The Emperor Continues to Wear No Clothes

Fresh from last week's battle over hate crimes legislation, the anti-gay industry continues to lie about the bill. Apparently they are determined to claim that the bill will try to hinder Christians from preaching against homosexuality no matter how many times their lies have been refuted.

Chief among them is African-American minister Harry Jackson. Jackson, if you remember from last week, led a group of black ministers in a press conference opposing the bill.

What it amounted to is a group of black folks willing to exploit their status as past victims of discrimination for some face time.

Today, a column by Jackson appeared in the Christian Post. It's the usual amount of claptrap and lies he pushed last week.

However, in the midst of his nonsense, he said something that makes sense of a surreal level:

A growing number of black church goers are aghast that their most powerful institution is being undermined by a handful of autonomous, self-appointed leaders. The black church is the most legitimate grass roots movement in our community. Unfortunately, its voice has not been heard in this debate.

Mr. Jackson, if the black church's voice is not heard in this debate it is only because it has allowed itself to be silent. Too many black churches focus on tithing and minsterial hooping disguised as praise.

That's right. I said it. Too many black churches have members content on dancing in the aisles and shouting about how much they are "praising God" while the problems affecting our community continue unabated.

Fresh from praising and paying their ten percent, some of church members go home and cheat on their husbands, beat their wives, and take drugs.

While other members play an emotional game with themselves because they have been programmed not to embrace their God given gay or lesbian orientation.

Then come next Sunday, they get to do it over again.

Meanwhile, black ministers like yourself get fat on faith based initiatives and move to the front of the arena hogging up media attention.

If the black church is aghast, as you put it, by autonomous self-appointed leaders, then it should take more of an effort to push those self-appointed leaders like yourself aside and start focusing on the issues that affect our community.

Heads up on ENDA

Don't forget to contact your U.S. Senator about hate crimes legislation. The battle is not over yet.

Meanwhile, the anti-gay industry is gearing up to fight ENDA.

I am personally looking forward to this fight more than that of hate crimes legislation.

In fighting hate crimes legislation, the anti-gay industry had somewhat of a ground to stand on, albeit shaky ground.

With ENDA, they don't.

This is what they are claiming about ENDA:

ENDA loosely defines "sexual orientation" as "homosexuality, heterosexuality, or bisexuality," and also includes "gender identity," defined as "the gender-related identity, appearance, or mannerisms or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, with or without regard to the individual's designated sex at birth."

For those who don't recognize this argument, it is a continuation of the ones they used against hate crimes legislation.

They seem to have replaced the hate crimes legislation will allow these nasty things to be protected line of argument to the ENDA will allow these nasty things to be protected line of argument.

Talk about lack of originality but fear tactics rarely do involve originality.

I am surprised they are not using this argument seen here.

As you can see, this argument has holes so big you can ride a truck through them, including the distortion of Robert Spitzer's study on sexual orienation (why do they always use that one.)

I wonder if Concerned Women for America and the rest of the anti-gay industry will focus on the scale down argument or use that larger one. Either way, it wouldn't surprise me.