Stephen Colbert takes a 'stand' on Jason Collins and the gay community

 



Stephen Colbert "defends" heterosexuals from the so-called onslaught of Jason Collins and the "rabid gays." This is satire at its finest.

'Video: Jason Collins' first interview since coming out' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Watch More News Videos at ABC | 2012 Presidential Election | Entertainment & Celebrity News

Awesome interview on Good Morning America with Jason Collins! 

And in other news:  

Washington State Staffer: Gay People Should 'Just Grow Their Own Food' To Deal With Discrimination - I suppose they will telling us to create our own medicine if and when so-called Christian pharmacies deny us the right to any type of drugs because they don't "serve gays."  

Pat Robertson Praises ESPN Analyst For Attack On Jason Collins, First Openly Gay Active NBA Player - Maybe it's just me but if crazy Pat Robertson is praising something you said, then maybe you shouldn't have said it.  

Retired NBA Player: Homosexuality Doesn’t Belong In A Men’s Locker Room - One good thing about Jason Collins coming out is that all of this ignorance is coming to the surface so it can be discussed and refuted.

 NOM crowdsourcing its messaging - LAZY!!  

Truth In Action Ministries Criticizes Ex-Gay Leader for Apologizing and Recanting - Poor baby!

'Porno Pete' has some advice for Jason Collins

Peter LaBarbera

Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality tells American Family News that Collins is actually struggling with homosexual sin.

“He was born with genes that made him tall. He wasn't born with a gay gene,” says LaBarbera. “I feel sorry for this man. He's being celebrated, which will encourage him to stay in his sin, and he needs to leave it like so many men and women have before him.”

The family advocate adds there is "a huge push to have homosexuality embraced in professional sports." Teams in the four major professional sports have special events to draw positive attention to the lifestyle – and LaBarbera contends that is not healthy for children.

 “These professional athletes are models for children, whether we like it or not,” he says. “And so this will lead the children embracing homosexuality and saying, Hey, it's good enough for Jason Collins it's good enough for me.”

It is LaBarbera's hope that Collins will encounter Christians who will help him leave the lifestyle by embracing Jesus Christ. 

Oh yeah. The day that an out gay man starts taking advice from supposedly heterosexual man who takes pictures of half naked gay men and who also posts huge pictures of STD ridden- butts on his webpage would be an odd day indeed. Perhaps LaBarbera needs to put his own house in order before he starts critiquing Collins'. 

Jason Collins comes out - the good, the bad, and the ugly (i.e the religious right)

In case you have been living in cave with your fingers in your ears, 12 year NBA veteran Jason Collins became the first openly active gay man in sports.

Now this story caught me flatfooted because I had two exclusives today. So I think it's better for me to give a news briefs recap just in case you couldn't catch all of the news - and there was a lot of it today - about Collins' landmark decision:

The Good - Collins has gotten a lot of support, which he richly deserves

Jason Collins Comes Out: NBA Player Becomes First Openly Gay Professional Male Athlete In Major Sport
 
What NBA Player Jason Collins’ Coming Out Says About Equality In Sports

White House Praises Jason Collins For Coming Out 

Jason Collins Says 'I'm Gay' in the NBA: Why This Is Huge

First Lady has Jason Collins' back

Fellow athletes, stars, fans salute Jason Collins


The Bad - You know there is always someone trying to speak God or attempting to be snarky (and failing miserably) when these situations happen: 

ESPN Sportscaster Immediately Trashes First Out NBA Player: Jason Collins Is Not ‘A Christian’

Ben Shapiro's Jason Collins Tweet Leads Many To Question His Definition Of 'Hero'

Dolphins Player Mike Wallace Makes Homophobic Tweets Over Jason Collins News
 
And THEN there is the ugly, which is another way of saying the religious right. That leads me to ask a basic question. If these people detest homosexuality so much, then why are they always showing their asses:

 Liberty Counsel attorney/Liberty Univ teacher likens Jason Collins to incestuous son

Fischer: No NBA Team Should Sign Jason Collins Because He Will Be 'Eyeballing' Players in the Shower

Religious right spokesperson makes vicious and untrue charge against Southern Poverty Law Center

The above video is the latest monstrosity from the group Faith2Action and Janet Porter (the entities behind several other ridiculously homophobic videos).  It's the usual nonsense about how gays supposedly want to "silence" Christians and harm children.

I would have yawned and let it go by except for one vicious lie in it. At 1:02, the narrator - Folger - zeroed in on the Southern Poverty Law Center. Folger and other members of the religious right have been angry at SPLC ever since the organization designated several anti-gay organizations as hate groups due to their deliberate spread of untrue propaganda about the lgbt community.

Folger claims that SPLC published the personal information and address of Concerned Women for America's president Peggy Nance and invited people to "visit" her. Folger then connects this claim to last year's shooting at the Family Research Council headquarters.

But this is a lie. SPLC has never published Nance's personal information or address. I know that SPLC would have never stooped to such a tasteless and dangerous tactic. And I confirmed this via an email this morning with Mark Potok, SPLC spokesman and director of publications and information.

The shooting last year at FRC headquarters was awful and I am thankful that no one was seriously hurt. However, the attempt by Folger and other members of the religious right (particularly the Family Research Council itself) to exploit the shooting is simply nauseating.

It's bad enough to create a false connection between the obviously disturbed young man who attacked FRC and SPLC (particularly when there was no connection between the two), but now religious right spokespeople are stooping to distasteful inferences that SPLC is deliberately trying to create another tragedy.

At what point will people say enough?

Fox News' bad reporting spins inaccurate story about middle school anti-bullying workshop

The above story has been playing huge in religious right and conservative circles lately.  The story, which not only includes the tale of a forced lesbian kiss but also boys being told to carry condoms in their pockets, has been the talk of several conservative sites from Free Republic to The American Thinker to World Net Daily. The National Organization for Marriage referred to this story in three separate emails last week as an example of what will happen should marriage equality become legal across the country.

