Approaching 500 hits
As my hits approach 500, again I would like to thank everyone for having an interest in my work. I thought I would forgo my usual diatribe and go into more detail as to the creation of the book Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters.
My book is the culmination of a two year study of anti-gay industry studies and reports about our community.
In actuality, it is a book that's over ten years in the making for me.
I think that as some of us get older, we forget how it is to first come out and to try find correct information as to who we are and what our futures hold. I can remember how when in college I was attempting to find good information on the gay community, I kept getting saddled by the lies of Paul Cameron, etc. It depressed me to no end how housewives and others portrayed by the media as "ordinary American citizens" would repeat Cameron's information as fact. It was devastating to my sense of self esteem to have some housewife who did not know me portray me as the "other" or the "threat" to her family.
Luckily my first boyfriend was very well read and he provided me with material that told the truth about Cameron's lies and how the anti-gay industry spreads propaganda about us.
As the years went by, my depression gave way to anger. It was anger at how these so-called moral people would tell lies on me and mine and how those who have leadership positions in the gay community seemed to not be as aggressive as they should have been in calling out Cameron, Gary Bauer, Robert Knight, etc.
And that is where I am now. I do believe that our survival lies in not only telling the true story about our lives but pointing out (in an unapologetically aggressive manner) how people like Peter LaBarbera, DL Foster, Robert Knight, Lou Sheldon, etc. lie on an almost daily basis about who we are.
In short, I have said it once and I will say it again: the gay rights movement needs more Genghises than Gandhis. We need aggressive intelligent people who will challenge the anti-gay industry and the so-called "pro family" groups and make them explain things like why they continue to use Paul Cameron's work or why have at least 10 researchers have complained about how their work is being misused.
I hope my book will be one of the first steps of this endeavor. Seeing that it is my first book, I will be self publishing it myself via Cafe Press. I email the sources, ask permission for the usage of work, design the front cover and will handle all of the press for the book. I will also pay for the publication of the book.
To me, this is a strategic step not designed for profit but to shift the so-called cultural war to the point as to where it should be.
We should not have to explain our lives to people like Dobson, Sheldon, etc.
They should be explaining their desire to lie about the gay community not just to us but to the American public at large.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
The"ex-gay" movement: Let's not forget what it's really all about
I see that James Dobson's Focus on the Family is bringing its "ex-gay" sideshow, "Love Won Out" to California. (http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060923/UPDATE/60923004)
Naturally, there will be many of us and our supporters who will stand against this group and their plateau of lies.
But something has bothered me. In fact, it always bothers me when I read about how we stand against those who want to perpetrate the "ex-gay" lie.
We are not telling the full story behind their lies.
What I mean is that every time I read about these groups, their spokespeople like to present a "we just want to present our point of view" front for the media.
They seem to be turning the "tolerance" message upside down and I don't think we challenge them on it as successfully as we should. We should invite media and the public to see who exactly is pulling the strings behind the "ex-gay movement."
But another excerpt from my upcoming book spells it out in a better fashion. This is from one of the chapters I had to exclude for the sake of space:
The ex-gay movement is nothing but a front, a dodge, a diversionary tactic by religious conservative organizations. These ex-gay groups speak out of both sides of their mouths and lie every time. They claim that they only exist to introduce change to anyone who has a problem with their homosexuality, but their actions and especially the company they keep, prove otherwise.
Ex-gay groups exist only to make life miserable for those homosexuals are in fact happy with their orientation. If one would take a critical look at the ex-gay movement, he would find the dirty fingerprints of the anti-gay industry all over it.
Or in the words of Surina Khan, associate analyst at Political Research Associates:
"The ex-gay movement provides political cover for a significant new phase in the Christian Right’s long-running anti-gay campaign. . . Instead of simply denouncing homosexuals as morally and socially corrupt, the Christian Right has now shifted to a strategy of emphasizing personal salvation for homosexuals through the ex-gay movement. Behind this mask of compassion, however, the goal remains the same: to roll back legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people . . ."
