These other answers were ommitted:
5.6 percent of gays and lesbians said they had no sexual partners
6.95 percent of gays and lesbians said they had one sexual partner
20.24 percent of gays and lesbians said they had two to five sexual partners.
12.72 percent of gays and lesbians said they had six to 10 sexual partners
12.18 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 11 to 20 sexual partners
14.4 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 21-50 sexual partners.
Now if I used the same tactic that Agape Press used to garner its 20 percent figure, then I could say that a very large percent of gays and lesbians have a low promiscuity rate (0-50 partners in a lifetime.)
Another distortion is as follows:
"A survey in Ireland by the Gay Men's Health Project found that almost half of homosexuals said they were having unprotected sex.
The Advocate survey seemed to underscore that. It found that 55 percent of homosexuals said they never (20%), occasionally (10%) or usually (25%) practiced so-called "safer sex."
Agape Press does not give any more information regarding the Ireland survey. And of course the attempt to connect the Advocate survey to this is another distortion.
The actual survey question was "how often do you practice safe sex."
The answers given was as follows:
19.93 percent of gay and lesbians said never
44.65 percent of gays and lesbians said always
10.35 percent of gays and lesbians said occasionally
25.06 percent of gays and lesbians said usually.
So we see that Agape Press combined three of the survey answers to get its total. When the answers stand alone, the great majority of gays and lesbians say that they are practicing safe sex.
Now in its zeal to demonize the gay commuity, Agape Press omitted the following findings:
81.96 percent of gays and lesbians said they would get married if same sex marriage was legalized.
If having to choose, 84.18 percent of gays and lesbians would live without sex rather than living without love.
65.03 percent of gays and lesbians said they never visit bathhouses, sex clubs, sex parties, or backrooms. The answer with the second highest total in that category was "rarely" -17.20 percent.
Two points are obvious from the Advocate sex survey: gays and lesbians are not as sexually wild as people think and members of the anti-gay industry seem to never miss an opportunity to make life harder for us.
An article in Friday's Agape Press demonstrates yet again the tendency for so-called "pro family groups" and their cohorts to spread propaganda about the gay community.
Agape Press is yet another tentacle of the anti-gay industry. This so called "news source" is an extension of Tim Wildmon's American Family Association and is another place where the anti-gay industry can spread lies about the gay community unchallenged.
This Friday's article, Surveys Reveal Sex Practices of Homosexuals (http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/152006g.asp) claims that a sex survey in the August 15, 2006 edition of The Advocate reveals that "the homosexual lifestyle continues to be plagued by promiscuity and unsafe sexual practices."
First of all, a sex survey in one magazine cannot be taken to be indicative of an entire community. I for one did not fill out the survey and I know that many others didn't. So what does that say about us?
But the use of sex surveys in order to demonize the entire gay community is an old canard of the anti-gay industry. Our friend Paul Cameron used a sex survey as one of his cites of information in his refuted piece, Child Molestation and Homosexuality.
The survey Cameron used was a book published in 1979, The Gay Report. Now according to the webpage Box Turtle Bulletin (linked below):
"The Gay Report was modeled after many other informal sex surveys which were popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Magazines like Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and Playboy often conducted reader surveys."
In fact, 2,500 of the survey answers from The Gay Report came from a gay pornographic magazine, Blueboy.
Gay pornographic magazines cannot be considered as indicative of the gay community any more than Hustler magazine can be considered as indicative of the heterosexual community.
And andendum to this is the fact that the Traditional Values Coalition continues to claim that the The Gay Report is indicative of the gay community - i.e. The Gay Report: A Survey of Homosexual Sexual Habits. - http://traditionalvalues.org/pdf_files/GayReport.pdf
But more about that later.
My segueway into the history of the anti-gay industry using sex surveys to demonize the gay community was to show that when so-called "pro family" groups do not cite Cameron by name, they copy his bad research tactics.
As it is, Agape Press's usage of the sex survey from the Advocate is filled with distortions that can only be meant as intentional.
For example, look at this quote from the article:
"The poll found that 20 percent of homosexuals said they had had 51-300 different sex partners in their lifetime, with an additional 8 percent having had more than 300."
This is true but the way Agape Press cited the survey findings in this case was a misrepresentation.
The original question was:
"During your lifetime, how many different same-sex partners have you had sex with?"
The 51-300 range given by Agape Press is actually a combination of different answers. The original answers were:
9.92 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 51-100 sexual partners
9.58 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 101-300
Agape Press combined these two totals to make a 20 percent figure.
These other answers were ommitted:
5.6 percent of gays and lesbians said they had no sexual partners
6.95 percent of gays and lesbians said they had one sexual partner
20.24 percent of gays and lesbians said they had two to five sexual partners.
12.72 percent of gays and lesbians said they had six to 10 sexual partners
12.18 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 11 to 20 sexual partners
14.4 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 21-50 sexual partners.
Now if I used the same tactic that Agape Press used to garner its 20 percent figure, then I could say that a very large percent of gays and lesbians have a low promiscuity rate (0-50 partners in a lifetime.)
Another distortion is as follows:
"A survey in Ireland by the Gay Men's Health Project found that almost half of homosexuals said they were having unprotected sex.
The Advocate survey seemed to underscore that. It found that 55 percent of homosexuals said they never (20%), occasionally (10%) or usually (25%) practiced so-called "safer sex."
Agape Press does not give any more information regarding the Ireland survey. And of course the attempt to connect the Advocate survey to this is another distortion.
The actual survey question was "how often do you practice safe sex."
The answers given was as follows:
19.93 percent of gay and lesbians said never
44.65 percent of gays and lesbians said always
10.35 percent of gays and lesbians said occasionally
25.06 percent of gays and lesbians said usually.
So we see that Agape Press combined three of the survey answers to get its total. When the answers stand alone, the great majority of gays and lesbians say that they are practicing safe sex.
Now in its zeal to demonize the gay commuity, Agape Press omitted the following findings:
81.96 percent of gays and lesbians said they would get married if same sex marriage was legalized.
If having to choose, 84.18 percent of gays and lesbians would live without sex rather than living without love.
65.03 percent of gays and lesbians said they never visit bathhouses, sex clubs, sex parties, or backrooms. The answer with the second highest total in that category was "rarely" -17.20 percent.
Two points are obvious from the Advocate sex survey: gays and lesbians are not as sexually wild as people think and members of the anti-gay industry seem to never miss an opportunity to make life harder for us.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Dire Consequences or the lie of the "War on Christians"
Members of the anti-gay industry are now claiming that churches and pastors will soon find their religious freedoms in jeopardy for speaking against homosexuality -http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/14/ap/politics/mainD8K4PFTO3.shtml
What a load of garbage.
Even though the article did not speak to someone with a differing point of view, the author did acknowledge that this ploy is just a way for so-called "pro family" groups to galvanize voters against marriage equality.
