Friday, June 28, 2013

Know Your LGBT History - The Death of DOMA and Prop 8

There is no need digging into the past to find lgbt history after this week. What happened on Wednesday at the Supreme Court is big-time:



And just so you know, hours ago, the stay was lifted hours ago, so California gay couples are already getting married.

Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

'Discredited anti-gay professor complains about treatment by bloggers' and other Friday midday news briefs

Mark Regnerus: 'Ne'er-do-well bloggers' harassed me - We didn't harass him. We merely brought attention to the fact that he got almost $1 million in "grant money" to manufacture a bogus study about gay parenting designed to sway the Supreme Court. We dragged that sucker through the ringer and he deserved it.

Family Group Lies To Churchgoers About Children - And this is why even after a victory, the lgbt community and our allies must stay vigilant. 

 Brian Sims, Pennsylvania Lawmaker, Silenced On DOMA By Colleagues Citing 'God's Law' - As you can see, some folks have lost their damn minds.

  LaBarbera Reacts to DOMA Ruling: 'Craven' Kennedy 'Sold out Almighty God for a Place in the Gay Hall of Fame' - Porno Pete is mad at Justice Kennedy for not using religion in his ruling. BTW what is this Gay Hall of Fame and how does one get in?

Family Research Council accidentally posts sexual imagery for its event

In an absolutely bizarre development to the Supreme Court's decisions overturning DOMA and refusing to reinstate Prop 8, an anti-gay group is now finding itself being parodied big time.

The Family Research Council sent out a mass email message announcing its Call To Fall event. The event is supposed to be in response to Wednesday's rulings.

However, for such a solemn event, why would FRC create and post a graphic of what looks like a man giving oral sex:


This week just keep getting worse for FRC.

Hat tip to Chris Geidner.

News brief special - Religious Right meltdown over Supreme Court losses make for delicious schadenfreude



With arguments like the ones above, no wonder they lost yesterday.

 And it gets even more fun:

 Conservatives Strain To Paint Themselves As The Victims Of The DOMA Ruling - The poor babies. They lie and they lose but somehow that makes them the victims.

 No Excuses: Anti-Gay Activists Can't Blame SCOTUS For Their DOMA Loss - But they will. They blame everyone else but themselves.  

The Five Craziest Reactions To The Marriage Equality Rulings - Just five?

  'Gay marriage activists didn't get what they wanted'- And this is the silly talking point the religious right is pushing. Trust me when I say that we are quite happy with what we got . . . so far. But we want more. We deserve more.  

Charisma: Satan Using Gay Marriage to Ban Straight Marriage - It's never a proper religious right meltdown until someone mentions Satan.

Heritage Foundation implies marriage equality would cause welfare programs to grow

We shouldn't be so busy celebrating our recent victories at the Supreme Court that we forget that this battle for marriage equality is far from over. There are already pitiful rumblings of an anti-marriage equality constitutional amendment.

Also, the following graphic from the right-wing Heritage Foundation shouldn't be ignored:


All in all, it's the usual mumbo-jumbo about how heterosexual marriage is the best institution to raise children. However, there is an item which should give us all pause. The Heritage Foundation claims that one of the consequences of so-called "redefining marriage" is that the government would be forced to intervene and welfare programs would grow.

Now what the heck does that have to do with allow gay couples to marry. The slight sinister implications from that claim bothers me and I have a feeling we will be hearing more from this inference. In fact, probably more than we would like.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

DOMA defense was doomed from Day 1 - Hey Boehner, I want my money back!

 $2.3 million on a losing defense. Way to go Boehner.
By a vote of 5-4, the Supreme Court declared the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to be unconstitutional. They also dismissed the Prop 8 case, which means gays in California can resume getting married.

All in all, an awesome day for the lgbt community  It almost - but not quite - makes up for the ruling yesterday when the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act.

But for my money, I want to focus on DOMA because the case was doomed from the start. Speaker of the House John Boehner gave $2.3 million to lawyer Paul Clement and Clement pretty much wasted it on a piss poor defense.  In 2011, both Americablog and this blog broke stories which pointed out the following serious problems with the DOMA defense:


1. Clement tried to sneak in the testimony of former NOM chair Maggie Gallagher in a way which would have kept her from being cross-examined.

2. A professor cited by Clement in a brief defending DOMA, Lisa Diamond, complained that her work was being distorted.

3. Clement is also citing - in a second hand fashion - junk science from discredited researchers. In his defense of DOMA, Clement cites the work of Case Western Reserve University law professor George W. Dent, Jr.

But Dent's work - which Clement uses -  cited both Paul Cameron and George Rekers, two discredited researchers. Cameron has been censured or rebuked by several organizations for his bad methodology in his studies. He has published work which claimed, among other nauseating false things, that gays stuff gerbils up their rectums. (Editor's note-  the piece Cameron cited to make this claim - The Straight Dope - actually said that this claim was not true. Cameron dishonestly "flipped the script" to make it seem that The Straight Dope was affirming this claim.)

Rekers lost a lot of credibility for last year's scandal when he was caught coming from a European vacation with a "rentboy."

Also, Dent cited the work of Walter Schumm's study Children of Homosexuals More Apt To Be Homosexuals? A Reply to Morrison and to Cameron Based on an Examination of Multiple Sources of Data.

Schumm's study was criticized for using the same false methodology as Cameron's work. i.e. citing sources "from general-audience books about LGBT parenting and families, most of which are available on Amazon.com"

Furthermore, Dent cited a book called Straight & Narrow by Thomas E. Schmidt to make criticisms about gay health. However, Schmidt is not a credible researcher in the field of gay health. He is a professor of New Testament Greek at Westmont College in Santa Barbara and according to Rev. Mel White of the group Soulforce, Schmidt cited Cameron's discredited studies many times in Straight & Narrow (5th letter to Jerry Falwell.)

