SC Black Pride 2008 - we shook up the state
Forgive me for taking an interlude from the daily grind of focusing on the anti-gay industry.
I would like to brag a little bit today.
My state celebrated our third annual Black Pride last week and it was a monster success with over 1,000 in attendance.
From our opening ceremonies (where Columbia Mayor Bob Coble presented us a proclamation) to our awards banquet, each event was heavily attended. We received a lot of attention, positive comments, and contacts.
Most of all, lgbt South Carolinians of color went away empowered.
One thing I liked about this year was the support we received from the lgbt community at large.
Our events were not only attended by African-American gays and lesbians, but folks from other ethnicities. And there was none of that nonsense about black gays "segregating" ourselves.
So many times in the past whenever I heard lgbts ask why is there a need for a Black Pride, I would have to let them know that they sound like heterosexuals asking why is there a need for a gay pride.
I think that our community is starting to realize that while we are all lgbt, our experiences and cultures when it comes to dealing with our orientations are different. And the fact of the matter is that sometimes lgbts of color have no sense of our sexual orientation because we rarely see anything that lets us know that we are a part of the community.
But not last week.
All in all, it was worth all of the work members of the SC Black Pride Committee (including my humble self) put in to make this pride a success. It was worth the long meetings, the phone conversations, the fundraisers that didn't work, the calls to vendors, the emails, and all of the seemingly miniscule but nonetheless important elements for putting together a pride.
It was worth it to see so many lgbts of color gathered together publicly and openly without fear of reprisal; no tension, no cliques, no trying to hide their affection for their prospective partners, and no pretentions about trying "not to look gay."
There was nothing but unity and love in the air.
And that's how it's supposed to be.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
One News Now publishes pro-Obama article - I think I am in the Twilight Zone
It is obvious that James Dobson chose to attack Barack Obama because Obama is appealing to some Christians.
This appeal highlights a split that has been hinted at in the media. Some Christians are simply getting tired of Dobson and his ilk boggarting the interepretation of family and values.
And they are speaking out on it.
But I never thought I would see the following:
A well-known black clergyman who supports Barack Obama says evangelical Christian leader Dr. James Dobson displayed a "holier than thou" attitude and "poisoned the waters" while assailing the presidential candidate's theological views.
During Tuesday's Focus on the Family radio show, Dobson accused Obama of "deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview." The Illinois senator and his supporters have been returning fire ever since. (See earlier stories)
Methodist pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell of Houston, who performed the benediction at both of President Bush’s inaugurations, has launched the website JamesDobsonDoesntSpeakForMe.com. He says although Dobson has been a "clear and clarion voice bringing attention to the spiritual and social value of the family," the pro-family leader was out of line in his criticism of Obama's interpretation of scripture and the Constitution.
And in typical One News Now fashion, the article does not present both sides of the argument. The interview with Caldwell, which is extremely pro-Obama, is the article.
Of course commentators to the article pretty much skewer Caldwell, but for one brief shining moment, it was Camelot.
It is obvious that James Dobson chose to attack Barack Obama because Obama is appealing to some Christians.
This appeal highlights a split that has been hinted at in the media. Some Christians are simply getting tired of Dobson and his ilk boggarting the interepretation of family and values.
And they are speaking out on it.
But I never thought I would see the following:
A well-known black clergyman who supports Barack Obama says evangelical Christian leader Dr. James Dobson displayed a "holier than thou" attitude and "poisoned the waters" while assailing the presidential candidate's theological views.
During Tuesday's Focus on the Family radio show, Dobson accused Obama of "deliberately distorting the traditional understanding of the Bible to fit his own worldview." The Illinois senator and his supporters have been returning fire ever since. (See earlier stories)
Methodist pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell of Houston, who performed the benediction at both of President Bush’s inaugurations, has launched the website JamesDobsonDoesntSpeakForMe.com. He says although Dobson has been a "clear and clarion voice bringing attention to the spiritual and social value of the family," the pro-family leader was out of line in his criticism of Obama's interpretation of scripture and the Constitution.
And in typical One News Now fashion, the article does not present both sides of the argument. The interview with Caldwell, which is extremely pro-Obama, is the article.
Of course commentators to the article pretty much skewer Caldwell, but for one brief shining moment, it was Camelot.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
First event of SC Black Pride 2008 a success!!!!
The first event of the 2008 SC Black Pride was a HUGE success. It was a get together at a local hotspot. People slowly gathered in but once they did, we all had a good time.
Big shout out to my friends from Houston - Sean and Melissa. Told ya I would mention you!!!!
Also, every fourth Saturday in June is now officially Black Pride Day in the city of Columbia. Thanks to Mayor Bob Coble and the Columbia City Council for that awesome proclamation.
The rest of the week promises to be better and I can't wait.
FX network and changing the game plan
But all isn't happiness as far as I am concerned. There is a recent controversy that has been on my mind. I'm calling some folks out.
And these folks aren't the opposition:
30 Days, FX Networks’ original series produced by Morgan Spurlock, "examines social issues in America by immersing individuals in a life that requires them to see the world through another’s eyes,’" according to the show’s Web site. In 2006, the series won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Reality Program for the "Gay/Straight" episode.
During the June 24 episode, entitled "Same Sex Parenting," Kati, a woman who opposes gay and lesbian parents and their families, lives for 30 days with gay parents Dennis and Thomas and their four adopted sons. The episode includes the personal stories of kids raised by lesbian and gay parents.
Regrettably, the episode also features a defamatory statement by Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council, an anti-gay activist organization, who claims: "Homosexuality is associated with higher rates of sexual promiscuity, sexually transmitted diseases, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, and child sexual abuse, and those are all reasons for us to be concerned about placing children into that kind of setting." While there is no credible scientific research that backs Sprigg’s claim - and much that disputes it - the episode presents his assertion as if it were fact and offers no credible social science experts or child health authorities to challenge Sprigg’s assertion. Indeed, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, the Child Welfare League of America, and many other child health and social services authorities who support parenting by qualified lesbian and gay parents dispute Sprigg’s claim.
From what I understand, the episode was worse than thought. Apparently it also allowed Dawn Stefanowicz (whom I have blogged about on numerous occasions) to spout her "story" about being a child in a gay home where the father was an irresponsible sex addict.
Some of us are up in arms because Sprigg and Stefanowicz was able to spout their lies unchallenged.
Now I have not seen this program, nor do I plan to. But here is what bothers me.
Why are we wasting time bitching at FX? Don't we have our own magazines? Don't we have our own network?
We know that the anti-gay industry routinely lies about lgbts. We know that they either rely on the discredited studies of Paul Cameron or distort legitimate studies.
So why hasn't there been a special report on it in our magazines or some type of documentary on it on the LOGO channel?
True, I wrote a book on the subject and I have devoted two webpages on the same subject, but let's be honest. In the great scheme of things in our community, my voice doesn't really amount to much.
That is to say, no one really knows who I am. Where are our prominent folks on this subject?
Speaking of my book, it was self-published and thus rough around the edges so I got some legitimate criticism over it. However, one criticism really pissed me off.
I was told that I was saying things that people already knew.
Oh really? How many of us know the entire history of Paul Cameron? Or the distortion of the 1997 Canadian study? Or the list of prominent doctors and researchers whose complaints about the distortion of their work have been ignored?
The sad thing is that many of us do not know because those of us in the lgbt community with some stroke, some degree of power over what gets chosen as news aren't doing their jobs.
That's why we look like we have been caught with our dicks in our hands when lies are spun about how anti-discrimination ordinances will lead to predators boldly walking into women's bathrooms.
and that's why we focus on irrelevant shit like Sally Kern's allegedly gay son rather than why is Sally Kern relying on the studies of a man who talked about tattooing AIDS victims.
The point is that we shouldn't be wasting time complaining that networks like FX aren't doing their jobs when we have the means to get the information out ourselves.
There needs to be a concerted effort by us to document and catalogue the specific distortions of the anti-gay industry.
Let's put folks like Peter LaBarbera and Concerned Women for America on the defensive for a change.
The first event of the 2008 SC Black Pride was a HUGE success. It was a get together at a local hotspot. People slowly gathered in but once they did, we all had a good time.
Big shout out to my friends from Houston - Sean and Melissa. Told ya I would mention you!!!!
Also, every fourth Saturday in June is now officially Black Pride Day in the city of Columbia. Thanks to Mayor Bob Coble and the Columbia City Council for that awesome proclamation.
The rest of the week promises to be better and I can't wait.
FX network and changing the game plan
But all isn't happiness as far as I am concerned. There is a recent controversy that has been on my mind. I'm calling some folks out.
And these folks aren't the opposition:
30 Days, FX Networks’ original series produced by Morgan Spurlock, "examines social issues in America by immersing individuals in a life that requires them to see the world through another’s eyes,’" according to the show’s Web site. In 2006, the series won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Reality Program for the "Gay/Straight" episode.
During the June 24 episode, entitled "Same Sex Parenting," Kati, a woman who opposes gay and lesbian parents and their families, lives for 30 days with gay parents Dennis and Thomas and their four adopted sons. The episode includes the personal stories of kids raised by lesbian and gay parents.
Regrettably, the episode also features a defamatory statement by Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council, an anti-gay activist organization, who claims: "Homosexuality is associated with higher rates of sexual promiscuity, sexually transmitted diseases, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, and child sexual abuse, and those are all reasons for us to be concerned about placing children into that kind of setting." While there is no credible scientific research that backs Sprigg’s claim - and much that disputes it - the episode presents his assertion as if it were fact and offers no credible social science experts or child health authorities to challenge Sprigg’s assertion. Indeed, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, the Child Welfare League of America, and many other child health and social services authorities who support parenting by qualified lesbian and gay parents dispute Sprigg’s claim.
From what I understand, the episode was worse than thought. Apparently it also allowed Dawn Stefanowicz (whom I have blogged about on numerous occasions) to spout her "story" about being a child in a gay home where the father was an irresponsible sex addict.
Some of us are up in arms because Sprigg and Stefanowicz was able to spout their lies unchallenged.
Now I have not seen this program, nor do I plan to. But here is what bothers me.
Why are we wasting time bitching at FX? Don't we have our own magazines? Don't we have our own network?
We know that the anti-gay industry routinely lies about lgbts. We know that they either rely on the discredited studies of Paul Cameron or distort legitimate studies.
So why hasn't there been a special report on it in our magazines or some type of documentary on it on the LOGO channel?
True, I wrote a book on the subject and I have devoted two webpages on the same subject, but let's be honest. In the great scheme of things in our community, my voice doesn't really amount to much.
That is to say, no one really knows who I am. Where are our prominent folks on this subject?
Speaking of my book, it was self-published and thus rough around the edges so I got some legitimate criticism over it. However, one criticism really pissed me off.
I was told that I was saying things that people already knew.
Oh really? How many of us know the entire history of Paul Cameron? Or the distortion of the 1997 Canadian study? Or the list of prominent doctors and researchers whose complaints about the distortion of their work have been ignored?
The sad thing is that many of us do not know because those of us in the lgbt community with some stroke, some degree of power over what gets chosen as news aren't doing their jobs.
That's why we look like we have been caught with our dicks in our hands when lies are spun about how anti-discrimination ordinances will lead to predators boldly walking into women's bathrooms.
and that's why we focus on irrelevant shit like Sally Kern's allegedly gay son rather than why is Sally Kern relying on the studies of a man who talked about tattooing AIDS victims.
The point is that we shouldn't be wasting time complaining that networks like FX aren't doing their jobs when we have the means to get the information out ourselves.
There needs to be a concerted effort by us to document and catalogue the specific distortions of the anti-gay industry.
Let's put folks like Peter LaBarbera and Concerned Women for America on the defensive for a change.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Old lies never die - they just get repolished
An ugly trend sprouting up is how the anti-gay industry will exploit ignorance of the transgender community in order to beat back pro-gay laws:
Citizens in Gainesville, Florida, are trying to repeal an ordinance that lets anyone reject their biological sex simply by stating that they "feel like" a member of the opposite sex. At least one citizen argues that introduces some serious safety concerns for the public.
It gets even worse:
Cain Davis, chairman of Citizens for Good Public Policy, says the ordinance was not well thought out. "[A] man, for example, [can] walk into a women's restroom .... just by merely saying, 'I feel like a woman,' they can go into a women's restroom," he explains. In fact, Davis' group has been collecting reports of such incidents, including one in which an elderly woman using a wheelchair complained when an adult male followed her into the women's restroom at a local grocery store.
"And the manager said, 'He can legally do it,'" Davis relates. "The manager didn't even ask this person if he had a sexual or gender identity issue . . . "
I can't help but to question the veracity of this claim. The details are too vague. What store did this take place? What happened next? Were the police called?