For lack of a better phrase, it is the Dire Consequences tactic. The Dire Consequences claim is a reliable ploy in the arsenal of the anti-gay industry. When they can't sway people with logic, they play the "they are out to get us because we are Christians" card.
I devote an entire chapter of my upcoming book on this tactic. I think it is very appropriate to feature an excerpt from it:
One of the most effective tactics of the anti-gay industry is to claim that pro-gay laws will lead to dire consequences. They say that laws created to protect gays would either a: cause homosexuality to be “forced” on everyone, particularly children or b: cause those who supposedly speak out against homosexuality to be jailed. Possible coercion by an “aggressive homosexual lobby” is a constant theme in all their data.
The “dire consequences” argument is an old fear tactic that was used in other battles. Just as white racists claimed that any elimination of Jim Crow laws would lead to mixed couples and “mongrelization,” the anti-gay industry claim that any law or ordinance that protect gays and lesbians from discrimination or give them any form of visibility is a capitulation that would lead America down a pathway to destruction.
The anti-gay industry constantly raise the notion that creating law protecting the interests of gays and lesbians will lead to negative consequences, but it hardly ever provide actual proof as to the validity of the charges. Rather, so-called “pro family” groups use illogical leaping. In chapter three I talked about how Paul Cameron used his “research” to accuse the state of California of not only “sanctioning” homosexuality but also exposing many to the AIDS virus by hiring a gay professor at one of its universities. Cameron made this accusation without any proof that the professor had HIV. He made an illogical connection. Just because the professor may have been hired does not mean that the state of California was “sanctioning” his homosexuality. For that matter, just because the professor was openly gay did not mean he was HIV positive.
In this same manner so-called “pro family” groups create the same illogical leap to form the same incorrect conclusions. They claim that laws protection gays and lesbians from discrimination or that would afford the community visibility would lead to all sorts of bad consequences. Then they list some of the most extreme examples of what could happen while not giving any evidence as to how the hypothetical events would take place. For example:
“ Few public officials and businessmen realize that when they allow the addition of “sexual orientation” to their nondiscrimination codes, they are tying their own hands when it comes to objecting to:
A man in a highly visible sales job coming to work in a dress and high heels;
A woman in a highly visible position coming to work in men’s clothes;
A person of indeterminate sex who insists on using either the men’s room or the women’s room;
A person of either sex who indulges a taste for extreme sexual promiscuity and pornography during working hours despite being charged with representing the company’s tone and character;
A man who frequents prostitutes while on business trips and claims that it is none of the company’s business, regardless of the company’s public image.” - Why Nashville Should Reject the ‘Sexual Orientation’ Law, Robert Knight, March 4, 2003
Members of the anti-gay industry are now claiming that churches and pastors will soon find their religious freedoms in jeopardy for speaking against homosexuality -http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/14/ap/politics/mainD8K4PFTO3.shtml
What a load of garbage.
Even though the article did not speak to someone with a differing point of view, the author did acknowledge that this ploy is just a way for so-called "pro family" groups to galvanize voters against marriage equality.
For lack of a better phrase, it is the Dire Consequences tactic. The Dire Consequences claim is a reliable ploy in the arsenal of the anti-gay industry. When they can't sway people with logic, they play the "they are out to get us because we are Christians" card.
I devote an entire chapter of my upcoming book on this tactic. I think it is very appropriate to feature an excerpt from it:
One of the most effective tactics of the anti-gay industry is to claim that pro-gay laws will lead to dire consequences. They say that laws created to protect gays would either a: cause homosexuality to be “forced” on everyone, particularly children or b: cause those who supposedly speak out against homosexuality to be jailed. Possible coercion by an “aggressive homosexual lobby” is a constant theme in all their data.
The “dire consequences” argument is an old fear tactic that was used in other battles. Just as white racists claimed that any elimination of Jim Crow laws would lead to mixed couples and “mongrelization,” the anti-gay industry claim that any law or ordinance that protect gays and lesbians from discrimination or give them any form of visibility is a capitulation that would lead America down a pathway to destruction.
The anti-gay industry constantly raise the notion that creating law protecting the interests of gays and lesbians will lead to negative consequences, but it hardly ever provide actual proof as to the validity of the charges. Rather, so-called “pro family” groups use illogical leaping. In chapter three I talked about how Paul Cameron used his “research” to accuse the state of California of not only “sanctioning” homosexuality but also exposing many to the AIDS virus by hiring a gay professor at one of its universities. Cameron made this accusation without any proof that the professor had HIV. He made an illogical connection. Just because the professor may have been hired does not mean that the state of California was “sanctioning” his homosexuality. For that matter, just because the professor was openly gay did not mean he was HIV positive.
In this same manner so-called “pro family” groups create the same illogical leap to form the same incorrect conclusions. They claim that laws protection gays and lesbians from discrimination or that would afford the community visibility would lead to all sorts of bad consequences. Then they list some of the most extreme examples of what could happen while not giving any evidence as to how the hypothetical events would take place. For example:
“ Few public officials and businessmen realize that when they allow the addition of “sexual orientation” to their nondiscrimination codes, they are tying their own hands when it comes to objecting to:
A man in a highly visible sales job coming to work in a dress and high heels;
A woman in a highly visible position coming to work in men’s clothes;
A person of indeterminate sex who insists on using either the men’s room or the women’s room;
A person of either sex who indulges a taste for extreme sexual promiscuity and pornography during working hours despite being charged with representing the company’s tone and character;
A man who frequents prostitutes while on business trips and claims that it is none of the company’s business, regardless of the company’s public image.” - Why Nashville Should Reject the ‘Sexual Orientation’ Law, Robert Knight, March 4, 2003
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Permeation of Lies
It is extremely important to expose the anti-gay industry. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few, the mainstream gay advocacy groups don't seem to devote that much energy with putting people like Dobson, LaBarbera, and Sheldon on the defensive. They seem to be busy with "winning the hearts and minds" of America.
While "winning hearts and minds" and taking the high road per see is a good thing, ignoring your enemy when they take shots at you could be very detrimental.
Especially when the ammunition is as bad as the studies the anti-gay industry uses to demonize us.
Maybe we need more Genghises than Gandhis
A perfect example is the following press release I wrote detailing how the anti-gay industry is using the "Day of Truth" event to get school children to spread propaganda about the gay community:
‘Day of Truth’ or ‘Day of Lies?’
Religious right organizations continue to lie in order to demonize the gay community
It is extremely important to expose the anti-gay industry. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few, the mainstream gay advocacy groups don't seem to devote that much energy with putting people like Dobson, LaBarbera, and Sheldon on the defensive. They seem to be busy with "winning the hearts and minds" of America.
While "winning hearts and minds" and taking the high road per see is a good thing, ignoring your enemy when they take shots at you could be very detrimental.
Especially when the ammunition is as bad as the studies the anti-gay industry uses to demonize us.
Maybe we need more Genghises than Gandhis
A perfect example is the following press release I wrote detailing how the anti-gay industry is using the "Day of Truth" event to get school children to spread propaganda about the gay community:
‘Day of Truth’ or ‘Day of Lies?’
