Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: May 28, 2010

Friday, May 28, 2010

Know Your LGBT History - All in the Family

It's been a good week in so many ways. Now I want to push an relaxing ease by not focusing on politics but another segment of Know Your LGBT History.

This week's segment was supposed to run last week but got pre-empted. It is an episode of the classic television show, All in the Family - the sitcom about bigoted New Yorker Archie Bunker, his lovable wife Edith, his daughter Gloria, and his liberal son-in-law Mike.

Through this mult-award winning show (one of the few which swept the Emmy categories by winning at different times Best Comedy Series, Best Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series, and Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series), producer Norman Lear tackled controversial issues never before seen on television, such as the one in this episode, Judging Books By Covers.

Archie despises Mike and Gloria's friend Roger because he thinks Roger is gay. However, we learn that one of Archie's best buddies, former football player and uber-macho man Steve, is in fact gay.

I think Lear was trying to make a case here about using stereotypes to judge people. There was one facet of the episode that I didn't like, though. I think it was established that the character Roger was not gay, but what if he was?

What's wrong with an effeminate gay man?

One interesting note about this episode is that the late President Richard Nixon hated it. An added bonus after a video of the episode is a clip featuring Nixon talking about it. It's HIGHLY telling about Nixon's hypocrisy and his ignorance regarding history. To him, gay men are nasty but committing impeachable offenses are just peachy. Also, I'll have him to know that there were more gay Roman emperors than the last six.

Mercy we have come a long way:

And now, here's Nixon:

Glenn Beck picks on Obama's 11-year-old daughter and other Friday midday news briefs

Glenn Beck smears Obama's 11-year-old daughter - Not necessarily an lgbt issue per se, but what one that I cannot ignore. Damn the crap about the First Amendment because there is such things as ethics and responsibility and a man who has several million listeners and viewers has NO BUSINESS making fun of an 11-year-old child. So this is the man who is supposed to bring America back from the brink? Maybe "teabaggers" who believe this shouldn't worry about being connotated as having testicles in their mouths and devote time to removing their heads from their asses.

Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal: The Family Research Council's intellectual Waterloo - This VERY WELL WRITTEN smackdown of Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council needs more attention because it proves a point that I have tried to make on a few occasions. The lgbt community needs to stop being soft with the religious right for fear of being thought of as "intolerant." No one should tolerate lies even if they are told in the name of God. We need to start stomping VERBAL mudholes in religious right groups so that everyone knows the extent of their lies.

AFA’s Bryan Fischer Attempts to Explain His “Nazis Were Gays” Comments - Bryan Fischer tells deliberate lie to cover up his first one.

Phony Pediatric Front Group Dumps George Rekers - Or crap doesn't like the smell of other crap.

Iowa GOP committeeman to gay candidate: I’ll sink you - Look at this. Someone slips and shows his true face.

One News Now re-edits AP story for sake of anti-gay spin on DADT

The following is the lead paragraphs of the Associated Press article regarding last night's House vote to hopefully repeal DADT:

U.S. moves to end army's gay ban

WASHINGTON - Congress has taken two big steps toward ending the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military.

In quick succession Thursday, the Senate Armed Services Committee and the full House of Representatives approved measures to repeal the 1993 law that allows gay people to serve in the armed services only if they hide their sexual orientation.

Here are the lead paragraphs of the same article published by the American Family Association's One News Now with Associated Press writer's (Jim Abrams) byline:

Congress bows to gay agenda...repeals 'repeals don't ask don't tell'

WASHINGTON - Congress has given in to pressure from gay activists and the White House and voted to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military.

In quick succession Thursday, the Senate Armed Services Committee and the full House approved measures to repeal the 1993 law that allows gay people to serve in the armed services only if they hide their sexual orientation.

No one should be surprised. One News Now is owned by the American Family Association, the same organization which employs Bryan Fischer. Fischer thinks that lgbts caused the Holocaust. And aside from that, usually One News Now is a sounding board for other one-sided articles against the lgbt community (its polls are a slanted colossal joke).

But even after taking all of that into account, editing a story for the sake of spin strikes me as especially sleazy, even for them.

Related posts:

Look out! Here comes a new distortion about changing sexual orientation

Black pastor declares war on Democractic party over gay rights while I laugh my ass off

Day of Silence success leaves religious right sputtering

Religious right misleads about testimony in DADT hearing

Attacks on gay students no big deal to the religious right

Hypocrisy of the day - Gary Glenn (again)

Gays serving openly in the military = reinstating the draft