Harold Jackson, God does not like ugly

There are so many things to write about today but I want to focus on something that is bothering me:

A coalition of conservative African American pastors is lobbying Congress to vote against a bill that would extend federal hate-crimes laws to cover gays, saying they fear it would prevent them from preaching against homosexuality.

One the ringleaders of this madness is Pastor Harold Jackson. In two consecutive columns, he has attacked adding lgbts to hate crimes legislation using the same mantra: that it would lead to pastors being persecuted.

Today was his latest effort:

We further challenge this proposed legislation on the basis that it does not assure our free speech rights to speak out against homosexuality as a sin. … the bill could curtail our speech.

I fear for my black community, particularly the church community. The desire for influence, faith-based money, and prosperity has made our pastors into agreeable puppets of the anti-gay industry.

When they were simply opposing same sex marriage, these folks could have gotten away with their antics. Their claim of not supporting same-sex marriage on a religious level was credible.

But now the stakes are higher.

They can’t say that they oppose hate crimes legislation for lgbts because of their religious beliefs. So they are repeating the lies manufactured by the anti-gay industry: that gays want to persecute Christians for speech.

I am very cynical person in matters such as these.

Jackson and the rest of these pastors have to know that they are lying.

They have to know that adding lgbts to national hate crimes legislation will not curtail their freedom of speech.

They have to know that gays and lesbians aren’t going to come storming in the church arresting pastors for speaking against homosexuality.

What’s next for them? Are they going to hold a press conference claiming that they will be persecuted if ENDA is passed?

This is not a case of a group of people trying to preserve Christian values.

It is the birth of a new monster: an industry of black pastors who can and will be called upon to oppose pro-gay laws while, at the same time, exploiting their history as victims of oppression.

Jackson and the rest of these pastors have allowed themselves to be the mouthpieces of a tissue of lies and why?

Because they think that stopping any form of gay or lesbian visibility is more important than their personal integrity?

They obviously feel that God will give them a pass because they are trying to speak in his name, even though they are using the tactics of the devil.

Meanwhile, they are ignoring the lgbts in their own community who are suffering from HIV, isolation, and a lack of pride? These people are the ones they should be using their influence to help.

LBGTs of color often times don’t want approval per se, but a dialogue. And we aren’t able to get it because pastors such as Jackson are too busy getting face time in front of television cameras repeating soundbites that are spoon fed to them by people like Lou Sheldon.

Keep it up guys. God does not like ugly, even if it is done in His name.

And He will make His presence known very soon.

Meanwhile, I would like to know something.

Who else are you going to sell out?

Exodus International repudiates Paul Cameron, but I am not satisfied

This article has been removed due to the inaccuracies surrounding the research of Paul Cameron.

This statement from the web page of Exodus International was the result of intense work of the web page www.exgaywatch.com

The web masters of the site noticed that Exodus International was using Cameron's work, so they made it known.

Exodus International removed the information and the head of the group, Alan Chambers, also said:

I appreciate EGW’s tremendous research skills. I saw your post on Exodus using Paul Cameron’s research and was embarrassed. We do not support the work of Paul Cameron nor desire to use flawed research. A member of my staff will remove these articles today and post a retraction. In the coming months we will be doing a survey of the content on our site to determine what if there are other articles or links that need to be removed.

Forgive me for being cynical, but I am not sold.

I seem to recall that in 2005, the Traditional Values Coalition told the Boston Globe in the article Beliefs Drive Research Agenda of New Think Tanks that it removed Cameron's work from its web page.

However, its head, Lou Sheldon, continues to sell his book The Agenda, which freely cites Cameron by name.

I suggest that Alan Chambers and Exodus International lead a call for all religious right organizations that use Cameron's data to publicly apologize and remove his work from their sites:

I further suggest he start first with Peter LaBarbera and Americans for Truth (in name only).

Or how about the Rev. Rod Parsley who, in 2005, said the following:

“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-fi ve years of age.”—Perry schmoozes with gay bashers, Austin Chronicle, June 10, 2005

Or how about the American Family Association, which continues to cite Cameron's work on its web page and via its news service, Agape Press (now One News Now) consistently cited Cameron as a "family expert."

Or how about Timothy Dailey and the Family Research Council, who cited Cameron's work in several studies which remain on the group's web page.

Or how about Robert Knight who, when he was with the Concerned Women for America, cited Cameron's work in front of Congress and in columns that still appear on the CWA web page.

It was Knight who, in 2004, personally told me "Yes we have used his work. So what?"

In using Paul Cameron's work, Exodus International helped to create a monster; a cottage industry of groups and spokespersons who used his studies to stroke the egos and prejudices of people against the gay and lesbian community and hinder the passage of pro-gay laws.

Exodus International owes the gay and lesbian community big time. And if it is serious about its repudiation, then Exodus International should take more of a key role in killing the monster it helped to create.

The momentum must be kept up!

I am busy trying to finish the second round of corrections of my book galleys. Almost done!

I have also been working on posters and flyers for my book. I figure if the Traditional Values Coalition can work on flyers, so can I. Only thing is that my flyers will be truthful

Speaking of TVC and other members of the anti-gay industry, I cannot emphasize enough how much we need to keep up the momentum for hate crimes legislation and other pro-gay laws.

Go here to show your support.

Today, TVC sent out a hysterically paranoid press release about the voting to send the hate crimes bill to the entire House. Apparently according to TVC, the bill will lead to the following:

Silence the Bible-believing Churches, Pastors and Christians

Criminalize so-called “hate speech,” – which is any speech that is critical of homosexuality or cross-dressing behaviors. The suppression of free speech will be justified by the claim that such speech “incites” individuals to commit violence against homosexuals, cross-dressers etc. Any remarks about homosexuality, such as reading Bible passages, preaching on these passages, telling a person they can come out of the homosexual lifestyle, etc. will be deemed critical remarks and will be ruled to be outside the bounds of First Amendment protections for pastors, business owners and individuals.

Elevate homosexuality and gender confused individuals such as drag queens, cross-dressers, she-males, etc. to the status of federally-protected minorities. These behaviors will be considered equal to race under the federal law.

Yeah, I know. You have heard it all before and I have talked about it before. This is true, but I am firm believer in consistency of momentum.

It's like a boxing match. When a boxer has his opponent on the ropes, does he slack up or continue to punch until the opponent falls down? He continues to punch until the referee comes in and stops the fight.

The referee hasn't come in to stop our fight just yet.

And also, I want something more to come from this than just a victory.

It would be excellent if this piece of legislation passed through Congress and President Bush signed it into law.

But I want something to be catalogued in a historical perspective. In the case of hate crimes legislation, the anti-gay industry laid themselves bare, abandoning their slick posturing for unabashed lies. Without any degree of shame, they went public with lies so bad that anyone with a small degree of sense can expose them.

I say we encourage this. When future generations look at how hate crimes legislation was played, they will see just how these groups lied in the name of God.

To these folks, the anti-gay industry will be seen as no different than those who massacred the Hugenots or the architects of the Spanish Inquisition.

To these folks, the anti-gay industry will not be seen as saviours of civilization but just another bunch of zealots who, while not stooping to violent means, manipulated and perverted the image of God for their own personal prejudices and desires.

I don't know about any of you but that gives me a taste of sweet satisfaction.

When black pastors attack gay folks

The Southern Poverty Law Center have just come out with an excellent expose on black ministers who have taken it upon themselves to make lgbts scapegoats for the ills in the African-American community:

Some black ministers have been attracted to the white-dominated religious anti-gay movement by the money and power of white Christian leaders, not to mention "faith-based" grants under the Bush Administration. But it's also obvious that a segment of the black community in America has long had its own negative attitudes toward gays and lesbians. "I'm sure [black ministers] are being co-opted, but they don't need a great deal of co-optation," is how the Rev. Peter Gomes, chaplain of Harvard University, put it to the Village Voice in 2004.

and farther down:

Fanning the Flames
White leaders of the Christian Right have long sought to recruit blacks into their anti-gay crusade. Conservative Christian organizations with multimillion-dollar budgets have funneled money to black anti-gay churches through programs such as the Christian Coalition's ill-fated "Samaritan Project," which aimed to raise millions of dollars for black churches that "promote family values." (The Samaritan Project disintegrated after black employees sued the Christian Coalition in 2001 for allegedly forcing black workers to enter through the back door and take their breaks in segregated rooms. The coalition settled the case out of court.)