Religious right organizations continue to lie in order to demonize the gay community
April 20, 2006 --According to the Allied Defense Fund and other so-called "pro family" groups, the "Day of Truth" is created to counter the success of GLSEN’s "Day of Silence" and to tell supposed truths about homosexuality.
Apparently truth to the Allied Defense Fund means passing out incorrect information about the gay community.
"The information they are giving out that supposedly tells the truth about homosexuality are nothing but lies," said researcher Alvin McEwen.
McEwen has studied so-called "pro family" studies and research papers pertaining to the gay community. He claims to have found a pattern of deception. According to him, the information those supporting "Day of Truth" are giving out is no different.
They also invite people to give out this information during the "Day of Truth."
McEwen points to a handout offered on the "Day of Truth" webpage entitled The Ten Big Myths of Homosexual Behavior:
"homosexual behavior are at much higher risk for many sexually transmitted diseases, including not just HIV, but also syphilis, gonorrhea, human papilloma virus (HPV), hepatitis, chlamydia, and a whole group of infections called "gay bowel syndrome."
"Gay bowel syndrome" is an obsolete medical term that is no longer used by any credible physician. According to an April 8, 2005 edition of the Washington Blade, the Centers for Disease Control does not even recognize the term.
In another handout, Homosexuality FAQ Sheet, is the following charge:
"The Centers for Disease Control have found that 60 percent of new cases of HIV infection are men who have had sex with men, and also that the number of homosexual men who admittedly neglect to use condoms is rising. Homosexual victims of AIDS, they found, had an average 1,100 sexual partners in their lifetimes. They estimated that 30 percent of 20-year-old homosexual men will be HIV positive or dead before they reach their thirtieth birthday."
"There are so many inaccuracies in that statement," McEwen said. "The main thing is that the gay lifespan claim is a lie."
McEwen points to an article in the June 17, 2005 edition of the Washington Blade. In this article, Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention told the newspaper:
"[The CDC] does not collect statistics on the lifespan of gay men. While gay men continue to be severely impacted by HIV and AIDS, AIDS-related death data cannot be used to indicate that homosexual men live shorter lives than heterosexual men overall."
"The anti-gay industry are like cockroaches." McEwen said. "For every lie that they tell that you spot, there are probably five others you didn’t see. The sad thing is that well meaning people of faith, especially children, are going to repeat these lies."
McEwen points to a handout offered on the "Day of Truth" webpage entitled The Ten Big Myths of Homosexual Behavior:
"homosexual behavior are at much higher risk for many sexually transmitted diseases, including not just HIV, but also syphilis, gonorrhea, human papilloma virus (HPV), hepatitis, chlamydia, and a whole group of infections called "gay bowel syndrome."
"Gay bowel syndrome" is an obsolete medical term that is no longer used by any credible physician. According to an April 8, 2005 edition of the Washington Blade, the Centers for Disease Control does not even recognize the term.
In another handout, Homosexuality FAQ Sheet, is the following charge:
"The Centers for Disease Control have found that 60 percent of new cases of HIV infection are men who have had sex with men, and also that the number of homosexual men who admittedly neglect to use condoms is rising. Homosexual victims of AIDS, they found, had an average 1,100 sexual partners in their lifetimes. They estimated that 30 percent of 20-year-old homosexual men will be HIV positive or dead before they reach their thirtieth birthday."
"There are so many inaccuracies in that statement," McEwen said. "The main thing is that the gay lifespan claim is a lie."
McEwen points to an article in the June 17, 2005 edition of the Washington Blade. In this article, Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention told the newspaper:
"[The CDC] does not collect statistics on the lifespan of gay men. While gay men continue to be severely impacted by HIV and AIDS, AIDS-related death data cannot be used to indicate that homosexual men live shorter lives than heterosexual men overall."
"The anti-gay industry are like cockroaches." McEwen said. "For every lie that they tell that you spot, there are probably five others you didn’t see. The sad thing is that well meaning people of faith, especially children, are going to repeat these lies."
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Paul Cameron, the Traditional Values Coalition, a little game that I like to call "Time Line"
Paul Cameron is a controversial "researcher," who has provided the anti-gay industry with much of its propaganda.
He has also been censured countless times for the misuse of his colleagues' work - http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_cameron.html
Paul Cameron is useful to people like Peter LaBarbera, Robert Knight, Lou Sheldon, and James Dobson because of the lies he tells. Even when they repudiate his work, the anti-gay industry still finds him useful:
July 31, 2005
"(Paul)Cameron's work is controversial even among conservative groups. For example, the Traditional Values Coalition claims to speak for 43,000 churches. For three years, the coalition has quoted Cameron's studies on its website in an article headlined, ''Report Shows Homosexual Foster Parents Apt To Molest Children," and has told its membership to 'read and distribute Dr. Cameron's report.'
But when The Boston Globe asked the Traditional Values Coalition last week about Cameron, the group responded within minutes by removing all references to Cameron from its website. The group's spokeswoman, Daniella Lopez, said Cameron's research had been ''mistakenly" put on the website." - Beliefs Drive Research Agenda of Think Tanks, The Boston Globe
March 31, 2006
I order a copy of Traditional Values Coalition head Lou Sheldon's The Agenda. One of the passages from The Agenda is as follows:
"In 1993 and 1994, Dr. Paul Cameron conducted an important study of the mortality rates of homosexuals . . . what he found ws that the median age of death was the late thirties for those who acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). For those who had not developed AIDS, the median age of death was only slightly longer, in their early forties."
September 12
While The Agenda was published before the Boston Globe interview, neither Sheldon nor his organization has made any type of public comment regarding the usage of Cameron's work in The Agenda. Nor is it known whether or not the Traditional Values Coalition issued any type of recall of The Agenda.
September 12
The report, Exposed:Homosexual Child Molesters, remains on the Traditional Values Coalition webpage. The report contains these two passages:
“Drs. Freund and Heasman of the Clark Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto reviewed two studies on child molesters and calculated that 34% and 32% of sex offenders were homosexual. In cases these doctors handled, 36% of the molesters were homosexual.”
“In 1987, Dr. Stephen Rubin of Whitman College conducted a ten-state study of sex abuse cases involving school teachers. He studied 199 cases. Of those, 122 male teachers had molested girls, while 14 female teachers had molested boys. He also discovered that 59 homosexual male teachers had molested boys and female homosexual teachers had molested girls. In other words, 32 percent of those child molestation cases involved homosexuals. Nearly a third of these cases come from 1-2 percent of the population.”
Now check out these two passages from Paul Cameron's study, Child Molestation and Homosexuality:
“Drs. Freund and Heasman of the Clark Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto reviewed two sizeable studies and calculated that 34% and 32% of the offenders against children were homosexual. In cases they had personally handled, homosexuals accounted for 36% of their 457 pedophiles"
“In 1987, Dr. Stephen Rubin, associate professor of psychology at Whitman College, conducted a 10 state survey and found 199 sexual abuse cases involving teachers. 122 male teachers had abused female pupils and 14 female teachers had abused male students. In 59 cases, however, male teachers had abused male pupils and in 4 cases, female teachers had abused female students (overall 32% were homosexual).”