And last, but not least, Dent cited the work of the American College of Pediatricians. The American College of Pediatricians is not a credible organization, but an organization created to give credibility to junk science about the gay community. Last year, over 14,000 school district superintendents in the country were sent a letter by ACP inviting them to peruse and use information from a new site, Facts About Youth. The site claimed to present "facts" supposedly not tainted by "political correctness."  Of course these were not facts, but ugly distortions about the gay community, including:


Some gay men sexualize human waste, including the medically dangerous practice of coprophilia, which means sexual contact with highly infectious fecal wastes

It all goes to prove that just like cologne on bad body odor, money can't cover up the smell of bull.

Six possible outcomes for DOMA, Prop 8 decision (and 5 ways to win)

I am no good to anyone today. I woke up bright and chipper, went to the bathroom and unswallowed like crazy. Hence, I am bedridden. If I am like this now, imagine what I will be like on my wedding day (It's going to happen as soon as either Nate Torrence or Rob Kardashian come to their senses).

But things still stand like I said yesterday. Win or lose, we will continue to fight with dignity. We are on the right side of history and we will win. In the meantime, here is a graphic from Lambda Legal about the six possible outcomes for today's decisions on DOMA and Prop 8:


Tuesday, June 25, 2013

'Supreme Court will decide DOMA, Prop 8 tomorrow' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Marriage rulings to be released on 'Lawrence v. Texas' anniversary; Ten years to day! - Tomorrow will be the day in which the Supreme Court will hand down decisions on DOMA and Prop 8. A little advice from me whether you want it or not:

If things don't go our way - None of that junk which happened in 2008 when Prop 8 passed. No blaming, no raising hell without any thought of how your anger would be manipulated by the religious right, no circular firing squads. And none of those tired slogans about us being "second-class citizens." If you must mourn, do it quick, fix your face and get ready to fight. Remember that fighting for equality is never supposed to be easy. You give up your fight for your rights after a setback, then maybe you don't deserve them in the first place.

 If things do go our way - Don't think it's over. Remember how we celebrated when the sodomy laws were struck down. While we were doing that, the religious right was preparing the next round of hell, which turned out to be the fight for marriage equality. And they decimated us in the 2004 election because of it. In other words, don't act like the Trojans who, while under the illusion that the Greeks were gone, brought in to their city the fake horse, i.e. the emblem of their destruction. In other words, celebrate quick, but be ready to fight like hell to secure what you have just won. Winning and securing are two different things entirely. But generally speaking, remember that this thing isn't just about YOUR relationship or YOUR potential marriage. It's also about future generations. It's also about our children. We are their pathclearers who will knock away the rocky patches of homophobia and the dark places of hate so they have a soft path to trod on the road to the fulfillment of their potential. Always remember that.

In other news:

 The Military Will Recruit At This Year’s San Francisco Gay Pride Celebration - I am ALL for this! 

 Video: Wayne Besen On MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews - One of my mentors kills it on Hardball.

  Lane Tech Prom King: Lesbian Student Wins Honor At Chicago School - Congratulations to Ola Wolan!

Religious right spokesman - ignore Supreme Court ruling if it doesn't go our way

American Family Association's Gary Glenn recently gave a speech in which he said if the Supreme Court rules against DOMA and Prop 8, the ruling should be ignored. In this speech, he cited Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr:



The grand irony of Glenn's speech? He has in the past advocated for homosexuality to be "criminalized." In fact, three years ago, a post I wrote about his statement led him to engage me in a war of words regarding the so-called dangers of homosexuality.

It wasn't even a battle which I broke a sweat. Check it out.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Conservative radio host: Obama is gay, wants to dress in drag

I swear if we followed some of these conservatives with a tape recorder, the lgbt community would win this so-called "culture war" hands down. I vote that one of the people we follow around is this conservative radio host Stan Solomon. In this video, he not only accuses President Obama of being gay, but also wanting to "dress in drag."



I mean how wacky do you have to be to knock arch anti-feminist Phyllis Schafly off of her talking points?

Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.

Hate group wants Congress to investigate the Southern Poverty Law Center

Tony Perkins of FRC
Last week, I received the following money plea email from the Family Research Council:

The secret is out. The Obama administration has joined forces with perhaps the most anti-Christian organization in America today -- the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

By making reckless accusations against those who stand for biblical morality, the SPLC has incited violence and hatred against those who oppose the Obama administration on issues such as same-sex "marriage" and religious liberty.

The anti-Christian crusade instigated by the SPLC has already resulted in an armed terrorist attack on Family Research Council headquarters in Washington, D.C.

You would think that the Obama Justice Department would distance itself from the SPLC for creating a climate of animus and hatred toward groups like FRC, but since the attack on our headquarters the Justice Department has shown no signs of breaking ties with the SPLC.

That's why FRC is urging Congress to investigate the SPLC's ties to the Obama administration. Will you help us stand strong? The President needs to be exposed for colluding with the SPLC to stifle debate on social policy issues by means of intimidation, fear-mongering, and spreading lies.

The email ends with a plea by FRC for folks to send a "much needed gift" so that the organization can continue to supposedly expose SPLC and the Obama Administration

No doubt this is just a ploy for FRC to raise money (and a way to get back at SPLC for rightfully designating it as a "hate group") but I would advise the organization to tread lightly. There is a myriad of information out there which would prove that the Family Research Council is guilty of everything it has been accused of by the Southern Poverty Law Center. And then some.