It also reminds me of 1983 when discredited researcher Paul Cameron told the audience of the University of Nebraska Lutheran Church that a four-year-old boy was castrated due to a sexual attack by a gay man.
Cameron told this story as part of an attempt to defeat an anti-discrimination law in Lincoln, Nebraska. Police investigated and discovered the story to be false. But the anti-discrimination law was defeated.
So now, over 20 years after that incident, we have so-called Christians telling the same type of story and inferring that laws that would protect lgbts from discrimination would allow predators to attack our most vulnerable citizens in public areas.
I guess they figure why not go with the game plan that has been successful thus far.
Another reason to vote for Obama
James Dobson has gone on record criticizing Obama for daring to voice a version of Christianity that he doesn't agree with:
Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family -- who has stayed unusually quiet in this election cycle likely due to his loathing of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz -- will tomorrow attack Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, on Tuesday for a speech the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee delivered in 2006 to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal.
The AP was given an advance copy of Dobson's 18-minute radio segment, which has already been taped, and will air Tuesday.
In it, Dobson hammers Obama's views of religion, and says the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is trying to govern by the "lowest common denominator of morality," and calls Obama's views "a fruitcake interpretation of the Constitution."
Be honest. Is anyone surprised over this? If Dobson wanted to shock me, he could have said something positive about Obama.
Does Dobson really think that he is relevant to people who don't buy his phony bullshit?
He doesn't like Obama and he doesn't like McCain. If you ask me, I think Dobson may be cushioning folks for his declaration of an intent to run for president.
Okay, that is farfetched, but you have to admit - it would make things very interesting.
An ugly trend sprouting up is how the anti-gay industry will exploit ignorance of the transgender community in order to beat back pro-gay laws:
Citizens in Gainesville, Florida, are trying to repeal an ordinance that lets anyone reject their biological sex simply by stating that they "feel like" a member of the opposite sex. At least one citizen argues that introduces some serious safety concerns for the public.
It gets even worse:
Cain Davis, chairman of Citizens for Good Public Policy, says the ordinance was not well thought out. "[A] man, for example, [can] walk into a women's restroom .... just by merely saying, 'I feel like a woman,' they can go into a women's restroom," he explains. In fact, Davis' group has been collecting reports of such incidents, including one in which an elderly woman using a wheelchair complained when an adult male followed her into the women's restroom at a local grocery store.
"And the manager said, 'He can legally do it,'" Davis relates. "The manager didn't even ask this person if he had a sexual or gender identity issue . . . "
I can't help but to question the veracity of this claim. The details are too vague. What store did this take place? What happened next? Were the police called?
It also reminds me of 1983 when discredited researcher Paul Cameron told the audience of the University of Nebraska Lutheran Church that a four-year-old boy was castrated due to a sexual attack by a gay man.
Cameron told this story as part of an attempt to defeat an anti-discrimination law in Lincoln, Nebraska. Police investigated and discovered the story to be false. But the anti-discrimination law was defeated.
So now, over 20 years after that incident, we have so-called Christians telling the same type of story and inferring that laws that would protect lgbts from discrimination would allow predators to attack our most vulnerable citizens in public areas.
I guess they figure why not go with the game plan that has been successful thus far.
Another reason to vote for Obama
James Dobson has gone on record criticizing Obama for daring to voice a version of Christianity that he doesn't agree with:
Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family -- who has stayed unusually quiet in this election cycle likely due to his loathing of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz -- will tomorrow attack Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, on Tuesday for a speech the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee delivered in 2006 to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal.
The AP was given an advance copy of Dobson's 18-minute radio segment, which has already been taped, and will air Tuesday.
In it, Dobson hammers Obama's views of religion, and says the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee is trying to govern by the "lowest common denominator of morality," and calls Obama's views "a fruitcake interpretation of the Constitution."
Be honest. Is anyone surprised over this? If Dobson wanted to shock me, he could have said something positive about Obama.
Does Dobson really think that he is relevant to people who don't buy his phony bullshit?
He doesn't like Obama and he doesn't like McCain. If you ask me, I think Dobson may be cushioning folks for his declaration of an intent to run for president.
Okay, that is farfetched, but you have to admit - it would make things very interesting.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Hot mess in Irmo
The school board met regarding the GSA and other clubs. And if they thought their decision ended this thing, they are wrong.
It's too early to tell the repercussions, but here is what I do know courtesy of WIS TV:
A South Carolina school district has voted to allow all student clubs rather than risk a lawsuit by banning a gay-friendly student organization.
But another part of the policy approved Monday night by the Lexington-Richland School District 5 school board gives parents the option of not letting their minor children participate in any school club.
Another provision prohibits student clubs from discussing sexually explicit topics in keeping with the district's abstinence-based curriculum.
First of all, the second provision is irrelevant. Supporters of the GSA (myself included) have said all along that having the GSA doesn't necessarily mean that members will talk about sexual related matters.
Now the permission slips situation is another matter all together. Parents will be given a handout listing all the clubs and will be able to pick and choose which clubs to opt their children out of.
I don't agree with this because some students are not able to come out to their parents. I have heard of situations where children coming out to their parents have been beaten and kicked out of their homes.
Permission slips do not solve the problem. They are a very cynical way of sidestepping the Equal Access Act. In the long run, those who need the GSA will be denied.
This point was brought home during the newscast. A parent whose child attends one of the schools was interviewed. She was not happy with district allowing the GSA but she does like the idea of permission slips.
Her story gets better.
Apparently, her son is gay but she will not allow him to join the GSA. She said that they have been through counseling and continue to work through the issue.
I hope the irony of this doesn't escape anyone.
My prayers are with her child and her. Hopefully one day she will realize that the very thing she denies her son is what can keep him grounded and alive.
And I hope that one day, the people in my state will stop focusing on nonsense like "I Believe" license plates and saying that they are good people and start acting like it for a change.
The school board met regarding the GSA and other clubs. And if they thought their decision ended this thing, they are wrong.
It's too early to tell the repercussions, but here is what I do know courtesy of WIS TV:
A South Carolina school district has voted to allow all student clubs rather than risk a lawsuit by banning a gay-friendly student organization.
But another part of the policy approved Monday night by the Lexington-Richland School District 5 school board gives parents the option of not letting their minor children participate in any school club.
Another provision prohibits student clubs from discussing sexually explicit topics in keeping with the district's abstinence-based curriculum.
First of all, the second provision is irrelevant. Supporters of the GSA (myself included) have said all along that having the GSA doesn't necessarily mean that members will talk about sexual related matters.
Now the permission slips situation is another matter all together. Parents will be given a handout listing all the clubs and will be able to pick and choose which clubs to opt their children out of.
I don't agree with this because some students are not able to come out to their parents. I have heard of situations where children coming out to their parents have been beaten and kicked out of their homes.
Permission slips do not solve the problem. They are a very cynical way of sidestepping the Equal Access Act. In the long run, those who need the GSA will be denied.
This point was brought home during the newscast. A parent whose child attends one of the schools was interviewed. She was not happy with district allowing the GSA but she does like the idea of permission slips.
Her story gets better.
Apparently, her son is gay but she will not allow him to join the GSA. She said that they have been through counseling and continue to work through the issue.
I hope the irony of this doesn't escape anyone.
My prayers are with her child and her. Hopefully one day she will realize that the very thing she denies her son is what can keep him grounded and alive.
And I hope that one day, the people in my state will stop focusing on nonsense like "I Believe" license plates and saying that they are good people and start acting like it for a change.
Countdown to South Carolina Black Pride
This Monday is very interesting.
The Lexington-Richland School District 5 board is expected to vote on a new policy regarding school clubs. This comes as a result of the controversy involving a GSA at Irmo High School, which I have talked about on many occasions.
Rest assured that when word comes down as to what they do, I will have something to say about it.
Meanwhile, the same folks who wrote that book about John Kerry (remember the Swiftboaters) will be writing one on Barack Obama.
As if anyone is surprised. No doubt, the book will be a hit for people who read One News Now. That phony news site is getting highly shrill in their anti-Obama fervor.
From commentators, to columns, to "news" articles, not a day goes by where readers aren't seeing something new and very negative about Obama.
The last I checked, he has been confirmed as the anti-Christ.
And here I thought the anti-Christ was the person who invented cell phones.
But this day finds me waiting in anticipation.
On Wednesday, the opening ceremony of South Carolina Black Pride will take place.
To tell the truth, I am optimistic about the entire week.
This will mark the third occasion of black pride. The first black pride was mildly successful. We did a good job in many things but had a problem getting the lgbt community of color completely involved.
The second year was a hot mess which I will not speak of.
This year, we went all out. Making sure we learned lessons from the first two, the committee worked its ass off getting the community involved. Many of us went out on weekday nights to hand out flyers and network to the "children" despite the fact that we had to be at work early the next day.
We bent over backwards to involve all facets of the lgbt community of color (hence an excellent mini-ball will be taking place during the expo on Saturday) while at the same time getting press coverage and support from the lgbt community at large.
And we were highly successful. The word is definitely out.
Also, this year, I have not heard any complaints about black gays "segregating themselves" by having a black pride. Maybe I am being too optimistic, but I really think folks are starting to get where we are coming from. I think that people are understanding that black pride does not subtraction but addition.
So keep your fingers crossed because this week is going to be very interesting.
http://www.southcarolinablackpride.com/
This Monday is very interesting.
The Lexington-Richland School District 5 board is expected to vote on a new policy regarding school clubs. This comes as a result of the controversy involving a GSA at Irmo High School, which I have talked about on many occasions.
Rest assured that when word comes down as to what they do, I will have something to say about it.
Meanwhile, the same folks who wrote that book about John Kerry (remember the Swiftboaters) will be writing one on Barack Obama.
As if anyone is surprised. No doubt, the book will be a hit for people who read One News Now. That phony news site is getting highly shrill in their anti-Obama fervor.
From commentators, to columns, to "news" articles, not a day goes by where readers aren't seeing something new and very negative about Obama.
The last I checked, he has been confirmed as the anti-Christ.
And here I thought the anti-Christ was the person who invented cell phones.
But this day finds me waiting in anticipation.
On Wednesday, the opening ceremony of South Carolina Black Pride will take place.
To tell the truth, I am optimistic about the entire week.
This will mark the third occasion of black pride. The first black pride was mildly successful. We did a good job in many things but had a problem getting the lgbt community of color completely involved.
The second year was a hot mess which I will not speak of.
This year, we went all out. Making sure we learned lessons from the first two, the committee worked its ass off getting the community involved. Many of us went out on weekday nights to hand out flyers and network to the "children" despite the fact that we had to be at work early the next day.
We bent over backwards to involve all facets of the lgbt community of color (hence an excellent mini-ball will be taking place during the expo on Saturday) while at the same time getting press coverage and support from the lgbt community at large.
And we were highly successful. The word is definitely out.
Also, this year, I have not heard any complaints about black gays "segregating themselves" by having a black pride. Maybe I am being too optimistic, but I really think folks are starting to get where we are coming from. I think that people are understanding that black pride does not subtraction but addition.
So keep your fingers crossed because this week is going to be very interesting.
http://www.southcarolinablackpride.com/
Friday, June 20, 2008
Just do your damn job!!
I ran into the following disturbing news item yesterday:
They went to the doctor's office for an exam, but a same-sex couple said they got a lecture on lifestyle instead.
Ashleigh Haberman and Erica Schaub have made a life-long commitment to one another after getting married in Canada.
The openly lesbian couple has been together for nearly two years. They say their lifestyle and raising four children from previous relationships has its challenges, but they had never experienced discrimination, they say, until now.
"He asked who I was to her and I said, 'She's my partner,'" said Haberman.
The discussion took place at Spectrum Health South Pavilion Urgent Care Center in Grand Rapids. Schaub was there to get checked out for a lingering cold.
But instead of her symptoms, they say the doctor was more interested in the couple's relationship and how they felt about the recent California ruling allowing same-sex marriage.
"And he proceeded to give his opinion on how he felt that marriage, gay marriage, shouldn't be called a marriage because it's a religious based word, and he's a Christian, and there's no way that marriage could be considered legal in the gay sense," said Haberman.
While the couple's marriage is not legally recognized in Michigan, they say that's not the point, rather, the doctor's office is not the time nor place for a debate. They were there for an exam - not a lecture on lifestyle.
What's more disturbing were some of the comments on the page. Some have said that the doctor was in the right because of the alleged "health problems of homosexuality."
But no credible studies has ever said that the lgbt orientation is indicative of negative health problems.
Studies actually say that outside factors can lead to members of the lgbt community developing bad health choices. For instance, studies done by Drs. Elizabeth Saewyc and Robert Garafalo (talked about on this site at various times) blame homophobia for the rate of suicide amongst lgbt teens.
