It's Monday so it's time for another lie courtesy of Minister Harry Jackson

A popular and effective distortion technique of the anti-gay industry is to misrepresent something about the lgbt community and repeat that misrepresentation irregardless of the correction of said fact.

A perfect case in point is the latest column by Minister Harry Jackson. Jackson is railing yet again about adding lgbts to hate crimes legislation.

In this column, he is upset because U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn sent him a letter asking him to stop distorting the issue. Jackson said he sent a letter back to Clyburn detailing for him the following exchange:

In the congressional subcommittee, Republican Congressman Louis Gohmert of Texas moved to remove "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" from the bill. It failed on a recorded vote of 19 to 13. Next, Congressman Mike Pence from Indiana offered an important amendment on Freedom of Religion.

A number of Republicans spoke in support of it. But the Democrats, Jerrold Nadler, Tammy Baldwin and Chairman John Conyers kept evading the issue.

Finally Congressman Gohmert asked, "If a minister was giving a sermon, a Bible Study or any kind of written or spoken message saying that homosexuality was a serious sin and a person in the congregation went out and committed a crime against a homosexual would the minister be charged with the crime of incitement?"

Gohmert was attempting to clarify and emphasize that the legislation would have an effect on the constitutional right to religious freedom and thus the Pence amendment was needed to protect religious speech. The Democrats continued to explain why they could not accept the amendment.

Lundgren continuously shot down their answers. He said, "What is your answer? Would there be incitement charges again the pastor?"

And finally Democrat Congressman Artur Davis of Alabama spoke up and said, ‘Yes.’ ”

Jackson's version this exchange is a lie. And it has been refuted repeatedly.

The following is the actual exchange (courtesy of the webpage Good As You):

GOHERT: ...If a minister preaches that sexual relations outside of marriage of a man and woman is wrong, and somebody within that congregation goes out and does an act of violence, and that person says that that minister counseled or induced him through the sermon to commit that act, are you saying under your amendment that in no way could that ever be introduced against the minister?

DAVIS: No.

You see how Jackson distorted the exchange?

And I should point out the fact that in matters of violent crime, if the alleged perpetrator claims that certain individuals were involved, then it is the duty of the police to question that person.

This goes for ministers or anyone else and it happens irregardless of hate crimes legislation.

Rep. Clyburn asked Jackson to stop distorting the issue.

Apparently he didn't pay attention to the request.


New webpage, same old lies

Unassuming people alarmed that gay/straight alliances are in their children's schools generally fall victim to the lies of the anti-gay industry.

And it's usually their fault.

Rather than attempting to try to educate themselves on the lives of lgbt children and their needs, these parents go trolling online for sources that enhance their negative point of view about homosexuality. And there are many out there.

Unfortunately, there is now a new one.

Linda Harvey of the so-called "pro-family" group Mission America has started another group, Truthatschool.org, that seeks to "stop the promotion of homosexuality" in schools.

This webpage follows the same lying anti-gay industry mantra, particularly in the section that gives parents warnings of how "homosexuality has infiltrated schools:"

3. A homosexual club for students - Students are trained to be activists who will pressure school boards, be very "out" and visible to other students, and become the darlings of their sympathizers in the media. Club meetings feature "X" rated topics and dwell on rejection of traditional values, particularly religious beliefs that don’t accept homosexuality. “Straight” supporters also attend and may be encouraged to explore alternate sexuality. Students with same sex attractions will be cheered on by club members if they begin this behavior.

8. AIDS speakers, “safe sex” health education classes - This was the first avenue into the schools. Validity of alternate “families” and homosexual practices are often basic assumptions of today's health ed, and graphic instruction in condom use is typical as a method for AIDS "prevention." Actually, such lessons encourage promiscuous sex among teens, including experimentation with homosexuality.

10. Openly homosexual teachers and staff - These teachers then become role models, in-house activists, and possible confidants for students who want to start homosexual behavior. Student molestation becomes a real risk.

Harvey, who by the way is featured slightly in my book as an anti-gay industry propaganda technique (i.e. the phony expert) is a former ad executive who transformed herself to a sounding board for the usual anti-gay industry lies:

Homosexuality is associated with destructive outcomes, including AIDS, a much higher risk of STDs, roughly three times the rate of alcoholism and drug abuse, much more promiscuity and domestic abuse, and a shortened life span. The staggering health consequences observed for decades among homosexuals are referenced in much more detail in our Resources

And just what are these "resources?" Here are two:

The Negative Health Effects of Homosexuality - Timothy Dailey, Family Research Council

The Health Risks of Gay Sex - Dr. John R. Diggs

As luck would have it, I talk about both studies in my book. The studies are slanderous diatribes full of distortions and cherry-picked studies.

You know. The ones that's keeping James Holsinger from becoming surgeon general.

But let me elucidate further:

The Negative Effects of Gay Sex

Twice, John R. Diggs 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 unlikely that any investigator willever 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) was 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 whatwere the circumstances surrounding it.

He generalizes convenience sample studies as indicative of the gay population at large. Diggs takes studies done in foreign countries and claims that they are indicative of the gay population at large.

Diggs claims that there are five distinctions between heterosexual and homosexual populations including levels of promiscuity, physical health, mental health, lifespan, and monogamy. However, he spends very little time comparing the two dynamics. He uses all of his time castigating gay populations.

He uses an out of date book, The Gay Report (published in 1979) to claim that gays are engaging in deviant sexual practices. Only once does he attempt to tie the alleged deviant practices of gays in 1979 to present day; and to do so, he cites two events that took place regarding bondage workshops. However, there is a strong indication that heterosexuals took part in these events as well as gays. Diggs ignores this dynamic.

The Negative Effects of Homosexuality

Timothy Dailey use a 1985 survey of lesbians at a Michigan music festival to claim that lesbians have a high rate of domestic violence. However, according to the reviewer of the study, Suzana Rose, Ph.D., of the 1099 lesbians participants, most were white and between the ages of 20-45. She also said: “Questions concerning perpetrating abuse need to distinguish between actions taken in self-defense and actions initiated by the aggressor. This point was not assessed here. Findings are limited by the selective recruiting of participants.”

Dailey also uses the Weinberg and Bell book to claim that all gay men are promiscuous despite the fact that both authors said their work was not indicative of all gay men.

Dailey uses the term “gay bowel syndrome”

Dailey cites a study that says young gay men are in danger of catching disease at a high rate. He omits the part of the study that said they need places to build their self esteem as homosexuals. In addition, he performs mathematical manipulation on percentages gauged in legitimate studies in order to push forth a higher image of gay men catching diseases.

He generalizes convenience sample studies as indicative of the gay population at large.

The sad thing is that guillible parents are going to read Linda Harvey's mess complete with her bad sources and think of it as credible.

Truly an ignorant person can cause more damage than a learned fool.