The closet, Wayne Besen, Talbert Swann, and D.L. Foster
In June 2004, an African-American minister, Talbert Swann edited a book entitled Closing the Closet: Testimonials of Deliverance from Homosexuality. According to Swann’s webpage:
"Fifteen former gay men and eight former lesbians providing inspiration, motivation, support, and biblically based guidance to homosexuals who desire to be free from their current lifestyle. They pour their hearts out and tell the story of how God transformed them from lives of misery and shame to a committed, joy-filled, blessed existence as man and women living in accordance with God’s word."
Wayne Besen blasted the book as propaganda, saying he doubted the book’s credibility because some of the "ex-gays" it used were affiliated with so-called "pro family" groups.
"Why did this book us a number of ex-gay lobbyists who get paid to say that they’ve changed," he said. " . . . I question whether ex-gays who are independent of fundamentalist political groups actually exist."
Besen’s criticism was answered back by Swann and another minister, D.L. Foster. Swann said:
"If Mr. Besen was interested in making an informed critique he sould have at least read the book. He would have known that of the twenty-three testimonies printed, many have "normal jobs and normal lives" and are not, as he so condescendingly puts it professional flacks for right-wing political groups."
But Besen was correct in his assertion and Swann was misleading in his. Of the 23 testimonials, a great majority of them were affiliated with so-called "pro family" groups or groups who collaborate with such organizations.
These include:
Stephen Bennett - Focus on the Family
Mike Haley - Focus on the Family
Alan Chambers - Exodus International
Bob Ragan - Exodus International
D.L. Foster even goes farther and accuses Besen of being "exgayphobic." Foster also accuses Besen of attacking ex-gays for money and even goes as far as calling him a lunatic. The entire summation of Foster’s letter is that Besen was attempting to shut the voices of "ex-gays" who only want to tell how they were able to transform from being gay.
"His totalitarian agenda won’t be successful in trying to silence us," Foster said. "Besen’s tactics would serve him much better in Saudi Arabia, but this is America."
Foster’s attempt to garner victimhood status for "ex-gays" such as himself is an outright deception. It also further underscores the fact that the ex-gay movement are an engineered front for the anti-gay industry.
The ex-gay movement is quick to grab what they think is a textbook tactic of the gay rights movement: victimhood status. Their leaders and spokespeople are always complaining that they are being discriminated against; that "gay activists" are being intolerant against them, that they are just trying help people who want to change and denying people the choice of "turning away from homosexuality" is discriminatory.
However, prominent ex-gay Stephen Bennett (a contributor to the book) was the Special Issues Editor on Homosexuality for the American Family Association and has spoken in behalf of Concerned Women for America.
Alan Chambers (another contributor) has spoken out against civil unions for gay and lesbian couples.
Even Foster has a blog where he spotlights negative news articles concerning gays and lesbians, attempting to paint the entire community with a bad brush, much like white racists webpages does to the black community. He claims that he is merely showing the true face of the gay rights movement.
Exodus International’s website utilized studies with data from the Kinsey Institute (Homosexuality: Is It Just Another Lifestyle by Alan Medinger) while at the same time utilizing other studies that criticizes Alfred Kinsey, the founder of the Institute (Kinsey and the Homosexual Revolution by Judith Reisman).
Clearly Exodus International is using data that it claims is not credible.
NARTH also repeats John Diggs’s poor study on the sexual activities of homosexuals, as well as Paul Cameron’s discredited data.
And all of these groups, as well as other "ex-gay" groups link themselves with Focus on the Family’s "Love Won Out" tour, which spotlights ex-gays
. . . Every prominent ex-gay is on the payroll of organizations like Focus on the Family or the Traditional Values Coalition - organizations who believe that gays are evil and out to destroy American culture and values. If the ex-gay movement wants credibility, the first step would be to work on their autonomy. They should distance themselves from Dobson, Sheldon, Wildmon, etc.
'Nuff said.
I see that James Dobson's Focus on the Family is bringing its "ex-gay" sideshow, "Love Won Out" to California. (http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060923/UPDATE/60923004)
Naturally, there will be many of us and our supporters who will stand against this group and their plateau of lies.
But something has bothered me. In fact, it always bothers me when I read about how we stand against those who want to perpetrate the "ex-gay" lie.
We are not telling the full story behind their lies.