But more to the point of this article, the American Cancer Society have said that lesbians do have a greater risk of developing cancer. However, the group also says this is partly due to:
Many health insurance policies do not cover unmarried partners. This makes it harder for many lesbian and bisexual women to access quality health care.
Some women may not want to tell their health care providers that they are lesbian or bisexual because they don’t want discrimination to affect the quality of health care they receive.
Past negative experiences with providers may cause lesbians and bisexual women to wait too long before seeking health care. As a result, they may miss out on early detection tests and have cancers diagnosed at a later state, when the disease is more difficult to treat.
That last point is apropo to this situation.
Just like African-Americans who are less likely to trust physicians due to incidents in the past, such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, members of the lgbt community face potential danger if they cannot trust members of the medical community to do their jobs.
I only hope that the physician in question receives a serious reprimand for his breach of ethics.
The sad thing is that members of the anti-gay industry will most likely come out on the side of the physician, while at the same time exploiting the possible negative consequences of his unprofessional behavior.
I ran into the following disturbing news item yesterday:
They went to the doctor's office for an exam, but a same-sex couple said they got a lecture on lifestyle instead.
Ashleigh Haberman and Erica Schaub have made a life-long commitment to one another after getting married in Canada.
The openly lesbian couple has been together for nearly two years. They say their lifestyle and raising four children from previous relationships has its challenges, but they had never experienced discrimination, they say, until now.
"He asked who I was to her and I said, 'She's my partner,'" said Haberman.
The discussion took place at Spectrum Health South Pavilion Urgent Care Center in Grand Rapids. Schaub was there to get checked out for a lingering cold.
But instead of her symptoms, they say the doctor was more interested in the couple's relationship and how they felt about the recent California ruling allowing same-sex marriage.
"And he proceeded to give his opinion on how he felt that marriage, gay marriage, shouldn't be called a marriage because it's a religious based word, and he's a Christian, and there's no way that marriage could be considered legal in the gay sense," said Haberman.
While the couple's marriage is not legally recognized in Michigan, they say that's not the point, rather, the doctor's office is not the time nor place for a debate. They were there for an exam - not a lecture on lifestyle.
What's more disturbing were some of the comments on the page. Some have said that the doctor was in the right because of the alleged "health problems of homosexuality."
But no credible studies has ever said that the lgbt orientation is indicative of negative health problems.
Studies actually say that outside factors can lead to members of the lgbt community developing bad health choices. For instance, studies done by Drs. Elizabeth Saewyc and Robert Garafalo (talked about on this site at various times) blame homophobia for the rate of suicide amongst lgbt teens.
But more to the point of this article, the American Cancer Society have said that lesbians do have a greater risk of developing cancer. However, the group also says this is partly due to:
Many health insurance policies do not cover unmarried partners. This makes it harder for many lesbian and bisexual women to access quality health care.
Some women may not want to tell their health care providers that they are lesbian or bisexual because they don’t want discrimination to affect the quality of health care they receive.
Past negative experiences with providers may cause lesbians and bisexual women to wait too long before seeking health care. As a result, they may miss out on early detection tests and have cancers diagnosed at a later state, when the disease is more difficult to treat.
That last point is apropo to this situation.
Just like African-Americans who are less likely to trust physicians due to incidents in the past, such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, members of the lgbt community face potential danger if they cannot trust members of the medical community to do their jobs.
I only hope that the physician in question receives a serious reprimand for his breach of ethics.
The sad thing is that members of the anti-gay industry will most likely come out on the side of the physician, while at the same time exploiting the possible negative consequences of his unprofessional behavior.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Peter's friends
Peter LaBarbera is a huge hypocrite. We all know this. He is so wrapped up stopping the alleged "gay menace" that he, on occasion, makes a supreme ass of himself.
So why should today be any different:
Folks, in many ways I think Michael Savage is one of the freest voices in America. He talks boldly about things — like America’s moral rot — that even many “conservative talkers” avoid or sidestep with their calculated, politically correct, “I’m-not-intolerant” timidity on tough issues like homosexuality. (Some leading conservative talk show hosts refuse to confront the “gay” agenda or do so only on the margins — whatever happened to “conserving” our Judeo-Christian sexual ethic?)
The following are examples of Savage's free voice:
Savage's answer to homelessness: "Why not put them in work camps?" Monday, June 9, 2008
Savage plays Dead Kennedys song again after asserting he "is now being persecuted for refusing to take the party line" on Sen. Kennedy's illness Thursday, May 22, 2008
Michael Savage plays Dead Kennedys song "in some respect for" Sen. Kennedy Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Savage: "[L]oving, kind lesbian" is "the type that stuffed ovens in Hitler's concentration camps" Friday, November 9, 2007
Savage: "You're telling me there's no possibility of a conspiracy by the Democrats" to cause Roberts' seizure? Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Savage: Madeleine Albright is a "traitor" who "should be hung" Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Savage lauds Wash. Times employee allegedly soliciting girl for sex as a "normal pervert" who "should get a reward that it wasn't a boy" Friday, September 29, 2006
Michael Savage is a loud mouth bully who mistakes hyperbole for intelligent conversation. He is the McDonalds of talk radio; cheap and fast, but having no substance and ultimately not good for you.
But to Peter, Michael Savage is a bold and free person, just like anti-Semitic author Ted Pike is a "pro-family" advocate.
Of course Peter swore up and down that he doesn't share the same beliefs as Pike , just like he will most likely disavow Savage's ramblings.
But birds of a feather do flock together.
Peter LaBarbera is a huge hypocrite. We all know this. He is so wrapped up stopping the alleged "gay menace" that he, on occasion, makes a supreme ass of himself.
So why should today be any different:
Folks, in many ways I think Michael Savage is one of the freest voices in America. He talks boldly about things — like America’s moral rot — that even many “conservative talkers” avoid or sidestep with their calculated, politically correct, “I’m-not-intolerant” timidity on tough issues like homosexuality. (Some leading conservative talk show hosts refuse to confront the “gay” agenda or do so only on the margins — whatever happened to “conserving” our Judeo-Christian sexual ethic?)
The following are examples of Savage's free voice:
Savage's answer to homelessness: "Why not put them in work camps?" Monday, June 9, 2008
Savage plays Dead Kennedys song again after asserting he "is now being persecuted for refusing to take the party line" on Sen. Kennedy's illness Thursday, May 22, 2008
Michael Savage plays Dead Kennedys song "in some respect for" Sen. Kennedy Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Savage: "[L]oving, kind lesbian" is "the type that stuffed ovens in Hitler's concentration camps" Friday, November 9, 2007
Savage: "You're telling me there's no possibility of a conspiracy by the Democrats" to cause Roberts' seizure? Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Savage: Madeleine Albright is a "traitor" who "should be hung" Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Savage lauds Wash. Times employee allegedly soliciting girl for sex as a "normal pervert" who "should get a reward that it wasn't a boy" Friday, September 29, 2006
Michael Savage is a loud mouth bully who mistakes hyperbole for intelligent conversation. He is the McDonalds of talk radio; cheap and fast, but having no substance and ultimately not good for you.
But to Peter, Michael Savage is a bold and free person, just like anti-Semitic author Ted Pike is a "pro-family" advocate.
Of course Peter swore up and down that he doesn't share the same beliefs as Pike , just like he will most likely disavow Savage's ramblings.
But birds of a feather do flock together.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Evil never dies . . . but sometimes it goes to Russia
With all of the California euphoria in the air, let's not lose sight of the facets of anti-gay industry lies we have to fight on a daily basis.
Yesterday, I talked about Matt Barber leaving the Concerned Women for America.
Today, I want to talk about something I noticed at Box Turtle Bulletin:
Monday we warned that Paul Cameron was to speak yesterday before the sociology faculty of Moscow State University. Now we have a report of what he told that audience. Not surprisingly, it’s the same claptrap he’s been peddling here in the U.S.
In this glowing account of his talk (they describe him as a “famous” or “renowned” scientist three times), Cameron repeats the most chilling line of his standard stump speech. He contends that gays and lesbians don’t produce children and because they allegedly cost society more than they produce. In recent writings where he pursues this line of reasoning, he concludes that gays and lesbians lead parasitic lives — with all of its implications and deserved consequences. This poor translation doesn’t reveal that he actually repeated the term “parasitic lives”, but that is an integral part of his speech.
That's right. The super-nemesis of the lgbt community is peaking his head from out of his cave.
For the benefit of those who do not know, Cameron is the forefather of anti-gay propaganda. His "studies" formed the building blocks of almost every anti-gay industry lie told about the lgbt community.
And even though he has been censured, rebuked, and discredited, his work continues to be repeated as fact by so-called persons of faith eager to demonize the lgbt community.
Hell, I even devoted an entire chapter to him and his lies in my book, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters.
So now, he is in a foreign country, sowing his lies in new territory.
More members of our community as well as the heterosexual community should educate themselves on Cameron and his lies. I talk about him in detail in my book and my Anti-Gay Lies and Liars webpage.
But if you want a more complete picture, Box Turtle Bulletin is the definitive site on all things Cameronesque, including a list of groups and people who continue to use his work even after he has been exposed as a charlatan.
With all of the California euphoria in the air, let's not lose sight of the facets of anti-gay industry lies we have to fight on a daily basis.
Yesterday, I talked about Matt Barber leaving the Concerned Women for America.
Today, I want to talk about something I noticed at Box Turtle Bulletin:
Monday we warned that Paul Cameron was to speak yesterday before the sociology faculty of Moscow State University. Now we have a report of what he told that audience. Not surprisingly, it’s the same claptrap he’s been peddling here in the U.S.
In this glowing account of his talk (they describe him as a “famous” or “renowned” scientist three times), Cameron repeats the most chilling line of his standard stump speech. He contends that gays and lesbians don’t produce children and because they allegedly cost society more than they produce. In recent writings where he pursues this line of reasoning, he concludes that gays and lesbians lead parasitic lives — with all of its implications and deserved consequences. This poor translation doesn’t reveal that he actually repeated the term “parasitic lives”, but that is an integral part of his speech.
That's right. The super-nemesis of the lgbt community is peaking his head from out of his cave.
For the benefit of those who do not know, Cameron is the forefather of anti-gay propaganda. His "studies" formed the building blocks of almost every anti-gay industry lie told about the lgbt community.
And even though he has been censured, rebuked, and discredited, his work continues to be repeated as fact by so-called persons of faith eager to demonize the lgbt community.
Hell, I even devoted an entire chapter to him and his lies in my book, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters.
So now, he is in a foreign country, sowing his lies in new territory.
More members of our community as well as the heterosexual community should educate themselves on Cameron and his lies. I talk about him in detail in my book and my Anti-Gay Lies and Liars webpage.
But if you want a more complete picture, Box Turtle Bulletin is the definitive site on all things Cameronesque, including a list of groups and people who continue to use his work even after he has been exposed as a charlatan.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Matt Barber stretches out those 15 minutes
The picture that I will carry with me from all of this hullabalo about California and marriage equality is, of course, the one of the 80-year-old lesbians who have been together for 54 years. And they were the first to be married.
That's just too cool for words. And it proves the point that everything the anti-gay industry says about us are lies.
Tell me again how we don't care about family. Tell me again how hedonistic we are. Tell me again how we are evil sinners going to hell.
Give me more reasons to laugh in your face.
Speaking of which, we may have lost an opponent last week. Matt Barber has left Concerned Women for America:
Matt Barber, Policy Director for Cultural Issues with Concerned Women for America (CWA), will be leaving his post with CWA and joining the staffs of Lynchburg, Virginia-based Liberty University School of Law and Liberty Counsel, two of the nation’s premier pro-family organizations. Barber will serve as Associate Dean for Career and Professional Development with Liberty Law School and will be Director for Cultural Affairs with Liberty Counsel.
Personally, I am going to miss Barber. Every time he opened his mouth, he moved the lgbt community closer to the doors of acceptance.
Initially Barber was an employee with Allstate Insurance. He also wrote Paul Cameronesque anti-gay screeds on the side. This led to him being fired because one of his columns invoked the name of his employer. Also, there were some claims that despite Barber writing the columns on his own time, he may have used company equipment to do so.
For a time, he allowed himself to be portrayed as a "martyr of the gay agenda," until his lawsuit against Allstate was settled out of court. The terms of the settlement were not publicized.
Then Barber took the job at CWA. And things got better for us.
Barber looked good on television and for a while, sounded like a good talking head. But as time went on, one could tell that he was way out of his league. The following are my favorite Matt Barber missteps. And all of them happened this year:
MRSA virus
Barber led the charge in claiming that a possible outbreak of staph infections amongst gay men in San Francisco was the result of a “politically correct” doctrine of not telling people about the so-called dangers of homosexuality. He even helped to infer that it was the new AIDS crisis.
