Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: 01/01/2011

Monday, January 31, 2011

Where are the black lgbt characters on television?

The Root has just come out an exceptional article talking about the absence of lgbt of color character on television.

Don't get me wrong - I love the visibility of lgbt television characters, but I wouldn't mind seeing some folks like myself. And not just for my own desires. There are million of young lgbts of color who also need that self-esteem which only comes from seeing positive portrayals:

To let Entertainment Weekly tell it, we are in the midst of a "gay revolution."

According to the magazine's latest cover story, Fox's ever popular series Glee -- and in particular its young yet openly gay characters, like Kurt Hummel, the high-note-hitting, fashion-loving teen played by Chris Colfer -- is "changing hearts, minds and Hollywood."

Joining in the praise is Newsweek, which celebrated the musical comedy-drama series by branding it "the gayest show in the history of network TV." In the Newsweek interview, columnist and anti-gay-bullying advocate Dan Savage echoed these sentiments and praised Glee and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. "Really, when it comes to gay rights, there's two wars going on," Savage opined. "The first war is political. But the culture war is over. Between Glee and Ellen and how integrated and accepted LGBT adults are, that's done."

I would have joined in on the celebration going on at Newsweek and Entertainment Weekly, but I stopped believing in fairy tales after finding my mama's signature on "Santa's receipt" some 20 years ago. While I applaud Glee's efforts and adore DeGeneres for simply being alive, Hummel's high notes and DeGeneres' nonthreatening dance moves have aided only a portion of the gay population.

Many gays of color certainly don't see themselves in this revolution. Though we are seeing a lot more gay faces on TV, many of them are of the same ilk. And are we really challenging the tolerance levels of Americans that much by asking them to accept versions of gay people that they've long grown accustomed to seeing?

More here . . .

SNL in trouble over nasty transgender skit and other Monday midday news briefs

GLAAD Slams SNL for 'Estro-Maxx' Ad Mocking Transgender Women - This situation has caused a bit of controversy in the lgbt community with some of us decrying the skit and others saying that we are too serious. I'm in the camp of those who decry the skit. Don't get me wrong - I like blue humor. But this skit made me feel uncomfortable. I didn't find it humorous at all.

And I think some on the other side of this issue are suffereing from a bit of forgetfulness. Remember it wasn't that long ago when gays and lesbians had to raise hell because some portrayals of us on television were evil. And it's not a matter of not having a sense of humor. It's about a lack of power. It's rare that our transgender brothers and sisters see a positive portrayal of themselves on television, so naturally when something like this comes out, they are going to raise hell.

It's no different than when the lesbian community raised hell in the 70s over the Police Woman episode, Flowers of Evil which featured three lesbians brutally murdering the residents of a retirement home they oversaw.

Or when I have to see portrayals of black gay men in African-American movies and television - places where you very rarely see us.

To those having very little power in controlling the images of themselves in the media, reminders of their powerlessness aren't funny.

And in other news

A very classy step by General Amos - The repeal of DADT marches on.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn To Sign Gay Unions Bill Monday - Good for him. Let's continue to press on to full marriage.

Charity says bigotry towards gay parents means kids miss out - THANK YOU for stating the real issue in the matter of gay adoption. Children have a RIGHT to a good home.

AFA: Tea Party Married to Religious Right, Like It or Not - And this surprises us because? I'm glad I missed THAT wedding.

Here comes possible new victim of the 'radical homosexual agenda'

I want to get this piece out before those on the right have a chance to use this man as their new "cause celebre" against the so-called radical gay agenda:

An eastern Pennsylvania university police officer is asking a federal appeals court to rule that he had a right to refuse an order to disperse anti-abortion and anti-gay demonstrators on campus almost four years ago.

Cpl. Steve Armbruster said he was given what he considered an unconstitutional order to eject 15 members of the evangelical group Repent America from the Kutztown University campus in April 2007. He was relieved of his duties and later suspended for five days without pay.

A federal judge last year rejected his lawsuit, and The Philadelphia Inquirer said the 3rd U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia heard his appeal last week.

Students and university officials said the group showed up unexpectedly to preach against homosexuality and was confronted by hundreds of students. A judge later dismissed disorderly conduct charges against members but criticized them for demonstrating on the campus without the university's permission.

Armbruster contended that the order by the university president and the campus police chief would violate the group's civil rights and subject him to liability.

U.S. District Judge C. Darnell Jones II Jones ruled last year that Armbruster was serving in his official capacity, so his rights were not violated. He also rejected Armbruster's position that he had a right to refuse to violate the constitutional rights of others.