Not surprisingly, the story isn't necessarily true.

According to the school district, during the workshop at Linden Avenue Middle School, no female student was forced to engage in any lesbian kissing, male students were not told to carry condoms, and sexual activity between students was not condoned in any way. The district also said:

During the week of April 9, eighth grade communication sessions were held at Linden Avenue Middle School. These sessions were designed by building leadership and the guidance department. The goals of these sessions were to encourage students to treat one another (and all marginalized groups) with more respect as well as to further develop an appreciation for personal dignity. In response to parental concerns about these sessions Dr. Zahedi, the middle school principal, held an evening informational forum on April 16. This session was well attended and the subsequent feedback has been positive. In addition, the Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools, Paul Finch, addressed the community at the April 24 board meeting on the topic of these sessions. Here again, feedback from the community and students was overwhelmingly positive.

Here is an interesting fact you do need to remember - this story gained steam when it was picked up by Fox News reporter Todd Starnes. While Starnes did cite the area newspaper,  The Poughkeepsie Journal, in his post, he choose to add more lurid detail about the alleged lesbian kiss. Also, while The Journal talked about the entire workshop as a whole, Starnes chose to take the "they didn't even notify the parents" route, thereby playing up a semantical tone that the school was trying to "indoctrinate" students. 

On Monday of last week, the district sent Starnes an email asking that he update his story with correct information.  It is not known whether or not Starnes chose to update his story but now the school district has to deal with what it calls "hostile and hateful emails" from many who don't even live in the area. It puts the blame for this solely on Starnes and the organizations - such as NOM - who chose to repeat Starnes' "inaccurate" story.

My guess is that Starnes had already made up his mind what the "true story" about the workshop was once he heard of the alleged lesbian kiss and condoms.

According to Equality Matters as the "culture reporter" for Fox News, Starnes uses his role as a mouthpiece to not only funnel information from several anti-gay groups, but also to push anti-gay information into the mainstream. Equality Matters points out several other incidents in which Starnes has made it a point to report stories which "depict LGBT equality as a threat to religious and personal freedom."

In the case of the Red Hook School District, the only threat was most likely Starnes himself. A reporter on a crusade to push a point of view instead of the facts is always dangerous.

'Todd Starnes - the anti-gay right's point man for Fox News' and other Friday midday news briefs

Meet Todd Starnes, Fox’s Mouthpiece For Anti-Gay Hate Groups - Todd Starnes is the religious right point man for Fox News. If the lgbt community does not watch out for his biased and shrill way of spreading false stories about "gay oppression," it will cause us problems.

Washington State Bill Would Allow Businesses To Discriminate Against Gays - Not churches, mind you, but businesses as in secular businesses. If passed, this is sure to be struck down by the courts.  

Oregon same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional, federal judge says in employee discrimination case - All in all, it's been a VERY GOOD WEEK for those supporting marriage equality.  

NOM's new 'heroic marriage champion': RI senator who condemned our 'vile affections' and 'acts of sodomy' #ri4m - And NOM is caught again being shifty.

  Whoopi Goldberg Debuts 'I Got Somethin' To Tell You,' Film About Out Lesbian Comic Moms Mabley - That's right. Legendary comedian Moms Mabley was family.

What Megyn Kelly, Tony Perkins, and Fox News won't tell you about the Family Research Council

The Family Research Council has released footage of the FBI questioning Floyd Corkins, the shooter who targeted the organization last year.  In this footage, Corkins says that he saw FRC listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Translation by FRC and its supporters will be that SPLC led Corkins to go on his attempted murder spree.

Rumor control has it that FRC president Tony Perkins will appear on Fox News with Megyn Kelly tomorrow to talk about this footage. Knowing Fox News, Kelly, and Perkins, it will be a biased, propaganda interview in which Perkins will do his best to attack SPLC for the actions of Corkins. I will be highly surprised if someone from SPLC will be invited to come on the show and defend the organization from this barrage of propaganda. While I am glad that no one was harmed by Corkins's absolutely stupid attempt at activism, the one thing which will also drive me crazy is how Kelly and Perkins will work together to change the subject of the issue and divert attention away from the fact that SPLC didn't start this entire mess. The anti-gay propaganda and the demonizing homophobic rhetoric of FRC also had much to do with this mess. And I think that any conversation about the shooting must include the above video. Please pass it along.

'How do black gay men fit into the fight for equality?' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Hidden in the Open: A Photographic Essay of Afro American Male Couples - THIS will blow you away. 

Kids Say the Darndest LGBT Things - The saying "and a little child shall lead them" is gaining lots of poignancy this week.  

VIDEO: Are Black Gay Men Included in the "Gay Agenda?" - It's an excellent question to ask and an excellent point to discuss.

The 20th Anniversary of the LGBT March on Washington: How Far Have We Come? - I was there 20 years ago during the march and I do not have good memories of it. I may write about it in the future but I can say that MUCH has changed. For one thing, we are more disciplined and attuned to what we must do.

NOM's Brian Brown not happy about marriage equality in Rhode Island

Yesterday, the Rhode Island Senate passed a marriage equality bill. The bill now goes back to the House where it will be voted on again - a mere formality - and from there it will go to Governor Lincoln Chaffee who has said he will sign it.

Naturally, Brian Brown from the National Organization for Marriage is vocal about his disappointment:

"Lawmakers have allowed themselves to be fooled into thinking they have protected people of faith when in fact they have put those who believe in true marriage in the crosshairs of the law and gay 'marriage' activists. It won't be long before the repercussions begin to be felt."