However, the Centers for Disease Control quickly issued a statement contradicting this. Amongst other things, the statement said: The strains of MRSA described in the recent Annals of Internal Medicine have mostly been identified in certain groups of men who have sex with men (MSM), but have also been found in some persons who are not MSM. It is important to note that the groups of MSM in which these isolates have been described are not representative of all MSM, so conclusions can not be drawn about the prevalence of these strains among all MSM.
When confronted about this, Barber claimed that the gay community strong-armed the CDC into downplaying the MRSA virus. In addition, he denied that he linked the MRSA infection to the AIDS crisis. However, his original comments about the MRSA infection showed otherwise.
This was such a misstep that Barber's predecessor in the CWA, Robert Knight, jumped into the situation to downplay what Barber did.
The Gay Agenda claim again
Barber claimed to have revealed the "gay agenda." His "revelation" was an old one - the claim that the gay community is trying to take over America through points of attack from the book, After the Ball.
Barber's predecessor, Knight, once cited the book, as did Peter LaBarbera, as did Janet Folger, etc., etc. Pretty much every anti-gay "expert" on homosexuality has incorrectly cited this book as sort of a homosexual manifesto before Barber came on the scene.
The gay early death lie
Barber claimed that "multiple studies have established that homosexual conduct, especially among males, is considerably more hazardous to one’s health than a lifetime of chain smoking."
He also referred to the 1997 Canadian study to claim that gays have a short lifespan. Interestingly enough, he also addressed the 2001 complaint by the researchers of the study regarding the misusage of their work.
Barber tried to dismiss the complaint as "worthless fluff." He also claimed that the researchers were under "tremendous pressure" to refute their original study. But that is where Barber made two mistakes. Not only did he neglect to go into detail as to what pressure was "exerted" on the researchers, but his mention of the 2001 complaint led many to look it up.
Needless to say that Barber's claim of the complaint being "worthless fluff" didn't hold up in the eyes of many. And even on rightwing webpages, he got critcism for what he did.
Yes, with enemies like Barber, the lgbt community didn't exactly need friends. So with a tear in my eye, I say goodbye to the right-wing version of William Hung.
I am going to miss your stupidity Mr. Barber. She-bang! She-bang!
The picture that I will carry with me from all of this hullabalo about California and marriage equality is, of course, the one of the 80-year-old lesbians who have been together for 54 years. And they were the first to be married.
That's just too cool for words. And it proves the point that everything the anti-gay industry says about us are lies.
Tell me again how we don't care about family. Tell me again how hedonistic we are. Tell me again how we are evil sinners going to hell.
Give me more reasons to laugh in your face.
Speaking of which, we may have lost an opponent last week. Matt Barber has left Concerned Women for America:
Matt Barber, Policy Director for Cultural Issues with Concerned Women for America (CWA), will be leaving his post with CWA and joining the staffs of Lynchburg, Virginia-based Liberty University School of Law and Liberty Counsel, two of the nation’s premier pro-family organizations. Barber will serve as Associate Dean for Career and Professional Development with Liberty Law School and will be Director for Cultural Affairs with Liberty Counsel.
Personally, I am going to miss Barber. Every time he opened his mouth, he moved the lgbt community closer to the doors of acceptance.
Initially Barber was an employee with Allstate Insurance. He also wrote Paul Cameronesque anti-gay screeds on the side. This led to him being fired because one of his columns invoked the name of his employer. Also, there were some claims that despite Barber writing the columns on his own time, he may have used company equipment to do so.
For a time, he allowed himself to be portrayed as a "martyr of the gay agenda," until his lawsuit against Allstate was settled out of court. The terms of the settlement were not publicized.
Then Barber took the job at CWA. And things got better for us.
Barber looked good on television and for a while, sounded like a good talking head. But as time went on, one could tell that he was way out of his league. The following are my favorite Matt Barber missteps. And all of them happened this year:
MRSA virus
Barber led the charge in claiming that a possible outbreak of staph infections amongst gay men in San Francisco was the result of a “politically correct” doctrine of not telling people about the so-called dangers of homosexuality. He even helped to infer that it was the new AIDS crisis.
However, the Centers for Disease Control quickly issued a statement contradicting this. Amongst other things, the statement said: The strains of MRSA described in the recent Annals of Internal Medicine have mostly been identified in certain groups of men who have sex with men (MSM), but have also been found in some persons who are not MSM. It is important to note that the groups of MSM in which these isolates have been described are not representative of all MSM, so conclusions can not be drawn about the prevalence of these strains among all MSM.
When confronted about this, Barber claimed that the gay community strong-armed the CDC into downplaying the MRSA virus. In addition, he denied that he linked the MRSA infection to the AIDS crisis. However, his original comments about the MRSA infection showed otherwise.
This was such a misstep that Barber's predecessor in the CWA, Robert Knight, jumped into the situation to downplay what Barber did.
The Gay Agenda claim again
Barber claimed to have revealed the "gay agenda." His "revelation" was an old one - the claim that the gay community is trying to take over America through points of attack from the book, After the Ball.
Barber's predecessor, Knight, once cited the book, as did Peter LaBarbera, as did Janet Folger, etc., etc. Pretty much every anti-gay "expert" on homosexuality has incorrectly cited this book as sort of a homosexual manifesto before Barber came on the scene.
The gay early death lie
Barber claimed that "multiple studies have established that homosexual conduct, especially among males, is considerably more hazardous to one’s health than a lifetime of chain smoking."
He also referred to the 1997 Canadian study to claim that gays have a short lifespan. Interestingly enough, he also addressed the 2001 complaint by the researchers of the study regarding the misusage of their work.
Barber tried to dismiss the complaint as "worthless fluff." He also claimed that the researchers were under "tremendous pressure" to refute their original study. But that is where Barber made two mistakes. Not only did he neglect to go into detail as to what pressure was "exerted" on the researchers, but his mention of the 2001 complaint led many to look it up.
Needless to say that Barber's claim of the complaint being "worthless fluff" didn't hold up in the eyes of many. And even on rightwing webpages, he got critcism for what he did.
Yes, with enemies like Barber, the lgbt community didn't exactly need friends. So with a tear in my eye, I say goodbye to the right-wing version of William Hung.
I am going to miss your stupidity Mr. Barber. She-bang! She-bang!
Monday, June 16, 2008
How dare a governor tries to protect his constituents!!
Things will be slow around here next week due to South Carolina Black Pride activities. I am heavily involved in the planning and shaping of events for the week. I hope to have a report on it after it's over.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has gotten members of the anti-gay industry upset because he recently issued an executive order adding the phrase "sexual orientation or gender identity" to the non-discrimination policy for state employees.
The responses to his action by the anti-gay industry only serves to underline how selfish and ugly some can get when it comes to the subject of gay rights:
Beshear claimed that, before the policy change, "a gay person could be fired simply for being gay." But (Peter) LaBarbera says that is just not happening. "There's no rash of homosexual firings ... this is all a myth. And it's designed to propel homosexual power forward.
So according to our friend The Peter, unless there is a rash of lgbts applying for unemployment and welfare or in danger of losing their homes due to being unfairly fired, there should be no legislation to protect them.
By that same token, why should science seek a cure for cancer? After all, many folks have been able to beat the disease therefore it's not a problem.
But more to the point, Peter's nasty answer (and he is not the only religious conservative who has voiced this belief - paging Robert Knight) got me thinking.
There is a parable that Jesus told involving a lost sheep. A shepherd owned 100 sheep. One night, 99 was in the fold, but one was lost. Did the shepherd say " I have ninety-nine, so this one sheep doesn't matter."
No. The shepherd went looking for that sheep and found it. That one lost sheep mattered to the shepherd just as much as the others.
And apparently to Governor Beshear, the well-being of lgbts matters to him as much as the well-being of his other constituents.
It was not only the right thing to do, but it was also the Christian thing to do. Peter and everyone who criticize his actions would do themselves a service to hush up and pay attention.
Box Turtle Bulletin exposes a very interesting person
David Benkof claims to be a bisexual man who wants to "defend marriage." And when I say "defend marriage," I do mean the same semantic nonsense that the anti-gay industry foists on us.
Benkof claims that gays will ruin the concept of marriage. And he has written several columns defending that position.
Sounds like to me that Benkof watched the musical Gypsy and applied that song "You Gotta Have a Gimmick" to his career.
But according to Box Turtle Bulletin, Benkof is something of a fraud:
David Benkof has been getting a bit of attention lately. This year he’s written several articles which he has been able to get published in mainstream newspapers. Sadly, he’s used deception and dishonesty to do so.
It's a very excellent piece. You can read it here.
Things will be slow around here next week due to South Carolina Black Pride activities. I am heavily involved in the planning and shaping of events for the week. I hope to have a report on it after it's over.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has gotten members of the anti-gay industry upset because he recently issued an executive order adding the phrase "sexual orientation or gender identity" to the non-discrimination policy for state employees.
The responses to his action by the anti-gay industry only serves to underline how selfish and ugly some can get when it comes to the subject of gay rights:
Beshear claimed that, before the policy change, "a gay person could be fired simply for being gay." But (Peter) LaBarbera says that is just not happening. "There's no rash of homosexual firings ... this is all a myth. And it's designed to propel homosexual power forward.
So according to our friend The Peter, unless there is a rash of lgbts applying for unemployment and welfare or in danger of losing their homes due to being unfairly fired, there should be no legislation to protect them.
By that same token, why should science seek a cure for cancer? After all, many folks have been able to beat the disease therefore it's not a problem.
But more to the point, Peter's nasty answer (and he is not the only religious conservative who has voiced this belief - paging Robert Knight) got me thinking.
There is a parable that Jesus told involving a lost sheep. A shepherd owned 100 sheep. One night, 99 was in the fold, but one was lost. Did the shepherd say " I have ninety-nine, so this one sheep doesn't matter."
No. The shepherd went looking for that sheep and found it. That one lost sheep mattered to the shepherd just as much as the others.
And apparently to Governor Beshear, the well-being of lgbts matters to him as much as the well-being of his other constituents.
It was not only the right thing to do, but it was also the Christian thing to do. Peter and everyone who criticize his actions would do themselves a service to hush up and pay attention.
Box Turtle Bulletin exposes a very interesting person
David Benkof claims to be a bisexual man who wants to "defend marriage." And when I say "defend marriage," I do mean the same semantic nonsense that the anti-gay industry foists on us.
Benkof claims that gays will ruin the concept of marriage. And he has written several columns defending that position.
Sounds like to me that Benkof watched the musical Gypsy and applied that song "You Gotta Have a Gimmick" to his career.
But according to Box Turtle Bulletin, Benkof is something of a fraud:
David Benkof has been getting a bit of attention lately. This year he’s written several articles which he has been able to get published in mainstream newspapers. Sadly, he’s used deception and dishonesty to do so.
It's a very excellent piece. You can read it here.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Just three years? That's some bull@*&$
Hate crime or not, this fool deserves to serve more than just three years:
The Taylors teenager who threw a single, fatal punch at Sean Kennedy outside an Eastside bar was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after an impassioned argument about the role Kennedy’s sexual orientation may have played.
Stephen Andrew Moller pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, admitting he punched 20-year-old Kennedy in the face in the parking lot of the former Brew’s Pub on Pelham Road in May 2007 after a night of drinking.
Kennedy’s head hit the pavement, causing fatal brain damage.
Moller, who turns 20 on Friday, originally was charged with murder and faced the possibility of life in prison until Greenville County’s chief prosecutor offered the alternate involuntary manslaughter charge after a grand jury found "no malicious intent." The lesser charges carry a maximum sentence of five years.
In the year since Kennedy’s death, his mother, Elke Kennedy, has decried her son’s killing as a hate crime. Shortly after the death, a warrant alleged that the assault was motivated by the fact that Kennedy was gay.
However, in court Wednesday, prosecutor Mark Moyer read a statement Moller gave to an investigator in which he said he didn’t know Kennedy was gay until after he punched him and that he hit him because he was angry that Kennedy had inadvertently brushed his face with his hand.
No evidence was presented during the hearing that Moller acknowledged Kennedy’s homosexuality before the attack.
Shortly after Moller hit Kennedy, Moller called a girl that Kennedy was with outside the bar and left a voice message mixed with laughter, profanity and anti-homosexual epithets bragging about the assault, Moyer said.
The prosecutor read a transcript of the message in court, which Kennedy’s mother pleaded unsuccessfully with the judge to listen to the actual recording before sentencing Moller.
In his statement to the investigator, Moller said that he was sitting in the back seat of a car reaching to turn the radio station as Kennedy reached in with a cigarette and inadvertently brushed his face with his hand. Moyer said the car with Moller had driven over to some girls and that Kennedy came up and hugged one of the girls.