In the possible Congressional investigation or hearing, I am sure the following will come out how the Family Research Council:

  • accused gays of being tools of Satan,
  • falsely accused an organization (GLSEN) of deliberately giving adult material to minors,
  • distorted scientific research and ignored the authors of said research when they complain about how you misuse their data,
  • published papers and studies authored by fake experts filled with false data egregiously cherry-picked, and
  • made inaccurate comparisons about such things as same-sex marriage as opposed to heterosexual marriage

The question for FRC is do you really want all of this to come out?

Do you really want there to be a Congressional hearing or investigation where no doubt you would be exposed as a fraudulent organization who has for over two decades hid its homophobia, lies, and propaganda behind "Christian principles."

I think the old adage of being careful of what you wish for because you just might receive it is very apropo here.

Related posts:

How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America

16 Reasons why the Family Research Council is a hate group

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Melissa Harris-Perry pays tribute to Pam Spaulding

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


By now, many of you have heard that Pam Spaulding, a person who I consider as one of my mentors and a very, very good friend, is closing shop on her nine-year blog Pam's House Blend. She is truly a pioneer and taught me many things, as well as giving me personal support when I needed it on more occasions than I can mention. MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry just paid tribute to Pam and the House Blend. Oh and I am mentioned, too. However that's not important. But that picture of me? Geez!

Friday, June 21, 2013

Know Your LGBT History - Soap and Billy Crystal



How many of you knew that legendary comedian and Oscar host Billy Crystal portrayed one of the first regular gay characters on television. He did so in the television sit-com Soap

From the youtube video description:

In this clip, Jodie -portrayed here by a 29 year old Billy Crystal (Hail Billy Crystal)has a heart to heart with brother Danny (Ted Wass), who has been in denial about his brother's homosexuality. Jodie is not ashamed of his homosexuality. One of the first characters in television history to be out and out gay and not ashamed to admit so to his family. This scene broke barriers.

So despite the often...misrepresentation of gay people by the show, SOAP is one of the FIRST to help with the mainstreaming of homosexuality. To remove the taboo on talking about them, not only as a topic of discussion, but as people with feelings.

Note: In early episodes, Jodie was persuing a sex-change in order to live a "normal life" with his boyfriend. This storyline was dropped, as an LGBT consultant claimed it was too stereotypical and not true to life (though in the 50s- 60s, many gay men did have sex changes to avoid stigmas about their homosexuality. These days we understand that gay men do not wish to be women, and that sexual orientation is separate from the experience of gender- such as in the situation of transgender people).

 Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

'Ex-gay groups promise to soldier on after death of Exodus International' and other Friday midday news briefs

Ex-Gay Christian Groups Will Continue After Exodus As Religious LGBT Support Grows - Oh come on, y'all. You really didn't think it would be that easy, did you? 

Myths and Stereotypes That Dehumanize Gay Men Must Be Challenged: Start With These 10! - I hate it when we assume that other people no longer believe these things. THEY DO!

 Linda Harvey: Gay Marriage Will Result In Generation Of ‘Barbarians’ - Shit! Who told her? Can't we keep ANYTHING a secret?  

Congressman Says Gays Should Hide Their Orientation At Work - Cause, you know, it's not like lgbts have families or loved ones we would like to talk about at work or pictures we want to put at our desks of our spouses and the like.

This male cheerleading team could teach Beyonce a few tricks

For those who have preconceived negative notions about the South, I give you Alabama's premiere all-male cheerleading team, the Prancing Elites:




 

No matter how much you try to hold it down, the natural fierceness comes out.

Eat your heart out, Roland Martin and Donnie McClurkin.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Religious right promises to throw a hissy fit if the Supreme Court rules against DOMA, Prop 8

Several religious right groups have signed a statement of resistance should the Supreme Court rule in favor of marriage equality. But if you ask me, I have no idea what the hell they are threatening to do:

As Christian citizens united together, we will not stand by while the destruction of the institution of marriage unfolds in this nation we love. The Sacred Scriptures and unbroken teaching of the Church confirm that marriage is between one man and one woman. We stand together in solidarity to defend marriage and the family and society founded upon them. The effort to redefine marriage threatens the proper mediating role of the Church in society.

 Experience and history have shown us that if the government redefines marriage to grant a legal equivalency to same-sex couples, that same government will then enforce such an action with the police power of the State. This will bring about an inevitable collision with religious freedom and conscience rights. We cannot and will not allow this to occur on our watch. Religious freedom is the first freedom in the American experiment for good reason.

 ... If the Supreme Court were to issue a decision that redefined marriage or provided a precedent on which to build an argument to redefine marriage, the Supreme Court will thereby undermine its legitimacy. The Court will significantly decrease its credibility and impair the role it has assumed for itself as a moral authority. It will be acting beyond its proper constitutional role and contrary to the Natural Moral Law which transcends religions, culture, and time. As Christians united together in defense of marriage, we pray that this will not happen. But, make no mistake about our resolve. While there are many things we can endure, redefining marriage is so fundamental to the natural order and the true common good that this is the line we must draw and one we cannot and will not cross.

Go here to see a veritable who's who list of the folks who signed this statement including FRC head Tony Perkins, Focus on the Family head James Dobson, failed Fox News presidential candidate Benjamin Carson, and even Alveda King. Talk about your lack of quality control.

Whoop te do.

Should the Supreme Court rule in our favor, there isn't anything these folks can do but two things:

Nothing and like it.

 

'Religious right cheering shut down of ex-gay group' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Hate Groups Cheer End Of Exodus - Well I have officially seen it all. 

Greater Than AIDS Billboard In Dallas Criticized For Accepting, Promoting Homosexuality - So some folks think that teaching AIDS education should encompass teaching shame about being an lgbt. I don't think so. 