 . . . "For the first time, the state of Rhode Island is saying to its children they do not deserve both a mother and a father, and are backing a law that is designed to intentionally deprive some kids of either a mom or a dad," Brown said. "It's bad enough when families break down through divorce or death, but it's unconscionable when a state encourages this through policies that deprive children of the love of both a mother and a father. This is a very sad day for Rhode Island."

Same old arguments, same old lies. That's the thing about using the same old arguments. Sooner or later, folks recognize how empty they are and begin to turn against them.

AFA's Bryan Fischer - People should be fired for being gay

Sometimes, if you give bigots enough rope, they embarrass themselves so badly that you can't help BUT to put them up for display. Perfect example is Bryan Fischer whom I'm beginning to think is secretly working on our side. The above video is him defending an Ohio Catholic school for firing a lesbian teacher.

Remember that Bryan Fischer is a spokesman of the American Family Association, one of the groups designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as anti-gay hate groups. But Fischer and the AFA - along with the other groups fitting that designation - claim that they are being attacked for their so-called Christian values.

 I guess the above video is a vocalization of their so-called Christian values. Such a brazen admission of prejudice by Fischer is really nothing to get angry about. Getting angry at Fischer's need to vocalize his homophobia is the equivalent of a football team getting angry at another team for handing them the ball and allowing them to score points which will put them ahead with two seconds on the clock.

Anti-gay group mocks 'coming out of the closet' in a hideously bad video

If homophobes are constantly complaining about being unfairly labeled as "bigots," when why do they make it so easy? Allow Right Wing Watch to tell you about the above monstrosity:

Stooping to a new low, Janet Porter’s Faith 2 Action is mocking the process of gay people coming out by releasing a video of a man revealing to his family that he is an adulterer and demanding affirmation.

Naturally, it ends with a clip from Peter LaBarbera of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality comparing homosexuality to alcoholism.

This is the latest in a series of hideously piss poor homophobic videos coming from Porter. Remember the past hits such as:

The Criminalization of Christianity:

And Don't Homosexualize The Boy Scouts:



One more thing you should know about Porter. In 1998, she was head of a national religious right campaign which sought to persuade Americans that homosexuality was a choice which one could allegedly "walk away from." The campaign focused largely on the visibility of a man named John Paulk who claimed that he was once gay but was presently happily married and heterosexual.

Today, Paulk has issued an apology for his involvement in that campaign and the ex-gay movement at large. Meanwhile, Porter has dropped down to making triple z-level videos so bad that famed director Ed Wood would have disavowed them.

Don't you just love kismet?

'Anti-gay French legislators 'accidentally' voted for marriage equality' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Editor's note - no big calamity, folks. I am simply taking one of my half days off to deal with personal issues. I will be back tomorrow morning, full of fire, vinegar, and music. Or if something good happens later today, then you know I will be posting it.

Henri Guaino, Anti-Gay Politician, Accidentally Votes For France's Gay Marriage, Blames Wrong Button - And he is not the only one. 

Issak Wolfe, Transgender Student, Denied Chance At Prom King After Being Placed On 'Prom Queen' Ballot - What kind of mess is this? Issak would have been a shoe-in to win.

 Audio: RI anti-equality activist claims gay are going to jail families, kill priests, exterminate citizens (#RI4M) - And our opposition wonder why they are losing. They refuse to recognize how their rhetoric turns people off.  

FRC claims homosexuality exposes boys 'to predatory behavior'; says gays are 'morally aberrant to God' - And the group whines about being called a hate group. Poor babies. 

 After nasty attack on gay Iowans, GOP State Senator Dennis Guth plays the victim - And here is another phony victim.

  Iowa Republicans Threaten to Cut Salaries of Judges Who Backed Marriage Equality - And the mean spirited ignorance continues.

  Illinois Black Caucus Chair co-sponsors marriage equality bill - While WE are building bridges.

Why marriage equality opponents are losing - an audio demonstration.

I'm yanking this awesome exchange from Jeremy Hooper. It's from Delaware's House of Representatives hearing on the possible marriage equality law and it also demonstrates that probably one of the reasons why opponents of marriage equality are losing. Their arguments about the destruction "constitutional rights" and religious liberties" are one-note talking points which dissolve under questioning by folks who know their facts.

And this just in - the Delaware House of Representatives just passed marriage equality bill by a 23-18 vote. Now on to the Senae.

'France gets marriage equality, Rhode Island Republican caucus shocks with support' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

In less than 12 hours, the National Organization for Marriage suffered three huge blows to its worldwide crusade against marriage equality! Sweet!

1. BREAKING: French National Assembly Finalizes Passage Of Marriage Equality - Just now!

2. Rhode Island Republican Senators Unanimously Endorse Marriage Equality - The first time a Republican caucus unanimously supported marriage equality. Bam!!  

3. Kelvin Atkinson, Nevada Lawmaker, Comes Out In Gay Marriage Debate - During the debate to repeal the anti-marriage equality law in Nevada, an African-American legislator publicly comes out. Awesome! 

In other news (if you haven't passed out yet):  

AFA's top spokesman makes far-right animus perfectly clear - Meanwhile, Bryan Fischer spews bigotry in his inimitable fashion.  

Harvey: Homosexuality 'Hurts the Person Involved' and 'Hurts All of Society'- And then there is Linda Harvey who apparently needs a physical relationship more than me (if that's even possible).  

The Self-Flagellation Of A Self-Loathing Homocon - It's so sad to see a gay man turn against his own people.  

Todd Bieber Enlists Gay Comedians To Help Boy Scouts Earn Filmmaking Merit Badges (VIDEOS) - Funny!!

ENDA to be introduced, religious right geared to start lying

In a move which will send the religious right into orbit, ENDA will be introduced in Congress on Thursday:

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is set to be introduced in both chambers of Congress on Thursday, according to multiple sources, but without major changes that were previously under consideration.