You get that? A group - Repent America - showed up unannounced on a college campus and began to protest. Since they had no permission to do so, university police were called in to disperse them. However, a member of the said police refused to do his job for his own reasons. He was suspended without pay but is trying to sue.

Seems to me that if you don't do the job you were assigned without a good reason - and his reason in regards to the First Amendment was not adequate - you should deal with the consequences.

No doubt if they retell this story for their own purposes, religious right groups will probably mock up the details so to create more sympathy for Armbuster. They did so in past cases of former religious right cause celebres who either got fired or into trouble because they didn't adhere to very fair rules regarding conduct and then chose to make the controversy into a religion vs. homosexuality issue. Cause celebres such as:

Peter Vadala,

Crystal Dixon,

Patricia Mauceri,

Jennifer Keeton and Julea Ward ,

and the group in the center of the controversy, Repent America - who is known for making unannounced nuisances of themselves and then whining about how their rights are being violated.

I can just see the spin now (God help us).

Hat tip to LezGetReal

Sunday, January 30, 2011

How to shut up the religious right and show lgbt love at the same time

I'm posting this because earlier today, some idiot tried to use the Peter LaBarbera-ish argument of citing pictures from subcultural events like Folsom Street Fair to make a ridiculous claim that lgbts are nasty and have no concept of love.

As this montage of pictures from the past demonstrate, that is a lie.

Sometimes it doesn't take a big argument to refute silly bullshit. Just a simple show of the truth will do.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Know Your LGBT History - Two looks at transgender characters in films

Homophobes try to disturb David Kato's funeral and other Friday midday news briefs

Violence Erupts at Kato Funeral - Oh Good God! Even after his murder, they try to take away Kato's dignity. They didn't succeed.

Brian Brown: 'I haven't actually seen the film, but...' - Who cares if Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage hasn't really seen the movie he dares to criticize. As long as the lgbt characters in it aren't pitiful self-hating creatures who die before the final scene, then the movie is awful, right?

9 Stupid Myths About Bisexuals Debunked - An article which is sorely needed.

Hysteria and hyperbole – the response to homosexuality in black churches - Handle your business, my brother.

The GOP's quiet evolution on gay rights - Next, tell me the one about the Easter Bunny.

Homophobic murder in Uganda is not about DOMA or ENDA

The reverberations is still being felt after the assassination of Ugandan lgbt activist David Kato.

The following is a clip of an interview with Kato in which he expressed fear for his life because of the homophobic climate in Uganda:

And now a short message to my lgbt brothers and sisters in America. Some of us have reacted negatively to President Obama's statement condemning Kato's murder. Some have called his statement useless.

Others have said that if the Obama Administration really believed the words in the statement, it would stop defending DOMA in court or push for ENDA.

Folks, this isn't the time for that. This is not about lgbts in America. This is not about DOMA and ENDA. To bring them up is highly insensitive in that it highjacks the issue, which should be about lgbts facing persecution in Uganda.

Whether or not we like President Obama's actions in regards to lgbt rights, this is a time in which we are going to have to push whatever anger we have to the background and stand with him in condemning Kato's murder and the continued dehumanization of lgbts in Uganda.

This doesn't mean that we should remain silent. And we shouldn't. You see it's OUR job to make sure people don't forget Kato nor other lgbts in Uganda. It's our job to make people never forget the simple fact that homophobia is not good - religion based or otherwise.

Homophobia is hate, pure and simple.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Matt Barber: 'Homofascists' picking on 'Christians' for murder of Ugandan gay activist

Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel has become the second religious right figure to comment on the murder of Ugandan gay activist David Kato:

At least he condemned the murder of Kato. Peter LaBarbera, who commented earlier today, didn't issue a word of condemnation regarding Kato's murder in his tweet. Editor's note - in another tweet, LaBarbera called Kato's murder "awful."

Smooth, Matt. Although your definition of "pro-family Christians" leaves a LOT to be desired.

And does what you said about the first person to call another a "Nazi" in an argument count for calling someone a "fascist?"

If so, you lose again.

Pathetic. Phony Christianity on parade.

LaBarbera makes Scott Lively out to be a victim in wake of Ugandan murder

Apparently I was a couple of hours too late when I wondered whether or not someone from the religious right would make a statement about David Kato's murder:

Not even a word for sorrow for Kato. How nice.

For the record, many of us never felt that Palin was the blame for what happened in Tucson. I personally felt that she got of the blame - unfair it may have been - because of her gung-ho attitude and reliance on nasty rhetoric. She exploited that image to gain prominence, so subsequently what happened was a classic case of the image backfiring on her.