What I mean is that every time I read about these groups, their spokespeople like to present a "we just want to present our point of view" front for the media.
They seem to be turning the "tolerance" message upside down and I don't think we challenge them on it as successfully as we should. We should invite media and the public to see who exactly is pulling the strings behind the "ex-gay movement."
But another excerpt from my upcoming book spells it out in a better fashion. This is from one of the chapters I had to exclude for the sake of space:
The ex-gay movement is nothing but a front, a dodge, a diversionary tactic by religious conservative organizations. These ex-gay groups speak out of both sides of their mouths and lie every time. They claim that they only exist to introduce change to anyone who has a problem with their homosexuality, but their actions and especially the company they keep, prove otherwise.
Ex-gay groups exist only to make life miserable for those homosexuals are in fact happy with their orientation. If one would take a critical look at the ex-gay movement, he would find the dirty fingerprints of the anti-gay industry all over it.
Or in the words of Surina Khan, associate analyst at Political Research Associates:
"The ex-gay movement provides political cover for a significant new phase in the Christian Right’s long-running anti-gay campaign. . . Instead of simply denouncing homosexuals as morally and socially corrupt, the Christian Right has now shifted to a strategy of emphasizing personal salvation for homosexuals through the ex-gay movement. Behind this mask of compassion, however, the goal remains the same: to roll back legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people . . ."
The closet, Wayne Besen, Talbert Swann, and D.L. Foster
In June 2004, an African-American minister, Talbert Swann edited a book entitled Closing the Closet: Testimonials of Deliverance from Homosexuality. According to Swann’s webpage:
"Fifteen former gay men and eight former lesbians providing inspiration, motivation, support, and biblically based guidance to homosexuals who desire to be free from their current lifestyle. They pour their hearts out and tell the story of how God transformed them from lives of misery and shame to a committed, joy-filled, blessed existence as man and women living in accordance with God’s word."
Wayne Besen blasted the book as propaganda, saying he doubted the book’s credibility because some of the "ex-gays" it used were affiliated with so-called "pro family" groups.
"Why did this book us a number of ex-gay lobbyists who get paid to say that they’ve changed," he said. " . . . I question whether ex-gays who are independent of fundamentalist political groups actually exist."
Besen’s criticism was answered back by Swann and another minister, D.L. Foster. Swann said:
"If Mr. Besen was interested in making an informed critique he sould have at least read the book. He would have known that of the twenty-three testimonies printed, many have "normal jobs and normal lives" and are not, as he so condescendingly puts it professional flacks for right-wing political groups."
But Besen was correct in his assertion and Swann was misleading in his. Of the 23 testimonials, a great majority of them were affiliated with so-called "pro family" groups or groups who collaborate with such organizations.
These include:
Stephen Bennett - Focus on the Family
Mike Haley - Focus on the Family
Alan Chambers - Exodus International
Bob Ragan - Exodus International
D.L. Foster even goes farther and accuses Besen of being "exgayphobic." Foster also accuses Besen of attacking ex-gays for money and even goes as far as calling him a lunatic. The entire summation of Foster’s letter is that Besen was attempting to shut the voices of "ex-gays" who only want to tell how they were able to transform from being gay.
"His totalitarian agenda won’t be successful in trying to silence us," Foster said. "Besen’s tactics would serve him much better in Saudi Arabia, but this is America."
Foster’s attempt to garner victimhood status for "ex-gays" such as himself is an outright deception. It also further underscores the fact that the ex-gay movement are an engineered front for the anti-gay industry.
The ex-gay movement is quick to grab what they think is a textbook tactic of the gay rights movement: victimhood status. Their leaders and spokespeople are always complaining that they are being discriminated against; that "gay activists" are being intolerant against them, that they are just trying help people who want to change and denying people the choice of "turning away from homosexuality" is discriminatory.
However, prominent ex-gay Stephen Bennett (a contributor to the book) was the Special Issues Editor on Homosexuality for the American Family Association and has spoken in behalf of Concerned Women for America.
Alan Chambers (another contributor) has spoken out against civil unions for gay and lesbian couples.
Even Foster has a blog where he spotlights negative news articles concerning gays and lesbians, attempting to paint the entire community with a bad brush, much like white racists webpages does to the black community. He claims that he is merely showing the true face of the gay rights movement.