The bill will be reintroduced in the House by Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), the most senior openly gay member of the chamber, who’s taking over the legislation now that former Rep. Barney Frank has retired. In the Senate, the legislation will be reintroduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). The lawmakers’ offices confirmed they would introduce ENDA concurrently on Thursday.

The Senate version of the bill will have five original sponsors: Merkley and lesbian Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) will be two Democrats, Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) will be two Republicans and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) will round out the quintet.

The number of original co-sponsors in the House remains to be seen. Conchita Cruz, a Polis spokesperson, said many House members have told her boss “they want to make sure that they are included” as original co-sponsors.

Tico Almeida, president of Freedom to Work, said his organization will push for a committee vote and movement on the Senate floor for ENDA “as soon as possible.”

It's going to be interesting to watch religious right groups such as the Family Research Council spin false portents of doom about gays wanting to imprison Christians and how ENDA will lead to this happening. Of course it's not as if they haven't done this before. The following links of past religious right lies about ENDA is a hint as to what to expect come Thursday:
 
Seven ways the Family Research Council have lied about ENDA

Family Research Council getting extremely 'scary' about ENDA

Andrea Lafferty - 'Won't someone PLEASE think of the children.'

Andrea  Lafferty: ENDA will lead to the molestation of disabled veterans
 
Traditional  Values Coalition stoops to lowest level of fraud in new attack on ENDA

Religious  business owners should not have the 'special right' to discriminate

Andrea  Lafferty spins lies against transgender teachers to hurt ENDA

The  30 Dirty? Why can't the religious right stop lying about ENDA?

Religious  right groups can't make up their minds when lying about ENDA

No  wonder the Traditional Values Coalition is considered a hate group

Family  Research Council exploiting Amanda Simpson's appointment to stop ENDA
  
Family  Research Council head misrepresents credible information to hurt ENDA

Bathrooms,  Church Exemptions, and Lies: Five ways the religious right  misrepresents ENDA 




 

Anti-gay Liberty Counsel proves the venomous pedigree of its rhetoric

I found the above ridiculous conversation between the Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber and Mat Staver to be very interesting. They were making a illogical comparison about how naming anti-gay groups is similar to what the Nazi party did to the Jews in German before World War 2. Staver lists a bunch of things he claims the Nazis did to stigmatize those of the Jewish faith.. I found it very telling when one makes a real comparison:

Staver - Nazis painted false straw man images of Jewish people. But isn't this was what Staver did in October 2011 when he said that gay rights will doom civilization:



Staver - Nazis dehumanized Jews. But isn't this what Barber, Staver's radio cohost, did to gays in September 2011 when he claimed that gays advance pedophilia:



And Staver himself did to gays in early April this year when he and Barber claimed that "tolerance" of gays is a cancer which destroys societies:



Staver - Nazis fanned an environment where people hated Jews. But by falsely labeling gays as sex-obsessed in the following clip, isn't Staver - and Barber - doing the same thing:



I generally don't like to pull out a reference to Nazis, but I also don't like unfair comparisons. And, truth be told, if we were to ask the question just whose rhetoric mostly resembles that of the Nazi party, I think Staver's and Barber's has the lgbt community beaten by a couple of miles.

'Anti-gay group dishonestly ignores homophobic violence in France' and other Monday midday news briefs

NOM Denies Anti-Gay Violence In France After Praising Activist Who Called For “Blood” - How very "convenient." 

French Anti-Gay Violence Escalates As Parliament Leader Receives Death Threat - So much for a peaceful conversation. When some folks can't get their way, they abandon their lying fronts and show their true faces. 

NOM Openly Advocates For Anti-Gay Business Discrimination - I've said it once and I will say it again - if businesses can use the "religious liberty" argument to discriminate against gays, where does it stop? Who else can be discriminated against? 

5 religious leaders: Please, no more exemptions in R.I. gay-marriage bill! - Religious exemptions in marriage equality bills are pretty much a front created by folks who don't want a passage of marriage equality in the first place.  

FRC vs. 'homosexual activists and atheists' (a.k.a. their scapegoats and cash cows) - Okay are we trying to destroy the Boy Scouts or marriage? I forget.

Defender of anti-gay hate groups hurt their argument

As evidenced by the above biased report from Pat Robertson's 700 Club, the Familly Research Council and the American Family Association are working hard to push the pseudo controversy of them being called hate groups by an army officer.

One thing though. If you whine about being called a hate group based upon rhetoric, perhaps its best that the main person responsible for your plight not be the main person defending you. I mean with all of the video around on youtube, having Bryan Fischer playing defense over charges of hate doesn't exactly seem all that credible:

Know Your LGBT History - The Billy Douglas storyline on 'One Life To Live'

Gay characters in soap operas are now more common place and that's because of good storylines and actors, rather than silly melodrama. The following is one of the first and best:

Ryan (Philippe) appeared on One Life to Live during the summer of 1992. Ryan's role was a breakthrough one: daytime television's first gay teenager. Ryan plays Billy Douglas, newcomer to the town of Llanview. Billy is reluctant to tell anyone of his homosexuality, especially his parents. He is able, however, to confide in the town's pastor, Andrew. And then, due to the scheming of a woman Andrew scorned, rumors fly around town, that the pastor is a homosexual and has made advances on Billy. The town quickly displays it's homophobia, with Billy's parents leading the way, demanding for the removal of Reverend Andrew from the parish. Upon witnessing the town's reaction Billy is now even more afraid to reveal his secret. Yet his silence only draws Andrew into deeper criticism. It all comes down to a dramatic moment when the town meets at the parish where Andrew gives a riveting speech on the disease of prejudice and homophobia. Billy takes a public stand, against his father and in support of Andrew. 

 



Past Know Your LGBT History posts:

'Boy Scouts may partly remove gay ban' and other Friday midday news briefs

Boy Scouts Proposing to Lift Gay Ban for Youth - Heck of a day to spring this one on us and I can guess that no one is going to be happy with it. 

