The Family Research Council's sad attempt to attach gay equality to the DOJ leak story

Tony Perkins of FRC

This is just pathetic. Apparently the Family Research Council is attempting to attach gay equality to the Department of Justice leak story:

When the Justice Department is done violating journalists' First Amendment rights, it looks like they'll move on to employees'. In a chilling memo to DOJ staff, the Obama administration is warning managers that they'd better start embracing homosexuality--or else. The email, which a Justice employee leaked to Liberty Counsel, is a scary reminder of how far this administration will go to crush free speech and expression in America.

In advance of June, the DOJ is priming its staff for a four-week in-your-face "gay pride" celebration that demands, not only the participation of--but affirmation by-- all staff. Based on this new directive, "LGBT Inclusion at Work: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Managers," it's no longer acceptable to be quiet or even neutral on homosexuality. In a not-so-veiled threat, the administration tells staff that when it comes to homosexuality and cross-dressing, "Silence will be interpreted as disapproval."
That's absolutely outrageous. Even criminals have the right to remain silent! President Obama's so-called Department of Justice is actually telling workers that there's no place in the government for people with unspoken objections to homosexuality. In fact, writes NRO's Ian Tuttle, "there is no longer a place even for private, unexpressed disapproval..."

Forget tolerance. The DOJ wants--and expects--vocal support for sexual deviance. Nowhere is that more evident than in this latest list of "DO"s and "DON'T"s, which includes some eye-opening advice for staff leaders. "DO assume that LGBT employees and their allies are listening to what you're saying" (sound ominous?) "and will read what you're writing (whether in a casual email or in a formal document)." "DO attend LGBT events sponsored by DOJ Pride" and decorate your office accordingly. "DO display a symbol in your office (DOJ Pride sticker)." "DO use a transgender person's chosen name and the pronoun that is consistent with the person's self-identified gender." "DO use inclusive words like 'partner,' 'significant other,' or 'spouse' rather than gender-specific terms."

It's hilarious how FRC claims that the brochure in question was "leaked." Makes the entire situation sounds ominous doesn't it? Don't be fooled by FRC's shuck-and-jive.  There are certain facts about the brochure that FRC omitted. According to Ed Brayton of Free Thought Blogs:

First of all, this is a pamphlet of “practical tips to help managers create a truly inclusive workplace climate.” It’s not a set of commandments delivered from Mt. Sinai. It wasn’t even sent out by DOJ officials, it was sent out by DOJ Pride, the Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Employees of the U.S. Department of Justice and Their Allies.

In his post, Brayton was calling attention to the fact that another religious right spokesperson, Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel, was distorting the brochure. Brayton especially called attention to the fact that Barber was cherry-picking portions of the pamphlet to make it seem more ominous.

Apparently FRC is doing the same thing.  No matter how FRC attempts to make the brochure (this one) sound like a dangerously forced directive on behalf of the DOJ, it's really not.  The brochure informs DOJ employees of the simple fact that some of their fellow employees are lgbt and gives tips as to how to behave towards them.

And really, what's wrong with that?

I think FRC's last statement on the matter gives a key to the entire matter:

As FRC has said for years, this debate has never been about tolerance. It's about forced acceptance. President Obama admitted as much when he praised the NBA's Jason Collins. Read what he said when Collins announced he was gay: "The LGBT community deserves full equality, not just partial equality. Not just tolerance."

On that score, I would say that FRC is partly right. Lgbt equality has never been about tolerance.  You tolerate your pets having accidents on the carpet. You tolerate traffic jams. You even tolerate the slow cashier who makes you wait in a grocery store. But no one has the right to think that they are so superior that they should tolerate a fellow human being merely attempting to live his or her life.

Nor is lgbt equality about forced acceptance. To a degree, it's never been about acceptance but respect of a fellow human being. And with that respect comes the knowledge that your sexual orientation - gay, straight, or bisexual - does not put you on a pedestal where you have the patent to concepts like "family," "morality," or "love."

FRC seems to think that those who believe as it does do in fact have a patent to those concepts. That's all well and good if the organization wants to follow that delusion. However, FRC doesn't have the right and will never have the right to force the lgbt or our allies to live under that same delusion.