Lively, on the other hand, isn't such a victim or circumstance.

He was one of the Americans who came to Uganda to hold anti-gay rallies which pushed all sorts of lies about lgbts. These lies got folks stoked up and led to the infamous "Kill the Gays" bill.

The bill sent everything into a fever pitch, culimating with lgbt Ugandans having definite fear for their lives in the backdrop of rabid homophobes holding marches with children, spreading nasty propaganda about gay sex in churches, and publishing people's pictures in a newspaper while advocating their murders simply because they are lgbts.

Kato was one of those people whose picture was published.

Say what you will, Lively is not the victim here. And if LaBarbera was any type of decent Christian, he would have least said a word of concern for Kato.

It's sad that Kato's murder is the end result of how one person's hatred can cause a situation that he may not have intended to happen.

And what's sadder is the simple fact that those who should learn from this tragedy, i.e. LaBarbera and company, seem to be ignoring the lesson of pushing hate.

Related post:

Slouching Towards Kampala: Uganda’s Deadly Embrace of Hate - Box Turtle Bulletin's excellent report on the homophobia in Uganda from the beginning to where we are now.

One more thing - I nearly held back from writing this post because I knew that some folks may feel the need to write LaBarbera and give him a peace of their mind. If you can't do this in a mature way, please don't bother. Hatred only breeds in places where rationality is absent. We know that LaBarbera has taken up root in these places. There is no need for us to compound his ignorance.

President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton condemns murder of gay Ugandan activist

The repercussions of yesterday's awful murder of Ugandan gay activist David Kato have now gotten bigger.

Both President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton issue statements condemning the murders and showing solidarity with the lgbt community worldwide:

President Obama:

“I am deeply saddened to learn of the murder of David Kato. In Uganda, David showed tremendous courage in speaking out against hate. He was a powerful advocate for fairness and freedom. The United States mourns his murder, and we recommit ourselves to David’s work.

At home and around the world, LGBT persons continue to be subjected to unconscionable bullying, discrimination, and hate. In the weeks preceding David Kato’s murder in Uganda, five members of the LGBT community in Honduras were also murdered. It is essential that the Governments of Uganda and Honduras investigate these killings and hold the perpetrators accountable.

LGBT rights are not special rights; they are human rights. My Administration will continue to strongly support human rights and assistance work on behalf of LGBT persons abroad. We do this because we recognize the threat faced by leaders like David Kato, and we share their commitment to advancing freedom, fairness, and equality for all.”

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton:

We are profoundly saddened by the loss of Ugandan human rights defender David Kato, who was brutally murdered in his home near Kampala yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and colleagues. We urge Ugandan authorities to quickly and thoroughly investigate and prosecute those responsible for this heinous act. [snip] This crime is a reminder of the heroic generosity of the people who advocate for and defend human rights on behalf of the rest of us -- and the sacrifices they make. And as we reflect on his life, it is also an occasion to reaffirm that human rights apply to everyone, no exceptions, and that the human rights of LGBT individuals cannot be separated from the human rights of all persons. Our ambassadors and diplomats around the world will continue to advance a comprehensive human rights policy, and to stand with those who, with their courage, make the world a more just place where every person can live up to his or her God-given potential. We honor David’s legacy by continuing the important work to which he devoted his life.

And now the pivot gets worse for other Ugandan lgbts:

Fears were growing last night over the safety of Brenda Namigadde who is set to be deported to Uganda, where a leading gay rights activist has been found murdered.

Namigadde was ordered to leave Britain after a judge ruled she was not homosexual.

Campaigners say she could be jailed for 14 years if she returns to the African country, where homosexuality is illegal and there is political pressure to make it punishable by death.

I wonder if Peter Sprigg, Matt Barber, Tony Perkins, Peter LaBarbera,and the rest of the religious right will issue some type of statement here.

Or maybe it would be better for them to shut the @!& up.

GoProud hates the 'gay left,' but loves homophobes

From Goodasyou comes this little morsel from Chris Barron of GoProud, the bootlicking gay conservative group:

Really Chris? The "gay left" is angry, hateful, and dumb as shit

Bear in mind that Barron is the SAME man who leads the SAME organization (GoProud) which welcomed into its fold, with open arms, Andrew Breitbart.

Andrew Breitbart is the same guy who:

pushed inaccurate anti-gay smears against Obama appointee - Kevin Jennings,

claimed that the lgbt community set up flawed beauty queen Carrie Prejean,

promotes sites featuring vindictive smears against lgbt public figures such as Barney Frank.