The expose is an excellent piece of work. And I would recommend it to be read by everyone.

It just goes to prove that ignorance, greed, and the need to blame is unfortunately universal.

Sweet Trifecta

We are on the verge of some good stuff here in the lgbt community. Three pieces of legislation that will positively affect the lgbt community has a good chance of passing in Congress.

For the benefit of those who don't know, the pieces of legislation are:

Repealing of the ban on gays in the military,

Adding lgbts to hate crimes laws,

Passing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, thereby keeping lgbts from being fired solely because of their orientation.

These pieces of legislation have an excellent chance of passing through Congress. Now whether or not our esteemed (and I say that as I roll my eyes) President Bush will sign them into law is another story entirely.

But I am being optimistic.

I like the fact that national gay rights organizations seem to be on the ball in defining the issue. And I especially like the fact that there are many bloggers on the internet (myself included) who are exposing how the anti-gay industry will try to distort the issue.

In 1993 when President Bill Clinton tried to over turn the ban on gays in the military, the anti-gay industry shot out propaganda like mad, freely citing Paul Cameron statistics and horror stories of gay men and fisting.

I want to see them try it now. I have a feeling that unlike in 1993, the pro-gay forces (there is no shame in calling ourselves that) are ready for them.

Already the anti-gay industry have tried to frame the pieces of legislation as capitulations that would eventually cause Christians to be jailed for speaking out against homosexuality. There is no truth in this and they know it.

There is a certain shrillness and a bit of desperation in their tones. Desperation comes from knowing that you are losing. And when you get desperate, you get careless and trip up.

In the meantime, I encourage everyone reading my blog post to support HRC, Lambda Legal and all the groups attempting to pass these laws. I encourage you all to write your Congressmen giving your support for these laws. And above all, get others to do so also.

Lastly, educate yourselves as to what the anti-gay industry is claiming. And refute their lies every chance you get.

There wont be a post tomorrow - Gay black author Keith Boykin is coming to the University of South Carolina to speak at a forum. Naturally, I will be there so I won’t have time to post. But knowing my luck, something extremely juicy will happen tomorrow and I will have to post an entry. But barring that, I am writing in two entries:

Frustrating as hell

It amazes me how the anti-gay industry will repeat a lie over and over again, as if repetition is the same as truth.

Harold Jackson, another black pastor who sold his integrity for faith-based money, wrote a column for the conservative TownHall in which he repeats the lie about adding sexual orientation to the list of categories protected by hate crimes legislation:

In contrast, gays already are a formidable force in the legal arena and courts are often extremely deferential to their cases. Additional protection for gays is not necessary. This legislation will not just over-protect them, it will bring the threat of invasive, governmental interference with the doctrines and practice of the Church. We have faced the removal of crosses and commandments from every public facility; this same pressure could be felt within the four walls of the church.

Mr. Jackson, hate crimes legislation have nothing to do with speech!

What will it take for these folks to be called on their lies? You would be surprised to see just how many people will buy into the lie that gay people want to put a moratorium on the speech of pastors. No matter how many times the truth is pointed out, some people are determined not to listen.

But Jackson’s lying column is especially distasteful because he is an African-American like myself. And he is indicative as to how the powers-that-be simultaneously set the black and gay community against one another while denying us lgbts of color a public voice.

Let’s get to brass tacks about this thing.

Black America does not give a damn about lgbts of color. They just don’t care about us. People like Jackson get carte blanche while many black oriented tv shows, magazines, news programs or organizations go out of their way to either shut down lgbts of color or treat us like the dreaded "other."

It reminds me of an incident with a talk show in my city. Two years ago, an African-American talk show in my area, Awareness, featured a guest who made negative comments about the gay community.

To rectify the situation, the show featured a leader in the gay community on the next week’s show. The show made it a point not to get an lgbt of color. And when the person they interviewed tried to talk about a local lgbt of color group, he was gently shut down by host.

Some folks just don’t want us to exist.

I see stuff like this all of the time and it gets frustrating.

But the gay community is not necessarily blameless in this matter.

Don’t think so?

Then why is it so hard for some of them to realize that a white guy who puts on black face pretending to be a black woman on welfare is so offensive?


Tyler Chase Harper and the proliferation of ignorance

Chase Harper is the perfect anti-gay industry spokesperson. He is young, white, attractive, articulate, and sounds like he is from one of those stereotypically "good families."

But most of all, he sounds so devoutly Christian that it can make people overlook his willful ignorance.

In him, the anti-gay industry has found their new Anita Bryant: a pretty face, an articulate talker, a devout spirit, and an empty mind ready to be filled with lies.

Harper received notoriety due to his failed lawsuit against his high school. He sued because he got suspended for wearing anti-gay statements on a t-shirt.

He recently wrote a letter to Wheaton College claiming to tell the truth about homosexuality.

Part of Harper’s version of the truth is as follows:

Homosexuality is dangerous. People who are given over to a homosexual lifestyle are far more likely to experience disease, mental illness, drug abuse, depression, alcoholism, suicidal tendencies, and even a shortened life span.

I don’t have a problem with someone speaking of homosexuality as a sin. Proponents of the anti-gay industry will claim that they are unfairly called homophobic just for voicing their opposition to homosexuality.

However their recent exploits in defaming the gay community to defeat hate crimes legislation (i.e. their inference that gay people want to arrest pastors in the pulpit for condemning homosexuality) demonstrates that they have no problem condemning people rather than the orientation.

So calling many of them homophobic is not off the mark.

But back to little Chase. Don’t let his blond locks and wristful smile fool you.

This ain’t Little Lord Fauntelroy. I found this interesting codicil farther down in his letter:

One could make the claim that some of these symptoms are caused by the “homophobia” of others; however, studies conducted in communities where homosexuality is widely accepted have concluded that symptoms are only aggravated in such a setting.-The dangers of homosexuality are validated by a large amount of research pulled from various sources. I encourage you to search the matter out more deeply.

In other words, little Chase is admitting that he does not know what he is talking about when he claims that homosexuality is "dangerous."

And I am sure that he does not care.

Let’s look at some of his claims using excerpts from my book:

Harper said: Homosexuality is dangerous. People who are given over to a homosexual lifestyle are far more likely to experience disease, mental illness, drug abuse, depression, alcoholism, suicidal tendencies, and even a shortened life span.

The following are excerpts from my book that deal with some of Harpers' claims:

Depression - On July 14th, 1998, the Family Research Council and 14 other so-called “pro family” groups, including the Christian Coalition and Focus on the Family, ran a full-page ad in The Washington Post. The ad, talking about the “dangers of homosexuality” was the second of a three-part campaign.

Full-page ads also appeared in The New York Times and USA Today. Research by Dr. Robert Garofalo was footnoted in the July 14th ad as scientific evidence that homosexuality is a “dangerous lifestyle.”

But Dr. Garofalo soon blasted the groups for what he called a misuse of his work. The ads were inferring that gay teenagers engage in drug abuse and other bad behavior (i.e., suicide) because such things are indicative of homosexuality.

“It’s a complete misrepresentation of my work,” he told The Boston Globe. “It was taken completely out of context. It comes to a complete opposite conclusion of what the paper actually said.”

Garofalo contended that his research was saying that when gay teenagers abuse drugs or contemplate suicide, it is because of the unaccepting culture they face.