To paraphrase Rod Serling, "nothing more to be said here."
Paul Cameron is a controversial "researcher," who has provided the anti-gay industry with much of its propaganda.
He has also been censured countless times for the misuse of his colleagues' work - http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_cameron.html
Paul Cameron is useful to people like Peter LaBarbera, Robert Knight, Lou Sheldon, and James Dobson because of the lies he tells. Even when they repudiate his work, the anti-gay industry still finds him useful:
July 31, 2005
"(Paul)Cameron's work is controversial even among conservative groups. For example, the Traditional Values Coalition claims to speak for 43,000 churches. For three years, the coalition has quoted Cameron's studies on its website in an article headlined, ''Report Shows Homosexual Foster Parents Apt To Molest Children," and has told its membership to 'read and distribute Dr. Cameron's report.'
But when The Boston Globe asked the Traditional Values Coalition last week about Cameron, the group responded within minutes by removing all references to Cameron from its website. The group's spokeswoman, Daniella Lopez, said Cameron's research had been ''mistakenly" put on the website." - Beliefs Drive Research Agenda of Think Tanks, The Boston Globe
March 31, 2006
I order a copy of Traditional Values Coalition head Lou Sheldon's The Agenda. One of the passages from The Agenda is as follows:
"In 1993 and 1994, Dr. Paul Cameron conducted an important study of the mortality rates of homosexuals . . . what he found ws that the median age of death was the late thirties for those who acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). For those who had not developed AIDS, the median age of death was only slightly longer, in their early forties."
September 12
While The Agenda was published before the Boston Globe interview, neither Sheldon nor his organization has made any type of public comment regarding the usage of Cameron's work in The Agenda. Nor is it known whether or not the Traditional Values Coalition issued any type of recall of The Agenda.
September 12
The report, Exposed:Homosexual Child Molesters, remains on the Traditional Values Coalition webpage. The report contains these two passages:
“Drs. Freund and Heasman of the Clark Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto reviewed two studies on child molesters and calculated that 34% and 32% of sex offenders were homosexual. In cases these doctors handled, 36% of the molesters were homosexual.”
“In 1987, Dr. Stephen Rubin of Whitman College conducted a ten-state study of sex abuse cases involving school teachers. He studied 199 cases. Of those, 122 male teachers had molested girls, while 14 female teachers had molested boys. He also discovered that 59 homosexual male teachers had molested boys and female homosexual teachers had molested girls. In other words, 32 percent of those child molestation cases involved homosexuals. Nearly a third of these cases come from 1-2 percent of the population.”
Now check out these two passages from Paul Cameron's study, Child Molestation and Homosexuality:
“Drs. Freund and Heasman of the Clark Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto reviewed two sizeable studies and calculated that 34% and 32% of the offenders against children were homosexual. In cases they had personally handled, homosexuals accounted for 36% of their 457 pedophiles"
“In 1987, Dr. Stephen Rubin, associate professor of psychology at Whitman College, conducted a 10 state survey and found 199 sexual abuse cases involving teachers. 122 male teachers had abused female pupils and 14 female teachers had abused male students. In 59 cases, however, male teachers had abused male pupils and in 4 cases, female teachers had abused female students (overall 32% were homosexual).”
To paraphrase Rod Serling, "nothing more to be said here."
Monday, September 11, 2006
More on Timothy Dailey
Yesterday's revelation that Peter LaBarbera used a bad fallacy about the gay men and pedophilia via Family Research Council member Timothy Dailey only scratches the surface.
Throwing out lies against the gay community is not a new thing to Mr. Dailey. Dailey has spread negative propaganda about the gay community on many instances and every time he has taken the guise of a concerned Ph.D. when doing it.
Dailey has a Ph.D. in religion. With all due respect, he should have a Ph.D. in lying.
A perfect example is a study he created entitled Comparing the Lifestyles of Homosexual Couples to Married Couples (http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IS04C02).
Yesterday's revelation that Peter LaBarbera used a bad fallacy about the gay men and pedophilia via Family Research Council member Timothy Dailey only scratches the surface.
Throwing out lies against the gay community is not a new thing to Mr. Dailey. Dailey has spread negative propaganda about the gay community on many instances and every time he has taken the guise of a concerned Ph.D. when doing it.
Dailey has a Ph.D. in religion. With all due respect, he should have a Ph.D. in lying.
A perfect example is a study he created entitled Comparing the Lifestyles of Homosexual Couples to Married Couples (http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IS04C02).
If there is one example of this study that proves Dailey's shoddy work and lack of credibility, it has to be in the portion where he compares the promiscuity levels of gay and straight couples.
Let me break it down in a nutshell for you:
Dailey’s theory - Homosexual couples are less monogamous than heterosexual married couples
Dailey’s examples of married heterosexual couples:
A nationally representative survey of 884 men and 1,288 women published in the Journal of Sex Research in 1997
Another 1997 national survey appearing in the Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States
A telephone survey conducted for Parade magazine of 1,049 adults selected to represent the demographic characteristics of the United States published in 1994.
Dailey’s examples of homosexual couples:
A Dutch study of gay men in steady and casual partnerships in the Netherlands. The researcher, Dr. Maria Xiridou, took her data for this study from the Amsterdam Cohort Studies (ACS). The ACS collected data between the years of 1984-2000. http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,003.htm
(One more thing: same-sex marriage was legalized in the Netherlands in 2001)
Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity Among Men and Women, published in 1979. The authors of the study, Bell and Weinberg went on record saying that their study was not indicative of all gay couples. Their exact words, which is included in the book are: ". . . given the variety of circumstances which discourage homosexuals from participating in research studies, it is unlike that any investigator will ever be in a position to say that this or that is true of a given percentage of all homosexuals."
A study of the sexual profiles of 2,583 older homosexuals published in the Journal of Sex Research published in 1997. The study included homosexual men in other countries. More than three quarters of men were born in Australia or New Zealand (78.1%), a high number of the men were from United Kingdom or elsewhere in Europe (19.5%) and a small percentage of men surveyed were from other countries (Asia, Africa, Oceania, North, Central or South America - 2.3%).
A survey conducted by gay magazine Genre. Dailey did not study the results himself, but received them from a web page created by your friend and mine, Peter LaBarbera.
Dailey is clearly creating piecemeal trash.
In the first place, the Dutch study is not a fair comparison with any the three examples used for heterosexual couples because the data was collected over a span of 16 years (for gays who were not even married or counted as monogamous) in contrast with a span of one year (married heterosexual couples).
Also, all surveys for heterosexual couples originated in the United States, while the studies featuring gays were mostly from other countries. Lesbians are not even included.