Landmark Study Finds Widespread Anti-Gay Housing Discrimination - This is NOT good.  

Will there be a black vs gay Prop. 8 meme redux, or will the work building stronger coalitions prevail? - Oh mercy, I hope not. Whatever the rulings may be, let's show some common sense.

Survivors of 'ex-gay' programs have intense confrontation with Exodus International president



Last night, news traveled around the lgbt community that Exodus International, one of the largest and oldest organizations pushing "ex-gay"therapy was shutting down and its president, Alan Chambers, was issuing an apology for the hurt the organizations has caused the lgbt community. While the jury is out on whether or not this mea culpa is sincere, take a look at a preview of a program which will be airing tonight on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). Journalist Lisa Ling is joined by a group of survivors of "ex-gay" programs and they confront Chambers. This preview is probably one of the most intense things I have ever seen.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

'Ex-gay' leader apologizes to the lgbt community for pain he caused

If you heard a gigantic pop today, it's because of the multitude of religious right heads exploding. And why? Because of this: Alan Chambers, head of Exodus International, the oldest and largest group pushing "ex-gay" therapy has publicly apologized for the hurt his organization has caused.

From Buzzfeed:

In a letter “to members of the LGBTQ community,” Alan Chambers, the head of Exodus International, a group that has long backed “change therapy” for gays and lesbians, issued an apology Wednesday, stating, “I am sorry for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced.”
The public statement comes in advance of a Thursday airing of the television broadcast “God & Gays” on Our America with Lisa Ling on OWN, in which Ling talks with Chambers about these issues.

In his apology, Chambers wrote, “I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents.”
Later, he added:
I hope the changes in my own life, as well as the ones we announce tonight regarding Exodus International, will bring resolution, and show that I am serious in both my regret and my offer of friendship. I pledge that future endeavors will be focused on peace and common good.

Nice, but you are gonna have to do more Alan. Check out the rest of the story here. 

UPDATE - According to the story, not only is Chambers apologizing but Exodus International is shutting down. I can just see the religious right heads spin.

'Fox News has a problem with the transgender community' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Fox News' Coverage Of Transgender Community Challenged By Equality Group - For the longest time, I predicted that Fox News would become a problem to the lgbt community. I'm glad to see some of my brothers and sisters finally getting hip to the problem.  And yes I said the lgbt community as a whole because if you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.

Fox News’ Transphobia Problem - And here is the report mentioned in the first news brief.

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski Becomes Third Republican Senator To Back Marriage Equality - Way to go, Senaor Murkowski!  

West Virginia Democrat Signs On As The 52nd Sponsor Of The Employment Non-Discrimination Act - Meanwhile, we have 52 sponsors for ENDA!

Delaware Poised to Adopt a Transgender Rights Law - Good for Delaware!

Family Research Council unveils poor effort to stop gay equality

With the fight over the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) heating up, we can always count on organizations like the Family Research Council to be the "loyal opposition," even if they have to distort the issue.

The organization has recently announced a special site entitled Stop ENDA in which it lists reasons why it's not a good idea to protect lgbts from employment discrimination. Granted the reasons are highly specious and should lead to more questioning of FRC spokespeople at to their claims. My guess is that Tony Perkins and company will not be asked to speak specifically to them or will dodge if asked:

ENDA is a "one size fits all" solution to alleged discrimination that erases all marriage-based distinctions. It grants special rights to homosexuals while ignoring those of employers. The federal government should not force private businesses to abandon their moral principles.
FRC Action opposes this legislation on the following grounds (which by the way FRC offers absolutely no proof of):
  • Such legislation affords special protection to a group that is not disadvantaged.
  • The issue is not job discrimination.
  • The first "religious exemption" clause is very narrow and offers no clear protection to church-related businesses.
  • The second "religious exemption" clause fails to offer protection for all hiring by church-related organizations or businesses.
  • It is unlikely that the "religious exemption" included in the bill would survive court challenge.
  • ENDA would mandate the employment of homosexuals in inappropriate occupations.
  • ENDA violates employers' and employees' Constitutional freedoms of religion, speech and association.
  • ENDA would approvingly bring private behavior considered immoral by many into the public square. 

Between you and me I really want to know what does FRC mean about "the employment of homosexuals in inappropriate occupations." My guess is FRC is implying that gays shouldn't be school teachers.

And then to top it off, FRC includes a video about an alleged incident involving a Christian ministry ordered to undergo "sensitivity training."

 

 But there are several problems with this video, including:

  • it's about a Canadian ministry,
  • the video is from a year ago, and
  • none of the principal parties are interviewed. FRC's Peter Sprigg interviews an editor from a conservative news organization on the incident.

If this is FRC's best effort in its attempt to stop ENDA, then the organization needs to go back to the drawing board. FRC offers no proof that ENDA isn't a good idea, but instead displays the prejudices which prove just why ENDA is necessary.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

The Daily Show attacks 'gay intolerance'


This is EPIC! The Daily Show takes on the semantic argument from the religious right that gays are "intolerant" of their "intolerance" and proceeds to thrash it within an inch of its life.

'Five-year-old takes on, defeats homophobic church' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

First a request:

 

Kudos to my buddy Scott Wooledge for creating this image for my booklet. I ask that you do me the favor of copying and pasting it along to your friends Facebok. I know I have driven you all crazy with the promotion of my booklet, so it's only fair that I give you an explanation of why it is so important to me.

Through 'How They See Us,' I hope to precipitate a sea change or a war of rhetoric, if you will. Yes, I said a war of rhetoric and by that I mean a knock-down, dragged out war of words. In our zeal and eagerness to strive forward, our community often forgets the things which held us back, i.e. the dark places we were shackled due to the ignorance and hatred of others.