Shortened Lifespan - When the anti-gay industry trots this claim out, they either rely on the discredited work of our friend Paul Cameron or the distortion of a 1997 Oxford study. Cameron’s lies have been catalogued extensively, so let me add detail about the 1997 Oxford study:

In 2001, the original researchers of the study wrote a letter to the editor in the International Journal of Epidemiology. In this letter, they said that any use of their research to prove that gay men have a shorter life span is incorrect and improper.

They said they were speaking of a hypothetical outcome that would take place if there were not better practices regarding safe sex in that particular area. They also said that conditions have improved; therefore the outcome they predicted (i.e. gay men not reaching their sixty-fifth birthday) had been averted.

Alcoholism - The chief study that has been cited for this claim is one by Professor Joanne Hall from the University of Tennessee. Timothy Dailey of the Family Research Council has used her sudy on more than one occasion. However, this is what Professor Hall said about the use of her work:

There were 35 women in the study. ONLY 35. They do not REPRESENT a population. My point was to try to get a handle on what they were experiencing—to UNDERSTAND their patterns . . . The point is—I, nor the journal Nursing Research, did not ‘find’ that the rate of substance abuse was 3 times higher for lesbians, and indeed—now we know it really is not that high at all. I, and Nursing Research, am not providing an epidemiological, quantitative statistic representing lesbians on the whole in terms of their drug use, or ability to parent a child. . .

Harper said that accepting cultures cause an increase in negative behavior amongts gays. This is a gross mischaracterization of a convenience sample from the Netherlands. The anti-gay industry often uses convenience sample studies to demonize the entire lgbt community.

It's a neat little trick they learned from Paul Cameron.

The question is just how long will Chase confuse religious aversion to homosexuality with an eagerness to be taken in by propaganda.

Paul Cameron's little boy responds

Someone from Paul Cameron's camp responded to the smackdown he has been receiving due to his latest junk science about lgbts.

His son, Kirk (not the actor) who aids Cameron on many of his so-called studies, responded on the site of Warren Throckmorton.

Kirk was trying to take Throckmorton to task for asking the opinion of a Danish epidemiologist about Cameron's latest "study." I guess Kirk was upset because the Danish epidemiologist recognized Cameron's hot mess for what it was:

It is no wonder why this pseudo-scientific report claiming a drastically shorter life expectancy in homosexuals compared with heterosexuals has been published on the internet without preceding scientific peer-review (http://www.earnedmedia.org/frireport.htm). The authors should know, and as PhD’s they presumably do, that this report has little to do with science. It is hard to escape the idea that non-scientific motifs have driven the authors to make this report public. The methodological flaws are of such a grave nature that no decent peer-reviewed scientific journal should let it pass for publication.

Kirk's very long and obtuse letter seems to be more concentrated on attacking the credibility of the epidemiologist than defending his and his father's work.

I will leave the analyzation of Cameron the lesser's letter to my online friend Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin.

However, one thing that did catch my eye was the ending of the letter:

The question as to how long on average homosexual practitioners tend to live is indeed a scientific and empirical one. Rather than being driven by "non-scientific motifs," we have simply followed the trail of empirical evidence. Can a subpopulation that more frequently engages in tobacco use, illegal drug abuse (including intravenously), more frequently consumes excessive alcohol, is more frequently criminal, is more frequently infected with STDs, tests more frequently as mentally disturbed, commits suicide and gets into auto and other accidents more frequently, more frequently drives under the influence, etc. be reasonably expected to live as long as either the general population or the married? Is this the "pure nonsense" to which Dr. Frisch is referring? The question is not whether the homosexual subpopulation will live as long as the married, but how many years fewer. Only time and further empirical tests will tell whether the differential will average 24 years, 20 years, or something else.

As you well know, we have been frequently criticized as being ‘non-scientific’ or for supposedly ‘misusing’ or ‘mischaracterizing’ scientific research. Almost all of our critics have had political or ideological axes to grind. Further, careful examination of our work and of the charges against us reveals that — while no one is perfect, including us — we have performed our work with scientific integrity and honesty. I would hope as a fellow scientist that you would display the wisdom and fortitude not to be led astray by those who do not wish to have the empirical spotlight shone on the effects and ramifications of homosexual behavior.

This led to the best laugh I have had all day. Or rather, all week.

Not only does Kirk refer to older studies done by his father (studies that have been discredited- www.boxturtlebulletin.com ), but he also seems to think that his father and himself are being attacked because of ideological differences.

Uh no.

Kirk, you and your father in particular have been repeatedly called to the carpet because you have continuously lied and distorted legitimate work in order to demonize innocent lgbts.

Giving you and your father credibility for any scientific work is like claiming that lobotomies were legitimate.

That is the reason why your father was kicked out of the American Psychological Association in 1983. It is also the reason why the Nebraska Psychological Association to pass a resolution in October 1984 that dissociated itself from him and his work.

It was the same reason why, in 1985, the Midwest Sociological Society censured your father. And it is the same reason why, in that same year, the American Sociological Association and the Society for the Study of Social Problems both passed resolutions against your father.

Just how long will it be before you stop spinning conspiracy theories against these groups and all the people who make up membership in them and take responsibility for your own lies.

And speaking of integrity and honesty, these are just a few of your father's comments:

What homosexuals do is so incredibly stupid, so patently absurd and antibiological, that only a foolish society would take their whimpering about ‘equal rights with heterosexuality’ seriously . . . Are we supposed to feel so sorry for them that we join them in the march to the
cemetery?"

“The evidence is that men do a better job on men, and women on women if all you are looking for is an orgasm.”

“Marital sex tends toward the boring end. Generally, it doesn’t deliver the kind of sheer sexual pleasure that homosexual sex does.”

“If I’d bought a bunch of AIDS victims’ policies ten years ago, I’d be a billionaire.”

So much for integrity and honesty.

Louie Sheldon and the Traditional Values Coalition continue to lie. Is anyone really surprised?

Lou Sheldon is a bold-faced liar.

I am sorry if that language is too severe for some but it’s the least profane way I could describe him.

Sheldon, his daughter Andrea Lafferty, and his group, the Traditional Values Coalition continue to prove just how extreme members of the anti-gay industry are in their vendetta against lgbts.

Lafferty made this assertion about legislation that only seeks to add lgbts to the categories of those protected under hate crimes laws:

"Most Christians might as well rip the pages which condemn homosexuality right out of their Bibles because this bill will make it illegal to publicly express the dictates of their religious beliefs."

There are sooo many things wrong what she said but, again, her hysterical comments are business as usual for the Traditional Values Coalition family.

Not to be undone, Lou Sheldon held a press conference on Tuesday with U.S. Congressman Louie Gohmert, in which he repeated the standard lies about hates crimes legislation. To help matters, these lies were even compiled in a list:

“Large fines and eventually jail time for anyone who publicly speaks out against homosexual activity or transgenderism, even as a minister…. This includes messages that cite Scripture….”

“Termination from one’s job if one does not support ‘coming out’ celebrations or ‘gay pride’ observances in the workplace, or if one does not attend mandatory ‘sensitivity’ or ‘diversity’ training sessions that espouse acceptance of homosexuality.”

“…[T]he threat of loss of accreditation for Christian colleges that do not condone homosexual behavior and transgenderism.”

For those not familiar with anti-gay industry propaganda, Sheldon is committing religious right distortion technique number four - claiming that any pro-gay law or ordinance will lead to "dire consequences."

Lying is a standard thing for Sheldon. Over two years ago, I reported on how his group told the Boston Globe that it took material related to discredited researcher Paul Cameron off of its web page.

This turned out to be an evasion. Cameron's name may have been taken off as a source but the group still appropriated his work. In addition, Sheldon referred to Cameron's name and work in his book, The Agenda and made no retractions even after the Boston Globe admission.

All I can say is that I hope there is a public hearing about hate crimes legislation and I also hope that those who support the bill have been paying attention to the lies Sheldon and company have been telling.

And please let it be that Sheldon, Lafferty, and Janet Folger for that matter be called as witnesses.