The truly sad thing is that these studies are repeated by other so-called "pro family" groups and supporters as proof of the "abnormality" of the gay community.
How sad indeed.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
What exactly is a "headless monster?"
Peter LaBarbera shows us the way
I had no intention of posting today but I saw something that must be brought to everyone's attention.
Peter LaBarbera considers himself a "pro family" activist but it would seem that he is consumed with talking about what he feels is the worst in the gay community. Apparently he feels that negative images in the gay community are indicative of the entire community at large. This is much like how a member of the Ku Klux Klan would feel that any African-American who is a criminal is indicative of the Black community at large.
In Peter's zeal, he has created a site entitled "Americans for Truth." The name of the site is pretty ironic because truth is not what Peter is after.
A good friend of mine, Joe Brummer (his site is linked below) has demonstrated Peter's desire to stigmatize the gay community with propaganda.
On the site Americans for Truth, Peter features a piece written by Family Research Council member Timothy Dailey entitled Homosexuality and Child Abuse. This piece pushes the theory that gays molest children at a higher level because:
a. a majority of pedophiles are male
b. a majority of child molestation victims are male
Therefore, gay men are molesting children at a higher rate.
WRONG!
Now Joe deconstructs Dailey's lies perfectly with credible information but I want to get a little taste of this argument because of several facts that I want to make people aware of regarding Dailey's study.
In the first place, Dailey got into trouble for his study. Apparently, he distorted a legitimate study to come to his conclusion. You see, Dailey's theory has an unsavory beginning.
His theory that gay men molest children at high rate is not original. It was first thought of by a man by the name of Paul Cameron.
Many of us know about Cameron and his lies. He has been censored numerous times by medical organizations for misusing his colleagues' work.
One person whose work he misused was Dr. A. Nicholas Groth.
Groth, director of the Sex Offender Program at the Connecticut Department of Corrections, complained to the Nebraska Board of Examiners of Psychologists about Cameron’s usage of his work. Groth said:
“(Cameron) misrepresents my findings and distorts them to advance his homophobic views. I make a very clear distinction in my writing between pedophilia and homosexuality, noting that adult males who sexually victimize young boys are either pedophilic or heterosexual, and that in my research I have not found homosexual men turning away from adult partners to children. . . I consider this totally unprofessional behavior on the part of Dr. Cameron and I want to bring this to your attention. He disgraces his profession." - http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,010.htm
In 1978, Groth had interviewed 175 men who had been convicted of child molestation in Massachusetts. He found that none of them had an exclusively homosexual relationship. They were either exclusively heterosexual, a bisexual with a predominantly heterosexual orientation, or a fixated pedophile with no sexual interest in adults
Furthermore, Groth had said that homosexuality and pedophilia are not related:
"...(I)t is a faulty assumption that if an adult male selects a young boy as his victim, his sexual orientation is homosexual. We found that some (73, or 49%) offenders responded exclusively to children---boys, girls, or both---and showed no interest in adults or age-mates for sexual gratification. These men were pedophile in the true sense of the word.”
Now here is the connection between Dailey and Cameron's studies:
In 2002, Groth complained about Dailey's study for the same reason he complained about Cameron's work:
June 10, 2002
Timothy J. Dailey, Ph.D.
FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL
801 G Street N.W.
Washington, DC 2001
Dear Dr. Dailey:
On the web site www.frc.org you reference my work in your article on "Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse". I am writing you to object to my name and research being associated in any way, shape, or form to lend legitimacy to the views proposed in your paper.
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.
Yours truly,
A. Nicholas Groth, Ph.D.
http://www.hrc.org/Content/ContentGroups/News_Releases/20021/Researcher_Cited_in_Anti-Gay_Report_Criticizes_the_Study_as_Biased_and_Misleading.htm
What Peter LaBarbera did by repeating Dailey's study is repeat a "headless monster." A "headless monster" is a story or urban legend that, despite being constantly refuted, continues to be repeated as truth due to the prejudices of the person repeating it and the person or group he is repeating it to.
For shame Peter!
"Americans for Truth" my pinkie toe!
Peter LaBarbera shows us the way
I had no intention of posting today but I saw something that must be brought to everyone's attention.
Peter LaBarbera considers himself a "pro family" activist but it would seem that he is consumed with talking about what he feels is the worst in the gay community. Apparently he feels that negative images in the gay community are indicative of the entire community at large. This is much like how a member of the Ku Klux Klan would feel that any African-American who is a criminal is indicative of the Black community at large.
In Peter's zeal, he has created a site entitled "Americans for Truth." The name of the site is pretty ironic because truth is not what Peter is after.
A good friend of mine, Joe Brummer (his site is linked below) has demonstrated Peter's desire to stigmatize the gay community with propaganda.
On the site Americans for Truth, Peter features a piece written by Family Research Council member Timothy Dailey entitled Homosexuality and Child Abuse. This piece pushes the theory that gays molest children at a higher level because:
a. a majority of pedophiles are male
b. a majority of child molestation victims are male
Therefore, gay men are molesting children at a higher rate.
WRONG!
Now Joe deconstructs Dailey's lies perfectly with credible information but I want to get a little taste of this argument because of several facts that I want to make people aware of regarding Dailey's study.
In the first place, Dailey got into trouble for his study. Apparently, he distorted a legitimate study to come to his conclusion. You see, Dailey's theory has an unsavory beginning.
His theory that gay men molest children at high rate is not original. It was first thought of by a man by the name of Paul Cameron.
Many of us know about Cameron and his lies. He has been censored numerous times by medical organizations for misusing his colleagues' work.
One person whose work he misused was Dr. A. Nicholas Groth.
Groth, director of the Sex Offender Program at the Connecticut Department of Corrections, complained to the Nebraska Board of Examiners of Psychologists about Cameron’s usage of his work. Groth said:
“(Cameron) misrepresents my findings and distorts them to advance his homophobic views. I make a very clear distinction in my writing between pedophilia and homosexuality, noting that adult males who sexually victimize young boys are either pedophilic or heterosexual, and that in my research I have not found homosexual men turning away from adult partners to children. . . I consider this totally unprofessional behavior on the part of Dr. Cameron and I want to bring this to your attention. He disgraces his profession." - http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,010.htm
In 1978, Groth had interviewed 175 men who had been convicted of child molestation in Massachusetts. He found that none of them had an exclusively homosexual relationship. They were either exclusively heterosexual, a bisexual with a predominantly heterosexual orientation, or a fixated pedophile with no sexual interest in adults
Furthermore, Groth had said that homosexuality and pedophilia are not related:
"...(I)t is a faulty assumption that if an adult male selects a young boy as his victim, his sexual orientation is homosexual. We found that some (73, or 49%) offenders responded exclusively to children---boys, girls, or both---and showed no interest in adults or age-mates for sexual gratification. These men were pedophile in the true sense of the word.”
Now here is the connection between Dailey and Cameron's studies:
In 2002, Groth complained about Dailey's study for the same reason he complained about Cameron's work:
June 10, 2002
Timothy J. Dailey, Ph.D.
FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL
801 G Street N.W.
Washington, DC 2001
Dear Dr. Dailey:
On the web site www.frc.org you reference my work in your article on "Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse". I am writing you to object to my name and research being associated in any way, shape, or form to lend legitimacy to the views proposed in your paper.
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.
Yours truly,
A. Nicholas Groth, Ph.D.
http://www.hrc.org/Content/ContentGroups/News_Releases/20021/Researcher_Cited_in_Anti-Gay_Report_Criticizes_the_Study_as_Biased_and_Misleading.htm
What Peter LaBarbera did by repeating Dailey's study is repeat a "headless monster." A "headless monster" is a story or urban legend that, despite being constantly refuted, continues to be repeated as truth due to the prejudices of the person repeating it and the person or group he is repeating it to.
For shame Peter!
"Americans for Truth" my pinkie toe!
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Dehumanizing semantics and the anti-gay industry
One of the points I make in my upcoming book are about the six propaganda techniques the anti-gay industry uses against the gay community.
One of these techniques is a bit more sinister than the others. In essence, the anti-gay industry seeks to strip gays and lesbians of their humanity in the eyes of the public. To them, it is not enough to declare that homosexuality is against God’s will. These groups manufacture illusions of cabals and invisible enemies; nameless and faceless gay legions out to “destroy” American values and morals.
To further this incorrect notion, members of the anti-gay industry often use sound bites that are repeated until they become part of the verbal lexicon. They skillfully employ phrases that covertly push the idea that gays are outside of the mainstream. This serves to dehumanize their opposition. The following phrases have been used over and over again to describe the actions of the gay community and those viewed as their supporters:
“promoting homosexuality”
“marketing homosexuality”
“endorsing homosexuality”
“teaching homosexuality”
“homosexual activists”
“radical gay agenda”
“activist judges”
“forcing their agenda on us”
“pro homosexual”
“sodomy advocates”
“sodomy lobby”
“sexual anarchists”
“special rights”
“homosexual behavior”
“legitimizing their lifestyle”
“lifestyle”
“deadly lifestyle”
“death style”
“counterfeit marriage”
“aggressive minority of sexual deviants”
“homosexual indoctrination”
“gay militants”
“they are after our children”
“homosexuals can’t reproduce so they have to recruit”
“normalizing homosexuality”
“marketing their lifestyle to children”
“forcing their lifestyle”
“indoctrinating children”
“unelected judges”
“destructive lifestyle”
“pansexual”
The following passages in articles and press releases created by so-called "pro family groups demonstrate this point (the emphasis on the semantical words have been added by me):
“But unfortunately, the evangelist observes, many Christians have been bullied into submission on the aggressive homosexual agenda in public schools.” - Evangelist Composes to Combat Homosexual Agenda in Public Education, Agape Press, May 11, 2005
“Elsewhere in the battle against the homosexual agenda, the Broward County School Board in Florida has voted to allow a pro-homosexual group to indoctrinate its teachers on tolerance.” - Children Adopted by Homosexuals Suffer, Family Advocate Says, Agape Press, April 25, 2002
“The ACLU continues to use a law license to bully school districts and harass parents in order to brainwash their kids abut the ‘normalcy’ of homosexuality.” - Jan LaRue, ACLU Seeks Mandatory Homosexual Sensitivity Training, Concerned Women for America press release, July 14, 2005
“Homosexual activists are now beginning to openly admit that they don’t want to marry just to have a normal home life. They want same-sex marriage as a way of destroying the concept of marriage altogether and of introducing polygamy and polamory (group sex) as ‘families’” - Do Homosexuals Really Want the Right to Marry?, The Traditional Values Coalition.
For the third time in recent years, voters in Maine will go to the voting book to stop the homosexual agenda being (from) being forced on them by activists and their own legislature - Maine Activist Condemns Elitist Lawmakers Pushing Homosexual Agenda, the American Family Association, July 15, 2005
“One pro-family advocate feels the ACLU, in its efforts to force the homosexual agenda in American schools, is using the bullying tactics of Chairman Mao to ‘reprogram’ staff and students on the issue of homosexuality.” - Knight: ACLU’s Pro-Homosexual ‘Bullying’ Tactics Reminiscent of Chairman Mao, Agape Press, July 21, 2005
Homosexual Activists’ War Against the Christianity: Church seen as Main Obstacle Hindering Wholesale Acceptance of Homosexual Agenda - a headline from Agape Press, February 21, 2006
(Kevin) Hoeft says he will be monitoring how the school board responds when the local Gay Straight Alliances take part in the National Day of Silence, an event designed to increase the acceptance of homosexual sex among young people.” - Board ignores parents and their concerns over Campus GSA clubs, Agape Press, March 16, 2006
Pro-Homosexual Push Commonplace in Schools Coast to Coast, Homosexual Activists Transforming Public Schools into Propaganda Factories, Agape Press, July 24, 2006
This reminds me of a character in George Orwell's novel Animal Farm. The character, Squealer, used language in order to deceive others about the crimes of the ruling class.
We seem to have a lot of Squealers nowadays, but obviously they are clutching crosses.
One of the points I make in my upcoming book are about the six propaganda techniques the anti-gay industry uses against the gay community.
One of these techniques is a bit more sinister than the others. In essence, the anti-gay industry seeks to strip gays and lesbians of their humanity in the eyes of the public. To them, it is not enough to declare that homosexuality is against God’s will. These groups manufacture illusions of cabals and invisible enemies; nameless and faceless gay legions out to “destroy” American values and morals.
To further this incorrect notion, members of the anti-gay industry often use sound bites that are repeated until they become part of the verbal lexicon. They skillfully employ phrases that covertly push the idea that gays are outside of the mainstream. This serves to dehumanize their opposition. The following phrases have been used over and over again to describe the actions of the gay community and those viewed as their supporters:
“promoting homosexuality”
“marketing homosexuality”
“endorsing homosexuality”
“teaching homosexuality”
“homosexual activists”
“radical gay agenda”
“activist judges”
“forcing their agenda on us”
“pro homosexual”
“sodomy advocates”
“sodomy lobby”
“sexual anarchists”
“special rights”
“homosexual behavior”
“legitimizing their lifestyle”
“lifestyle”
“deadly lifestyle”
“death style”
“counterfeit marriage”
“aggressive minority of sexual deviants”
“homosexual indoctrination”
“gay militants”
“they are after our children”
“homosexuals can’t reproduce so they have to recruit”
“normalizing homosexuality”
“marketing their lifestyle to children”
“forcing their lifestyle”
“indoctrinating children”
“unelected judges”
“destructive lifestyle”
“pansexual”
The following passages in articles and press releases created by so-called "pro family groups demonstrate this point (the emphasis on the semantical words have been added by me):
“But unfortunately, the evangelist observes, many Christians have been bullied into submission on the aggressive homosexual agenda in public schools.” - Evangelist Composes to Combat Homosexual Agenda in Public Education, Agape Press, May 11, 2005
“Elsewhere in the battle against the homosexual agenda, the Broward County School Board in Florida has voted to allow a pro-homosexual group to indoctrinate its teachers on tolerance.” - Children Adopted by Homosexuals Suffer, Family Advocate Says, Agape Press, April 25, 2002
“The ACLU continues to use a law license to bully school districts and harass parents in order to brainwash their kids abut the ‘normalcy’ of homosexuality.” - Jan LaRue, ACLU Seeks Mandatory Homosexual Sensitivity Training, Concerned Women for America press release, July 14, 2005
“Homosexual activists are now beginning to openly admit that they don’t want to marry just to have a normal home life. They want same-sex marriage as a way of destroying the concept of marriage altogether and of introducing polygamy and polamory (group sex) as ‘families’” - Do Homosexuals Really Want the Right to Marry?, The Traditional Values Coalition.
