Analyzing and refuting the inaccuracies lodged against the lgbt community by religious conservative organizations. Lies in the name of God are still lies.
The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us and there is so much to talk about regarding Adam Lambert, James Dobson, One News Now, Peter LaBarbera, and the religious right in general.
But I am going to paraphrase actress Jane Fonda when she won her first Oscar and remark that while there is a great deal to say, I won't be saying it right now.
All I am going to do right now is wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy these clips from one of my favorite television shows, The Electric Company. And to answer your question - yes that's Academy Award winners Morgan Freeman and Rita Moreno.
(Editor's note - this post is null and void should something strange and spectacular happen regarding the religious right such as discovering that Peter LaBarbera and Matt Barber are long lost twins and also the love children of James Dobson and Maggie Gallagher. To those just itching to make snide comments after reading that . . . hush up!)
The American Family Association (AFA) is suspending its Christmas-season boycott of Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic.
The suspension of the boycott is in effect until at least Saturday. A Gap official has reported to the pro-family group that it will unveil a new Christmas-themed commercial this weekend. AFA says it is suspending the boycott "in good faith" until it has an opportunity to view the new commercial.
The boycott was initiated after the clothing company refused to use the word "Christmas" in its ads and promotions. Also, some people were upset over a Gap television ad that mentioned a host of other holiday traditions along with Christmas.
Buddy Smith, a spokesman for AFA, believes the boycott has had an impact. "Our supporters here sent emails, made phone calls, wrote letters, and expressed their concern -- and so obviously GAP got the message," he explains.
It's amazing how the article tries to sugarcoat the fact that the AFA originally started the boycott because it felt that GAP wasn't using the word "Christmas" in its promotions.
For years, Gap has refused to use the word Christmas in its television commercials, newspaper ads and in-store promotions, despite tens of thousands of consumer requests to recognize Christmas and in spite of repeated requests from AFA to do the same.
Last year, Gap issued this politically-correct statement to Christmas shoppers: “Gap recognizes that many traditions are celebrated throughout this season and we feel it is important to display holiday signage that is inclusive to everyone.”
Christmas is special because of Jesus. It’s not just a “winter holiday.” For millions of Americans the giving and receiving of gifts is in honor of the One who gave Himself. For the Gap to pretend that isn’t the foundation of the Christmas season is political correctness at best and religious bigotry at worst.
The link goes on to expose just how mistaken the AFA was in its assessment of the situation:
AFA’s first shot in the war is a misfire, as Dan Neil of the LA Times points out today. In one of the first lines of Gap’s new holiday ad, the actors yell, “Go Christmas!” (as well as “Go Hanukkah! Go Kwanzaa! Go Solstice!”)
The link even shows the commercial:
Now that the AFA has a little egg on its face, the organization is trying to wipe it away under everyone's noses.
The sentence in the One News Now article - Also, some people were upset over a Gap television ad that mentioned a host of other holiday traditions along with Christmas - seems to be an inaccurate reconstruction of why the boycott was started.
Of course the Christian thing to do would be for the AFA to just admit its mistake.
But as we have seen in so other many cases, while the AFA talks about Christian values, it doesn't know the first thing about upholding them.
However it is nice to note that while everyone else is settling down to eat turkey this Thanksgiving, the AFA will be dining on crow.
I love it when in the midst of nonsense (hello Governor Mark Sanford), good things happen. The following is from Ray Drew of SC Equality:
The Charleston City Council passed legislation that prohibits discrimination in matters of public accommodations and housing to include protection for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Charlestonians.
All across South Carolina, we are celebrating this historic victory for all families as Charleston joins Columbia as the second city in the state to enact such nondiscrimination ordinances.
These pro-business ordinances are consistent with the values of Charlestonians; they send the clear message that Charleston welcomes families from all walks of life.
This groundbreaking success is a result of many months of work by a collaborative team, led by SC Equality and including representatives from the Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA), Stonewall Democrats, Log Cabin Republicans, and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Working together, these five groups educated city council members on the importance of these ordinances and guided the proposed legislation to passage.
Prior to today's vote, the City did not have a public accommodations ordinance. The ordinance that was passed prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, or sexual orientation. The vote also expanded the City's existing housing nondiscrimination ordinance to add age and sexual orientation. In both ordinances, the definition of sexual orientation includes gender identity or expression.
To me this is like finding money in your pocket when you think you are penniless. While attention may be focused (sometimes too focused) on places like Maine and California, we shouldn't forget that lgbts exist in all states of the country and our fight for equality should be on more than one front
Also, let me give a shout out to my lgbt brothers and sisters and our allies in Charleston. It took a lot of hard work to get this done and they should be commended for it for their collaborative efforts.