We forget that physical violence, negative legislation often began with lies, pseudo-science, and distortions designed to appeal to both people's religious beliefs and their fears. We now laugh at the rhetoric while forgetting how powerful it was in its past naked form and how even more dangerous it is while covertly pushed. For over 30 years, the religious right created a body of lies and junk science based on fear, exploitation, and blatant lies.

And I simply can't let it go. When I was a child, I had the unfortunate chance to be seated on the front row as this rhetoric killed a loved one. He wasn't beaten to death. No one struck him physically. They just sliced at his soul with their words and actions until his spirit was extinguished. Death was the next logical step for him.

And that's why we must never forget the lies told about our community by these organizations. How many more of us had our spirit slowly extinguished because of these lies? They are responsible for so much pain, self-hatred, suicides, near suicides (including my own), and so much more vile hatred.

That's why I get angry when I see and hear folks on our side of the spectrum take this stuff lightly. To so many, particularly our children, hearing and reading this stuff without someone challenging it is the difference between life and death.

But enough about my soap box.

In other news:

Westboro Baptist Church Responds To 'Lemonade For Peace' Sale With Anti-Gay Taunt - A five-year-old takes on and defeats a hateful church and  - surprise - they are such sore losers.

Federal judge rules against nurse disciplined for comments critical of homosexuality - Good for the judge. Religious beliefs is no excuse for not respect your co-workers.

FRC back to scanning Google Images for drag queens; ENDA must be back in news - Hence the point I was trying to make with my first post.



Daily Show calls out recent incidents of anti-gay protests



John Oliver of the Daily Show analyzes the recent progress of lgbt equality and skewers those who oppose it.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Nomoredownlow.tv is an excellent series which needs more attention



Nomoredownlow.tv is probably the best online serious you have never heard about. It covers lgbt issues from a people of color perspective. In this particular episode:

Are we under the microscope? Is the media sensationalizing our failed relationships?  Has our quest for equality led to more public scrutiny? In this edition of the award winning web series, NoMoreDownLow.TV, we examine the media’s coverage of African American same gender loving people and their relationships. Then, we’ll also meet Kai, a Transman who made a bold decision to become the person he wanted to be. Plus, we’ll introduce you to Dr. Boogie, one of Hollywood’s most sought after celebrity hair stylists and discover his passion for breading Italian Mastiff Dogs. Co-host Janora McDuffie & Kendell are on location at One National Gay & Lesbian Archives on the campus of the University of Southern California.

'Documentary explores the 'gay is the new black' argument' and other Monday midday news briefs

Goodbye Pam’s House Blend: after nine years, closing the coffeehouse July 1 - First a little sad news. One of my best buddies and mentors, Pam Spaulding, is retiring her blog, Pam's House Blend. The Blend was one of the most important and powerful voices for the lgbt community and stood on the forefront of how online activism shaped the lgbt community for the positive. On a personal note, Pam was one of the few people who encouraged, guided, and pushed me to be a better blogger. I owe her tremendously. 

Are LGBT People ‘The New Black’? - This sounds like an awesome documentary! 

To NOM, The Children Of Gay Couples Are Just ‘Accessories’ - Good grief, NOM. Can you get even more mean? 

 NJ Assembly Committee Moves Conversion Therapy Ban - one step in a long but necessary process to protect lgbt children.  

Conservative Group Warns of Divine Punishment for Obama's LGBT Pride Event - Whatever, guys.

Anti-gay hate group leader supports homophobic Russian bill

Many of us in the lgbt community tend to laugh at Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth for good reason. The stridency in which he pursues his obsession to demonize the lgbt community has provided us with some seriously comical moments as well as opportunities to point out just how sad folks on his side of the spectrum are.

But then there are times in which LaBarbera does something which underscores just how also truly vile he is. Take this newest post on his webpage which supports a Russian bill supposedly banning giving any information to children regarding the lgbt orientation. This is how LaBarbera justified the law:


Now under that picture is the caption:

WHAT RUSSIANS DON’T WANT: A male drag queen activist with the San Francisco-based group “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” prepares for a local Easter Egg hunt sponsored by the anti-Christian homosexual activist outfit. (The same “Sisters” group sponsors the annual sadomasochism-celebrating ”Folsom Street Fear” in San Francisco.) Russians do not want to follow America’s reckless and decadent promotion of gender confusion, sexual perversion, and anti-biblical ideologies to youth. 

LaBarbera and others who support this madness claim that it provides a "pro-family" perspective and a protection for children. However this is what the law actually does:

Russia passed a bill providing jail terms and fines for anyone convicted of insulting religious feelings, and another bill forbidding homosexuality. Signed by President Putin, the bill says gay rights activists and religion insulters are criminals. 
Russia's parliament State Duma has unanimously passed a federal law banning gay propaganda in the course of Kremlin’s push to enshrine deeply conservative values that critics say has already led to a sharp increase in anti-gay violence. The law passed 436-0 Tuesday, with only one deputy abstaining from voting on the bill which bans the spreading of "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" among minors. The new law makes it illegal to equate straight and gay relationships, and the distribution of material on gay rights. It introduces fines for individuals and media groups found guilty of breaking the law, as well as special fines for foreigners. 
The fact that LaBarbera would push the "protect the children" angle and ignore the other aspects of this awful law simply underscores his dishonesty.  And what makes it so much more insulting is how he exploits an innocent picture of a child with a drag queen in order to exploit fear.  So what if the child is talking to drag queen. Big deal. 
I personally prefer that picture to this one below, Nikolay Alexandrovich Alexeyev a Russian gay rights activist,  getting punched during a protest of that awful bill:

It's kind of telling how LaBarbera distorts an innocent picture to provoke fear and ignores an actual picture which displays end game of the fear that he exploits.