Moller’s attorney, Ryan Beasley, told Circuit Judge Ned Miller that Moller didn’t realize that Kennedy was gay until the driver of the car saw a bleeding cut on Moller’s hand and told him.
"You know that dude is gay," the driver said, according to Moller’s statement. "What are you going to do if you have AIDS now?"
"Everybody thought that this was maybe a hate crime, but it was not," Beasley told the judge. "Stephen had no idea that he was gay until afterwards."
Beasley called the killing a "tragic and freak incident with devastating results" and offered another possible explanation for the brain damage Kennedy suffered, telling the judge that a friend of Kennedy’s, who was drunk, dropped him after trying to lift him up.
"Oh, please!" a member of the crowd of Kennedy’s family and friends present in the courtroom said in response.
Before sentencing, Moller turned to apologize to Kennedy’s family.
"I live with it every day," Moller told the family. "I wish it had never happened. I never thought this would happen. I’m sorry."
In October, Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor Bob Ariail said that his office prepared the alternate charge of involuntary manslaughter after "realizing the possibility of no indictment on the murder charge ... would result in Moller’s release." Ariail said that while the charge would result in an inadequate punishment, it was the only charge that applied to the case.
Moller was later released on bond.
Judge Miller said that "the easy thing to do would be to give him five years and move on," but that he wanted to try to rehabilitate Moller with three years of probation after the sentence is served. Miller also ordered Moller to undergo anger management and substance abuse counseling, submit to random drug tests and perform 30 days of public service.
Miller gave Moller credit for the seven months he served in jail before he was released on bond in November.
Beasley told the judge that during his release Moller has been working and supporting a 9-month-old daughter.
Beasley told the judge that a prison sentence would "only hurt him" and that "there are some bad people in that place, and he’s going to be exposed to things he’s never seen."
Moller’s uncle, Steve Moller, spoke on his nephew’s behalf and said that "we wouldn’t be here today" if alcohol wasn’t involved, and he asked Kennedy’s family to work together with him to help curb underage drinking.
Hate crime or not, this fool deserves to serve more than just three years:
The Taylors teenager who threw a single, fatal punch at Sean Kennedy outside an Eastside bar was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after an impassioned argument about the role Kennedy’s sexual orientation may have played.
Stephen Andrew Moller pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, admitting he punched 20-year-old Kennedy in the face in the parking lot of the former Brew’s Pub on Pelham Road in May 2007 after a night of drinking.
Kennedy’s head hit the pavement, causing fatal brain damage.
Moller, who turns 20 on Friday, originally was charged with murder and faced the possibility of life in prison until Greenville County’s chief prosecutor offered the alternate involuntary manslaughter charge after a grand jury found "no malicious intent." The lesser charges carry a maximum sentence of five years.
In the year since Kennedy’s death, his mother, Elke Kennedy, has decried her son’s killing as a hate crime. Shortly after the death, a warrant alleged that the assault was motivated by the fact that Kennedy was gay.
However, in court Wednesday, prosecutor Mark Moyer read a statement Moller gave to an investigator in which he said he didn’t know Kennedy was gay until after he punched him and that he hit him because he was angry that Kennedy had inadvertently brushed his face with his hand.
No evidence was presented during the hearing that Moller acknowledged Kennedy’s homosexuality before the attack.
Shortly after Moller hit Kennedy, Moller called a girl that Kennedy was with outside the bar and left a voice message mixed with laughter, profanity and anti-homosexual epithets bragging about the assault, Moyer said.
The prosecutor read a transcript of the message in court, which Kennedy’s mother pleaded unsuccessfully with the judge to listen to the actual recording before sentencing Moller.
In his statement to the investigator, Moller said that he was sitting in the back seat of a car reaching to turn the radio station as Kennedy reached in with a cigarette and inadvertently brushed his face with his hand. Moyer said the car with Moller had driven over to some girls and that Kennedy came up and hugged one of the girls.
Moller’s attorney, Ryan Beasley, told Circuit Judge Ned Miller that Moller didn’t realize that Kennedy was gay until the driver of the car saw a bleeding cut on Moller’s hand and told him.
"You know that dude is gay," the driver said, according to Moller’s statement. "What are you going to do if you have AIDS now?"
"Everybody thought that this was maybe a hate crime, but it was not," Beasley told the judge. "Stephen had no idea that he was gay until afterwards."
Beasley called the killing a "tragic and freak incident with devastating results" and offered another possible explanation for the brain damage Kennedy suffered, telling the judge that a friend of Kennedy’s, who was drunk, dropped him after trying to lift him up.
"Oh, please!" a member of the crowd of Kennedy’s family and friends present in the courtroom said in response.
Before sentencing, Moller turned to apologize to Kennedy’s family.
"I live with it every day," Moller told the family. "I wish it had never happened. I never thought this would happen. I’m sorry."
In October, Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor Bob Ariail said that his office prepared the alternate charge of involuntary manslaughter after "realizing the possibility of no indictment on the murder charge ... would result in Moller’s release." Ariail said that while the charge would result in an inadequate punishment, it was the only charge that applied to the case.
Moller was later released on bond.
Judge Miller said that "the easy thing to do would be to give him five years and move on," but that he wanted to try to rehabilitate Moller with three years of probation after the sentence is served. Miller also ordered Moller to undergo anger management and substance abuse counseling, submit to random drug tests and perform 30 days of public service.
Miller gave Moller credit for the seven months he served in jail before he was released on bond in November.
Beasley told the judge that during his release Moller has been working and supporting a 9-month-old daughter.
Beasley told the judge that a prison sentence would "only hurt him" and that "there are some bad people in that place, and he’s going to be exposed to things he’s never seen."
Moller’s uncle, Steve Moller, spoke on his nephew’s behalf and said that "we wouldn’t be here today" if alcohol wasn’t involved, and he asked Kennedy’s family to work together with him to help curb underage drinking.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The audacity of nonsense - The One News Now and The Peter version
From an online buddy, Pam Spaulding, I discovered something very interesting regarding One News Now.
The phony news source didn't exactly eliminate its comments section.
It has the comments section as a forum where you have to register to become a member.
Apparently allowing people to comment on articles backfired on One News Now because some folks (myself included) took it upon themselves to correct the inaccurate spin the phony news source placed on some articles.
I am undecided on whether or not I will register. I'm tempted because I know that the forum will be a mass of bad studies regarding the lgbt community.
But I am getting a kick out of just reading the comments.
One thing that I did notice: these so-called Christian folks are scared of Barack Obama.
I have never in my life seen so much homophobic, racist, and xenophobic language coming from a webpage outside those of white supremacists.
Really though, it's par for the course for these folks. They are so annoyingly manic about elections.
To them, every election is an episode of McGyver where they have to manipulate and finagle the outcomes because the "wrong" outcome will bring the United States closer to the lake of fire complete with monsters out of the Book of Revelations.
Talk about dramatic.
When Bush was elected, I didn't freak out (of course in hindsight maybe I should have). When the Republicans won the House and the Senate in 1994, I didn't run in the streets screaming and crying about the end of the world.
I made the best of it. Why do these folks who cater to One News Now and this entire bullshit about them being the "chosen people" and the United States being the "chosen country" flip out when elections don't go their way?
Why do they see every election as a make or break situation where if their choice don't win, God is going to part the skies and make the destruction of Sodom and Gommarah seem like a picnic on a sunny day?
Who knows with these folks?
And while I am on the subject of audacity, I have to talk about my friend Peter LaBarbera (i.e. Porno Pete, The Peter, He With the Chunky Butt and Disappearing Hairline - I know I am going to get it for that one.)
Peter seems to be on a tear with Soulforce because the group "dares" to want to have conversations with various churches regarding their positions on homosexuality.
And Peter seems to be upset at one church in particular:
Would Willow Creek have agreed to a (forced) meeting with activists claiming that using pornography is not a sin, or that the “swinging” lifestyle is OK with God? No way. I think they bowed to Soulforce’’s pressure to “dialogue” because this particular sin, as Greg aptly calls it, enjoys a certain worldly favor that most others do not. Christ said His followers would get persecuted for following Him, and these days that includes being smeared as a “bigot” or a “homophobe” — and being accused of “spiritual violence” by the savvy activists at Soulforce — merely for agreeing with God that homosexual behavior is a sin that can be overcome through Jesus Christ.
I'm not going to go into intricate details about this. If Willow Creek wants to have a discussion with Soulforce, that is their right.
As I understand it, Peter is not a member of the church. What right does he have to interfere with their Biblical interpretations? Granted he does have a First Amendment right to criticize but the fact that he would only reveals his ego trip.
Apparently it's not enough for Peter to believe that homosexuality is a sin. He feels that it is his place to make sure that all churches believe this way.
Tell me again, Peter. Just who is trying to force their beliefs on whom?
From an online buddy, Pam Spaulding, I discovered something very interesting regarding One News Now.
The phony news source didn't exactly eliminate its comments section.
It has the comments section as a forum where you have to register to become a member.
Apparently allowing people to comment on articles backfired on One News Now because some folks (myself included) took it upon themselves to correct the inaccurate spin the phony news source placed on some articles.
I am undecided on whether or not I will register. I'm tempted because I know that the forum will be a mass of bad studies regarding the lgbt community.
But I am getting a kick out of just reading the comments.
One thing that I did notice: these so-called Christian folks are scared of Barack Obama.
I have never in my life seen so much homophobic, racist, and xenophobic language coming from a webpage outside those of white supremacists.
Really though, it's par for the course for these folks. They are so annoyingly manic about elections.
To them, every election is an episode of McGyver where they have to manipulate and finagle the outcomes because the "wrong" outcome will bring the United States closer to the lake of fire complete with monsters out of the Book of Revelations.
Talk about dramatic.
When Bush was elected, I didn't freak out (of course in hindsight maybe I should have). When the Republicans won the House and the Senate in 1994, I didn't run in the streets screaming and crying about the end of the world.
I made the best of it. Why do these folks who cater to One News Now and this entire bullshit about them being the "chosen people" and the United States being the "chosen country" flip out when elections don't go their way?
Why do they see every election as a make or break situation where if their choice don't win, God is going to part the skies and make the destruction of Sodom and Gommarah seem like a picnic on a sunny day?
Who knows with these folks?
And while I am on the subject of audacity, I have to talk about my friend Peter LaBarbera (i.e. Porno Pete, The Peter, He With the Chunky Butt and Disappearing Hairline - I know I am going to get it for that one.)
Peter seems to be on a tear with Soulforce because the group "dares" to want to have conversations with various churches regarding their positions on homosexuality.
And Peter seems to be upset at one church in particular:
Would Willow Creek have agreed to a (forced) meeting with activists claiming that using pornography is not a sin, or that the “swinging” lifestyle is OK with God? No way. I think they bowed to Soulforce’’s pressure to “dialogue” because this particular sin, as Greg aptly calls it, enjoys a certain worldly favor that most others do not. Christ said His followers would get persecuted for following Him, and these days that includes being smeared as a “bigot” or a “homophobe” — and being accused of “spiritual violence” by the savvy activists at Soulforce — merely for agreeing with God that homosexual behavior is a sin that can be overcome through Jesus Christ.
I'm not going to go into intricate details about this. If Willow Creek wants to have a discussion with Soulforce, that is their right.
As I understand it, Peter is not a member of the church. What right does he have to interfere with their Biblical interpretations? Granted he does have a First Amendment right to criticize but the fact that he would only reveals his ego trip.
Apparently it's not enough for Peter to believe that homosexuality is a sin. He feels that it is his place to make sure that all churches believe this way.
Tell me again, Peter. Just who is trying to force their beliefs on whom?
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
News from Irmo: School Board postpones decision regarding GSA
Yesterday, a commentator asked about the situation in Irmo regarding the GSA.
I have gotten news that the school board has postponed their decision regarding curricular and non-curricular clubs:
Lexington-Richland 5 trustees postponed a vote on a controversial plan to add more regulations to noncurricular student clubs.
The proposal would add stringent rules to such clubs, including requiring parental consent for participation, banning those clubs from fundraising on school campuses and prohibiting clubs from using the school’s name.
The board is expected to take up the measure again June 23.
Eddie Walker, principal of District 5’s Irmo High School, said last month he would step down at the end of the next school year because a planned Gay-Straight Alliance club conflicts with his beliefs and religious convictions.
Officials had said the district couldn’t stop the alliance from forming because federal law prohibits discriminating against a club based on its purpose.
At first glance, I don't think this is a bad thing. The postponement gives area lgbt groups more time to educate the community on the importance of GSAs.
And I have a feeling that they will take advantage of the opportunity.
The audacity of nonsense
Now that Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee for president, all of the mess is coming out of the woodwork.