Happy Harvey Milk Day!

It's Harvey Milk Day across the nation as we honor the life and contributions of civil rights and human rights leader Harvey Milk. I understand that some folks are not happy and are raising a little fuss. But you know what? Who cares what they think? Enjoy the following videos:

 From the youtube:

On Harvey Milk Day 2012 (May 22), the SF Gay Men's Chorus traveled to the California State Capitol in Sacramento to announce the launch of "Harvey Milk 2013: Living The Legacy", a year-long tribute that culminates in a world premiere, multi-media concert and exhibition event presented by the chorus in June 2013.

This full-length musical interpretation of Harvey's legacy, being hailed as the first of its kind, will include the winners of a call for artistic submissions from the general public, as well as a commissioned work by Broadway composer Andrew Lippa (The Addams Family Musical). Joining the chorus on the steps of the Capitol building were California State Senator Mark Leno and California State Assembly member Tom Ammiano, two of the three authors behind the bill to legislate Harvey Milk Day into California law in 2009, along with teachers from schools in Sacramento, CA who received a gift from the chorus - the score of an anthem commissioned for Harvey Milk 2013 called "Give 'Em Hope", which was performed by the chorus at the event. 

This second video is also from last year in which the SF Gay Men's Chorus performed 'Give 'Em Hope' at its June concert and during SF Pride:

'VA Lt. Gov nominee - 'Adam & Steve will lead to Adam and a bull' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

E.W. Jackson Warns Same-Sex Marriage Leads to Bestiality: 'Adam and Steve' Becomes 'Adam and a Bull' - Virginia Republicans, THIS is the guy you nominated to run for Lt. Governor. Say it with me now - LORD HAMMERCY! 

In other news: 

 Liberty Counsel & Liberty Univ. personality proud of his extreme rhetoric; I applaud him for owning it! - Dear Matt Barber, please look up the fable of the Mischievious Dog.  

Senate Democrats drop-kick binational gay couples - This doesn't look good for us right now but remember that those with power never give it up without a fight. So don't stop fighting.

  Conservatives Reticent To Condemn Anti-Gay Hate Crime - Some conservatives were noble (and late) to condemn the recent anti-gay violence in New York. Others were their usual hateful selves.  

Campus Crusade For Christ ‘Pamoja 3′ Conference Incites Hatred Against LGBT Community In Africa - Not a good thing at all

Family Research Council blames gay community for military sexual assaults

Leave it to the Family Research Council to exploit the serious problem of military sexual assaults to attack the lgbt community:

 President Obama is finally admitting that sexual assault is a serious problem in the military--but what he hasn't conceded is that his policy on homosexuality helped create it. According to a new Pentagon survey, most of the victims were not female (12,000 incidents), but male (14,000)--highlighting a growing trend of same-sex assault in our ranks. Although the Defense Department says it "recognizes the challenges male survivors face," one of the biggest problems is their silence in reporting it. The Washington Times, one of the first to highlight the discrepancy, explains that the Pentagon's attention is largely focused on the females experiencing abuse "overlooking the far greater numbers of men, who, according to the survey, are being v ictimized but not reporting it."

How could this happen? Well, for starters, the Obama administration ordered military leaders to embrace homosexuality--completely dismissing the concerns that it could be a problem to have people attracted to the same sex, living in close quarters. What's more, explains Marine Capt. Lindsay Rodman, the statistics aren't reliable and may be hiding thousands more cases of service-based abuse. "The truth is," she writes in the Wall Street Journal, "that the 26,000 figure [of victims] is such bad math--derived from an unscientific sample set and extrapolated military-wide--that no conclusions can be drawn from it." Except one, perhaps, which is that groups like FRC were right to be concerned about the overturning of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." 

FRC is saying that since gays are now allowed to openly serve, they are responsible for allegedly high number of male-on-male sexual assaults.  This is a false correlation. FRC - and others including World Net Daily - are automatically attributing this number to the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell in spite of the fact that there is no evidence to justify such a correlation.

Of course the facts have never mattered to FRC. Once the group has an angle, it generally exploits that angle to the fullest.

In other words, we shouldn't be surprised if we continue to hear the inaccurate correlation between military sexual assaults and the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.