And Breitbart isn't just a simple member of GoProud. They made him a member of the board.

Well its obvious that Breitbart brings the angry and hateful to GoProud. But in regards to the "dumb as shit," I think the organization handles that label pretty well on its own.

How else can you aptly describe an group of gays and lesbians welcoming into its fold a man so anti-gay that he would make Anita Bryant pause?

Did Scott Lively's homophobic 'nuclear bomb' cause a death in Uganda?

Last week, anti-gay activist Scott Lively whined in a local Boston newspaper that he is being unfairly criticized for his stances against the lgbt community, including playing a huge role in the creation of the infamous "kill the gays" bill in Uganda.

After an incident in Uganda yesterday, he may want to keep his mouth shut:

An outspoken Ugandan gay activist whose picture recently appeared in an anti-gay newspaper under the headline “Hang Them” was beaten to death in his home, Ugandan police said on Thursday.

David Kato, the activist, was one of the most visible defenders of gay rights in a country so homophobic that government leaders have proposed to execute gay people. Mr. Kato and other gay people in Uganda had recently warned that their lives were endangered, and four months ago a local paper called Rolling Stone published a list of gay people, and Mr. Kato’s face was on the front page.

At press time, the police do not view Kato's murder as a hate crime, but a robbery. However some lgbt activists in Uganda disagree:

Gay activists . . . said Mr. Kato was singled out for his outspoken defense of gay rights. “David’s death is a result of the hatred planted in Uganda by U.S. Evangelicals in 2009,” said Val Kalende, the chairperson of one of Uganda’s gay rights groups, in a statement. “The Ugandan government and the so-called U.S. evangelicals must take responsibility for David’s blood!”

Mrs. Kalende was referring to visits in March 2009 by a group of American evangelicals who held anti-gay rallies and church leaders who authored the anti-gay bill, which is still pending, attended those meetings and said that they had worked with the Americans on their bill.

One of the those activists was Scott Lively He even bragged that the 2009 visits created a "nuclear bomb against the gay agenda in Uganda."

Kato's death comes almost a month after the arrest of Ugandan pastor Martin Ssempa on conspiracy charges. Ssempa, a chief pusher of the country's "Kill the Gays" bill and also for his penchant for showing "scat porn" in church is among eight people who was either detained or sought after an "alleged conspiracy to injure the reputation of Pastor Robert Kayanja of Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral, Kampala."

Ssempa and eight others had been charged with spreading rumors that Kayanja was gay, which is supposedly a common way to settle political scores in Uganda, but has deadlier implications since the controversy about the anti-gay bill.

The webpage Box Turtle Bulletin said the following:

David Kato was a spokesperson for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and one of the plaintiffs (or applicants) in the successful lawsuit seeking a permanent injunction against the Ugandan tabloid Rolling Stone (no relation to the U.S. publication of the same name). Kato was one of three applicants who had been named by the tabloid under a headline tagged “Hang Them!” His photo appeared on the tabloid’s front cover.

LGBT Ugandans have lived under a menacing atmosphere for more than a decade. The anti-gay hysteria has increased significantly since the introduction of the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill into parliament in 2009. That bill, which remains under review Parliamentary committee, would impose the death penalty on LGBT Ugandans under certain circumstances and criminalize all advocacy by or on behalf of LGBT people. It would also criminalize even knowing someone who is gay if that person fails to report their LGBT loved one to police within 24 hours. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for February 18, and the bill is expected to be considered after Parliament returns for a lame-duck session before the new Parliament begins in May.

Now in all honesty, we do not know the truth behind Kato's murder at the present, so it may be unfair to blame Lively. Certainly he never told people to kill anyone. And according to him, he never agreed with the death penalty facet of the Ugandan anti-gay bill.

But he did fan the flames of hatred towards lgbts in Uganda and that's the funny thing about fanning flames.

They always get out of hand and sooner or later, someone gets burned.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

GLSEN's 'No Name-Calling Week' brings out the hypocrisy of anti-gay activism

If I have said it once, I have said it many times - sometimes it's best to give the religious right a proper spotlight when they spout their homophobic nonsense because given enough time, they generally show just how nasty or clueless they are.

Take for example a recent situation involving GLSEN's No Name-Calling Week.

GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network)'s No Name-Calling Week is designed to bring attention to the problem of bullying in America's schools and provide solutions to the problem.

American Family Association of Pennsylvania has a huge problem with this event.