But it also should serve as a reminder. As funny and pathetic as LaBarbera is, we should never forget, while poking fun at his foolishness, just how truly sinister he is.






Friday, June 14, 2013

'NOM distorting Danish study' and other Friday midday news briefs

What NOM Gets Wrong About The New Danish Marriage Study - Before you yawn and proclaim "big deal," remember that the road to lgbt inequality is paved with incidents of the lgbt community being nonchalant when those who oppose us tell lies. 

FRC prays for 'converted' gays - Seems to me that before you pray for someone else's "salvation," you need to first look towards your own.  

Children’s Museum That Discriminated Against Gay Couple Demands Apology For Backlash - I have something to say to you, but it isn't an apology.  

Black Gay Men Positively Out: Many Men, Many Closets (Part 2) - Love, love, LOVE this post!

Marco Rubio's bigotry is the worst kind




Remember the above sound byte from Florida Senator Marco Rubio from a while back? He was whining about being called "bigoted" because he is allegedly "pro- traditional marriage."

 Of course this is how he feels about the ability to fire someone for being gay:




Or adding gays to immigration legislation:

"If this bill has in it something that gives gay couples immigration rights and so forth, it kills the bill. I'm done," Rubio said Thursday during an interview on the Andrea Tantaros Show. "I'm off it, and I've said that repeatedly. I don't think that's going to happen and it shouldn't happen. This is already a difficult enough issue as it is."

Marco Rubio opposes allowing gays to be married. He opposes adding gay couples to comprehensive immigration legislation. And he opposes protecting gays from job discrimination.

My question is just at what point is it okay to entertain the notion that Rubio has a nasty bias against the gay community?

Sen Rubio reminds me of when white racists attempted to push the false narrative that they weren't "anti-black," but "pro-white." 

No matter how noble or unassuming he attempts to make it sound, we are still talking about denying people rights simply because of who they are.

And here I thought that WAS bigotry.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

When they imply that lgbt children are sexual predators . . .




People like Janet Porter of Faith2Action can sometimes make me forget how they actually help lgbt equality by opening their mouths and showing their ignorance.

It's bad enough when people like Janet Porter portray us gay men as sexual predators, but when they imply the same about our youth, it's time to put them on blast.

For your edification, Porter is the same type who once prayed or rather demanded that God give people like her control of the media:



 

Janet Porter is a quintessential problem with American Christianity - people so wrapped up in their own egos that they refuse to acknowledge how their bearing of false witness turns so many people away from Christ.

Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.

Boy Scout decision left anti-gay group with egg on its face



According Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association, his group wasn't even expecting the Boy Scouts admit gay members. They never even prepared a statement to be made in the event that the ban was voted down.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

'Disowned gay man rocks judges, audience on 'America's Got Talent'' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Man Disowned by Parents for Being Gay Blows Roof Off 'America's Got Talent': VIDEO - A sad story with a thus far happy ending. I say thus far because it's up to the young man to continue to work towards his potential. 
 
Marriage Equality Opponents Claim Banning Same-Sex Marriage ‘Bans Nothing’ - Not surprising. They get paid big bucks for the shuck and jive.  

LGBTs to protest Madigan over marriage shortfall - Other than some encouragement, I have been relatively silent on the situation about Illinois and how the lgbt community there failed (thus far) to pass marriage equality. But now I will say this - stop the damn self-cannibalization. Stop wasting time pointing fingers. Start preparing for the next time. Attaining equality is not supposed to be easy and you will fail sometimes. It's how you bounce back - if at all - which say a lot. 

 Church Sign Welcomes Boy Scouts After Gay Ban Is Lifted - Major kudos to this church.

Pat Robertson: Gays wanting to force acceptance for sexual activity



As ignorant as this comment is, you would be surprised how many people - some who will no doubt claim that they have gay friends - espouse this point of view.


Tuesday, June 11, 2013

'Viciously homophobic ad continues to haunt the lgbt community' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

This commercial hammers the necessity of publicly and repeatedly calling "bullshit" on religious right lies about the lgbt community. The lies in it are offensive enough, but it gets worse when you realize that this same commercial has been used in years past in pushes against pro-lgbt legislation.

In other news:

Video: Small band of religion-driven Chicagoans waste gorgeous spring day marching against civil inevitability - Another day, another flop of an anti-gay protest. 

 Anti-Gay Kids Museum Responds To Discrimination Charges By Raising Prices - Oh for Pete's sake, people! 

 Mike Huckabee Sad He Has To See Gays on TV - You will get over it, Huckabee.

Revisiting the NC pastor and the 'gay men wear diapers' claim

Last year, North Carolina was immersed in a ballot initiative over marriage equality. Unfortunately, not only did the lgbt community and our allies lose this fight, but it introduced the world to Patrick Wooden of the Upper Room Church of God in Christ and his beliefs regarding "gay sex." Wooden claimed that gay men need diapers, are "bleeders," and don't mind having sex even in that "disabled" state. His statements, in part, are the following:



Transcript: 

 “The God of the Bible made the human sperm, the God of the Bible designed it and it was not designed to be emptied into an area that is filled with feces, there is nothing for it to germinate with, it will most certainly mean the extinction of the human race. My belief is that if the medical community would just step forward and just would share with the American people what happens to the male anus, the problems that homosexuals have with their rectums, the damage that is done, the operations that are needed to sew up their bodies if you will, and how many of the men don’t even give these stitches time to heal before they are back out there practicing that wicked behavior. Some are bleeders, men who are not turned off by ingesting the feces of other men.”

