Planned Parenthood billboards called too gay-friendly

From The Advocate:

Planned Parenthood billboards that advertise services to LGBT clients in rural New York State have prompted objections from critics including a state senator who says the billboards use tax dollars to promote same-sex marriage.

In February, Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes installed the billboards in locations throughout Chemung, Steuben, and Tompkins counties in western New York. The billboards say, “Someone you know is in love” and feature two men embracing, with a tagline that says Planned Parenthood is “proudly serving the LGBT community.”

While Planned Parenthood says the billboards aim to engage isolated rural LGBT people in managing their health, state senator Thomas O’Mara, a Republican who represents the area, interprets the billboards as a state-sponsored advertisement for marriage equality. WETM TV, which first reported on the controversy, included his comments about one of the billboards on Route 352 in Big Flats near Elmira.

“I object to this message that seems to be in support of same-sex marriage and using taxpayer dollars to support that political agenda,” he told the station.

Before the sodomy laws were struck down, they were used as a shield to keep lgbt positive information from being spread and lgbt positive groups from being formed. They were used as an excuse for some folks not to employ openly lgbt individuals.

Now, the "we don't want to promote gay marriage" argument is in its place. It doesn't have the same wide effect of the sodomy laws, but from this example in New York, we see how devastating that argument can be.

Studies show that a main obstruction to lgbts gaining good health information is a fear of being exposed to homophobia, as well as not having enough health entities solely focused on their needs. This billboard by Planned Parenthood is the right step to providing lgbts with good health information by easing their fears.

The failure to equip lgbts with good health information leads to a self-actualizing dichotomy that the religious right will no doubt exploit.

Or more to the point (and this is hypothetical):

• Studies show that homophobia leads to lack of good health information in the lgbt community.

• Planned Parenthood begins a campaign, including billboards to combat this problem

• The billboards face objection from folks claiming that they are "advocating" gay marriage (or "indoctrinating children into homosexuality")

• Religious right groups (i.e. Family Research Council's Tony Perkins or Peter Sprigg) condemn the billboards in emails and on Fox News.

• Because of the outcry, the billboards come down and the campaign is toned down for fear that Planned Parenthood could lose funding.

• Lgbts continue to have health problems because of homophobia.

• Religious right groups (i.e. the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins or Peter Sprigg) repeat the notion that homosexuality is a dangerous lifestyle and cites the studies talking about lgbt health problems, making sure to omit the portion about how homophobia leads to these problems.

It's madness when looking at it from the outside. But imagine how it is when you are an lgbt caught in the middle of this maelstrom of madness.