It sent out the following action alert speaking against the event. However, the action alert was a huge failure in criticizing the event. What it does, however, is provide free publicity:

Back in 2004 the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (then under the watchful eye of Kevin Jennings – the guy who’s currently President Obama’s ‘Safe Schools Czar’) had an idea to reach into middle schools with the message that ‘gay is okay.’ Jennings had successfully infiltrated high schools for years through Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs and the annual Day of Silence each April. Using James Howe’s book The Misfits, about four friends who are teased about being overweight, being too tall, too smart and another about being ‘gay,’ as inspiration GLSEN introduced the nation’s middle schools to “No Name Calling Week.” Mr. Howe is best known for his children’s books Bunnicula (and the series that followed) and Howliday Inn. Before writing The Misfits and its sequel Totally Joe, Mr. Howe announced he was homosexual. This announcement destroyed his family.

This week is GLSEN’s “No Name Calling Week” (NNCW). It does sound benign, but a closer look reveals something else. Here’s their list of partners, supporters and allies including Planned Parenthood, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, COLAGE (Children of Lesbian and Gays Everywhere), National Education Association and PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), but especially note the educational organizations that have partnered with GLSEN!

Click here for information on their lesson plans and, as you will see, NNCW has expanded beyond middle school to K-12. Check the lessons plans and the amount of class time recommended for each lesson by clicking on the “More Info” box on the lesson plan pages. Why are our tax dollars – we pay for the school day – being used for these lessons? Click here for GLSEN’s homepage. Check this website out thoroughly; you will see how well organized they are to get the message out to our kids that ‘gay is okay.’ Scroll clear to the bottom of their homepage for a list of their sponsors to see where they get some of their funding.

Okay, I think folks are supposed to be upset with this action alert. As to why, I don't know. The organization doesn't really say why No Name-Calling Week is a bad idea. But it does provide links for anyone wanting more material about the event.

However, where the American Family Association of Pennsylvania failed, our favorite anti-gay activist, Peter LaBarbera succeeds . . . then again, no he doesn't.

Grocery Store Finds Gay Parenting Magazine Cover Too Offensive For Kids - You gotta be #!@&!@ KIDDING ME!!!!This had BETTER be a hoax. Click on the link to complain directly to Harp's

House of Mercy Holds Ground, Gay Pastor Stands Up - A homeless shelter kicks out two women it suspects of being gay. What would Jesus do, indeed?

Perkins uses his missionary position to knock 'unhealthy and destructive' millions - I've just featured two incidents where reducing the lgbt community to imaginary fears about "gay sex" hurts people. And here comes Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council pushing that same nonsensical junk.

Manchester gay bar sparks row over straight-only job advert - Unbelievable case of gay against gay discrimination overseas.

Religious right want Congressional hearing on DADT repeal

While certain members of the religious right consoled themselves during President Obama's mention of the DADT repeal last night by tweeting ugly messages, the American Family Association's One News Now seems to be taking a different offensive line of attack:

A member of the House Armed Services Committee believes the new Congress will hold hearings on the consequences that could result from repealing the ban on homosexual military service.

Many opponents of the repeal say the hearings should have taken place last year, before the bill was rammed through for political motives that could have serious consequences on troop morale and unit cohesion.

South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee's Military Personnel Subcommittee, intends to conduct oversight on the issue.

"My real view on this is one of privacy," he explains. "To me, persons who are serving in the military should respect each other's privacy."

Of course One News Now, in its attention to omitting details not suitable to the spin it's trying to push, ignores the fact that hearings did take place, including one where a certain phony military expert got her, shall we say, butt handed to her.

And then there was the survey released last year which revealed that the majority of the troops have no problem with gays serving openly in the military.

So this whine about the DADT repealed being "rammed through" is mere phraseology designed to obscure and obfusticate.

However should there be a hearing, I am curious as to whose expert testimony will be called.

Will it be Robert Knight of Coral Ridge Ministries who has spoken out against pro-lgbt legislation in front Congress before. Will he cite the research of the discredited Paul Cameron this time?

Will it be Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel, who waxed last night about soldiers being "felt up" in foxholes?

Or maybe Peter Sprigg or Tony Perkins of the anti-gay hate group, the Family Research Council. I'm sure their testimony about the lgbt community would be credible.

