Thursday, January 20, 2011

Former Navy chaplain claims that homosexuality can be cured through 'exorcisms'

If you give some members of the religious right a voice and enough room, they tend to make themselves look like fools.

And it's shaping up that David Pakman  is becoming an expert on this.

Pakman, who has interviewed such "luminaries as Peter LaBarbera, Paul Cameron, and Bryan Fischer, has just added another notch in his six-shooter with today's interview with former Navy chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt.

First a little background information on Klingenschmitt. He is another phony religious right cause celebre who claimed that his religious beliefs was causing him to be discriminated against. In this case, he claimed that he was kicked out of the Navy because for simply "praying in Jesus's name."

Of course the actual story, which you can read about here, has less to do with prayer and more to do with his being insubordinate for wearing his uniform at partisan and political events, a big no-no.

Klingenschmitt's past lies pale in comparison to what he said during the interview with Pakman today. He truly brought "the crazy:"



Truth Wins Out gives a small recap:

It starts with a normal human-to-wingnut discussion of DADT repeal, but then the wingnut goes off the rails, completely and thoroughly. Check it: he advocates EXORCISM as the one true way to “cure” homosexuality, and then goes off on a long tangent about how gay men are lying when we say we’re gay, and that saying we’re gay is the same thing as claiming we are women!
This is yet another example of the close correlation between a hatred of gay people and a deep hatred of women, as this sort of statement, from a man who doesn’t strike me as the epitome of “manliness” in the first place, must be taken in the context of their belief that women are inherently inferior. But it’s truly amazing in the year 2011 to hear religious extremists refer to “diseases” being caused by “demons.” Is Klingenschmitt aware of scientific advancement in the past 500 years, or is his Dungeons and Dragons belief system just more important to him than reality?
Also, there is a point where he describes a creepy ceremony he held with a lesbian sailor, but I won’t spoil that fer ya.

Personally, I'm all for gay exorcisms if it is to bring the "spirit of gay" into men and I get to choose who gets my hands "laid upon them."

Of course the sad alternative would be the following:




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Principal - gay/straight alliances are wrong but gay slurs are okay and other Thursday midday news briefs

Long Island Principal Blocks Gay-Straight Alliance, Says Gay Slurs Aren't Really that Offensive - Any principal who thinks that it's okay to use a gay slur should be dismissed, period.

Truth Wins Out Announces Eleven State Tour Highlighting The Harm Caused by the ‘Ex-Gay’ Industry - One of my mentors fighting the good fight against the lies.

FRC Pressuring House Republicans To Eliminate Marriage Equality in DC - And I thought it was the lgbts who were trying to force their will upon folks. Another lie shot to pieces.

Policy on Gay Adoptions Not on Scott Agenda Yet - That is until he can find a way to sneak it in. I hope not but we are watching, Governor Scott.

Finally, the following were announced as GLAAD Media Award Nominees for Outstanding Blog. This is the first time this award will be given:

The Bilerico Project (http://www.bilerico.com/)
Blabbeando (http://blabbeando.blogspot.com/)
Joe. My. God. (http://joemygod.blogspot.com/)
Pam's House Blend (http://www.pamshouseblend.com)
Rod 2.0 (http://rodonline.typepad.com/)

All VERY deserving. And I especially like the fact that Pam's House Blend - a blog where I also post - is in the running.

It's going to be hard to pick just one for the award. Can't they all get it?



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Homophobic presidential candidates and bad research make for an ugly Thursday morning

Apparently I am not the only one alarmed with GOP Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty's attempt to kiss up to anti-gay hate groups.

Republicans are alarmed by it too:

It’s hard to see what Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was thinking when he voiced support on Thursday for reinstating the ban on gays serving openly in the military.  Pawlenty must know that with almost 80% of Americans supporting repeal, he cannot realistically bring back DADT.

Tellingly, Pawlenty did not say he would fight to reinstate DADT or that he would even make it a priority. What Pawlenty said was “I would support reinstating it”, which is quite different from actively working for reinstatement.  I’m sure Barack Obama “would support” a balanced budget, but I don’t expect one from him.
Pawlenty made his statement on the radio program of Bryan Fischer from the American Family Association, a smart choice if you want to sell a book  to social conservatives. Unfortunately Bryan Fischer also has a long track record of inflammatory and untrue statements.  . . .  If Bryan Fischer had made racist or anti-Semitic statements then no respectable Republican would have appeared on his show. How is this any different?

And speaking of homophobic Presidential candidates, I received the following comment regarding my piece on Rick Santorum's attack on same-sex households.

I have evidence that homosexuals are 40 times more likely to molest children. This paper is thoroughly documented. http://www.defendthefamily.com/_docs/resources/6390601.pdf

The following was my response:

Dear Anonymous,

The only reason why I am publishing your comment is to demonstrate your ignorance and homophobia. That link you gave me is chock full of bad citations, including the distortions of several pro-gay books, including the one by Weinberg and Bell (look it up on this blog.) BUT THE BIGGEST PISS POOR distortion is the citation of the work of Mr. George "Lift My Luggage" Rekers. And I haven't even talked about the fact that the author, Judith Reisman is a charlatan who has been literally laughed out of court so many times for her silly attacks on the Kinsey Institute that she has been barred from suing the organization.

If this study is your idea of thorough documentation, I feel VERY VERY sorry for you. 

I hope I didn't come off as too mean. I was reading something from Larry Kramer last night and apparently it may have rubbed off.



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