It would be nice to see them on the hot seat for a change.

And the ex-gays get involved

As if Sheldon's lies aren't enough, Alan Chambers from Exodus International comes in with a batch of nonsense. Apparently he is pushing the "the addition will make gays count more than ex-gays and grandmothers" lie.

I will not repeat his distortions. If you want to read what he says, go here.

Big shout out to my online friend who sent it to me, by the way.

I will not try to refute Chambers' lies. I will only say that he goes to prove just how much the so-called ex-gay movement is getting away with.

Ex-gay groups like to present themselves as merely being there for those who aren't comfortable with being gay. But their rhetoric and readiness to join those who are attempting to make life hell for us lgbts comfortable with our orientation clearly demonstrate that Chambers, Melissa Fryrear, Stephen Bennett, and the rest are lying hypocrites bought and paid by the anti-gay industry.

Just when will someone give them hell for it?

Life is not a James Bond movie

"There are several questions about the Virginia Tech situation yesterday. One of them is the blame game. The other one is gun control. The other one is -- and this is one that I've been reading up on a little bit this morning and have gained some insight, and I'm hoping -- I would love to get some psychological or somebody in the business that can answer this question: How the hell do 25 students allow themselves to be lined up against the wall in a classroom and picked off one by one? How does that happen, when they could have rushed the gunman, the shooter, and most of them would have survived?" - Neal Boortz

"As NRO's designated chickenhawk, let me be the one to ask: Where was the spirit of self-defense here? Setting aside the ludicrous campus ban on licensed conceals, why didn't anyone rush the guy? It's not like this was Rambo, hosing the place down with automatic weapons. He had two handguns for goodness' sake—one of them reportedly a .22." - John Derbyshire

Some tragedies bring out the best in people. During the Virginia Tech nastiness, there was a professor who sacrificed himself so that his students could escape.

Then there are people like radio talk show host Neal Boortz and National Review writer John Derbyshire. They are a part of a number of folks who for some reason feel the need to criticize the victims of the tragedy.

I wish I could say that they are the only two, but there are others, including Michelle Malkin who seems to be striving to be Ann Coulter's Asian sister.

No doubt they wil catch flack and when they do, they are going to give a spiel about the First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

And they would have a point. But whatever happened to decorum and taste? Just because you have the right to say almost anything you want is no reason to shoot your mouth off at any occasion. There are times to talk and times to shut the hell up.

And this is one of those latter times.

Are these people even grounded in reality? Were they ever caught in a situation like what happened at Virginia Tech? Maybe they should be doing something other than writing columns and talking on the radio. Maybe there is an opening in the Navy Seals or the Marines?

Or better yet, why not be a secret service agent? It's so easy because I saw Pierce Brosnan do it on at least four occasions.

What happened at Virginia Tech was a tragedy rooted in real life. Batman didn't skillfully defuse the situation. Superman didnt swoop in with bullets bouncing off his chest.

The simple fact is that the people caught in the middle were victims and they couldn't do anything about it. No matter how much our chests swell or how much testosterone pumps in us, no one can rightfully say what he or she would do in a situation like that. Those students and teachers at Virginia Tech were the victims of a pathetic madman. So let's dispense with the psychobabble of not being victims and "taking control of the situation."

Some situations are beyond our control.

That's why prayer was invented.

Just a few things I noticed . . .

Paul Cameron got a major and much deserved smackdown today:

A recent report claiming that homosexuals have significantly shorter life spans than heterosexuals is drawing fire from an expert who describes the study as “severely methodologically flawed.”

We all knew that but guess where this article is coming from?

A Christian web page and one that, in the past, catered to the lies of the anti-gay industry. Check out its section on "gay issues."

It's a pretty damned big deal.

Maybe Godtube should take the hint.

Apparently this site that mimics Yourtube does not take criticism of what it posts kindly. In fact, if this story is true then the site has serious problems with truth and hypocrisy.

Godtube posted an address by Lou Sheldon (Traditional Values Coalition) telling the standard lies about hate crimes legislation.

www.asgoodasyou.org replied to the video giving the true story about hate crimes legislation. The reply was deleted. This took place on three occasions.

And here I thought it was gays and lesbians who wanted to stifle opposing viewpoints.

Lastly, today was the National Day of Silence and in some areas, there was controversy.

But I am a bit more concerned about tomorrow as the anti-gay industry will try to push what they call "Day of Truth," which supposedly allows those opposing homosexuality to give their side of the story.

Don't get me wrong because I think that regardless of where it originates, a dialogue about lgbt students is a good thing. I trust high school students to be mature and learn from an exchange of ideas.

But I am still bothered that the group that sponsors the Day of Truth, the Allied Defense Fund, will use the day to spread lies about gay students.

I noticed that students who want to know more about the Day of Truth are directed towards the ADF's web page where they can receive such materials as a handout called The Ten Biggest Myths of Homosexual Behavior.

Naturally this handout repeats Paul Cameronesque lies about the supposed gay life span as well as gay sexual activity and health. I talk about this handout in detail in my upcoming book.

There is a difference between opposing homosexuality and repeating lies about gays and lesbians.

I have faith that our young people will know the difference.

I am totally speechless

First of all, my prayers go out to all of those who got caught up in that madness at Virginia Tech. It's hideous that someone with problems chooses to take out his frustrations on innocent people rather than be man enough to handle his business.

When nothing else can be said, all one can do is pray.

Deep breath

Tomorrow is the National Day of Silence and I am sure that the anti-gay industry will be working to distort this crucial day.

Today, however, some seemed to have gone overboard with their hysteria. Hence this lovely piece of madness to my upper left.

A while back when anti-gay industry pundit Guy Adams (remember him) actually accused gays of having sex with infants, it was the first time that the antics of that bunch left me totally shocked and speechless. Up until that time, I thought I had seen it all. When the brouhaha Adams was taking place, I thought his comment was the ultimate of all audacity of these so-called Christians.

Leave it to Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition to prove me wrong.

Lou, like all members of the anti-gay industry, are scared that lgbts will be added to national hate crimes legislation. To combat this, they have created a huge media campaign tells lies about hate crimes legislation.

According to them, if lgbts are added, then Christians will be jailed for speaking out against homosexuals. So some enterprising member of the Traditional Values Coalition emphasized that point by claiming that Jesus and his disciples would have been penalized because of hate crimes protection.

The point of course is a lie and it proves that the anti-gay industry has lost its damned mind.

Desperation can bring out the best in some folks. Luckily for us, it also brings out the worst.

I have noticed that the anti-gay industry has tried to give the hate crimes law a banner name so that they can rally the troops behind it. I have heard several different names, including:

The Drag Queen Bill, The Hate Free Speech Bill, and (my favorite), the Jail Grandma Bill.

That last one was thought of by Janet Folger whose group (Faith2Action) seems to be intent on exploiting the Repent America situation to claim that adding lgbts to hate crimes legislation will lead to the jailing of Christians for merely speaking out against homosexuality.

Helping Folger are two members of Repent America who happen to be grandmothers. These women are filming commercials in which they claim that they were arrested for merely "sharing Gospel of Jesus Christ."

What they don't tell you is that apparently their defintion of "sharing the Gospel" included trying to openly and verbally disrupt a gay pride festival:

Repent America doesn’t mention that a federal court later found that the women “insulted individual attendees, blocked access to vendors, and disobeyed direct orders from the police, who were trying to preserve order and keep the peace.” The police arrested the protesters only after “their presence disrupted public order.” Unlike the organizers of OutFest, Repent America leaders failed to obtain a permit from the city. The city and the police gave the women great leeway, but they still overstepped the bounds of peaceful protest.

For the true story that Folger and her group won't tell you about Repent America, go here.

In addition, to get the true story on hate crimes legislation, go here.

I would laugh about how desperate the anti-gay industry is getting regarding hate crimes legislation. They aren't even trying to hide their lies. They are going full tilt in the public arena with distortions so bad that when attention is focused on hate crimes legislation, they will be discovered and hopefully embarrassed at the depths they have stooped to.