Maybe Sprigg will talk about deporting gays again.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Religious right having gay sex fantasies even during Obama's SOTU address

Even during President Obama's State of the Union adddress, some members of the religious right are obsessed with gay sex. Witness the Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber's tasteless comment regarding mentioning of the repeal of DADT:

Naturally I had to give Barber a retort to remind him that he should at least show a little respect during the solemnity of a State of the Union address:

The hilarious part is that Barber is claiming that his comment garnered some anger. No anger here. Just amusement over the fact that yet again those who claim to be standing for "values" have the nastiest imaginations.

Cheer up, Matt. When you fail as a Christian, anti-gay activist, you obviously have a future writing porno films.

Heads up to my Facebook pal Richard Roppa for his help in capturing the tweets.

Bradley Manning situation exposes wanton homophobia of those on the right

At the center of last year's Wikileaks controversy (which is still ongoing) was a solider by the name of Bradley Manning.

It was speculated that Manning provided Wikileaks the classified information it put out.

There was one more about Manning which you should know. He is gay.

This little fact got many members of the right extremely giddy as they attempted to make Manning the poster child of why Don't Ask, Don't Tell shouldn't be repealed. Many of them, especially the religious right, presented Manning as a "radical angry homosexual" who, when he was not considering sexual reassignment surgery (an untrue claim), was striking at the military for its anti-gay policy:

It turns out that Manning is an extreme homosexual activist, whose fury over the services' homosexual policy may have led him to publicize highly classified documents about the wars. According to the U.K.'s Telegraph, Manning has an extensive history of campaigning for gay, lesbian, and transgendered causes and sources say he may have even been considering a sex change when he leaked military secrets on the Internet. - Family Research Council

"The key point -- which is starting to get some more attention now -- is that not only was he openly homosexual, but he bore a grudge against the Army for apparently not letting him be completely open about his perverted sexuality." - Cliff Kincaid, Accuracy in Media

Even if DADT was Manning’s excuse: This isn’t about DADT – this is about an individual who was unfit for military service. Gays served before Clinton introduced DADT (is that what makes liberals so mad? That they have to address that their own party created this legislation therefor compromising their narrative about being so pro-gay rights?) and gays will still serve, regardless the outcome of the ruling. The emotion in the real world doesn’t match the perspective self-importance and no one cares about your sexual orientation. . . The only thing that matters is whether or not you can be stripped down by your commanders, rebuilt, and operate as part of one cohesive unit is strictly prohibited. The military does one thing and they do it well: fight. - Dana Loesch, Big Journalism.

The out-of-the-mainstream media has collaboratively kept the focus on the sex criminal, Julian Assange, and off the guy who has committed actual treason, the homosexual soldier Bradley Manning, who sold out his country in what may turn out to be fit of gay pique. - American Family Association's Bryan Fischer

As much as I hate to rain on the parade of homophobic nonsense (oh who am I kidding), news has just come down from MSNBC that the U.S. military has not been able to link Manning with Wikileaks:

U.S. military officials tell NBC News that investigators have been unable to make any direct connection between a jailed army private suspected with leaking secret documents and Julian Assange, founder of the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks.

The officials say that while investigators have determined that Manning had allegedly unlawfully downloaded tens of thousands of documents onto his own computer and passed them to an unauthorized person, there is apparently no evidence he passed the files directly to Assange, or had any direct contact with the controversial WikiLeaks figure.

Granted, I am not defending Manning because speculation is still out there in regards to just what happened.

But that is the point. Everything is pure speculation to this point. No one knows what exactly Manning did or why he did it. The only thing that we knew was that he was a possible suspect.

To spin a theory that simply because Manning was gay he leaked secrets in order to attack the military's DADT policy is an irresponsible stretch. And to demonize the lgbts, who have served and continue to serve bravely, for Manning's alleged actions - without even waiting to confirm his guilt - is beyond irresponsible. It's disgusting.

But it's business as usual with these folks. And that's even sadder. Those who bear the standard of decent journalism (Loesch) or the standard of "true Christian values" (Family Research Council, Kincaid, Fischer) should aspire to higher ground rather than to the level of pigs in the mud.

Related posts:

One News Now and Cliff Kincaid demonstrate homophobia, ability to lie

Family Research Council distorts British article in attack on gay soldier

Fox News Channel has a jones for anti-gay hate groups and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Fox News give Tony Perkins yet another free pass - Perfect example of the problem with Fox News. They gave Perkins and the Family Research Council a free platform to lie . . . again.

And let's have more back up on just why the Family Research Council is an anti-gay hate group (Sorry Jeremy, I simply can't let you have ALL of the fun):

Family Research Council defends itself with distorted studies . . . again

Is The Washington Post helping religious right groups lie about hate group designation?