Must you misrepresent everything, FRC? - And don't think for a second that the Family Research Council is going to be happy with this.

 NOM's Brian Brown Cheers France's "Peaceful" Anti-Gay Marriage Protesters - You might want to rethink that, Brian.  

France: MPs come to blows during equal marriage debate in parliament - I mean SERIOUSLY rethink that.  

Minnesota Marriage Equality Opponents: ‘Don’t Erase Moms And Dads’ - Can someone PLEASE give this lie a rest!  

FRC Blames ‘Sexual Liberalism’ and ‘Family Breakdown’ for Mass Murders - The Family Research Council celebrates the defeat of background checks legislation in the Senate because apparently if Jesus had a gun, he wouldn't have been crucified (I'm being extremely snarky in the last part. In this day and age, you have to clarify everything, including a fart.)

Day of Silence 2013

As the situation in Boston reaches its crescendo, let's not forget our lgbt children. Today is GLSEN's Day of Silence across America's schools. What is the Day of Silence? Allow these videos to tell you:

 

 

Anti-gay hate groups don't like to hear the truth about themselves

Several religious right groups have been on a tear lately about the following:

 A Fort Campbell lieutenant colonel’s email to subordinates regarding extremism and hate groups “inconsistent with Army Values” has raised the ire of evangelical Christians both locally and nationwide.

 The message, which appears to have been generated by a single individual and not part of an Army-approved training program or command-generated memorandum, lists several state and national organizations with extensive support among the Christian conservative right – including the American Family Association and Family Research Council – as domestic hate groups. The email that set off the controversy last week was actually sent by Lt. Col. Jack L. Rich to officer and non-commissioned officer subordinates on Friday, Aug. 10, 2012.

Now when the Family Research Council, the American Family Association (two groups mentioned in the email), and their allies (which includes Fox News "cultural reporter" Todd Starnes) complain about this letter  - which they had been doing ad naseum, they claimed that the Rich was attacking "Christian" groups or ministries. Starnes even blames Obama and says he is "religiously cleansing" the military.

I have a feeling that we will be seeing and hearing more about this letter, so let's examine the crux of what it says. It talks about various hate groups, but I am willing to bet that the part which really gets FRC, AFA, and Starnes upset is as follows:

 The religious right in America has employed a variety of strategies in its efforts to beat back the increasingly confident gay rights movement. One of those has been defamation. Many of its leaders have engaged in the crudest type of name-calling, describing LGBT people as “perverts” with “filthy habits” who seek to snatch the children of straight parents and “convert” them to gay sex. They have disseminated disparaging “facts” about gays that are simply untrue assertions that are remarkably reminiscent of the way white intellectuals and scientists once wrote about the “bestial” black man and his supposedly threatening sexuality.

For the life of me, I can understand why the Family Research Council and the American Family Association are upset. I mean it's not like they have used crude name-calling against the lgbt community:



 Or linked gays to pedophilia:



Or spread disparaging and untrue assertions about gays:

 


I mean that's ridiculous:

 

 Completely ridiculous:

 

Because if these things were true, then that would mean that their claim of being attacked because of their faith is a lie and a dodge created to obscure the point that Rich's letter was correct and they are anti-gay hate groups whose influence would damage the cohesiveness of our military force by exploiting the fears of heterosexual soldiers against their gay and lesbian fellow soldiers.

And it would mean that perhaps these groups and those who defend them (that especially includes Starnes) should worry less about Rich's letter and more about their definition of a "Christian" group or ministry because, unless I don't know my Bible, no Christian group lies, distorts, or bears false witness against any group, including gays.

'Desperate homophobes resorting to nasty graphics, violence in face of progress' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Want to know what 'Christian' group and leader is sharing this foul and very inaccurate graphic? Why the Illinois Family Institute.

In other news:

French President Condemns Surge Of Homophobic Violence - As they move closer to passing marriage equality laws in France, homophobes are getting more and more violent and suddenly NOM is nowhere to be seen. I wonder why because Brian Brown and the group were all 'Viva La France' a little while ago. 

French Anti-Gay Protests Turn Violent - More on the violence in France.
  
 Gay Catholic High School Teacher Fired After Partner's Name Appears in Mother's Obituary: VIDEO - The word which comes to mind to describe this school's behavior is "tacky!"

Washington McDonald's Supports Transgender Rights With Bathroom Message - A decent act always shines through the darkness.

Rick Scarborough: Christians Will Be Persecuted and Imprisoned if SCOTUS Legalizes Gay Marriage - Wasn't this supposed to happen with lgbt-inclusive hate crimes legislation?

Anti-marriage equality rally fails big time

Just damn humiliating. This recent anti-marriage equality protest in Minnesota was a huge failure and embarrassment for those in attendance. Even Focus on the Family's Glenn T. Stanton's appearance couldn't salvage it.

More on Buzzfeed . . .

Iowa lawmaker repeats anti-gay propaganda

Just when you thought Dave Agema was bad enough when it came to state congressional legislators and leaders spouting off anti-gay propaganda, here comes another one. According to Radio Iowa, Iowa state Senator Dennis Guth of Klemme gave a speech which in part said the following:

“The media, for the most part, has bamboozled us into thinking that having a relationship outside of the boundaries of monogamous, heterosexual marriage is positive, happy and fulfilling,” Guth said. “Movies, television shows, articles and magazines abound with this theme, giving partial information to vulnerable audience: our children.”

 Guth said there are “numerous” health and mental problems associated with homosexuality that “ultimately” shorten the lives of gays and lesbians.

 “There are health risks that my family incurs because of the increase of sexually transmitted infections that this lifestyle invites. For example, there are more and more medical tests required before giving blood or giving birth,” Guth said.