But I can't laugh at them. I firmly believe that somewhere in that vast empire of lies is someone who knows that they are peddling lies. I firmly believe that though that person feels sick in the pit of his or her stomach over what is going on.

I would like to think that it is Janet Folger. She is so out in the open with her distortions that something in the back of her mind has to be asking her what in the hell is she doing.

Or it could be one of the grandmothers featured in Folger's commercials. In their heart, they know that their arrest was not the result of the so-called gay agenda but their actions. How do they feel about lying in order to "further the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

I don' think that it is Lou Sheldon. That man is so far gone that the angel from "It's A Wonderful Life" can't rescue his integrity or soul.

But I think someone in that camp has to be disturbed with how these so-called Christians are behaving. I just he or she would step out.

Pollen and Don Imus (you just knew it was coming)

I hate this weather. The wind is aggravating my allergies, so subsequently, I am stuck in bed in a really bad mood.

But two things I want to talk about:

When the anti-gay industry is fully exposed, it will be not be because of one person. It will be due to the efforts of a myriad of people and blogs who are continuously working to expose their lies and tactics.

Some of us may be considered major players, some may be considered minor players, and many of us will be considered as bench warmers. But all of us are important. Please let's not wrap ourselves in embracing "prominence" that we forget the hard workers on the grassroots level.

Enough said about that.

The Don Imus situation has been all over the place and as always, many truths are being left out.

There seems to be the drumbeat of columnists and commentators who are attacking the black community for our supposed double standard regarding racial remarks. Leading this drumbeat is columnist Cal Thomas.

Thomas, who has to "answer for Santino" for his helping to spread anti-gay propaganda in the early 90s (I haven't forgotten it, Thomas) is echoing many who claim that we black people give racial slurs a pass when some of us are saying them.

But this is not necessarily true.

As it is, Jesse Jackson has criticized how many of us use slurs to refer to ourselves. Al Sharpton has also. So has Minister Louis Farrakhan and other black leaders. I have. Many in my community, including politicians and pastors have.

The thing is that you don't hear about it because the powers that be don't warrant it as important. Sure, when Bill Cosby took some of us to task for low expectations, that got a lot of play, but only to pit Cosby against other black leaders.

The only reason the Don Imus situation has gotten any attention at all is because Imus is a white man who got caught with his foot in his mouth. And look at all of the folks rushing to defend him.

Please notice that on almost every show talking about Imus, there are no black commentators already employed. Where are the ones on Fox News other than Juan Williams. We all know how much power he has as opposed to a panel of white folks. And where is the black commentator on MSNBC or the other programs?

For that matter, just how many issues indigenous to solely the black community get discussed on these programs?

If this was the case, then folks would know that racial slurs used in the black community is not a case of a double standard, but one that has been grounds for a wide discussion. Many black people have spoken out against it. You don't hear about it because the powers that be don't think of it as important enough. And when it does get air time, who do they choose to speak for our community? Someone like Larry Elder.

And to put it nicely, Larry Elder is the type of black man who would criticize events like Black History Month but turn around and give other events like St. Patrick's Day a free pass.

Let's face facts. Brit Hume, Michelle Malkin, Bill O'Reilly, and the rest of the moneyed media don't care about black people. They don't care about issues that affect us. They have taken this Don Imus situation and created an argument about a "double standard" that is not only false but dangerously simplistic when it comes to understanding the concerns and complexities of the black community.

They merely dipped their toes in the water then expect everyone to think of them as an expert.

The Don Imus controversy is yet another example of a lazy, biased media. And it makes me fear for this country when our news gatherers get paid so much for doing so little.

The religious right uses Paul Cameron's work? No kidding!

I got my second batch of corrections today! I get to look at it one more time before sending it in. Slowly but surely, my book is becoming a reality.

But on the national scene:

It seems that our pal Paul Cameron's past is finally catching up with him.

From Pam Spaulding comes this item:

John Aravosis over at Americablog has an excellent post documenting some of our favorite organizations' alliance and support of junk scientist Paul Cameron.

The American Family Association, Family Research Council, Traditional Values Coalition and Concerned Women for America have been proponents of Cameron's work because it "validates" their anti-gay agenda. The tactic is simple -- cite the false and misleading "science" often enough, both in print and on the air, and if they make it sound credible, no one will question it. The Southern Poverty Law Center has named Cameron's Colorado Springs-based Family Research Institute as an active hate group.

Pam and John are two excellent bloggers, probably considered two of the top progressive bloggers in the country. Therefore, the fact that they are mentioning Cameron is, to me, a big deal.

It indicates that there seems to be a small groundswell concentrated on Cameron's data.

What the hell took everyone so long?

I'm sorry but I don't go for this patting each other on the back for the ability to nail Cameron on his lies. There should be no congratulations for a group of people who are finally getting down to doing what they should have been accomplishing in the first place.

Furthermore, I got news for everyone before they lose themselves in euphoria over exposing Cameron.

You all are only half done.

Cameron's data just barely scratches the surface when it comes to anti-gay industry lies. When they don't cite Cameron, they either copy his bad methodology or distort legitimate studies to quantify his theories.

So let's not celebrate right away. The war isn't over yet.

Hot adoption mess in Georgia

With all else going on, let's not forget how the anti-gay industry tries to hinder us from starting families and protecting our families.

I ran across this situation in Georgia and if it is true, we need to raise some holy hell:

Georgia judge halts lesbian adoptionWilkinson County jurist orders child taken from home, put in foster care

Days away from her seventh birthday, a little girl named Emma Rose is currently trapped in Georgia’s foster care system, unable to reunite with the woman who has been her mother for almost a year — all because the mother is a lesbian.

The prospective adoptive mother, Elizabeth Hadaway, was also sentenced to 10 days in jail earlier this month by a Wilkinson County Superior Court judge who refused to grant the adoption in part because “the child will have a long-term exposure to the homosexual parent’s lifestyle.”

Check out this link for more on this article.

It's relatively easy for the anti-gay industry to make our lives a living hell if they are helped by those who are supposed to protect our interests.

Kudos and boy do I miss Robert Knight!!!

Nothing too much to report today.

That situation about my corrections has been taken care of. The check is in the mail and by the end of this week, I should have the new galleys to my book. Then I can decide what to send out as an excerpt.

But extreme kudos to Jim Burroway of Box Turtle Bulletin, my online buddy at Kevin's Space and others who wrote the Eastern Psychological Association for answers about Paul Cameron and his claim to have presented a paper at their convention. It was this alleged paper from which Cameron was sending out a new batch of lies on the lgbt community.

The following is what I think is the most important portion of the response:

The submission by Dr. Cameron indicated that there was a possibility that the prevalence of homosexuals in the population had been overestimated by previous techniques. Data were presented, reportedly using a broader defined sample than that used by government agencies, which indicated that the prevalence of homosexuality in the population was smaller than had been previously suggested. The submission by Dr. Cameron was for a poster presentation, and it was accepted as a poster, not as a paper or address. Whatever the Camerons ultimately presented, occurred in an hour-long “poster session” among approximately 70 posters.

There was nothing in the materials submitted by the author for review by EPA that indicated that the work could, or would, be informative with respect to the longevity of homosexuals.

To read the entire letter, go here.

On that note, I bet the Concerned Women for America misses its former guru of all things anti-gay, Robert Knight.

Apparently under the auspices of the new ring general of anti-gaydom, Matt Barber, the group seems to have made a faux pas.

In attempt to criticize hate crimes legislation, the group actually made the case for it. Go here to see what I am talking about.

Thanks Matt! Keep up the good work!

Let’s not forget about the imps

Paul Cameron has yet another study out. This time, he claims that there has been a conspiracy to suppress studies that puts the gay community in an bad light.

But let’s move past him for a second. We need to keep focus on just how dangerous Cameron’s lies actually are.