Family Research Council plans to go on tour against the Southern Poverty Law Center

Family Research Council digging itself deeper in the hole in war against hate group label

Irony alert - Family Research Council accuses SPLC of "cherry-picking" science

Southern Poverty Law Center is making wingnut Matt Barber delirious (I just had to include this one. Matt Barber has a habit of googling his name.)

Make no mistake, if any person or group had made some of the outrageous and false charges against African-Americans or Jewish people that FRC makes against lgbts, Fox News wouldn't DARE have them on. Then again . . .

And in other news:

Office of Residence Life to add language to housing policy for transgender students - Excellent news!

House GOP Looks to Overturn Marriage Equality in DC - They lose lawsuits and as I understand it, the majority of DC residents support marriage equality (I guess they haven't been exposed yet to those gays are coming for your children commercials that went over so well in California), but some folks are determined to press on.

Homophobia of Chick Publications should remind lgbt community of how far we've come

With so many much more substantial religious right organizations and leaders to focus on, some may wonder why I am devoting a morning post to craziness of Chick Publications.

Chick Publications is a site pushing comic book stories detailing what happens if you accept God in your life or worse yet, what happens if you don't.

No doubt you have seen these tracts at bus stations or phone booths or were handed to them by some well-meaning individual who are out to "save your soul."

Chick Publications doesn't play favorites. They don't like Catholics, Muslims, evolution, or anything else which does not prescribe to its belief in Christianity.

But it is the subject of lgbts which Chick Publications excel in batshit nonsense. Fred Phelps has nothing on this site when it comes to wild homophobia, such as the latest tract called Uninvited.

Uninvited is about a Christian who administers to AIDS patients. The irony is that while bad information is pushed heavily about AIDS and lgbts are brutally made the scapegoat, the tract didn't have the courage to even mention the word "gay."

A sample is the following:

Trust me when I say you don't want to read any further. Apparently according to Chick, lgbts were the reason why God destroyed the world by flood during Noah's time.

This of course isn't in the Bible, but Chick publications do have a habit of taking dramatic license with the Bible, such as the following scenes which was not present in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah:

I certainly don't mean to drive anyone bonkers with this. I just want to remind people of a few things. The lgbt community has come a long way, haven't we?

A while back, these graphics would be playing to wider and more accepting audiences rather than seen as either campy or sad fodder detailing the ignorance of some folks.

As a matter of fact in the 1980s, a certain wildly known religious right group (Concerned Women for America) actually endorsed some mess like this.

But it is important to remember that while many on the right shy away from the visual excesses of homophobia, they still push the inaccurate ideas behind them, i.e. the belief that homosexuality and pedophilia are linked.

So while the site may not mean to, it provides an excellent view to what some on the right really do think about the lgbt community - even those who lead "proper Christian organizations."

Related post:

Never fear, Chick Publications is here! or What some people really think of gay marriage

Monday, January 24, 2011

David Barton's homophobia channels racism

For those who claim that racism and homophobia aren't alike, or that racism is real while homophobia is a term "created by radical homosexual activists," I turn to the words of pseudo-historian David Barton.

Courtesy of People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch (who will probably start charging me for using so much of their material), comes the words of Barton on a radio program. Barton was claiming that "anti-bullying" initiatives are really the indoctrination blueprints of the lgbt community to nab children. Now pay attention to his words:

There’s a whole lost of this that goes on that parents don’t even hear about but it is going on. All this bullying stuff, as Brian pointed out, it’s not the schools that are doing bullying, it’s the people from outside the schools coming in and saying “oh you got a bullying problem and we need to teach a course for you.” The people living there didn’t see any problem. But it’s these outside agenda-"

Doesn't that phraseology sound familiar. To those who fought the African-American civil rights struggle, the phraseology should sound familiar:

Here, more than anywhere else, movement leaders had to deal with a ferocious form of white supremacist resistance paradoxically fueled by a combination of outside intervention and the apparent futility of that intervention. In the long run the ICC order would lead to grudging desegregation and ultimately to new social mores, but in the short run, the perceived emptiness of the Freedom Riders' victory encouraged continued resistance on all fronts, including voting rights and school desegregation. With the help of meddling federal officials, outside agitators had invaded the state, yet the Mississippi way of life remained intact. Among white Mississippians in 1962, this was the primary lesson conveyed by the Freedom Rides. [Freedom Riders, p. 481-482]

Or how about from the words of Peter de Lissovoy, a civil rights veteran:

The idea of thousands upon thousands of young African Americans in the South being communists really would have been absurd, perhaps even in the wild fantasies of the southerners of those times. I guess the idea was that it was we "outside agitators" from the North who were communists trying to bamboozle the "good Nigras" of the crackers' fond imagination into communist revolution.