For the third time in recent years, voters in Maine will go to the voting book to stop the homosexual agenda being (from) being forced on them by activists and their own legislature - Maine Activist Condemns Elitist Lawmakers Pushing Homosexual Agenda, the American Family Association, July 15, 2005
“One pro-family advocate feels the ACLU, in its efforts to force the homosexual agenda in American schools, is using the bullying tactics of Chairman Mao to ‘reprogram’ staff and students on the issue of homosexuality.” - Knight: ACLU’s Pro-Homosexual ‘Bullying’ Tactics Reminiscent of Chairman Mao, Agape Press, July 21, 2005
Homosexual Activists’ War Against the Christianity: Church seen as Main Obstacle Hindering Wholesale Acceptance of Homosexual Agenda - a headline from Agape Press, February 21, 2006
(Kevin) Hoeft says he will be monitoring how the school board responds when the local Gay Straight Alliances take part in the National Day of Silence, an event designed to increase the acceptance of homosexual sex among young people.” - Board ignores parents and their concerns over Campus GSA clubs, Agape Press, March 16, 2006
Pro-Homosexual Push Commonplace in Schools Coast to Coast, Homosexual Activists Transforming Public Schools into Propaganda Factories, Agape Press, July 24, 2006
This reminds me of a character in George Orwell's novel Animal Farm. The character, Squealer, used language in order to deceive others about the crimes of the ruling class.
We seem to have a lot of Squealers nowadays, but obviously they are clutching crosses.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Another naive so-called "pro family" activist needing to be exposed
This Monday, a conservative webpage published a perfect example of what the gay community needs to be fighting.
A freelance columnist, Marsha West, wrote what she probably felt to be a declaration of war against the forces of evil (Parents, Listen Up! - http://www.theconservativevoice.com/articles/article.html?id=17975)
Naturally we gays and lesbians were first on her list. Check out her first sentence:
"This is no longer a nation where kids can be kids anymore. The secular humanists have seen to that."
In a nutshell, it is the usual tripe about America being no longer a "moral nation, blah blah blah." But what is interesting is that she repeats a few pieces of anti-gay distortions that have made James Dobson and his ilk so powerful in the Republican Party.
Check out this tidbit:
Here’s a sobering statistic: The average life span for a “gay” man is in the mid 40s if AIDS fails to intervene, the late 30s-to-early-40s if it does. Does that sound like a healthy lifestyle? It boggles the mind to think that the high death rate among “gays” is being hidden from America’s kids on purpose. Children deserve to know the truth!
To paraphrase the late Ronald Reagan, there they go again.
Whenever members of the anti-gay industry and their supporters want to scare people of faith, they claim that gay men have short life spans.
That my friends, is a lie.
As a matter of fact, it will be my pleasure to make it the first lie of the anti-gay industry that I talk about in this blog.
In the first place, gay men do not have short life spans. When members of the anti-gay industry and their supporters make this claim, they generally point to one of two studies:
One study is by discredited "researcher" Paul Cameron. Cameron has no credibility amongst his colleagues because he has been censured on many occasions as well as dismissed from the APA in 1984 for distortion of his colleagues' work. - http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_cameron_sheet.html
The second study is an Oxford/Canadian study that spoke purely on hypothetical terms. In 2001, the six original researchers went on record complaining that their work was being distorted by so-called "pro family" groups in order to demonize the gay community. - Gay Life Expectancy Revisited, International Journal of Epidemiology, http://ije.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/30/6/1499
In addition, the Centers for Disease Control have gone on record saying that they do not collect life span information on gay men. - www.washblade.com/print.cfm?content_id=5865
As it turns out, Ms. West's cite of the gay life span reeks of Cameron.
But this only scratches the surface.
One of Ms. West's links, the "Medical Downside of Homosexual Behavior," has numerous errors. It cites the study done by Robert Spitzer as proof that gays can change, but omits the fact that Spitzer has gone on record numerous times complaining about the misusage of his study by so-called "pro family" groups. - (www.exgaywatch.com/blog/archives/2006/06/spitzer_says_fo.html
www.glaad.org/media/np_archive_detail.php?id=369)
"The Medical Downside of Homosexual Behavior" also distorts a study from the Netherlands. The journal claims that according to the study, mental problems in the gay community cannot be attributed to homophobia. This is a misdirection.
Conveniently omitted in the citation of the study is the fact that the researchers said:
It is unclear to what extent findings from this Dutch study can be generalized to other cultures or nations. Compared with other Western countries, the Dutch social climate toward homosexuality has long been and remains considerably more tolerant. To the extent that the level of social acceptance of homosexuality induces differences in mental health status in relation to homosexuality, the observed differences might be greater in other Western countries than in the Netherlands.
With all due respect to Ms. West, she is a perfect example of well meaning people of faith allowing their egos to blind them as to how others are using them for personal gain. No doubt when she cited her distortions, Ms. West probably felt they were correct because they came from "Christian" sources.
But the ability to lie in order to enhance your argument is a very un-Christian characteristic.
For that matter, so is guillibility.
And yes Ms. West, that last comment was directed towards you.
This Monday, a conservative webpage published a perfect example of what the gay community needs to be fighting.
A freelance columnist, Marsha West, wrote what she probably felt to be a declaration of war against the forces of evil (Parents, Listen Up! - http://www.theconservativevoice.com/articles/article.html?id=17975)
Naturally we gays and lesbians were first on her list. Check out her first sentence:
"This is no longer a nation where kids can be kids anymore. The secular humanists have seen to that."
In a nutshell, it is the usual tripe about America being no longer a "moral nation, blah blah blah." But what is interesting is that she repeats a few pieces of anti-gay distortions that have made James Dobson and his ilk so powerful in the Republican Party.
Check out this tidbit:
Here’s a sobering statistic: The average life span for a “gay” man is in the mid 40s if AIDS fails to intervene, the late 30s-to-early-40s if it does. Does that sound like a healthy lifestyle? It boggles the mind to think that the high death rate among “gays” is being hidden from America’s kids on purpose. Children deserve to know the truth!