No matter how many times he has been debunked, Cameron has an audience willing to believe his lies and pass them along. And those in that camp are also willing to repeat Cameron’s lies in front of school boards and legislative bodies.

Some of these folks are absolutely deluded; convinced that the only reason why Cameron has been rebuked is because his data is correct and the so-called Gay Mafia will do anything to suppress it They believe this despite the fact that there has been and continues to be a mountain of evidence against Cameron.

And then there are others who are very aware of Cameron’s history and the lack of credibility his data contains.

But they use it anyway because of a Machiavellian mindset. They seem to think that in the long run, defaming homosexuality and lgbts by use of bad studies (i.e. lies) are not necessarily a bad thing because the lies are being done for a good or Christian purpose.

A part of me feels sorry for those with the former notion. Those who have the latter notion (and there are many) are the ones we should focus our efforts on.

Indeed Paul Cameron had a belief that homosexuality is sick in a physical and mental sense even before he began defaming the community. For this reason, he manipulated and distorted legitimate data and statistics to quantify this theory.

While those in the anti-gay industry present a danger when they cite his work, they present more of a danger when they have the mindsets that led Cameron to do what he did to our community.

This leads them to find other works to distort.

My book covers many of these examples, so let me give out a few. I have not linked these examples to a site because

A. I have to give you some degree of curiousity so that you will buy my book and

B. Many of these examples are things that I personally researched and discovered.

But trust me when I say that these examples and more are covered with detail and proof in my book:

Gay men have a short life span due to disease and reckless living - When not citing Cameron’s studies to quanitfy this lie, the anti-gay industry will distort the findings of a 1997 Oxford study. However, they always omit the fact that in 2001, the original authors of the study said that their work was being distorted. They said the original study was speaking of a purely hypothetical outcome that is no longer applicable.

Gay men molest children at a higher rate than heterosexuals - When not citing Cameron’s studies, the anti-gay industry will repeat his theory that if a man molests a young boy, then that man is gay. Legitimate studies have all said this is not the case.

Lesbians engage in reckless behavior like drug addiction and alcoholism - When not citing Cameron’s studies, the anti-gay industry will cite convenience sample studies, or studies not indicative of the entire community. One such study was by Dr. Joanne Hall. Despite the fact that Dr. Hall’s study looked at only 35 lesbians and that she had written letters complaining about the distortion of her work, the Family Research Council and other groups still use it.

Gay men are promiscuous - When not citing Cameron’s studies, the anti-gay industry will use out-of-date books that only looks a part of the gay population. One book they cite is Homosexualities by Alan Bell and Martin Weinberg. Homosexualities looked at the gay community in San Francisco in the early 1970s. The authors even say that their book cannot be thought of to represent the entire gay community. A point of fact about Homosexualities is that it was produced by the Kinsey Institute, the organization that many in the anti-gay industry claims uses bad methodology. Apparently the Kinsey Institute can’t be so bad to them if they use its work to defame lgbts.

As I said before, I go into more detail about these examples in my book.

But my main point is that while exposing Cameron for his bad research, let’s not forget that the anti-gay industry has copied his shoddy tactics. We need to call them out on that.

Cameron shouldn’t get all the blame.

One step forward, one step back - My book slowly progresses

It’s been a crazy weekend.

For starters, my computer went to Jesus yet again. It wouldn’t have been so bad had I been able to save the information for my book ad, new press release, and questionnaire form to disk before it happened.

So to combat any further problems, I looked into getting a laptop. Unfortunately the cost of it destroyed the budget I set aside for the corrections of my book, so that left me in a serious funk.
However, with a little prayer and elbow grease, I have come to a solution to my problem. If all works out as it should, I will still be able to afford the edits to my book This process is what I get for being independent.

One good thing is that my press release has been running at several places, leading to nice articles and requests for interviews, not to mention requests to be placed on my mailing list.
While I sweated the problems this weekend, I compounded the error by watching a VH-1 marathon of some weird reality show called Flavor of Love.

The silliness of the show just underscores the sad state of hypocrisy of my African-American community when it comes to lgbt issue.

Donnie McClurkin, D.L. Foster, T.D. Jakes, and the rest of them don’t say anything about a show that portrays black men as bufoons and black women as loud, uneducated, slutty, hair-pulling, bizarre named (i.e Krazy, Bootz, Buckeey, Nibblz, Deelishis) hoochies but these same charlatans will pull open that Bible to criticize us.

And the same so-and-sos who enjoy ignorant shows like this will be the same ones who claim that "their faith" teaches that homosexuality is a sin.

Meanwhile, historically black colleges will do their best to keep us underground or invisible.

I guess Jesus had an exemption for bed-hopping, horse hair, yukk-mouth gold teeth brothers and sisters who can butt-clap and bitch slap.

Pass the Courvoisier!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously though, as many of you know, the National Day of Silence will take place next week. Our friends in the anti-gay industry will do their best to disrupt and lie about the purpose of this day. I’m guessing that our friend Peter at Americans for Truth (in name only), Linda Harvey (Mission America), and the rest have something interesting in the works.

Keep one eye open because you know they going to act like fools. Already they are claiming a huge increase in the participants of their anti-gay event, Day of Truth. My guess is that they have the "we are winning" press release already written.

Wayne Besen at www.truthwinsout.org is already on their case.

Lastly, a HUGE shoutout to an online buddy, Jim Burroway of Box Turtle Bulletin, for an excellent analysis on Paul Cameron and his latest set of lies.

I try to do my bit when it comes to exposing Cameron’s lies but Burroway goes the extra mile, giving sufficient detail as to how Cameron deceives and exploits people of faith. His latest piece, Paul Cameron’s Footprint" is yet another triumph.

Just one thing, Jim. Save some for the rest of us.

And speaking of Paul Cameron, I would like to point out something very positive about us as a blogging community. Since he came out with the new batch of nonsense about the supposed gay life span, Cameron’s lack of credibility has been spotlighted not just by bloggers on their own sites but on the sites where his lies are usually repeated and believed as truth.

Bloggers posted responses on so-called pro-family and "Christian" web pages detailing the paper trail behind Cameron’s nonsense. We were adroit, to the point, and not begging for "tolerance." We all said "Cameron is lying about us and here is the proof. Deal with it."

We should do that more often.

One more Paul Cameron bit

I apologize to anyone who has read my postings this week. I wrote an usually large amount about Paul Cameron and his so-called research.

And here is one more:

Married Gays Die 24 Years Younger

Contact: Dr. Paul Cameron, Family Research Institute, 303-681-3113, 303-886-1947 cell

PHILADELPHIA, Apr. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Marriage between a man and woman seems to result in longer life for both. Does it work that way for gay marriage?

"No," says Dr. Paul Cameron of the Family Research Institute, a Colorado-based think tank.

Researchers Paul and Kirk Cameron reported at the Eastern Psychological Association convention that married gays and lesbians lived about 24 fewer years than their married heterosexual counterparts.

In Denmark, the country with the longest history of gay marriage, for 1990-2002, married heterosexual men died at a median age of 74, while the 561 partnered gays died at an average age of 51.

In Norway, married heterosexual men died at an average age of 77 yr., the 31 gays at 52. The lifespan of same-sex married lesbians was 20+ years shorter than the lifespan of married heterosexual women. In Denmark, married heterosexual women died at an average age of 78 yr. as compared to 56 yr. for the 91 same-sex married lesbians; in Norway, married heterosexual women died at an average age of 81 v. 56 for the 6 same-sex married lesbians.

You have to admire Camerons' gumption, if nothing else. From one alleged study he presented research that claimed:

Gay men have short life spans

Homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking,

and now, this idea about married gays dying younger.

However, one can arrange trash on a heap in different configurations, but it is still trash and it still stinks.

