South Carolina Pride coverage brings out the homophobes

There is no doubt that last week's South Carolina Pride was a huge success.

We even had coverage by the news media, as seen by this video via WLTX News 19:

But with all good things comes other things you have to keep one eye on.

We had very few protestors at the event, but some folks got angry that News 19 even dared to cover South Carolina Pride. The feedback page is full of interesting comments. Not all comments were anti-gay but here are a few of the funniest which were not necessarily lgbt supportive (Editor's note - I made no changes to spelling or syntax):

A few dozen people gather in Finley Park, LTX gives it instant coverage.
One democrat today said possibly two million people marched on Washington to protest big government spending and LTX has no article. LTX your true liberal side is showing. By the way LTX, I see no new article on Sanford today, either.
What's up with that?

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME on Colunbia and South Carolina. Just remember friends, Judgement day is just around the corner. REPENT today while you still have an opportunity. He who has ears to hear let him/her her what God says about the heinous sin of this kind of sexual immorality. May God forgive us all.

God does love everyone. But when he created Adams mate he did not name her Steve. It was Adam and Eve. Not Adam and Steve.

I don't agree with this. God made Adem and Eve not Adem and Steve.This is wrong and I belive it makes sc look sick for suporting this if you are gay fine why do you have to put it in the open. I dont see a festival for straight people. I guess the straight is like white people we are the minority. blacks have the NAACP and gays have a yearly festavail what does the white and straight people have?

Gay Pride in South Carolina. Leave these liberals alone because they have rights too even though I loathe the ground they walk on.

They should have held this at a rest area restroom. I wonder how many blow jobs were administered in the tunnel next to the park. Sick twisted freaks. (Editor's note - by this commenter's profile picture, I guess he doesn't care for African-Americans either.)

As you can read, we've got work to do in South Carolina.

Religious right fears 'safe schools' act and other Wednesday midday news briefs

This is how it's done! No on 1's response ad to yesterday's monstrosity.

'Safe schools' act - a misnomer? - One News Now and religious right head are scared of national anti-bullying bill.

Ohio House Passes Non-Discrimination Bill - yet another bit of good news!

Former President Carter charges racism is behind Wilson's - and teabagger/birther - outbursts - and for those crying "there THEY go with the race card again," Pam Spaulding compiles a list of incidents that have taken place which backs up Carter's assertions. Own your bigotry, teabaggers!

The possible attack on the President's lgbt appointees

With all of this "get Obama's czars" mania going around courtesy of Glenn Beck and company, it may be a matter of time before the lgbt community has to deal with an attack on the reputations on the President's gay and lesbian appointees.

If this starts to happen, first on that list will be Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary for the office of Safe & Drug Free Schools in the U.S. Department of Education.

Even though they have been steadily pushing tea parties and town hall disruptions, members of the right (especially the religious right) have been covertly pushing the inaccurate information they compiled on Jennings, including:

he hates Christians,

his group, GLSEN, is teaching children nasty sexual behavior,

he covered up the sexual abuse of an underaged child.

None of this stuff is true and it has been refuted. Unfortunately, as we have seen consistently, refutations mean nothing when you have pundits, conservative activists, and bloggers constantly repeating inaccurate information without mention of the truth.

The newest "controversy" is that Jennings gave a speech in 1995 explaining how to introduce lgbt supportive groups in schools:

In 1995, he gave a speech in which he described how he has used the concept of "safety" in schools to promote homosexual advocacy in public schools in Massachusetts. He gave a speech called "Winning the Culture War" at the Human Rights Campaign Fund Leadership Conference on March 5 of that year.

Excerpts have been posted on the website of MassResistance, where chief Brian Camenker has worked to oppose the demands of homosexual activists.

In the speech, Jennings described how he was concerned about being described as promoting homosexuality, so he chose to campaign on the idea of "safety" instead.

"If the radical right can succeed in portraying us as preying on children, we will lose. Their language – 'promoting homosexuality' is one example – is laced with subtle and not-so-subtle innuendo that we are 'after their kids,'" he told the conference. . . "

Actually there is nothing wrong with the speech. In fact, it's a very good speech which should be remembered.

But in the hands of such right wing luminaries as World Net Daily and Mass Resistance (the organization officially declared a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center), even the words of a girl scout selling cookies can be twisted to mean a world take over.

How long will it be before you see Glenn Beck standing in front of a huge photo of Jennings and pontificating about the corruption of children's innocence?

It's definitely something to consider.

Related posts:

The tea party idiots - will they go after the lgbt community next?

Traditional Values Coalition attacks Kevin Jennings and . . . Tom Cruise?

Support Sean's Last Wish and Kevin Jennings

The religious right thinks that character assasination is a Christian virtue

The war against Kevin Jennings - now it's getting pathetic

Attacks on Kevin Jennings sleazy, un-Christian

More right wing lunacy on Kevin Jennings courtesy of Kevin McCullough

More attacks on GLSEN'S Kevin Jennings - Now the Family Research Council gets in the act''

''Fistgate' and President Obama - religious right pushes a pitiful attempt of guilt by association