To paraphrase the late Ronald Reagan, there they go again.
Whenever members of the anti-gay industry and their supporters want to scare people of faith, they claim that gay men have short life spans.
That my friends, is a lie.
As a matter of fact, it will be my pleasure to make it the first lie of the anti-gay industry that I talk about in this blog.
In the first place, gay men do not have short life spans. When members of the anti-gay industry and their supporters make this claim, they generally point to one of two studies:
One study is by discredited "researcher" Paul Cameron. Cameron has no credibility amongst his colleagues because he has been censured on many occasions as well as dismissed from the APA in 1984 for distortion of his colleagues' work. - http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_cameron_sheet.html
The second study is an Oxford/Canadian study that spoke purely on hypothetical terms. In 2001, the six original researchers went on record complaining that their work was being distorted by so-called "pro family" groups in order to demonize the gay community. - Gay Life Expectancy Revisited, International Journal of Epidemiology, http://ije.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/30/6/1499
In addition, the Centers for Disease Control have gone on record saying that they do not collect life span information on gay men. - www.washblade.com/print.cfm?content_id=5865
As it turns out, Ms. West's cite of the gay life span reeks of Cameron.
But this only scratches the surface.
One of Ms. West's links, the "Medical Downside of Homosexual Behavior," has numerous errors. It cites the study done by Robert Spitzer as proof that gays can change, but omits the fact that Spitzer has gone on record numerous times complaining about the misusage of his study by so-called "pro family" groups. - (www.exgaywatch.com/blog/archives/2006/06/spitzer_says_fo.html
www.glaad.org/media/np_archive_detail.php?id=369)
"The Medical Downside of Homosexual Behavior" also distorts a study from the Netherlands. The journal claims that according to the study, mental problems in the gay community cannot be attributed to homophobia. This is a misdirection.
Conveniently omitted in the citation of the study is the fact that the researchers said:
It is unclear to what extent findings from this Dutch study can be generalized to other cultures or nations. Compared with other Western countries, the Dutch social climate toward homosexuality has long been and remains considerably more tolerant. To the extent that the level of social acceptance of homosexuality induces differences in mental health status in relation to homosexuality, the observed differences might be greater in other Western countries than in the Netherlands.
With all due respect to Ms. West, she is a perfect example of well meaning people of faith allowing their egos to blind them as to how others are using them for personal gain. No doubt when she cited her distortions, Ms. West probably felt they were correct because they came from "Christian" sources.
But the ability to lie in order to enhance your argument is a very un-Christian characteristic.
For that matter, so is guillibility.
And yes Ms. West, that last comment was directed towards you.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Sept. 6, 2006
There are a bunch of organizations in this country who thrive on ignorance, fear, and a sense of entitlement.
They refer to themselves as "pro family" and even members of the gay community regard them as the religious right
With all due respect, I don't see them as that. They are an anti-gay industry who seeks to gain political power by building on the religious beliefs and ignorance of people of faith. And they have been pretty successful.
Central to this success are their so-called studies on the gay community. In order to prove that gays and lesbians should not have any protection of laws, they have created a written and oral pattern of deception that is not only blatant in its attempts but shameful in its audacity. In their zeal to prove the worst about the gay community, the anti-gay industry runs roughshod over science and truth. They have created a houses of pseudo-scientific studies based on distortions, lies, headless monsters, and legitimate studies taken out of context , which are then pushed by fake experts, Ph.D.s, conservative columnists and bloggers, and ignorant people of faith all willing to sacrifice their integrity on the altar of an alleged higher calling.
We know the claims these studies make:
gays have a short life span
gays molest children at a higher level than heterosexuals
lesbians abuse their partners at a high level
gays are more violent and are prone to crimes
gays are promiscuous and cannot handle the concept of marriage.
For two years, I have studied the methodologies of so-called "pro family" groups (i.e. Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, the Traditional Values Coalition, etc) and am glad to say that their claims are rooted in lies, outright deceptions, and legitimate studies with portions cherry picked out.
In 2007, I will publish my book, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, detailing just what how the anti-gay industry propagandizes about the gay community. Through this blog, I will publish some of my findings and update everyone as to the progress of my book. I will update this blog on a weekly basis.
Now I must emphasis that I am not attacking anyone's religion. I respect a Christian's right to believe that homosexuality is an abomination. I also respect the right of the Boys Scouts of America to prohibit gays from serving as members. Of course I also believe that if the organization had any integrity at all, it should refuse any form of public monies because some of this money is derived from gay sources via taxes. And isn't accepting money from those who you feel will not conform to your moral code just as bad as allowing them in your group.
But I digress.
What I am saying through my book and my blog is that distortions and lies in the name of God are still distortions and lies. And anyone who knowingly uses them and can still refer to themselves as a person of faith needs to examine themselves.
There are a bunch of organizations in this country who thrive on ignorance, fear, and a sense of entitlement.
They refer to themselves as "pro family" and even members of the gay community regard them as the religious right
With all due respect, I don't see them as that. They are an anti-gay industry who seeks to gain political power by building on the religious beliefs and ignorance of people of faith. And they have been pretty successful.
Central to this success are their so-called studies on the gay community. In order to prove that gays and lesbians should not have any protection of laws, they have created a written and oral pattern of deception that is not only blatant in its attempts but shameful in its audacity. In their zeal to prove the worst about the gay community, the anti-gay industry runs roughshod over science and truth. They have created a houses of pseudo-scientific studies based on distortions, lies, headless monsters, and legitimate studies taken out of context , which are then pushed by fake experts, Ph.D.s, conservative columnists and bloggers, and ignorant people of faith all willing to sacrifice their integrity on the altar of an alleged higher calling.
We know the claims these studies make:
gays have a short life span
gays molest children at a higher level than heterosexuals
lesbians abuse their partners at a high level
gays are more violent and are prone to crimes
gays are promiscuous and cannot handle the concept of marriage.
For two years, I have studied the methodologies of so-called "pro family" groups (i.e. Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, the Traditional Values Coalition, etc) and am glad to say that their claims are rooted in lies, outright deceptions, and legitimate studies with portions cherry picked out.
In 2007, I will publish my book, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, detailing just what how the anti-gay industry propagandizes about the gay community. Through this blog, I will publish some of my findings and update everyone as to the progress of my book. I will update this blog on a weekly basis.
Now I must emphasis that I am not attacking anyone's religion. I respect a Christian's right to believe that homosexuality is an abomination. I also respect the right of the Boys Scouts of America to prohibit gays from serving as members. Of course I also believe that if the organization had any integrity at all, it should refuse any form of public monies because some of this money is derived from gay sources via taxes. And isn't accepting money from those who you feel will not conform to your moral code just as bad as allowing them in your group.
But I digress.
What I am saying through my book and my blog is that distortions and lies in the name of God are still distortions and lies. And anyone who knowingly uses them and can still refer to themselves as a person of faith needs to examine themselves.
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