Matt Barber |
His homophobic animus gives me so much to work with. I personally think that next to Peter LaBarbera and Linda Harvey, Barber is one of the lgbtq's best weapons in exposing the lies of these phony "traditional values groups."
Take for example his speech at LaBarbera's recent flop of a press conference at the headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Now LaBarbera, Barber, and several attention-starved black pastors in attendance claimed to be making a stand because the SPLC told the truth about several phony "traditional values groups," i.e. they market lies, junk science, and propaganda against the lgbtq community. Barber claimed in the speech below at the press conference that it was "inexplicable" that SPLC was "slandering mainstream Christian organizations" by calling them hate groups simply because they supposedly "embrace the traditional Judeo-Christian sexual ethic."
Of course Barber is lying. SPLC has said that it is the lies and propaganda spread by Barber and company about the lgbtq community which is the problem. You know, like claiming that gays want to advance pedophilia, such as what Barber did in September of last year:
Or implying that same-sex families are reprehensible and unnatural:
Or claiming that same-sex families is propaganda to support sexual anarchy:
Or saying that gay children are inclined to commit suicide because "they know" that being gay is "unnatural and immoral"
And there more videos of Barber attacking the lgbtq community with lies. You could string them together and make a feature film.
The fact of the matter is that when Barber claims that he does not understand why SPLC is labeling some religious right organizations as hate groups, he is lying through his teeth. Barber knows this but apparently he thinks that the lgbtq community is too stupid to youtube his name.
With his stark audacity here, Barber becomes the symbol of religious right hypocrisy - holding a Bible with the hand which they are showing to the public while hiding the other hand used to throw figurative rocks at the lgbtq community behind their backs.
Here is the thing though - slowly but surely people are getting interested in the hand these phony "morality groups" are hiding. People are getting interested in seeing whether or not these groups are worthy to hold the Bible in the hands they are showing to the American public.
The irony is that his group, the Liberty Counsel, was not named as a hate group by SPLC, even though it was called out for its use of homophobic lies and propaganda. Who knows. Maybe Barber is jealous that the Liberty Counsel didn't achieve full status.
Lastly, here is something else interesting about Barber's speech. He laid out a challenge to Mark Potok, editor of the SPLC’s Intelligence Report to debate the charges, particularly the falsehoods Barber and others of his ilk spread about the lgbtq community. In doing so, he makes a clever distortion. He cited studies allegedly from the Center for Disease Control regarding gay men and STDs. Barber's point was that religious right groups aren't doing anything wrong because supposedly they are merely citing credible scientific information to claim that homosexuality is a dangerous lifestyle.
But the CDC has never said that homosexuality is a dangerous lifestyle. The CDC has never used their studies to vilify and dehumanize the gay community. Generally when the CDC cites studies regarding gays and STDs, the organization also points to outside factors, such as homophobia, racism, and poverty as fueling these problems in the gay community. The following is what the CDC said when it comes to HIV/AIDS amongst gay men:
Stigma and homophobia may have a profound impact on the lives of MSM, especially their mental and sexual health. Internalized homophobia may impact men’s ability to make healthy choices, including decisions around sex and substance use. Stigma and homophobia may limit the willingness of MSM to access HIV prevention and care, isolate them from family and community support, and create cultural barriers that inhibit integration into social networks.
Racism, poverty, and lack of access to health care are barriers to HIV prevention services, particularly for MSM from racial or ethnic minority communities. A recent CDC study found a strong link between socioeconomic status and HIV among MSM: prevalence increased as education and income decreased, and awareness of HIV status was higher among MSM with greater education and income
When Barber, LaBarbera, and the rest of that crowd cite CDC studies, they deliberately omit or downplay information such as this.
Therein lies the difference and the deception. The CDC puts out information to combat health problems in the lgbtq community. Barber, LaBarbera and company puts out information to exploit health problems in the lgbtq community.
But I am interested in seeing the debate between Potok and Barber. Personally I think Barber was just showing bravado and in reality, he doesn't have the guts to answer for his lies. Time will tell and I intend to be there to let folks know if and when Barber wimps out.
Related posts:
If Matt Barber hates gay sex so much, then why does he keep talking about it?
Religious right having gay sex fantasies even during Obama's SOTU address
2 comments:
I hope Mark Potok takes this clown up on his challenge. It would be deeply amusing; Potok would whip Barber with one hand tied behind his back.
Good that he doesn't hate the homosexual, just the sin.LOL.
God has a sense of humor, maybe he will have a gay son, or have a heart attack in a bath house.
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