Guth said “many civilizations have fallen” because the traditional family was not protected and he argued the homosexual lifestyle “is a lie.” “If I saw someone going the wrong way on a one-way street, I would make every effort to stop and redirect them,” Guth said.

“Simply put, it saves lives to have honest communication not only about the sexually transmitted diseases that shorten lifespans, but also about the deep loneliness that accompanies a life based on youth, beauty and sex.” 

All of what Guth said were lies. But before you get angry, please note that another state senator, Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, called him out:

“Much of what you heard today on the floor of the senate is warmed over rhetoric that has been invented by the Christian right, extreme groups,” McCoy said. “…What I heard today was ignorant and I know where it came from and I think that I am not gay by choice. I am not gay by choice, but I choose not to be ignorant.”

Just a small reminder that while McCoy was right on, the lgbt community must do more to call out anti-gay propaganda because a lot of the folks repeating it are those who vote on our very lives.

Related link - How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America.

'Agema's homophobia causing vicious infighting amongst Michigan Republicans' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Leon Drolet: Dave Agema, a loose cannon for the GOP - How much of a homophobe do you have to be for a fellow Republican to call you:

 " . . . a loose cannon whose judgment is proven unstable in a leadership position spouting off Klan propaganda and conspiracy theories."  

New Zealand Passes Marriage Equality, Bringing Country Count To 14 - Go New Zealand!!

Activist Files Public Records Lawsuit Against UCF Trustees, Hitt - A good friend of mine and fellow lgbt blogger, John Becker, is has filed a public records lawsuit seeking more information on that fraudulent anti-gay parenting study by Mark Regnerus. I will definitely keep you posted on this situation. 

 Another Anti-Equality Horror Story Falls Apart: Damian Goddard Edition - Looks like ANOTHER NOM "those evil homosexuals discriminated against me" story has fallen apart. The twitter feed on this from Goddard is HILARIOUS!  

Rios: Schools No Longer Teach Reading and Writing, Now Just Promote Homosexuality - Sorry Linda Harvey. After that jackslap GLSEN gave you, Sandra Rios can't help you unless she wants some too. 

Magic Johnson's son speaks on coming out, the support of his family, and the haters

Ever since basketball legend Magic Johnson's son, Earvin Johnson III, recently came out, there has been a somewhat flurry of conversation. I call it "somewhat" because while his father and mother have been receiving many accolades as good parents who support their son, the young man - known as EJ - seems to not been able to get a word in edgewise about in the conversation about his life. This to me is a shame, not only because he should be able to talk, but also because of the fact that it's rare in which an African-American gay male is seen in the public eye. Via the above interview, EJ talks about coming out, his family, and the attention he has received.

Sh*t Homophobic People Say

According to Know Your Meme:

Sh*t People Say is a series of parody videos exploring social and gender stereotypes using the phrasal template “ Sh*t X says.” The videos were inspired by a single topic blog and web series titled “ Sh*t Girls Say,” showcasing various cliches and verbal mannerisms that are commonly associated with teenage girls and young women . . .

With that in mind, the above video from Lambda Legal is called  'Sh*t Homophobic People Say.' And boy do I wish it were a parody.

'NOM hands out evidence of hypocrisy on a silver platter' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Let's see if we get this correct. According to NOM, this is exploiting a child:

But the image below, taken from NOM's blog, is okay:

It's so easy when your opposition puts their hypocrisy on center stage. (Hat tip to Jeremy Hooper and SHP1972 on twitter)

In other news: 

Conservatives Claim Discriminating Florist Is Victim Of Gay Nazism - (Facepalm) WHAT?!

Transgender shopper served trespassing papers for bathroom use - There needs to be some SERIOUS education here!

Pat Robertson’s CBN News Blames Anti-Gay Violence in France on Immigrants and Muslims - Apparently in America,  all you need is a lot of money and a bad hairdo for people to listen to any nonsense you peddle.

Fox Nation, Daily Caller Need Guns To Express Concern About Marriage Equality - So they don't want us to marry but they want us to carry guns. Something is seriously out-of-joint here.

Lesbian couple wins lawsuit against Hawaii bed and breakfast

No doubt the religious right will go into orbit over this but so what. If you allow discrimination based on religious beliefs, where does it stop?

 A judge has ruled a Hawaii bed and breakfast violated the law when two women were denied a room because they're gay. The Hawaii First Circuit Court judge ruled in favor of a Southern California couple who sued Aloha Bed & Breakfast for discrimination in 2011, Lambda Legal announced Monday. In 2007, Diane Cervelli and Taeko Bufford tried to book a room at the bed and breakfast because it's in Hawaii Kai, the same east Honolulu neighborhood where the friend they were visiting lived. When Cervelli specified they would need one bed, the owner asked if they were lesbians. Cervelli responded truthfully and the owner said she was uncomfortable having lesbians in her house because of her religious views, the lawsuit said. The bed and breakfast violated the state public accommodations law and is ordered to stop discriminating against same-sex couples, according to the ruling dated April 11. The public accommodations law prohibits establishments that provide lodging to transient guests from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, race, color, ancestry, religion, disability and sex —including gender identity or expression. 

 

'Anti-gay British teacher banned indefinitely' and other Monday midday news briefs

Teacher who told teens being gay is ‘disgusting’ is banned indefinitely - Religious beliefs my foot! You DO NOT tell a child, particularly a potential lgbt child this. It has nothing to do with religious beliefs!

 NOM launching an International Organization For Marriage; France connections run deep - Well this is interesting. They are losing here so why not start with the help of a place where those against marriage equality are getting violent. 

French Opponents Of Marriage Equality Promise Retaliatory Violence - Speaking of which . . .  

Yet Another Fail For Porno Pete - Poor Porno Pete. He just can't get a break.  