Exodus International’s website utilized studies with data from the Kinsey Institute (Homosexuality: Is It Just Another Lifestyle by Alan Medinger) while at the same time utilizing other studies that criticizes Alfred Kinsey, the founder of the Institute (Kinsey and the Homosexual Revolution by Judith Reisman).
Clearly Exodus International is using data that it claims is not credible.
NARTH also repeats John Diggs’s poor study on the sexual activities of homosexuals, as well as Paul Cameron’s discredited data.
And all of these groups, as well as other "ex-gay" groups link themselves with Focus on the Family’s "Love Won Out" tour, which spotlights ex-gays
. . . Every prominent ex-gay is on the payroll of organizations like Focus on the Family or the Traditional Values Coalition - organizations who believe that gays are evil and out to destroy American culture and values. If the ex-gay movement wants credibility, the first step would be to work on their autonomy. They should distance themselves from Dobson, Sheldon, Wildmon, etc.
'Nuff said.
Friday, September 22, 2006
A. Nicholas Groth, American Family Association and a Time Line
First, from the Department of Freudian Slips and Giving People Enough Rope to Hang Themselves, I bring you . . . Peter LaBarbera:
"I think the corporate world is now in a rush to embrace the gay agenda fully," he offers. "They don't see a downside, and it's up to pro-family Americans to create a downside." - List of 'Gay'-Friendly Companies Continues to Grow, Agape Press, September 21, 2006 (http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/212006f.asp)
And speaking of our friend Peter, an earlier post (What exactly is a "headless monster?") featured his usage of a discredited study in order to claim that gay men molest children at high rates. For those who remember this post, the bone of contention in the study was that one of the sources, A. Nicholas Groth, demanded that his name be taken off of the study since its espoused a theory that his work contradicts.
In looking over the studies of other so-called "pro family" groups, I found something interesting. It is so interesting in fact that it can only be shown through another one of my timelines:
August 21, 1984 - A. Nicholas Groth complains to the Nebraska Board of Examiners of Psychologists that a certain researcher by the name of Paul Cameron is misusing his work to make the claim that gay men molest children at a high rate. (http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,010.htm)
October 19, 1984 - The Nebraska Psychologists Association pass a resolution distances itself from Cameron's work. (http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,010.htm)
June 2001 - The American Family Association publishes Homosexual Agenda Targeting Children Part 4: Access to children: homosexuality and molestation. The piece pushes the same theory Cameron did. And also includes some references to Groth's work, excluding the fact that he found in his study that homosexuality and pedophilia are not linked. (http://www.afa.net/homosexual_agenda/childrend.asp)
June 10, 2002 - A. Nicholas Groth writes a letter to Timothy Dailey of the Family Research Council demanding that any reference of his work be removed from Dailey's piece, Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse, because the study contradicts his work. (http://www.hrc.org/Content/ContentGroups/News_Releases/20021/Researcher_Cited_in_Anti-Gay_Report_Criticizes_the_Study_as_Biased_and_Misleading.htm)
September 22, 2006 - The American Family Association study remains on the website intact and unchanged. The references to Groth's work remain, excluding the fact that his study found that homosexuality and pedophilia are not related.
First, from the Department of Freudian Slips and Giving People Enough Rope to Hang Themselves, I bring you . . . Peter LaBarbera:
"I think the corporate world is now in a rush to embrace the gay agenda fully," he offers. "They don't see a downside, and it's up to pro-family Americans to create a downside." - List of 'Gay'-Friendly Companies Continues to Grow, Agape Press, September 21, 2006 (http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/212006f.asp)
And speaking of our friend Peter, an earlier post (What exactly is a "headless monster?") featured his usage of a discredited study in order to claim that gay men molest children at high rates. For those who remember this post, the bone of contention in the study was that one of the sources, A. Nicholas Groth, demanded that his name be taken off of the study since its espoused a theory that his work contradicts.