Someone should tell that to our friend Peter LaBarbera at Americans for Truth (in name only). Apparently he has taken a break from denouncing the annual Day of Silence in order to announce Cameron's latest lie:

Homosexual activists reject out-of-hand any research that shows homosexual behavior, generally speaking, is unhealthy compared to normal sexuality. At some point, however, pro-”gay” advocates need to explain why so many homosexuals are dying so young. (And you can’t blame it on “homophobia” — you know, those anti-gay bastions of Norway and Denmark…) When they do, we’ll relay their explanations to you.

If you are interested in relaying something Peter, then tell us why do you continue to rely on Cameron's data.

And while you are at it, ask One News Now (formerly Agape Press) why they relied on Cameron as a source for an article without commenting on his history.

Of course doing this sort of thing is old hat from them, as my upcoming book will point out.

One good thing out of Cameron's latest burst is how quickly he has been slapped down. The bloggers and online publications have been doing their job in order to refute Cameron and reveal his record of lies.

Not that it matters to those who are under the belief that since homosexuality is a sin, anything putting the lgbt community in a negative light is a good thing.

What I would like to see now is a press release from a major gay rights organization (hello HRC or GLAAD) denouncing Cameron.

Christians not afraid to lose integrity in defending Paul Cameron

Paul Cameron's latest lie is starting to get a little traction, but not without a high degree of criticism.

And this is good.

In the past, he has been able to slip his lies through without courtesy of correction. But this time, he is getting lambasted, as he should, by people who are aware of his history.

What concerns me are those who, while knowing Cameron's history, are willing to excuse his lies. I took the liberty of posting a litany of his offenses to several so-called Christian sites which published his latest press release.

In one area, I am in the middle of a small war. No matter how many times other folks and myself point out his bad history and lies, there are some people willing to give his lies the benefit of the doubt.

They have this image of themselves as besieged by the enemy in a culture war. Apparently the American Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association, and anyone who dares question the distortion of their own research by Cameron are working for "the enemy."

Go here and here to see what I am talking about.

I makes me sad. Not because of their beliefs that homosexuality is a sin, but because how these people are willing to sacrifice the integrity of their faith.

Their mindsets seem to be "homosexuality is a sin, so anything that portrays gays and lesbians in a negative light is, in the long run, correct."

A very Machiavellian way of thinking, but the last time I read the Bible, Jesus never talked about Machiavellian tactics.

These people underscore just how religion has been highjacked in this country by slicksters who have replaced the image of Christ with their own ideas of superiority and conquest.

But like I said before, all is not bad. This piece (click the link) is probably the best smackdown of Cameron I have ever read.

I almost can't wait for him to come out with a new lie.

Almost, but not quite.

Handle your business, HRC!!!

This post is going around on various blogs, so you may have already seen it.

However, I think that it is important for the word to get out:

When Homophobes Bear False Witness
Family Research Council lies to members about hate crimes amendment, fails to disclose conflict of interest

WASHINGTON— The Family Research Council bore false witness against its neighbors at least twice this Holy Week when communicating with its members about the need for hate crimes legislation, said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

In an attempt to scare its members into believing that federal hate crimes laws will punish simple thoughts, the FRC asks in a new Web video (www.stopthoughtcrimes.com), "What will it mean in America if thought crimes laws are passed?"

The assertion that America doesn't already have a federal hate crimes law is a flat out lie. The federal hate crimes law (18 U.S.C. section 245), covering race, religion, color and national origin, has been on the books since 1969.

“It's easy to understand why the Family Research Council would feel the need to lie about the hate crimes law's existence. The existing federal hate crimes law already covers the employees of the FRC under its "religion" provision,” said Solmonese. “That means the FRC is either against granting others the same protections it has already enjoyed for almost forty years under current federal law or it wants to repeal the existing hate crime law. Talk about special rights.”

Just as embarrassing, no critic of the FRC – or anyone else – has ever been thrown in jail for any supposed "thought crime" under the existing federal hate crimes law. The truth is that neither the current hate crimes law nor the expanded measure criminalize thoughts or speech; they onlycover crimes involving bodily injury or attempted bodily injury.

The hate crimes statute is only invoked to allow a federal investigation and the prosecution of bias-motivated violence if – and only if – it is necessary to achieve an effective, just result. That only happens after a violent crime is committed, which debunks the "thought crimes" talking point.

As Congress once again attempts to add women, people with disabilities and members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to the existing federal hate crimes law, the FRC has demonstrated that it is willing to go to any length to stop this needed legislation – including lying. Similar legislation has already passed in recent years in both the Republican-led House and Senate. This year, the House bill, H.R. 1592, and its soon-to-be introduced Senate companion bill, will add gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability to the protected classes under 18 U.S.C, chapter 13, ensuring that the already-existing federal hate crimes law covers everyone.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Paul Cameron won't go away!

I don't know just what Paul Cameron is trying to prove. He has been censured, rebuked, and on a few lucky occasions, laughed at.

And on a very few excellent occasions, allowed our community to have many victories.

But he just won't go away. Apparently someone misinformed him about credibility.

Mr. Cameron, credibility does not mean repeating the same lies and bad studies that got you into trouble in the first place in hopes that people will forget what you have done.

Credibility comes from doing research right the first time, having the guts to admit that you are wrong when errors are made, and not being so biased that you can't see just how much of a pathetic figure you are becoming.

But I digress.

This morning, I saw the following:

Homosexuality More Dangerous Than Smoking
Contact: Dr. Paul Cameron, Family Research Institute, 303-681-3113, 303-886-1947 cell

PHILADELPHIA, Apr. 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- Studies have shown that years of smoking shortens the lifespan of the smoker from 1 to 7 years. But analysis of the age of death in Norway and Denmark for gays who are legally married suggests that engaging in homosexual behavior reduces the lifespan by 24 years!

There is nothing new here. Just the same old lies that got Cameron kicked out the American Psychological Association.

But let me elucidate on the history of Cameron and his attempts to prove that gays have a short life span. The information I am revealing are just a few summaries from my upcoming book:

In the late 80s/ early 90s, Cameron tried to make the claim that gay men have a short life span through disease and the like. He conducted this study by comparing obituaries in gay-themed newspapers to obituaries in mainstream newspapers.

There were several faults in this kind of research including the fact that just because the obituaries were printed in "regular" newspapers does not necessarily mean the deceased was not gay.

Many gays are uncomfortable with how society views them and how they view themselves. To shield themselves from what they see as persecution, they live life in secret, or "in the closet." It’s not farfetched to say that some die while still not open about their homosexuality. Also, even if they were open, who’s to say whether or not the obituary mentioned their sexual orientation?

Also, only two percent of Cameron's sample size were lesbians.

Nevertheless, the anti-gay industry made full use of this bad study. Conservative author William Bennett even referred to it on a Sunday news program, This Week.

However, he backtracked when informed of Cameron dubious history and the piss poor techniques used in the study:

"Given what I now know, I believe there are flaws with Paul Cameron's study. One cannot extrapolate from his methodology and say that the average male homosexual life span is 43 years."

In 2005, Cameron tried to sneak the study out again. It was at this time he claimed that "homosexuality was more dangerous than cigarette smoking."

What he did was take over 10,000 obituaries from the gay newspaper the Washington Blade 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 gay life span study. However, 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 used 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."

So now in 2007, Cameron is again trying to claim again that homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking. This time, he is using a Scandinavian study to prove this theory.

Cameron's tactic in this case is interesting. In the past, the anti-gay industry copied his bad research techniques at the times they weren't citing his bad studies. Sometimes, they invented their own.

One new tactic they picked up (and I talk about it in my book) is to distort studies from the Netherlands and Scandinavia. This tactic helps them on two fronts: it is difficult for people to refute these studies without heavy research because they come from far away countries.

Also, the anti-gay industry likes to claim that the Netherlands and Scandinavia are the most gay-friendly places on Earth. Subsequently, if they can take studies from those areas and show that "promoting homosexuality" has caused problems, then they can demonstrate that homosexuality on the whole is a bad concept.

So I guess the teacher has learned from the students.