From emphasizing his middle name to calling him the Anti-Christ to overanalyzing his fistbump with wife Michelle, too many people are obviously demonstrating that they have too much time on their hands.
But this article from One News Now takes the cake:
Televangelist Bill Keller, founder of an interactive Christian website, says while only God knows the hearts of men, he has his doubts about Barack Obama's claims of being a Christian.
Keller is the founder of Liveprayer.com. Last year the evangelist challenged former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's claim to be a Christian, due to the fact that he was a member of the Mormon Church, which holds beliefs in opposition to orthodox Christianity. Now Keller is questioning Obama's Christian credentials, based on some statements the Illinois senator has made.
"A lot of the things that he is saying really call into question whether he really is a Christian," says Keller, offering up as an example Obama's statement that there are many roads that lead to God. "He has consistently been on record that he's willing to give away part of the land that God himself gave to the children of Israel directly to their enemies," he adds.
A campaign brochure titled "Faith. Hope. Change." describes Senator Obama as a "committed Christian" who visited a local church one Sunday, "felt a beckoning of the spirit and accepted Jesus Christ into his life." But Keller says Obama has views on social issues that most evangelicals regard as unbiblical.
"He has consistently voted to uphold a woman's right to kill babies," Keller points out. "He has consistently voted to support the gay agenda, gay 'marriage,' gay adoption, special rights for gays."
So apparently to Keller, the only true Christianity is the one he pushes. No discussion, no nothing.
And so many Christians like Keller wonder why folks think of them as self-righteous and overreaching.
I keep hearing that there is a problem with the perception of Christianity in this country. If this is true, then people like Keller is the problem.
There seems to be more than a personal belief going on here. Too many Christians in this country have an incorrect sense of entitlement. Not only that, but this sense of entitlement seems to be consistently stroked by people like James Dobson, Pat Robertson and the last James Kennedy.
"This is a Christian nation," they say. "This country needs to get back to its Biblical foundation."
Translation - "This is our country. The rest of you Godless people, especially you homosexuals, are here because we let you be here. You exist at our pleasure and you are overstepping your bounds."
I never knew Christianity was about having power and a sense of entitlement.
I thought Christianity was a belief in the goodness and mercy of God.
Of course I'm probably going get responses about "loving the sin and hating the sinner," or "God has rules for us to follow."
That's all well and good. But historically when people took it upon themselves to "enforce God's rules," the world ended up with lots of chaos and death.
Christianity, like all religions in their true and uncorrupted forms, teaches us that no matter how bad things get, we are the children of a living God who will never leave us. Everything else, especially interpretations of Biblical verses, is ballast.
At least, that's what I believe. Apparently I was wrong.
Whatever you do, don't tell my mother. She would be crushed to know that what she taught me is incorrect.
Yesterday, a commentator asked about the situation in Irmo regarding the GSA.
I have gotten news that the school board has postponed their decision regarding curricular and non-curricular clubs:
Lexington-Richland 5 trustees postponed a vote on a controversial plan to add more regulations to noncurricular student clubs.
The proposal would add stringent rules to such clubs, including requiring parental consent for participation, banning those clubs from fundraising on school campuses and prohibiting clubs from using the school’s name.
The board is expected to take up the measure again June 23.
Eddie Walker, principal of District 5’s Irmo High School, said last month he would step down at the end of the next school year because a planned Gay-Straight Alliance club conflicts with his beliefs and religious convictions.
Officials had said the district couldn’t stop the alliance from forming because federal law prohibits discriminating against a club based on its purpose.
At first glance, I don't think this is a bad thing. The postponement gives area lgbt groups more time to educate the community on the importance of GSAs.
And I have a feeling that they will take advantage of the opportunity.
The audacity of nonsense
Now that Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee for president, all of the mess is coming out of the woodwork.
From emphasizing his middle name to calling him the Anti-Christ to overanalyzing his fistbump with wife Michelle, too many people are obviously demonstrating that they have too much time on their hands.
But this article from One News Now takes the cake:
Televangelist Bill Keller, founder of an interactive Christian website, says while only God knows the hearts of men, he has his doubts about Barack Obama's claims of being a Christian.
Keller is the founder of Liveprayer.com. Last year the evangelist challenged former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's claim to be a Christian, due to the fact that he was a member of the Mormon Church, which holds beliefs in opposition to orthodox Christianity. Now Keller is questioning Obama's Christian credentials, based on some statements the Illinois senator has made.
"A lot of the things that he is saying really call into question whether he really is a Christian," says Keller, offering up as an example Obama's statement that there are many roads that lead to God. "He has consistently been on record that he's willing to give away part of the land that God himself gave to the children of Israel directly to their enemies," he adds.
A campaign brochure titled "Faith. Hope. Change." describes Senator Obama as a "committed Christian" who visited a local church one Sunday, "felt a beckoning of the spirit and accepted Jesus Christ into his life." But Keller says Obama has views on social issues that most evangelicals regard as unbiblical.
"He has consistently voted to uphold a woman's right to kill babies," Keller points out. "He has consistently voted to support the gay agenda, gay 'marriage,' gay adoption, special rights for gays."
So apparently to Keller, the only true Christianity is the one he pushes. No discussion, no nothing.
And so many Christians like Keller wonder why folks think of them as self-righteous and overreaching.
I keep hearing that there is a problem with the perception of Christianity in this country. If this is true, then people like Keller is the problem.
There seems to be more than a personal belief going on here. Too many Christians in this country have an incorrect sense of entitlement. Not only that, but this sense of entitlement seems to be consistently stroked by people like James Dobson, Pat Robertson and the last James Kennedy.
"This is a Christian nation," they say. "This country needs to get back to its Biblical foundation."
Translation - "This is our country. The rest of you Godless people, especially you homosexuals, are here because we let you be here. You exist at our pleasure and you are overstepping your bounds."
I never knew Christianity was about having power and a sense of entitlement.
I thought Christianity was a belief in the goodness and mercy of God.
Of course I'm probably going get responses about "loving the sin and hating the sinner," or "God has rules for us to follow."
That's all well and good. But historically when people took it upon themselves to "enforce God's rules," the world ended up with lots of chaos and death.
Christianity, like all religions in their true and uncorrupted forms, teaches us that no matter how bad things get, we are the children of a living God who will never leave us. Everything else, especially interpretations of Biblical verses, is ballast.
At least, that's what I believe. Apparently I was wrong.
Whatever you do, don't tell my mother. She would be crushed to know that what she taught me is incorrect.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Thank you Mass Resistance for furthering our cause
It is always gratifying to see those who are our opposition spin their heels so much that they actually help us out.
I've talked about the group in Massachusetts, Mass Resistance (the organization behind the David Parker mess) a few times.
Mass Resistance and its head, Brian Camenker, consider themselves as a "pro-family" group working to stop the "gay agenda."
To wit, they have done a lot of "interesting work." Aside from the David Parker incident is the following:
In 2000, MassResistance entered unauthorized into a statewide conference, called "Teach-Out," that was sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education, the Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, held at Tufts University. Included among the conference-goers were preadolescents, some as young as 12, who were (like the rest of Teach-Out's attendees) allowed to ask questions about sex in a safe environment.
One student asked what fisting was, and was answered with an explanation. This led the incident to be dubbed "Fistgate" by Camenker and others. A person working for Camenker's organization, Scott Whiteman, taped some of the students without their knowledge. As a result of the outcry that was generated when parents heard tapes of the event, Margot Abels, a state employee who participated in the discussion, and two other state employees were fired. One of the state employees was later re-instated to her job.
Abels filed suit against Camenker as a result of his distribution of the tape recordings. The case was settled out of court; the results of a second lawsuit is unavailable .
Then comes this interesting incident from last year:
On Saturday May 12, 2007 Amy Contrada, the writer of MassResistance, finally revealed herself to the LGBT community. For the first time she put herself out there, willing to be photographed and interact with our supporters.
Amy, wearing an ill-fitted tan blazer and sporting greasy unkempt hair, began her day at the Youth Pride Celebration on the Boston Common where she (and a man wearing a red cap) lurked around taking photographs of our youth and adult leaders. She carried both a video camera and digital camera to capture as much "depravity" as possible. Amy especially focuses on the young people who are brave enough to express their gender in a way that deviates from societies rigid binary gender norms so that she can "shock and appall" her misinformed readers.
After Youth Pride Amy headed over to the BAGLY Prom where she showed her true colors. When Trevor Wright, organizer for the Prom and blogger for QueerToday, yelled at her to move she became infuriated. During their interaction, Amy hastily asked Trevor if he knew what "cum vomit" was. She insisted she read about "cum vomit" on the GLSEN web site, and that we were brainwashing young people to be "crazed homosexuals."
This is par for the course for Mass Resistance. Because of their efforts, the group was given the designation of a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
And I can't think of a group (okay maybe one or two - hello Peter and Matt) who deserve it more.
But I noticed something from their webpage, which I go onto from time to time when I need a good laugh.
Mass Resistance has been losing big time.
They are presently complaining about the following things:
The Mayor of Boston has raised the pride flag over City Hall to commemorate Gay Pride Week
The Massachusetts Legislature recently approved $850,000 in state funding for gay programs in schools. Apparently even some legislatures the group thought of as "pro-family" approved the monies.
Major corporations and top politicians are actually supporting Gay Pride Week in Boston.
Mass Resistance is crying bloody murder over all of these incidents, but it seems to me that the group's behavior contribute to Massachusetts's embracing of lgbts.
After all, would you align yourself with a group that mentions the word "cum vomit' in front of a bunch of children?
And besides, they seem to have this "throw the baby out with the bathwater" attitude with anyone who doesn't support their efforts.
This is what they claimed a "pro-family" legislator sent to a constituent explaining his vote for the approval of the $850,000 funding:
Below is an email Moore sent to a constituent who complained about his support for the funding for homosexual programs in the schools. Note that:
Moore tries to split hairs by saying he "didn't support" the money but didn't oppose it because he believes it is needed. Huh?
He repeats the gay lobby's big lie that this is for "violence prevention", ignoring the actual content of these "programs." We've challenged legislators to find a single legitimate violence prevention or suicide prevention aspect of any of this.
He insults parents by saying that if parents don't present homosexuality in a positive way at home, then "it must be taught or reinforced in other settings" - i.e., the schools. In other words, he believes that the state knows better than parents.
Sounds like he should be reprimanded, huh? Well Mass Resistance had the stupid presence of mind to print the letter. I ask you, does this sound insulting:
Dear Mr. xxxxxxx:
I'm not exactly sure what you mean by supporting "the increase in funding for the homosexual lobby." I certainly did not support any amendment to any lobby group. I did not oppose an amendment by Senator Wilkerson of Boston for an increase in the Department of Education's Administrative Account to earmark and additional $100,000 about the Ways and Means Committee recommendation of $200,000 to fund a Gay and Lesbian Violence Prevention Education Program. I don't agree with the Gay/Lesbian lifestyle, however, I believe that violence against students who profess to be, or appear to be Gay/Lesbian is wrong and that students should be taught to be tolerant of all people race, creed, gender, age, sexual preference or whatever. Children usually learn prejudice from adults, sometimes even from parents. We don't have to agree with others or condone their behavior however children need to be taught tolerance of differences. Tolerance of difference is, in my opinion, a family value that should be sustained and, especially when that lesson is not learned in the home, it must be taught or reinforced in other settings. If that is the amendment to which you refer, I am sorry if you disagree with my position, however I do not share the view of some others that we should ignore attitudes that engender violence in our schools or among our youth.
I think the group that monitors Mass Resistance, Mass Resistance Watch, puts it in a nutshell:
Do you think the Massachusetts Legislature is now aware that MassResistance is a recognized hate group? YES! And I'm sure our State Legislators just experienced a little of bit the hatred that these bigots spew forth daily at GLBT people. I imagine that they overwhelming approved the increase in funding for at risk youth knowing that dangerous people like MassResistance are out there.
Thank you Brian and Amy. Keep up the good work.
It never hurts when anti-gay folks work diligently to make themselves laughing stocks.
It is always gratifying to see those who are our opposition spin their heels so much that they actually help us out.
I've talked about the group in Massachusetts, Mass Resistance (the organization behind the David Parker mess) a few times.
Mass Resistance and its head, Brian Camenker, consider themselves as a "pro-family" group working to stop the "gay agenda."
To wit, they have done a lot of "interesting work." Aside from the David Parker incident is the following:
In 2000, MassResistance entered unauthorized into a statewide conference, called "Teach-Out," that was sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education, the Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, held at Tufts University. Included among the conference-goers were preadolescents, some as young as 12, who were (like the rest of Teach-Out's attendees) allowed to ask questions about sex in a safe environment.