Naturally while folks were repulsed by this disgusting statement, Wooden reaped the publicity without telling anyone where he had gotten his claim from.

But I may have a general idea and if it's what I think it is, then it makes the situation more disgusting. You see, I have a feeling that Wooden may have been repeating a scene from a 2000 movie called 3 Strikes.

This scene (I apologize for the bad quality of the video but it is the only one I could find) describes the scenario Wooden alluded to. A man wearing a bloody diaper suspended over a bed while a gay man not only drools at him through the hospital window, but is implied to begin raping him at the end of the scene:



The interesting irony is that the young man suspended above the bed in a diaper was not injured from sexual activity, but from a gunshot in the rear.

So what do you think? Am I speculating pretty hard here or is there a point to be made?

Whatever the case may be, I have emailed Mr. Wooden asking for clarification. I doubt he will give it to me, but it is something to think about.

Editor's note -  I can't resist telling you this fact. The screenplay for 3 Strikes was written by someone who calls himself "DJ Pooh."

Monday, June 10, 2013

What Billy Porter's mother can teach the Church about 'love'



The Tony Awards were last night and, like we do every year, lgbt performers showed out.
However, for my money, the best of the night goes to when openly gay performer Billy Porter received Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in Kinky Boots.
It wasn't just the win and it just wasn't his speech. It was when he paid tribute to family and particularly how his mother accepted who he was as a gay man (staring at 28 seconds) even though she didn't fully understand his orientation.

While it may seem like a small detail to some, it's a huge detail to me.  It's not a matter that Mr. Porter's mother could understand her son's sexual orientation, it's the fact that she didn't desert him.

Sometimes that one thing - i.e. the faith that a parent has in his or her lgbt child - is the difference between life and death.

Fox News reporter smears transgender community with ugly tweets, poor article

Editor's note - Todays's news briefs will be postponed due work needing to be done for How They See Us's unveiling at September's SC Pride. 

Riddle me this. Who sent out the following derogatory tweets about the transgender community:



A. Fred Phelps,

B. A religious right talking head, or

C. Todd Starnes, a reporter for Fox News who should know better .

If you know this blog, then the answer is C. Starnes, who is steadily making a name for himself by posting attacks on the lgbt community disguised as articles, is at it again.

This latest article by Starnes details an alleged incident Nashville where there was one complaint about a transgender woman using the bathroom.  According to Equality Matters, Starnes' article

 . . . included various quotes from the disgruntled woman’s husband, inappropriately referring to the transgender woman as a man and commenting that her presence in the public restroom “poses a safety hazard”

As mentioned above, Equality Matters pointed out that this poor article is yet the latest attempt by Starnes to manufacture a backlash against the lgbt community by writing false stories portraying them as so-called attackers of American values.

Equality Matters has pointed out fives other times in which Starnes has posted misleading articles against the lgbt community in pursuit of this agenda.

Looks like the Nashville incident is number six.

Saturday, June 08, 2013

Shameless promotion Saturday - How They See Us

Hey everyone, seeing that this weekend is rather uneventful, I thought I would take the time to continue to promote my booklet How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America.

How They See Us is probably one of the only few of its kind to call out and addresses specific bigoted claims lodged against the lgbt community by the religious right.  Through a use of graphics, photos, and information gleaned  from online, How They See Us exposes the cynical way religious right groups deliberately distorts science and religion to spread vicious propaganda while claiming that such propaganda is merely an expression of their religious liberty.

Since its posting on Scribd in January, How They See Us has gained tremendous underground success, garnering over 26,000 readers as well as being at one time the fourth most read nonfiction book and the number one most read political book on Scribd. And now I am working to unveil free hard copies at SC Pride in September, as well as attempting to reach the 50,000 reads threshold. If you have read it or downloaded a copy, by all means do so. It's free. If anyone has any problems, with the download and would like an adobe acrobat copy, email me at charlekenghis@aol.com
HowThey See Us

Friday, June 07, 2013

Know Your LGBT History - Kylar Broadus


A video spotlight on Kylar Broadus, founder of Trans People of Color Coalition and the first transperson to give testimony in front of the United States Senate. The video below is that history-making testimony from last year:

 

Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

'Biblical scholars - Biblical marriage not defined as 1 man, 1 woman' and other Friday midday news briefs

Biblical Marriage Not Defined Simply As One Man, One Woman: Iowa Religious Scholars' Op-Ed - More proof that some folks claiming to uphold Biblical principles hardly ever read the Bible period.

NOM Baselessly Accuses Obama Administration Of Leaking Its Tax Return - Oh the poor babies. Heavy emphasis on "babies."  

Colorado Attorney General Files Complaint Against Anti-Gay Bakery - I repeat (again) that if you allow discrimination against lgbts based on 'religious liberty,' then where is the line drawn and who is next?  

Delaware Senate Approves Transgender Nondiscrimination Protections - Kudos to the Delaware Senate! 

Perkins: Obama's 'Pro-Homosexual Agenda' Is the Administration's Latest Scandal and 'Breach of Trust' - Actually the real scandal is how lightning never strikes where it should. Perkins is complaining about attempts by the Obama Administration to curb anti-gay violence in foreign countries.

A compilation of anti-gay hate speech from May 2012



Just think. A year ago about this time, we were bombarded with this mess. 

