Lesbian appointee caught in crossfire between Peter LaBarbera and Glenn Beck

Apparently Peter LaBarbera is angry at Glenn Beck.

Recently Beck said he doesn't see gay marriage as a threat to America.

And of course this comment sent LaBarbera into orbit. He  posted two pieces that he claims proves Beck to be wrong.

Personally I could care less. You all know how I feel about LaBarbera. And I am totally indifferent to Beck. I see him as a circus clown willing to say or do anything to get the paycheck.

But as it is in arguments like these, innocent parties get smeared. Like the EEOC's Chai Feldblum.

LaBabera evoked her name to prove that somehow if gays get married, the rights of Christians will be up for revoke:

 . . . the prospect of State-sanctioned homosexual “marriage” will lead to the systematic, forced imposition of pro-homosexualist ideology on young and old Americans alike — and will engender innumerable lawsuits by homosexual activist attorneys who believe that their “right” to be affirmed and celebrated in the culture supersedes YOUR right to live according to YOUR beliefs.

Who could put it any better than lesbian legal activist Chai Feldblum, former law professor at Georgetown University and President Obama’s recess appointee to the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC)? Regarding what she calls the “zero-sum” game that exists between homosexual legal “rights” and the freedom of religious/moral Americans to oppose homosexuality, Feldblum stated: “Gays win. Christians lose.” We hope her prediction  is wrong, but the lesbian prof’s secular “rights” formula is clearly advanced every time the noble institution of “marriage” is perverted to legally sanction ignoble, sinful conduct.

There is one problem with LaBarbera's claim. There is no record of Feldblum ever saying this.


From Media Matters Action:

There is absolutely no factual account of Chai Feldblum making such a statement.

The rumor started in an opinion blog post, NOT a news story, at the Christian Post on October 26, 2009.

The author, Penna Dexter, writes:

When asked about the rights of employers to follow their religious beliefs in hiring people, she replied, "Gays win; Christians lose."

A factual news report would include when and where Feldblum made such a statement, but Dexter neglected to include important details that could be used to validate her claims.  Our attempts to trace the rumor further back did not turn up any results.

From there, the line was picked up by the American Principles Project, which quoted Penna Dexter's opinion piece and reported it as fact.

Next, the Family Research Council quoted the American Principles Project, repeating the claim:

When questioned on the rights of Christians hiring employees of their choice, Feldblum stated "Gays win; Christians lose."

 I don't know whether or not LaBarbera is aware that the Feldblum quote is inaccurate. And I would hate to speculate what difference it would have made had he known. We KNOW how he gets when it comes to the lgbt community.

But regardless of whether it is "Porno Petey" repeating it or anyone else, whenever a lie is told about one of us, especially one of us in a high position like Feldblum, we need to expose it from the beginning.

We know how the right-wing echo chamber works. And an unchallenged lie is like a snowball rolled from the top of a hill.

UPDATE - Last night, I emailed LaBarbera asking that he either prove that Feldblum made the comment or change what he wrote.  I never got an answer back, but this morning his piece reads:

Regarding what she calls the “zero-sum” game that exists between homosexual legal “rights” and the freedom of religious/moral Americans to oppose homosexuality, Feldblum reportedly stated: “Gays win. Christians lose.”

In this case, "reportedly" is a weasel word. If LaBarbera can't prove that Feldblum made the comment, then he doesn't need to claim that she did.


Editor's note - If you want to read a incredibly good takedown of LaBarbera's entire piece, go here. 

Related posts:

Religious right attacks Feldblum's appointment with more lies

Religious right smear campaign fail: Chai Feldblum gets her appointment

Matt Barber's slur of Chai Feldblum's name was unnecessary but so very indicative

The religious right fears Chai Feldblum because she believes in basic fairness

The religious right attacks another openly gay Obama appointee