In looking over the studies of other so-called "pro family" groups, I found something interesting. It is so interesting in fact that it can only be shown through another one of my timelines:
August 21, 1984 - A. Nicholas Groth complains to the Nebraska Board of Examiners of Psychologists that a certain researcher by the name of Paul Cameron is misusing his work to make the claim that gay men molest children at a high rate. (http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,010.htm)
October 19, 1984 - The Nebraska Psychologists Association pass a resolution distances itself from Cameron's work. (http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,010.htm)
June 2001 - The American Family Association publishes Homosexual Agenda Targeting Children Part 4: Access to children: homosexuality and molestation. The piece pushes the same theory Cameron did. And also includes some references to Groth's work, excluding the fact that he found in his study that homosexuality and pedophilia are not linked. (http://www.afa.net/homosexual_agenda/childrend.asp)
June 10, 2002 - A. Nicholas Groth writes a letter to Timothy Dailey of the Family Research Council demanding that any reference of his work be removed from Dailey's piece, Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse, because the study contradicts his work. (http://www.hrc.org/Content/ContentGroups/News_Releases/20021/Researcher_Cited_in_Anti-Gay_Report_Criticizes_the_Study_as_Biased_and_Misleading.htm)
September 22, 2006 - The American Family Association study remains on the website intact and unchanged. The references to Groth's work remain, excluding the fact that his study found that homosexuality and pedophilia are not related.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Paul Cameron on The Daily Show: Not as funny as you think
From what I understand, our friend Paul Cameron was on the Daily Show earlier this week. - http://www.exgaywatch.com/blog/archives/2006/09/paul_cameron_on_2.html#comments
Now I did not see the clip (the disadvantages of not having cable and having dial up) but from I understand, he provided a good laugh to the many who saw it.
But don't the laughter fool you. Cameron may have looked like a buffoon but he is anything but stupid.
He is a classic example of a headless monster in that he has been refuted and discredited many times by legitimate sources but the anti-gay industry continues to prop him up as a legitimate researcher and critic of the gay community.
And even when he is not referred to by name, so-called "pro family" groups feature his work as legitimate.
An earlier post on this blog demonstrated how Lou Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition simultaneously claims that Cameron's work is not credible but still refers to it (Paul Cameron, the Traditional Values Coalition, a little game that I like to call "Time Line")
I think a few more examples of Cameron's influence is in order via another book excerpt:
In May 2005, Cameron announced the completion of another study that supposedly proved that homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking and being overweight. What he did was take over 10,000 obituaries from the gay newspaper the Washington Post and compare them to a CDC report entitled AIDS Cases in Adolescents and Adults, by Age - United States, 1994-2000. He claimed that this supported his early gay life span study.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said otherwise. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC's National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, said Cameron uses bad methodology. He also said:
"[The CDC] does not collect statistics on the life span of gay men. While gay men continue to be severely impacted by HIV and AIDS, AIDS-related death data cannot be used to indicate that homosexual men live shorter lives than heterosexual men overall."
The CDC's condemnation meant nothing to the Agape Press. In June 2005, it claimed that Cameron's life span study had been proven to be correct.
"New government research has found what most conservatives have been saying for years about the dangers of the homosexual lifestyle. . ."
Agape Press did not print a rebuttal from the CDC to this statement.
Nor did the CDC's rebuke mean anything to Rev. Bill Banuchi, head of the New York chapter of the Christian Coalition.
In June 2005, he said that gays should wear warning labels. His rationale was the following:
"We put warning labels on cigarette packs because we know that smoking takes one to two years off the average life span, yet we 'celebrate' a lifestyle that we know spreads every kind of sexually transmitted disease and takes at least 20 years off the average life span according to the 2005 issue of the revered scientific journal Psychological Reports" - Christian Coalition: Gay Warning Labels, 365Gay.com, June 13, 2005
Even the Southern Baptist Convention used this study. In that same month, the convention looked at a resolution issued by evangelist Voddie Baucham, Jr calling for churches to "investigate whether their local school district has a 'gay-straight' alliance or other homosexual clubs." The resolution also tells churches to "encourage parents' removal of their children from schools that have curricula or programs that treat homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle."