Back in those days, there was a belief among Southern whites that African-Americans were fine with segregation and the second class status that it brought. Many of them felt that complaints about segregation were the products of people from the North coming into Southern towns and riling folks up. They called these people "outside agitators."

The belief was a way that many of these people dealt with the hard fact that segregation was wrong and the only reason why African-Americans didn't complain was because they feared for their lives.

Just like racists back then said, "Our Nigras were just fine until them outside agitators from up North riled them up," Barton seems to be saying "there is no problem with bullying until these radical homosexuals come in from outside the community and rile everybody up.

Barton knows that the bullying of lgbt students is a huge problem no matter where it is in the country, just like those Southern whites knew that segregation was a problem with African-Americans.

But back then, racists didn't care what problems segregation caused as long as black folks stayed in " their place"

The question to ask is does Barton feel the same way about lgbt students and bullying.

Related web pages:

Bullying in Schools: Harassment Puts Gay Youth at Risk

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network

Fischer: federal government creating 'hunting grounds for homosexual pedophiles,' and other Monday midday news briefs

Fischer: Anti-Discrimination Rule Will Turn Housing Projects into "Hunting Grounds With Easy Prey for Homosexual Pedophiles" - When Bryan Fischer says crazy junk like this, don't get angry. Spotlight it. Make HIM the face of the religious right.

Michael Musto Tells Calvin Klein: 'Go Back In The Closet' - Musto takes Klein to task. Is his criticism valid? Whichever the case, I think Vince McMahon should headline the next Wretlemania with the two.

Report details warning for fired Mich. asst. AG - Apparently that nut from the Michigan Attorney General's office who stalked that gay college student has been in trouble before. Color ME surprised.

Gay couple alleges police brutality - Excuse me but what the hell?

African-American community needs more honesty and fewer 'apostles, bishops, and prophets'

I sincerely HOPE to step on toes with this post.

I submit to you the REAL problem in the African-American community when it comes to issues of lgbts of color. The following is from a little-noted press conference by some black pastors in Illinois (naturally put together by a predominantly white religious right group - that's always how the story goes) whining that the struggle for lgbt equality isn't the same as the African American struggle for equality:

It's a cute ignorant speech by Ms. Vessel whom I am certain most likely earned her title (s).

But then that's the thing which bothers me.

This woman reminds me of Crystal Dixon. Remember her? She is the former University of Toledo Human Resources Officer who, in 2008, got sacked for writing an anti-gay piece. She became a cause celebre of the religious right in regards to freedom of speech as long as they omit the fact that while she wrote the piece on her own times, she was talking about her employer's policy without the permission of her employer.

The important thing to remember about her for the benefit of this post is that she had claimed to be called by God to preach.

And then there is the case of the 2009 supposed exorcism of a gay teen by a woman who called herself a "prophetess."

Do you get what my point is here?

Just in the few blocks where I live, there are close to six or seven churches. And while I know there isn't anything wrong with this, I can't help wondering if some of those churches are run by people with a real interest on doing God's work or folks more interested in anointing themselves as "Reverend Doctor Bishop Prophetess Apostle whomever" in order to get a spotlight regardless of the fact that they don't know what the heck they are talking about.

I don't care what the old adage says. Ignorance is NOT bliss. And in the hands of people like the folks I mention, it's a deadly weapon used against lgbts of color

Like so many others, some African-Americans need to be educated on the fact that lgbts of color exist and we are just as normal and beneficial to the community as heterosexual African-Americans.

But our community also has a plethora of individuals who desire titles before their names or wanting their own churches to be filled with people drooling over their every word.

Unfortunately a lot of times, these folks aim their venom at us in order to get that spotlight. Folks such as Bishop Eddie Long who, before the gay sex scandal, not only led marches against the lgbt community but also spoke out publicly against us

And while these enterprising black leaders receive a great deal of prominence (hello Bishop Harry Jackson - another wannabe getting well-known from hurting his own people), lgbts of color, particularly young lgbts of color, are suffering.

We need less "apostles, prophets, reverends, and bishops" and more out and proud lgbts like so:

The question is who should the African-American community stand with - people who are simply standing up for themselves or a sad system of charlatans, liars, and secret humpers out to use God to get meaningless titles before their names.

The choice is yours, my beautiful black brothers and sisters.

Hat tip to Goodasyou and No More Downlow TV