One student asked what fisting was, and was answered with an explanation. This led the incident to be dubbed "Fistgate" by Camenker and others. A person working for Camenker's organization, Scott Whiteman, taped some of the students without their knowledge. As a result of the outcry that was generated when parents heard tapes of the event, Margot Abels, a state employee who participated in the discussion, and two other state employees were fired. One of the state employees was later re-instated to her job.
Abels filed suit against Camenker as a result of his distribution of the tape recordings. The case was settled out of court; the results of a second lawsuit is unavailable .
Then comes this interesting incident from last year:
On Saturday May 12, 2007 Amy Contrada, the writer of MassResistance, finally revealed herself to the LGBT community. For the first time she put herself out there, willing to be photographed and interact with our supporters.
Amy, wearing an ill-fitted tan blazer and sporting greasy unkempt hair, began her day at the Youth Pride Celebration on the Boston Common where she (and a man wearing a red cap) lurked around taking photographs of our youth and adult leaders. She carried both a video camera and digital camera to capture as much "depravity" as possible. Amy especially focuses on the young people who are brave enough to express their gender in a way that deviates from societies rigid binary gender norms so that she can "shock and appall" her misinformed readers.
After Youth Pride Amy headed over to the BAGLY Prom where she showed her true colors. When Trevor Wright, organizer for the Prom and blogger for QueerToday, yelled at her to move she became infuriated. During their interaction, Amy hastily asked Trevor if he knew what "cum vomit" was. She insisted she read about "cum vomit" on the GLSEN web site, and that we were brainwashing young people to be "crazed homosexuals."
This is par for the course for Mass Resistance. Because of their efforts, the group was given the designation of a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
And I can't think of a group (okay maybe one or two - hello Peter and Matt) who deserve it more.
But I noticed something from their webpage, which I go onto from time to time when I need a good laugh.
Mass Resistance has been losing big time.
They are presently complaining about the following things:
The Mayor of Boston has raised the pride flag over City Hall to commemorate Gay Pride Week
The Massachusetts Legislature recently approved $850,000 in state funding for gay programs in schools. Apparently even some legislatures the group thought of as "pro-family" approved the monies.
Major corporations and top politicians are actually supporting Gay Pride Week in Boston.
Mass Resistance is crying bloody murder over all of these incidents, but it seems to me that the group's behavior contribute to Massachusetts's embracing of lgbts.
After all, would you align yourself with a group that mentions the word "cum vomit' in front of a bunch of children?
And besides, they seem to have this "throw the baby out with the bathwater" attitude with anyone who doesn't support their efforts.
This is what they claimed a "pro-family" legislator sent to a constituent explaining his vote for the approval of the $850,000 funding:
Below is an email Moore sent to a constituent who complained about his support for the funding for homosexual programs in the schools. Note that:
Moore tries to split hairs by saying he "didn't support" the money but didn't oppose it because he believes it is needed. Huh?
He repeats the gay lobby's big lie that this is for "violence prevention", ignoring the actual content of these "programs." We've challenged legislators to find a single legitimate violence prevention or suicide prevention aspect of any of this.
He insults parents by saying that if parents don't present homosexuality in a positive way at home, then "it must be taught or reinforced in other settings" - i.e., the schools. In other words, he believes that the state knows better than parents.
Sounds like he should be reprimanded, huh? Well Mass Resistance had the stupid presence of mind to print the letter. I ask you, does this sound insulting:
Dear Mr. xxxxxxx:
I'm not exactly sure what you mean by supporting "the increase in funding for the homosexual lobby." I certainly did not support any amendment to any lobby group. I did not oppose an amendment by Senator Wilkerson of Boston for an increase in the Department of Education's Administrative Account to earmark and additional $100,000 about the Ways and Means Committee recommendation of $200,000 to fund a Gay and Lesbian Violence Prevention Education Program. I don't agree with the Gay/Lesbian lifestyle, however, I believe that violence against students who profess to be, or appear to be Gay/Lesbian is wrong and that students should be taught to be tolerant of all people race, creed, gender, age, sexual preference or whatever. Children usually learn prejudice from adults, sometimes even from parents. We don't have to agree with others or condone their behavior however children need to be taught tolerance of differences. Tolerance of difference is, in my opinion, a family value that should be sustained and, especially when that lesson is not learned in the home, it must be taught or reinforced in other settings. If that is the amendment to which you refer, I am sorry if you disagree with my position, however I do not share the view of some others that we should ignore attitudes that engender violence in our schools or among our youth.
I think the group that monitors Mass Resistance, Mass Resistance Watch, puts it in a nutshell:
Do you think the Massachusetts Legislature is now aware that MassResistance is a recognized hate group? YES! And I'm sure our State Legislators just experienced a little of bit the hatred that these bigots spew forth daily at GLBT people. I imagine that they overwhelming approved the increase in funding for at risk youth knowing that dangerous people like MassResistance are out there.
Thank you Brian and Amy. Keep up the good work.
It never hurts when anti-gay folks work diligently to make themselves laughing stocks.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
If at first you don't succeed, lie lie again
I will say one thing for the anti-gay industry: when they can't get over with lies, they continue to push and push until they tire people out.
Take the case of David Parker:
David Parker's Boston law firm, Denner Pellegrino LLP has filed a "cert petition" with the United States Supreme Court, formally asking the Court to review the ruling this past January by the Federal Appeals Court in Boston.
David Parker, his wife Tonia, and Rob and Robin Wirthlin have been attempting to bring a federal Civil Rights lawsuit against school officials and others in Lexington, Massachusetts. However, with the help of well-funded national homosexual groups, the school has persuaded judges in the Boston Federal District Court and Federal Appeals Court to deny the lawsuit the right to go to trial. Thus, the plaintiffs are appealing to the US Supreme court for the right to allow the lawsuit to be heard.
I've talked about David Parker so many times and I will keep bringing him up as long as the anti-gay industry continues to try and make him into a martyr:
In 2005, after a long series of meetings with Estabrook Elementary School officials regarding about teaching homosexual issues to his son in kindergarten without parental consent, David Parker finally told the principal and the city's director of education that he would not leave until the school agreed to negotiate some agreement on the matter. Rather than negotiate, the officials had Parker arrested and brought to jail, where he spent the night. The next morning he was led into Concord District Court in handcuffs.
That explanation by the anti-gay industry group Mass Resistance skirts over the facts in the case:
In January 2005, Jacob Parker brought home a diversity book bag from his kindergarten. Included in the bag was books about other cultures and traditions, food recipes, and a book called Who’s in a Family. The illustrations included various family constructions: single parents, mom-dad-kids, grandparents, mixed-race families, and same-sex parents.
David Parker, his father, decided that young Jacob was entitled to ignorance of the existence of same-sex headed families. He set out to change school policy so that his child not be exposed to that fact. He extended his demands to include any discussion of same-sex parenting, regardless of the context or setting - including any conversations of children of gay or lesbian parents.
Because the school district has a large number of same-sex families, many with children attending the school, the administration deemed Parker’s request to be nearly impossible.
This resulted in a string of emails and eventually Parker showed up in the administrative offices and refused to leave until his demands were met. At the end of the day, police were called and, when Parker refused the police requests to leave, he was arrested for trespassing.
Dr. Paul Ash, superintendent of Lexington Public Schools, said the school tried to be accommodating.
“The school department said, ‘Look, we’ll work with you, but we cannot assure you what a child is going to say and that we can immediately stop a discussion that you find objectionable,’” said Ash. “One of the central units in kindergarten is the discussion of families and we show families of all different types.” Ash says the discussions “ended up in an irreconcilable difference.”
In June 2006, the Parkers sued the school in federal court for civil right violations.
They were joined by the Joseph and Robin Wirthlin, parents of a second grader in the same district. On a day in which the school discussed marriage, a teacher read King and King, a book in which a prince doesn’t fall for a princess but for another prince instead. Although marriage laws in Massachusetts include same-sex couples, the Wirthlins believe that such marriages should be excluded from discussion about marriages in the classroom.
A few days after filing their suit, David Parker’s credibility came under question. He spread a story that his child, Jacob, was beaten by students for David Parker’s anti-gay stance and suggested that school teachers or the administration were behind the beating.
After much press in the anti-gay conservative Christian media, the facts were released. It turned out to be nothing greater than a schoolyard scuffle over who sat next to whom in the cafeteria.
In February 2007, U.S. District Judge Mark L. Wolf dismissed the lawsuit.
In his 38-page decision, Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf of US District Court said that under the US Constitution, public schools are “entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens in our democracy.”
“Diversity is a hallmark of our nation,” he said.
The Parkers and Wirthlins appealed the decision. A three judge appeals panel unanimously upheld Judge Wolf’s decision.
Hopefully the Supreme Court will recognize bullshit when they see it and not pursue the Parker case.
Then finally, this monster will die.
Watch the semantics
What exactly are sincere religious beliefs?
I have read on too many occasions that laws protect lgbts from discrimination would interfere with someone's "sincere religious beliefs" that homosexuality is a sin.
That phrase has no basis in truth, only semantics.
Whenever I hear an anti-gay industry head say this, I want to ask:
"So if a restaurant manager has sincere religious beliefs that homosexuality is a sin, does he have the right to fire an employee?"
"Or what about an apartment renter? Does his sincere religious beliefs give him the right to discriminate against lgbt renters?"
When you break down this so-called cultural battle, you will see that it's all about lies and semantics. Expose the lies and make the opposition clarify the semantics.
It makes it easier not to fall for their bullshit.
I will say one thing for the anti-gay industry: when they can't get over with lies, they continue to push and push until they tire people out.
Take the case of David Parker:
David Parker's Boston law firm, Denner Pellegrino LLP has filed a "cert petition" with the United States Supreme Court, formally asking the Court to review the ruling this past January by the Federal Appeals Court in Boston.
David Parker, his wife Tonia, and Rob and Robin Wirthlin have been attempting to bring a federal Civil Rights lawsuit against school officials and others in Lexington, Massachusetts. However, with the help of well-funded national homosexual groups, the school has persuaded judges in the Boston Federal District Court and Federal Appeals Court to deny the lawsuit the right to go to trial. Thus, the plaintiffs are appealing to the US Supreme court for the right to allow the lawsuit to be heard.
I've talked about David Parker so many times and I will keep bringing him up as long as the anti-gay industry continues to try and make him into a martyr:
In 2005, after a long series of meetings with Estabrook Elementary School officials regarding about teaching homosexual issues to his son in kindergarten without parental consent, David Parker finally told the principal and the city's director of education that he would not leave until the school agreed to negotiate some agreement on the matter. Rather than negotiate, the officials had Parker arrested and brought to jail, where he spent the night. The next morning he was led into Concord District Court in handcuffs.
That explanation by the anti-gay industry group Mass Resistance skirts over the facts in the case:
In January 2005, Jacob Parker brought home a diversity book bag from his kindergarten. Included in the bag was books about other cultures and traditions, food recipes, and a book called Who’s in a Family. The illustrations included various family constructions: single parents, mom-dad-kids, grandparents, mixed-race families, and same-sex parents.
David Parker, his father, decided that young Jacob was entitled to ignorance of the existence of same-sex headed families. He set out to change school policy so that his child not be exposed to that fact. He extended his demands to include any discussion of same-sex parenting, regardless of the context or setting - including any conversations of children of gay or lesbian parents.
Because the school district has a large number of same-sex families, many with children attending the school, the administration deemed Parker’s request to be nearly impossible.
This resulted in a string of emails and eventually Parker showed up in the administrative offices and refused to leave until his demands were met. At the end of the day, police were called and, when Parker refused the police requests to leave, he was arrested for trespassing.
Dr. Paul Ash, superintendent of Lexington Public Schools, said the school tried to be accommodating.
“The school department said, ‘Look, we’ll work with you, but we cannot assure you what a child is going to say and that we can immediately stop a discussion that you find objectionable,’” said Ash. “One of the central units in kindergarten is the discussion of families and we show families of all different types.” Ash says the discussions “ended up in an irreconcilable difference.”
In June 2006, the Parkers sued the school in federal court for civil right violations.
They were joined by the Joseph and Robin Wirthlin, parents of a second grader in the same district. On a day in which the school discussed marriage, a teacher read King and King, a book in which a prince doesn’t fall for a princess but for another prince instead. Although marriage laws in Massachusetts include same-sex couples, the Wirthlins believe that such marriages should be excluded from discussion about marriages in the classroom.
A few days after filing their suit, David Parker’s credibility came under question. He spread a story that his child, Jacob, was beaten by students for David Parker’s anti-gay stance and suggested that school teachers or the administration were behind the beating.
After much press in the anti-gay conservative Christian media, the facts were released. It turned out to be nothing greater than a schoolyard scuffle over who sat next to whom in the cafeteria.