Keep up the good work, Paul Cameron. The anti-gay industry may cite you but sooner or later, the truth will out.

But until then, events like what happened today in Colorado (click on this link if you want to see what our friend Mr. Cameron looks like) when you got smacked down by a legislator for your bad studies will take place more often.

You are indeed slouching towards Gomorrah.

Stopping a lie before it starts

The anti-gay industry is extremely intent on disrupting the upcoming National Day of Silence, even to the point of making up stuff. Case in point:

Graphic Youth Flier Guides “Queer” “Boyz” on How to Engage in Homosexual Sodomies
TAKE ACTION: Find out if your child’s middle or high school is participating in or endorsing the homosexual “Day of Silence” Wed., April 18th and remove him or her from school that day to protest the promotion of unhealthy and immoral lifestyles to our young people. For more information on HOW to find out about the Day of Silence in your kids’ school, go to www.NotOurKids.com.

By Peter LaBarbera

WARNING: Graphic, pornographic-like descriptions of homosexual perversions are contained in this flier for “boyz”– so why was it being distributed to young men? Why are homosexually-tempted teenagers being told that they are “superstars” and that “being queer is a gift”? And why are they being coached on how to “safely” perform sodomitic sex acts like anal sex, homosexual oral sex and even “rimming” — (licking their “partner’s” anus) – yet they are NOT told how deadly these immoral homosexual behaviors can be?

It’s time for everyday Americans to face the reality of homosexual perversions being promoted by “gay” activist adults to impressionable children. If you want to know why Americans For Truth so strongly oppose pro-homosexual youth/school campaigns like the “Day of Silence” (Wed., April 18th), study this ”100% Hate Free” flier — created by Chicago’s leading “gay health” organization and passed out to teen boys at a homosexual street fair. Like me, you will probably get angry when you read it, but better to be angry and informed than naive and uninformed about the evils being promoted to young people in the name of “gay pride.”

Again with the rimming, Peter?

Seriously though, be forewarned that the alleged flyer/pamphlet has nothing to do with the National Day of Silence. Our friends at Americans for Truth (in name only) claims that the pamphlet was given out to young boys during a street fair. The group conveniently did not mention when this took place.

The pamphlet actually came from Howard Brown, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) health care organization leading the region in addressing the comprehensive health care needs of people in the LGBT community.

As far as it is known, there are NO plans to distribute the pamphlet throughout high schools during the National Day of Silence.

Those who are inferring that this is the case need to check themselves.

Since when is it right to lie and deceive in the name of God?

GSAs and the Day of Silence
Who will you listen to?

April 18th will be the National Day of Silence, the event created to publicize the plight of lgbts in schools across the country.

The anti-gay industry is pulling out all of the stops to cause chaos, from creating a pseudo event (Day of Truth) where they encourage students to repeat Paul Cameronesque lies to advising parents to keep their children out of the schools on April 18th.

Their goal is to disrupt the National Day of Silence to such a point that schools will be fearful of holding the event.

With that in mind, I have just one question.

Who will you listen to?

The anti-gay industry claims that Day of Silence is a propaganda technique created to "indoctrinate" children into the "homosexual lifestyle." They claim that the designated day and other things, such as gay/straight clubs and alliances are leading children down a pathway of destruction:

It is no secret that some believe the best place to change society is through our public schools. Homosexual groups admit this is part of their agenda. They feel children who have been taught to believe in moral truths need to be re-educated. These special interest groups do not respect the religious beliefs of parents and their mission is to socially re-engineer society. - Daniel T. Zanoza, Republicans for A Fair Media

Day of Silence is a propaganda exercise for schools designed to engender sympathy toward GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) lifestyles. Many schools now officially back this disruptive, pro-homosexual event — so we’re calling on parents to pull their children out of school that day (Wed., April 18 this year). How did we get to the point in our society where schools would be used to promote acceptance of immoral homosexual behaviors and gender confusion (transgenderism)? - Peter LaBarbera, Americans for Truth

"Teenagers deserve an opportunity to study English, history, math, and science -- without being subjected to pro-homosexual proselytizing sanctioned by school authorities. Students shouldn't be forced to self-censor or adopt beliefs contrary to those of their parents and places of worship. Even the strongest of our junior high and high school children are not equipped to serve as frontline soldiers in this culture war." Linda Harvey, Mission America

Those who support Day of Silence and GSAs have a differing view on things. And they also have more credibility because they are (pay attention now) the students directly affected by GSAs and the Day of Silence:

When a student in Cara Cerise's ceramics class at Salt Lake City's Highland High School told her he had a solution to the gay marriage issue, she was ready to listen. "Just kill everyone who's gay," she remembers the classmate saying. Shocked, Cara started to cry. The daughter of a gay man, the teenager knew she needed to find a safe haven at school where she would not be judged. It was through the school's gay-straight alliance (GSA), now melded into Highland's social-justice club, that Cara found a home. - Students say clubs a haven from hurt

The misery Zach caused was minor compared with the misery he felt. He says he knew he was different by kindergarten, but he had no name for it, so he would stay to himself. He tried sports, but, he says, “It didn’t work out well.” He couldn’t remember the rules. In fifth grade, when boys at recess were talking about girls they had crushes on, Zach did not have someone to name.

By sixth grade, he knew what “gay” meant, but didn’t associate it with himself. That year, he says: “I had a crush on one particular eighth-grade boy, a very straight jock. I knew whatever I was feeling I shouldn’t talk about it.” He considered himself a broken version of a human being. “I did think about suicide,” he says. - Accepting Gay Identity, and Gaining Strength

What's most surprising about GSA clubs is what they're not -- namely, social clubs for openly gay or lesbian students. Members don't ask each other how they identify, and many members aren't gay. Some are straight students with gay relatives, or are simply interested in exploring the cultural and legal aspects of gay life and promoting tolerance and diversity.
"Our sexual orientation isn't discussed," said Veronica Falborn, a GSA member at Westwood Regional High School. "If you want to, it can be, but we just want to spread respect and tolerance." - Gay-friendly clubs thrive in North Jersey schools

Somebody tell me who are the slicksters out to indoctrinate and manipulate under the guise of truth?

And just who are the true heroes?

On the latter score, my money is on the children.

When I read their stories, I don't see individuals being manipulated by a nameless horde of invaders. I see lgbt children, their parents and supporters standing up for themselves and buying not into someone's ignorant definition of their lives.

And dammit, they should be listened to.

More to the point, Ms. Harvey, teenagers do deserve opportunity to learn English, history, math and science, but without having to be teased because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

Your constant need to ignore these students will hurt you the long run.

They are the reason why your side will eventually lose this so-called culture war.

Corrections I have made and corrections others need to make

Just a quick note about my book. The first round of corrections were sent to the publisher last night and should come back to me in a short time.

Barring any new heavy corrections, I will be sending out a press packet which will include an excerpt of my book

And speaking of corrections, I spent the entire weekend undertaking a new project. I was writing posts on so-called "pro-family" sites.

Paul Cameron's "new" study (see earlier posts) have been quietly making its way around the blogsphere. It's probably not getting much public play because people are aware of Cameron's lies.

However, on certain so-called "pro-family" sites, his press release has been published as if its the second coming.

An e-friend of mine posted an interesting link. It seems that controversial (and I won't say why) conservative columnist Armstrong Williams posted Cameron's press release as is. My friend claims that Williams committed plagiarism. See it for yourself here.

It was Mr. Williams's actions and other postings that led me to write my opinion on so-called "pro-family" sites that featured Cameron's press release.

I didn't post angry words, or "why do you all hate gay people" whinings that seem to be the rage.

I just posted facts and figures about Cameron's exploits. I received these facts from Dr. Gregory Herek and my upcoming book.

And I found it gratifying simply because that of the fact that every time someone logs on to those sites and reads Cameron's press release, they will read about his dubious history of lies and deception.

That is how one stops lies; reveal the truth whenever you can.