Part of this resolution referred to Cameron's study:
"Whereas, there is evidence that the homosexual lifestyle reduces life expectancy more than smoking;"
In May 2005, a 16-year-old teenager by the name of Zach Stark told his parents that he was gay. His parents put him in a reparative, or ex-gay program entitled "Love In Action." Zach's situation became widely known because of a blog he was keeping about his coming out. His parents were faced with negative scrutiny as to how they could place their child in such a program.
Zach's father, Joe Stark, explained their decision on a July episode of Pat Robertson's "The 700 Club." One of the reasons he gave cited a bastardized version Cameron's life span statistic:
"We felt very good about Zach coming here because . . . to let him see for himself the destructive lifestyle, what he has to face in the future, and to give him some options that society doesn't give him today," Stark said. "Knowing that your son... statistics say that by the age of 30 he could either have AIDS or be dead."
In June 2005, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed two bills; one dealt with abortion, while the other was a "defense of marriage" bill. Accompanying Governor Perry was televangelist Ron Parsley. Parsley had this to say about homosexuality:
"Gay sex is a veritable breeding ground for disease. Only one percent of the homosexual population in America will die of old age. The average life expectancy for a homosexual in the United States discounting AIDS is forty-two years of age . . . A lesbian can only expect to live to be forty-five years of age." Perry schmoozes with gay bashers, Austin Chronicle, June 10, 2005
Not only was Parsley quoting a Cameron statistic, but he even generalized about the lesbian population even though lesbians made up only two percent of Cameron's sample group. Parsley repeated that lie in an August 9, 2005 issue of Agape Press. He said the following:
"I'm against the homosexual lifestyle because the average life expectancy of a homosexual and a lesbian in the United States is forty-two and forty-five versus seventy-five and seventy-nine. These people are fighting for a lifestyle that is robbing them of half of their life expectancy." - Pastor Contends Christians Have An Obligation to Warn Homosexuals, Agape Press, August 9, 2005
Cameron's claim that homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking has even made its way to the lower echelons of the Bush Administration. In July 2005, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter asked that the national Health and Human Services look at a certain website because it allegedly showed inaccurate information about homosexuality and contraception.
The website, 4parents.gov, had information from an organization called the National Physicians Center for Family Resources. Health and Human Services had hired the organization to create its content. The chairman of the National Physicians Center for Family Resources board John Whiffen said the organization was correct regarding what it had printed about homosexuality. He said:
"It's fairly well-accepted that somking is not a good idea. It takes seven years off of your life. It appears that male homosexuality takes more than that off your life." - Specter seeks review of teen health site, Washington Blade, July 29, 2005
Paul Cameron is no laughing matter and it would be in our best interest to tell the truth about him every chance we get.
From what I understand, our friend Paul Cameron was on the Daily Show earlier this week. - http://www.exgaywatch.com/blog/archives/2006/09/paul_cameron_on_2.html#comments
Now I did not see the clip (the disadvantages of not having cable and having dial up) but from I understand, he provided a good laugh to the many who saw it.
But don't the laughter fool you. Cameron may have looked like a buffoon but he is anything but stupid.
He is a classic example of a headless monster in that he has been refuted and discredited many times by legitimate sources but the anti-gay industry continues to prop him up as a legitimate researcher and critic of the gay community.
And even when he is not referred to by name, so-called "pro family" groups feature his work as legitimate.
An earlier post on this blog demonstrated how Lou Sheldon's Traditional Values Coalition simultaneously claims that Cameron's work is not credible but still refers to it (Paul Cameron, the Traditional Values Coalition, a little game that I like to call "Time Line")
I think a few more examples of Cameron's influence is in order via another book excerpt:
In May 2005, Cameron announced the completion of another study that supposedly proved that homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking and being overweight. What he did was take over 10,000 obituaries from the gay newspaper the Washington Post and compare them to a CDC report entitled AIDS Cases in Adolescents and Adults, by Age - United States, 1994-2000. He claimed that this supported his early gay life span study.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said otherwise. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC's National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, said Cameron uses bad methodology. He also said:
"[The CDC] does not collect statistics on the life span of gay men. While gay men continue to be severely impacted by HIV and AIDS, AIDS-related death data cannot be used to indicate that homosexual men live shorter lives than heterosexual men overall."