Right-Wing Media Horrified That Non-Discrimination Laws Protect Gay People - Gasp and swoon! Why that would mean that gays are . . . people!

GLSEN turns tables on 'Day of Silence' opponent

With GLSEN's Day of Silence fast approaching, religious right spokespeople and organizations continue their unsuccessful annual ritual of discrediting the event and the good that it does to bring attention to the bullying of lgbt youth.

However, this year, GLSEN has decided strike back with the above video which compares the words of a long-time Day of Silence opponent, Linda Harvey from Mission America, to the actual mission of Day of Silence.

It re-emphasizes the notion that sometimes your opponent does themselves harm by opening their mouths.

Bryan Fischer's interview with Paul Cameron is a boon for the gay community

 I'm still in a pleasant state of shock over this interview because of the potential fireworks. The American Family Association's Bryan Fischer is interviewing discredited researcher Paul Cameron over his newest bogus study.

Now if you have kept up with this blog, you know my deal with Paul Cameron. Paul Cameron is a discredited researcher who has been either censured or dismissed from several medical associations (including the American Sociological Association and the American Psychological Association) for his bad research methodologies and outrageously homophobic claims, including the claim that gays stuff gerbils up their rectums.

He was also, for a long time, the go-to man for phony statistics about the lgbt community. Groups such as the Family Research Council, the Traditional Values Coalition, Concerned Women for America, and even Fischer's organization, the American Family Association, once used Cameron's studies in talking points, in front of Congress, and other venues in order to stop the passage of pro-lgbt equality laws.

And they did this even though many of them knew that he was discredited. However, when his history of junk science began to come out, these groups quietly dissociated themselves from him, even though they still cited his work (sometimes through a third party) or cherry-picked legitimate studies to prove his theories (such as the lie that gay men molest children at a high level or the false accusation that gay men have a shorter lifespan than heterosexuals).

That, until now.  Leave it to Bryan Fischer to give the lgbt community what we need in terms of proof as to the true face of religious right lies. This "new" study Cameron is touting to Fischer is yet another update of his infamous 1980s "gays have a short lifespan" study. And of course it's flawed, just his other work.

As a matter of fact, allow me to give you a good impression of Cameron's poor research. You remember what I said about his claim regarding gays and gerbils? He didn't attain this claim from a study. He got it from a newspaper column which was refuting the claim regarding gays having sex with gerbils.

But Fischer not only interviews Cameron, but actually defends him from 0:00 to 2:55 of the following clip:

 

Fischer claims that he defends Cameron's discredited work because people like him - i.e. the religious right - "love" gays.

Please. If I wanted "love" like that, I would double-date Chris Brown and Ike Turner.

Fischer's interview of Cameron is significant because Fischer's group (the AFA) and Cameron's group (the Family Research Institute) are both listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center along with a crop of other religious right organizations as hate groups because of the homophobic propaganda they spread about the lgbt community.

Fischer, just like Family Research Council president Tony Perkins (FRC is another SPLC-designated hate group), claims that SPLC is targeting his group because of a so-called anti-Christian bias.

But it's like what I said yesterday about Tony Perkins and the FRC. What Christian group do you know gives credibility to a discredited researcher who, amongst other things,  falsely claims that gays stuff gerbils up their rectums?

Groups like AFA and FRC and their spokespeople like Fischer and Perkins whine about an anti-Christian bias because they want to obscure their dealing in lies. They want to take attention away from the hypocrisy of claiming to stand for morality and values while freely peddling distortions - a hypocrisy which they seem to have perfected.

But you can't hide your hypocrisy if you drag it out on centerstage.

However, luckily for the lgbt community IF they are smart enough to take advantage, Fischer seems to think that you can.

'New details about hospital arrest story should anger lgbt community' and other Friday midday news briefs

What Actually Happened To That Same-Sex Couple In The Missouri Hospital - Think Progress has broken down this awful story by pulling from several sources. This madness comes down to a viciously homophobic relative and a nurse who looks like she should have known better.  

Federal Officials Aim For “Speedy” Response Following Missouri Hospital Arrest - And now federal officials are investigating to see if laws were broken, and NOT on the part of the gay couple.

  Anti-gay side has no argument against nondiscrimination and will lose; here's latest example - If this is allowed, where does it stop? Today it's florists. But what if tomorrow it's renters or stores? What if it blows up to include physicians and drug stores. If you allow discrimination to exist, where does it stop? How can you make it stop?

 French Senate Passes Gay Marriage Bill - VIVA, LA FRANCE! Oh hush up! I know that I am probably saying that wrong. Seriously though, does this mean we are going to have to go through the entire "freedom fries" thing again? 

 It Is Not News That FRC is Urging a Donor Boycott of the RNC - I support this boycott. LOL!

When Peter LaBarbera carries an anti-gay obsession too far . . .

Some people have accused Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth of having an obsession with demonizing gays. Some folks have pointed out that this obsession is so bad that LaBarbera will sometimes stoop to incredible depths in order to demonize the entire lgbt community based upon the actions of an alleged few.

I think the following picture points out that these claims may have a ring of truth. While millions of us, both gay and straight, went to church on Easter Sunday in order to celebrate Christ's resurrection, LaBarbera was in San Francisco taking this picture:

According to LaBarbera:

I shot these photos on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013, near the corner of Market and Noe streets. (I ventured to the “gay” Mecca to cover the homosexual drag queen group Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s uber-blasphemous “Hunky Jesus” contest, which was cancelled and later rescheduled due to rain.) San Francisco’s prohibition of public nudity – which exempts baudy street festivals like the city’s annual “Folsom Street Fair” – went into effect Feb. 1 and is being challenged in court by nudists.

I'm not even going to defend or criticize these men because I was not there. I also was in church on Easter Sunday.

 All I'm going to say is:

Come on, Peter! On Easter Sunday?A lot of us just simply went to church and maybe you should have, too.