In February 2007, U.S. District Judge Mark L. Wolf dismissed the lawsuit.
In his 38-page decision, Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf of US District Court said that under the US Constitution, public schools are “entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens in our democracy.”
“Diversity is a hallmark of our nation,” he said.
The Parkers and Wirthlins appealed the decision. A three judge appeals panel unanimously upheld Judge Wolf’s decision.
Hopefully the Supreme Court will recognize bullshit when they see it and not pursue the Parker case.
Then finally, this monster will die.
Watch the semantics
What exactly are sincere religious beliefs?
I have read on too many occasions that laws protect lgbts from discrimination would interfere with someone's "sincere religious beliefs" that homosexuality is a sin.
That phrase has no basis in truth, only semantics.
Whenever I hear an anti-gay industry head say this, I want to ask:
"So if a restaurant manager has sincere religious beliefs that homosexuality is a sin, does he have the right to fire an employee?"
"Or what about an apartment renter? Does his sincere religious beliefs give him the right to discriminate against lgbt renters?"
When you break down this so-called cultural battle, you will see that it's all about lies and semantics. Expose the lies and make the opposition clarify the semantics.
It makes it easier not to fall for their bullshit.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Sakia Gunn - More important than Peter's mess
I see that our friend Peter LaBarbera is getting a little traction from the anti-gay industry regarding his bestiality mess.
Whoop te do. I was going to write a little on it but I saw something more important:
Five years ago, Sakia, a 15-year old girl who "dressed like a boy," was attacked while waiting for a Newark, New Jersey bus after a night out with friends. The girls were approached by two men in a car who made uninvited sexual advances. When the girls declined, stating that they were lesbians, 30-year old Richard McCullough fatally stabbed Sakia while shouting homophobic slurs. She bled out at the intersection of Broad and Market during the wee hours of Mother's Day morning.
This May is the fifth anniversary of the murder of Sakia Gunn. She would have just celebrated her 20th birthday.
The rest of the article is here.
Let Peter and the rest of the rest of the anti-gay industry ruminate and bullshit. They are irrelevant.
Our lgbt children, such as Sakia Gunn, matter more.
I see that our friend Peter LaBarbera is getting a little traction from the anti-gay industry regarding his bestiality mess.
Whoop te do. I was going to write a little on it but I saw something more important:
Five years ago, Sakia, a 15-year old girl who "dressed like a boy," was attacked while waiting for a Newark, New Jersey bus after a night out with friends. The girls were approached by two men in a car who made uninvited sexual advances. When the girls declined, stating that they were lesbians, 30-year old Richard McCullough fatally stabbed Sakia while shouting homophobic slurs. She bled out at the intersection of Broad and Market during the wee hours of Mother's Day morning.
This May is the fifth anniversary of the murder of Sakia Gunn. She would have just celebrated her 20th birthday.
The rest of the article is here.
Let Peter and the rest of the rest of the anti-gay industry ruminate and bullshit. They are irrelevant.
Our lgbt children, such as Sakia Gunn, matter more.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Meanwhile, down here - South Carolina Black Pride
Forgive me for this short post.
I know there is a lot going on in California and with Obama very close to getting the Democratic nomination, but I thought I would talk a little bit about what's going on in South Carolina.
We are three weeks away from the third annual South Carolina Black Pride and things are beginning to hop.
I am secretary of the group (although I prefer the title Prime Minister of Information - eat your heart out, Stokely Carmichael), so tonight, I get to send out over 1500 emails to various individuals.
Big fun.
But I'm looking forward to it for one reason.
A week ago, I was told an interesting story. A certain political official was talking to a group of South Carolina black pastors and she made a point to ask about lgbts of color.
From what I understand, these pastors pulled an Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and said that there are no lgbts of color in South Carolina.
Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little.
They said they didn't know where she could find any.
Of course if they were truthful, these pastors would have invited the political official to their churches and pointed at the usher board, the deacon board, the choir, and in some cases, themselves.
But the fact that these pastors claimed not to know any lgbts of color is a perfect reason to have a South Carolina Black Pride.
We have had two South Carolina Black Prides and over 1,500 folks attended. I have a feeling that we are going to have double that number this year.
And I'm looking forward to it and the repercussions thereof.
There is an intentional wall of silence when it comes to the visibility and needs of lgbts South Carolinians of color.
It's time for that wall to come down.
Forgive me for this short post.
I know there is a lot going on in California and with Obama very close to getting the Democratic nomination, but I thought I would talk a little bit about what's going on in South Carolina.
We are three weeks away from the third annual South Carolina Black Pride and things are beginning to hop.
I am secretary of the group (although I prefer the title Prime Minister of Information - eat your heart out, Stokely Carmichael), so tonight, I get to send out over 1500 emails to various individuals.
Big fun.
But I'm looking forward to it for one reason.
A week ago, I was told an interesting story. A certain political official was talking to a group of South Carolina black pastors and she made a point to ask about lgbts of color.
From what I understand, these pastors pulled an Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and said that there are no lgbts of color in South Carolina.
Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little.
They said they didn't know where she could find any.
Of course if they were truthful, these pastors would have invited the political official to their churches and pointed at the usher board, the deacon board, the choir, and in some cases, themselves.
But the fact that these pastors claimed not to know any lgbts of color is a perfect reason to have a South Carolina Black Pride.
We have had two South Carolina Black Prides and over 1,500 folks attended. I have a feeling that we are going to have double that number this year.
And I'm looking forward to it and the repercussions thereof.
There is an intentional wall of silence when it comes to the visibility and needs of lgbts South Carolinians of color.
It's time for that wall to come down.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Monday Musings
Peter gets nasty
I wouldn't be able to live with myself on a journalistic level if I did not mention this.
Our friend Peter is getting highly desperate in his attempts to demonize lgbts.
He attended the International Mr. Leather (yet again) to "document homosexual perversion."
And this time, he went so beyond the pale that it made me sick.
Apparently Peter took pics of some videos that were allegedly sold at IML, including some involving bestiality and scat (poop videos).
He tried to make it seem that both of those functions were indicative of the lgbt community at large.
Note that we’ve covered up the pornographic images. The bestiality titles (e.g., “Goat Fever,” “Amateur Animal 1,” speak for themselves. “Scat,” according to one online (and sexually explicit) “Robert Scott’s Gay Slang Dictionary,” refers to [*] “A gay male who gets sexual gratification from acts involving faeces.” That is, excrement, which to us at Americans For Truth is proof that Satan is alive and well in this world.
Personally, I've always believed that poop is concentrated evil coming out of a human's butt, but somehow I don't think that its proof of the existence of Satan.
Flatulence is another story.
All I can say is thank God for Box Turtle Bulletin who exposed various interesting aspects of Peter's nonsense:
I was, however, able to find out some interesting information about the videos that Pete highlighted to titilate and horrify his readers. They are heterosexual.
Goat Fever involves a man, two women, and a (presumedly female) goat. Amateur Animal 1 features “A couple with a blonde and german shepherd”. (I’m not providing links but descriptions of these videos are available by Googling their titles).
Neither of these videos involve male-male contact. But you wouldn’t know that from Pete’s posting.
In other words, the bestiality video that Peter is using to demonize the lgbt community stars heterosexuals.
Peter engages in a common anti-gay industry trick: using a sex act to demonize lgbt community while omitting the act that heterosexuals do it also.
Box Turtle Bulletin also said this about scat:
As reader PiaSharn correctly noted, this is not the definition of “Scat”. This is, rather, the definition of “Scat Queen”, Although LaBarbera prefers a definition that starts with “a gay male”, scat is actually a fetish that is practiced among heterosexuals as well and does not appear to be more common among homosexual fetishists than heterosexual fetishists.
Personally the entire thing grosses me out. When I read it this weekend, I didn't want to have anything to do with it. I don't know ANYONE straight or gay who participates in those two sex acts and I don't want to know anyone who does.
But here is what I do know. Peter's latest sojourn is getting ignored. I have looked over several pro-gay and anti-gay blogs and no one is talking about it.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think it's safe to assume that our friend Peter has gone too far. He is becoming a parody of himself.
Becoming a parody? Hell, he already is one.
One News Now pisses me off
Apparently the so-called Christian site One News Now does not like the attention that folks like myself give it.
Not only did it eliminate the section where you can comment on the stories, but it is also doing the following to various sites, like Right Wing Watch:
The other day we noticed that all of our links back to the AFA’s OneNewsNow website no longer take readers to the link in question, but instead redirect them to the Good Person Test (go ahead and click the OneNewsNow link above or any of these other links to see what we mean.)
So instead of being taken to a specific OneNewsNow article, our readers are directed to a website that challenges them to take a quiz to determine if they are indeed a “good person.” Not surprisingly, the answer is “no” and that they are in fact going to hell.
Answer a question about honesty and you are told you are a liar; answer a question about lust and you are told you are an adulterer; answer a question about anger and you are told you are a murderer . . .
Right Wing Watch isn't the only site this is being done to. Apparently One News Now did it to Goodasyou.org and Pam's House Blend.
Which totally pisses me off, cause it makes me jealous.
I'm not important enough to spook One News Now.
Well if at first you don't succeed, try try again.
Peter gets nasty
I wouldn't be able to live with myself on a journalistic level if I did not mention this.
Our friend Peter is getting highly desperate in his attempts to demonize lgbts.
He attended the International Mr. Leather (yet again) to "document homosexual perversion."
And this time, he went so beyond the pale that it made me sick.
Apparently Peter took pics of some videos that were allegedly sold at IML, including some involving bestiality and scat (poop videos).
He tried to make it seem that both of those functions were indicative of the lgbt community at large.
Note that we’ve covered up the pornographic images. The bestiality titles (e.g., “Goat Fever,” “Amateur Animal 1,” speak for themselves. “Scat,” according to one online (and sexually explicit) “Robert Scott’s Gay Slang Dictionary,” refers to [*] “A gay male who gets sexual gratification from acts involving faeces.” That is, excrement, which to us at Americans For Truth is proof that Satan is alive and well in this world.
Personally, I've always believed that poop is concentrated evil coming out of a human's butt, but somehow I don't think that its proof of the existence of Satan.
Flatulence is another story.
All I can say is thank God for Box Turtle Bulletin who exposed various interesting aspects of Peter's nonsense:
I was, however, able to find out some interesting information about the videos that Pete highlighted to titilate and horrify his readers. They are heterosexual.
Goat Fever involves a man, two women, and a (presumedly female) goat. Amateur Animal 1 features “A couple with a blonde and german shepherd”. (I’m not providing links but descriptions of these videos are available by Googling their titles).
Neither of these videos involve male-male contact. But you wouldn’t know that from Pete’s posting.
In other words, the bestiality video that Peter is using to demonize the lgbt community stars heterosexuals.
Peter engages in a common anti-gay industry trick: using a sex act to demonize lgbt community while omitting the act that heterosexuals do it also.
Box Turtle Bulletin also said this about scat:
As reader PiaSharn correctly noted, this is not the definition of “Scat”. This is, rather, the definition of “Scat Queen”, Although LaBarbera prefers a definition that starts with “a gay male”, scat is actually a fetish that is practiced among heterosexuals as well and does not appear to be more common among homosexual fetishists than heterosexual fetishists.
Personally the entire thing grosses me out. When I read it this weekend, I didn't want to have anything to do with it. I don't know ANYONE straight or gay who participates in those two sex acts and I don't want to know anyone who does.
But here is what I do know. Peter's latest sojourn is getting ignored. I have looked over several pro-gay and anti-gay blogs and no one is talking about it.
Ladies and gentlemen, I think it's safe to assume that our friend Peter has gone too far. He is becoming a parody of himself.
Becoming a parody? Hell, he already is one.
One News Now pisses me off
Apparently the so-called Christian site One News Now does not like the attention that folks like myself give it.
Not only did it eliminate the section where you can comment on the stories, but it is also doing the following to various sites, like Right Wing Watch:
The other day we noticed that all of our links back to the AFA’s OneNewsNow website no longer take readers to the link in question, but instead redirect them to the Good Person Test (go ahead and click the OneNewsNow link above or any of these other links to see what we mean.)
So instead of being taken to a specific OneNewsNow article, our readers are directed to a website that challenges them to take a quiz to determine if they are indeed a “good person.” Not surprisingly, the answer is “no” and that they are in fact going to hell.
Answer a question about honesty and you are told you are a liar; answer a question about lust and you are told you are an adulterer; answer a question about anger and you are told you are a murderer . . .
Right Wing Watch isn't the only site this is being done to. Apparently One News Now did it to Goodasyou.org and Pam's House Blend.
Which totally pisses me off, cause it makes me jealous.
I'm not important enough to spook One News Now.
Well if at first you don't succeed, try try again.
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