Thursday, June 06, 2013

Family Research Council continues to spread DELIBERATE lies about DADT repeal

The Family Research Council continues to falsely claim that the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell is causing military sexual assaults. The following came from an email the organization just sent out:

The Pentagon downplayed the effects of open homosexuality when it was implemented in 2011 -- something it will have a tough time doing now, with the rate of male-on-male assaults at a record high. While the media rightly highlights the female victims, the Pentagon's 1,400-page report explains that service men are just as affected -- if not more so. According to the Defense Department's own numbers, military men suffered 2,000 more sexual attacks than their female counterparts in 2012, the first full year that open homosexuality was tolerated. All together, "unwanted sexual conduct" climbed to 26,000 cases (up from 19,000 in 2010) -- a 37% spike in two years. And some believe that's a low estimate -- in part because men are so relu ctant to report abuse, especially from other men. Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said a "focus" of the assault office "is specifically geared toward male survivors and will include why male survivors report at much lower rates than female survivors..." Unfortunately, most are victims -- not just of assault, but of this new sexually-charged environment.

Of course FRC doesn't even attempt to prove a correlation between sexual assaults on men and the repeal of DADT.  And I think there is a reason the organization won't.

Last year, the Penn Center published a study which found that there were no negative consequences to the repeal of DADT.

For FRC, it's the classic sin of omission. And it's something which the fake Christian organization has mastered.

Generally, FRC commits the sin of omission when citing Centers for Disease Control statistics about the lgbt community.  The organization uses CDC statistics about bad health and behavioral choices to claim that the lgbt orientation in itself is unhealthy.

However, FRC deliberately omits the fact that the CDC has said, on more than one occasion and generally in the same section on lgbt health which FRC distorts, that bad health and behavioral choices in the lgbt community are due to homophobia. Having to deal with a homophobic society (and often with no support system) has the effect of causing depression, stress, and bad behavioral choices with some in the lgbt community.

Okay, this is generally the point in my post which I make a snide comment about FRC's willingness to lie while at the same time claiming that it stands for Christian principles. But why bother. I've done it so many times that it gets tiresome.

The thing that we all need to take from this is not the fact that FRC is lying, but the sad reality that this organization will continue to lie unless more and more folks than little ole me on my blog calls them out on it.

More footage from the failed homophobic 'cluster-yuk' at HRC



If you have not seen HRC's video of the failed anti-gay protest at its headquarters this week, you really need to. It breaks it all down to the main points.

Also, check out Truth Wins Out for Evan Hurst's absolutely BRUTAL play-by-play of the video.

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

11-year-old defeats homophobia!

Via the Huffington Post, a very happy ending to today's lead news brief post:

A openly gay 11-year-old boy's campaign against a homophobic Tennessee representative has succeeded.

Marcel Neergaard is a Tennessee boy who was home-schooled for sixth grade and even contemplated suicide due to severe anti-gay bullying, bullying that many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates say could have been fostered in public schools throughout the state if the "Don't Say Gay" bill had actually passed.

The bill, rejected in 2012, aimed at banning talk of sexual activity other than "related to natural human reproduction." It was resurrected by Representative John Ragan (R-Tenn.) this year as the "Classroom Protection Act." It included an amendment requiring school officials to inform parents if they have reason to believe the child might be gay. The bill also required schools to provide counseling for such students so as to prevent “behavior injurious to the physical or mental health and well-being of the student or another person.”

The proposed bill failed in March, but prior to that, in 2012, Ragan was honored with the educational "Reformer of the Year" award by StudentsFirst, a group dedicated to defending the interests of children in public schools and pushing for transformative reform.

Neergaard didn't think Ragan deserved such a title. So he started a petition on MoveOn.org to get the accolade revoked. And it worked. After getting more than 50,000 signatures, the bullied youngster's campaign caught the attention of StudentsFirst and today the group reneged Ragan's award.

See more of this article here.

Heckling the First Lady was counterproductive no matter how much attention it gets.

Editor's note - I wanted to talk more about yesterday's pathetic anti-gay protest at HRC headquarters, but last night's heckling of Michelle Obama by a GetEqual activist is on my mind and it's moving me into a territory which I despise - publicly criticizing my own. But it has to be said, particularly because I was called an "Uncle Tom" by a member of my own lgbt community for daring to espouse such an opinion. I apologize for those who feel that this is free form rambling. But it is my opinion. And I should tell you that what you read below is not simply the product of my disappointment over last night's heckling, but how I have felt this year with some of my fellow lgbt activists: 

Last night's heckling of First Lady Michelle Obama by a member of the lgbt group GetEqual wasn't just dumb.

It was highly counterproductive. Furthermore, I have a serious problem with the idea that any attention is good, no matter how much of an ass you act to receive it. While I totally understand the why, I also believe in picking one's spots. Was the heckling indicative of the lgbt community needing to speak out or our forced silence? No. It is indicative of a mindset of self-described elite members of the lgbt community attempting to boggart the conversation and not caring who they hurt to get their attention.

While some may feel that what was done last night was awesome, many others feel that it is indicative of the mindset of a group of folks who cling so desperately to the Act-UP/Queer Nation mentality of 20 years ago because they are either too lazy, too rushed, or too limited to grasp the idea that perhaps new ideas are needed to fully embrace the lgbt community's present day status of being more inside the bubble than outside. These folks need to take into account that our struggle for equality is not centered around cliques, a circles of friends, or a bunch of like-minded pseudo intellectual folks who will either complicate the issue or refuse to do more to make the case for equality IN the community.

And then there is that nagging idea that this "shout your head off/show your butt" mentality is indicative of some in the lgbt community who don't want to embrace new and different folks who may be  - shall we say -  a bit less eastern and a bit more Southern, a bit less rooted in the stereotypical lgbt social strata, a bit less rooted in the clique mentality, a bit more methodical in our planning, or a bit more "ethnically challenged." In short, this heckling was dumb. It was ill-timed, slack, and counterproductive. It demonstrates the mentality of a group who - while having the potential to be the next generation of equality leaders following in the footsteps of past leaders - do not yet have the maturity.