Tony Perkins accidentally proves that the Family Research Council is a hate group

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, earlier this week opened his big mouth and verified the Southern Poverty Law Center's charges of anti-gay hate against his organization.

On his show, Washington Watch, he played host to Dave Agema, the Michigan Republican leader catching flack for posting discredited information about the lgbt community on his Facebook page. To call it a vile conversation would be a supreme understatement. The vindictive, yet condescending tone towards the gay community from these two would take about three or four blog posts to fully explore.

Amongst other things, Agema compared being gay to alcoholism and wished that he could supply high schools with the information he put on his Facebook page. But for my money, a significant portion of the interview came when Perkins said:

I’m joined by Dave Agema; he is the Republican National Committeeman from the state of Michigan. We’re talking about a post that he put on his Facebook page citing facts, statistics regarding the homosexual lifestyle during the oral arguments before the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage. What is troubling to me is that your post has been called a form of hate but simply what you are doing is having a conversation presenting the truth. These are documented facts. I looked at what you put up there and some of it is the same information we have on our website, some of it comes from the CDC, comes from other medical sources, it’s all footnoted, there’s nothing hate in here it is just talking about the facts. 

Let's take a look at some the statistics that Agema placed on his Facebook page - statistics both he and Perkins said are "facts" and statistics that Agema want children, including our lgbt children, to know:

 50% of suicides can be attributed to homosexuals.

About 50% of the women on death row are lesbians.

There is a notable homosexual group, consisting of thousands of members, known as the North American Man and Boy Love Association (NAMBLA). This is a child molesting homosexual group whose cry is "SEX BEFORE 8 BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE." This group can be seen marching in most major homosexual parades across the United States.

 Many homosexuals admit that they are pedophiles: "The love between men and boys is at the foundation of homosexuality."

Homosexuals live unhealthy lifestyles, and have historically accounted for the bulk of syphilis, gonorrhea, Hepatitis B, the "gay bowel syndrome" (which attacks the intestinal tract), tuberculosis and cytomegalovirus.

Homosexuals are 100 times more likely to be murdered (usually by another homosexual) than the average person, 25 times more likely to commit suicide, and 19 times more likely to die in a traffic accident. 

Perkins said that these claim are accurate, as well as fact checked. But that's a lie. One source listed as a citation on the post Agema cited,  Paul Cameron, is a charlatan who has been either censured or dismissed from several medical associations for his bad research methodologies and outrageously homophobic claims, including the claim that gays stuff gerbils up their rectums.

And another source of Agema's post, Edward R. Fields, has been recently revealed to be a white supremacist and a Holocaust denier.

Perkins also said that some of the information comes from the Centers for Disease Control. While he is accurate about that, he is still being highly deceptive.  Dr. Judith Kovach, director of the Michigan Project for Informed Public Policy, recently told a Michigan newspaper that while the CDC does say that the gay community has more general health problems, it is not because of the orientation (which Perkins and Agema implies) but because of the stress which comes from having to deal with homophobia and discrimination:

"A member of any group that experiences discrimination, stigma and oppression is going to react to that stress with higher degrees of anxiety, depression and hopelessness. But there's absolutely no evidence that if you control for stress that there are any higher frequencies of mental health disorders."

The same article points out that the CDC clearly says homophobia and discrimination - and NOT the lgbt orientation - can contribute to mental and physical health problems.

 So why is Perkins' statement, intended no doubt to give Agema some type of credibility, significant?  Because he has unintentionally proven the Southern Poverty Law Center correct.

In late 2010, the Southern Poverty Law Center designated FRC and several other religious right organizations as hate groups because of the information they spread about the lgbt community:

Even as some well-known anti-gay groups like Focus on the Family moderate their views, a hard core of smaller groups, most of them religiously motivated, have continued to pump out demonizing propaganda aimed at homosexuals and other sexual minorities. These groups’ influence reaches far beyond what their size would suggest, because the “facts” they disseminate about homosexuality are often amplified by certain politicians, other groups and even news organizations.

Since this happened, FRC and Perkins have consistently claimed that SPLC targeted them simply because they are a Christian group which opposes homosexuality and marriage equality.

But now, because of Perkins' need to vouch for incredibly bad anti-gay statistics by claiming that some of those same statistics are on FRC's webpage, that talking point has perhaps been revealed as a careful dodge.

After all, what Christian group do you know vouches for statistics partly created by a discredited researcher who thinks that gays stuff gerbils up their rectums and a white Supremacist who denies that the Holocaust happened?

Two years ago, I wrote a post entitled 16 reasons why the Family Research Council is a hate group. 

Thank you, Mr. Perkins for giving me reason number 17.

'Gay man arrested at hospital for refusing to leave ill partner' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Gay Man Arrested At Missouri Hospital For Refusing To Leave Sick Partner, Not Recognized As Family - Right now, that effusive, phony crap by NOM, FRC, and the usual motley crew of jokers don't mean jack@%!$. Point - this man and his partner were in a five year relationship. Point - according to him, he and his partner had a joint Power of Attorney status which the nurse on duty refused to verify. When it comes to marriage equality, this type of thing needs to be in the discussion.  

Carson won't deliver Johns Hopkins commencement address - AND NOT jokers like this man. Whine about First Amendment rights all you want, but let's talk integrity here. Any mature, reasonable discussion regarding marriage equality should never begin by anyone invoking pedophilia or bestiality. Carson is in a mess of his own making.  

5 Reasons Why the Out Power List is problematic - You should have said five reasons why it's bull@^!. Four people of color, no transgender folks, some of the folks, including number one, isn't even out. What the hell?  

Anti-equality crowd crafts new symbol (*by co-opting one pro-equality movement's been using for five years) - I LOATHE homophobes, but I really can't STAND the ones who try to steal pro-gay symbols.