It never ceases to amaze me how many times the anti-gay group the Family Research Council will just blatantly lie about gay men.
What am I saying?
It shouldn't amaze me because the organization gets away with it often. This particular time has to do with an American Psychological Association series of articles which makes the claim that "rates of military sexual trauma among men who served in the military may be as much as 15 times higher than has been previously reported, largely because of barriers associated with stigma, beliefs in myths about male rape, and feelings of helplessness."
And one of those myths is spread by the Family Research Council, courtesy of its latest email:
Not only does the Family Research Council not provide any proof that repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell is the reason for the increase of male-on-male sexual assaults, but according to Right Wing Watch, the reports say that the idea that "that male rape is homosexual sex and therefore, that only homosexual men get raped and only homosexual men perpetrate rape" is a myth.
But in this world of quick punditry, no respect for good old fashioned journalism, as well as the crop of right-wing, anti-gay entities masquerading as parts of the media, how long will FRC's spin be believed before the truth has time to catch up?
What am I saying?
It shouldn't amaze me because the organization gets away with it often. This particular time has to do with an American Psychological Association series of articles which makes the claim that "rates of military sexual trauma among men who served in the military may be as much as 15 times higher than has been previously reported, largely because of barriers associated with stigma, beliefs in myths about male rape, and feelings of helplessness."
And one of those myths is spread by the Family Research Council, courtesy of its latest email:
If the Association is right, it paints a frightening picture of the Obama Pentagon -- which is not only denying the fallout of its policies, but far worse, denying our servicemen the treatment and help they need. For years, the DOD has shrugged off the possibility that repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) would have any impact on the ranks. Now, four years into this brave new world, it turns out that conservatives and the dozens of military leaders who fought the change were right. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that when Congress introduced even more sexual tension into the ranks, it put thousands of our brave men and women into a defenseless and compromising position.
The White House has spent Barack Obama's entire presidency sexualizing the military, beginning with the repeal of DADT -- and continuing with the push for open transgenderism. Now, Defense officials are racing to reassure people that they're doing everything they can to get to the bottom of these issues -- only to inject more policies that accelerate both. They put political correctness ahead of national security and then seem surprised when the people who protect us are at risk.
The Pentagon downplayed the effects of open homosexuality when it was implemented in the military in 2011-- something it will certainly have a tough time doing now. Until that changes, and the administration gets serious about the root problems, every service member will be a victim of this sexually-charged environment.
Not only does the Family Research Council not provide any proof that repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell is the reason for the increase of male-on-male sexual assaults, but according to Right Wing Watch, the reports say that the idea that "that male rape is homosexual sex and therefore, that only homosexual men get raped and only homosexual men perpetrate rape" is a myth.
But in this world of quick punditry, no respect for good old fashioned journalism, as well as the crop of right-wing, anti-gay entities masquerading as parts of the media, how long will FRC's spin be believed before the truth has time to catch up?
Take a tiny grain of truth--a few words from the APA series--and spin that into whatever will best serve the appetite of their readers. Sounds about right.
ReplyDeleteQuestions:
While the FRC may have used the title, what is the context of the entire series?
When was the series written?
By whom was it written?
Beside the obvious. I have little regard for the FRC due to a personal experience. Somehow my email address got added to their list. I immediately added their address to my SPAM filter. Next day they were back. Same address. I sent a return message asking my address be removed then added them again to my filter. Didn't stay.
Only after threatening legal action for hacking my computer did I get my name removed. Are there tactics they won't use?