The CDC's condemnation meant nothing to the Agape Press. In June 2005, it claimed that Cameron's life span study had been proven to be correct.
"New government research has found what most conservatives have been saying for years about the dangers of the homosexual lifestyle. . ."
Agape Press did not print a rebuttal from the CDC to this statement.
Nor did the CDC's rebuke mean anything to Rev. Bill Banuchi, head of the New York chapter of the Christian Coalition.
In June 2005, he said that gays should wear warning labels. His rationale was the following:
"We put warning labels on cigarette packs because we know that smoking takes one to two years off the average life span, yet we 'celebrate' a lifestyle that we know spreads every kind of sexually transmitted disease and takes at least 20 years off the average life span according to the 2005 issue of the revered scientific journal Psychological Reports" - Christian Coalition: Gay Warning Labels, 365Gay.com, June 13, 2005
Even the Southern Baptist Convention used this study. In that same month, the convention looked at a resolution issued by evangelist Voddie Baucham, Jr calling for churches to "investigate whether their local school district has a 'gay-straight' alliance or other homosexual clubs." The resolution also tells churches to "encourage parents' removal of their children from schools that have curricula or programs that treat homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle."
Part of this resolution referred to Cameron's study:
"Whereas, there is evidence that the homosexual lifestyle reduces life expectancy more than smoking;"
In May 2005, a 16-year-old teenager by the name of Zach Stark told his parents that he was gay. His parents put him in a reparative, or ex-gay program entitled "Love In Action." Zach's situation became widely known because of a blog he was keeping about his coming out. His parents were faced with negative scrutiny as to how they could place their child in such a program.
Zach's father, Joe Stark, explained their decision on a July episode of Pat Robertson's "The 700 Club." One of the reasons he gave cited a bastardized version Cameron's life span statistic:
"We felt very good about Zach coming here because . . . to let him see for himself the destructive lifestyle, what he has to face in the future, and to give him some options that society doesn't give him today," Stark said. "Knowing that your son... statistics say that by the age of 30 he could either have AIDS or be dead."
In June 2005, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed two bills; one dealt with abortion, while the other was a "defense of marriage" bill. Accompanying Governor Perry was televangelist Ron Parsley. Parsley had this to say about homosexuality:
"Gay sex is a veritable breeding ground for disease. Only one percent of the homosexual population in America will die of old age. The average life expectancy for a homosexual in the United States discounting AIDS is forty-two years of age . . . A lesbian can only expect to live to be forty-five years of age." Perry schmoozes with gay bashers, Austin Chronicle, June 10, 2005
Not only was Parsley quoting a Cameron statistic, but he even generalized about the lesbian population even though lesbians made up only two percent of Cameron's sample group. Parsley repeated that lie in an August 9, 2005 issue of Agape Press. He said the following:
"I'm against the homosexual lifestyle because the average life expectancy of a homosexual and a lesbian in the United States is forty-two and forty-five versus seventy-five and seventy-nine. These people are fighting for a lifestyle that is robbing them of half of their life expectancy." - Pastor Contends Christians Have An Obligation to Warn Homosexuals, Agape Press, August 9, 2005
Cameron's claim that homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking has even made its way to the lower echelons of the Bush Administration. In July 2005, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter asked that the national Health and Human Services look at a certain website because it allegedly showed inaccurate information about homosexuality and contraception.
The website, 4parents.gov, had information from an organization called the National Physicians Center for Family Resources. Health and Human Services had hired the organization to create its content. The chairman of the National Physicians Center for Family Resources board John Whiffen said the organization was correct regarding what it had printed about homosexuality. He said:
"It's fairly well-accepted that somking is not a good idea. It takes seven years off of your life. It appears that male homosexuality takes more than that off your life." - Specter seeks review of teen health site, Washington Blade, July 29, 2005
Paul Cameron is no laughing matter and it would be in our best interest to tell the truth about him every chance we get.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Why a book like the one I am writing is needed.
First of all, I would like to thank all of my readers. This is my eleventh post and I will be reaching 300 hits within this week.
It just goes to show that so many of us are interested in taking on the anti-gay industry . I am all for educating Americans about who we are but I won't do it in a way that reduces me to a beggar. "Please tolerate me" is not a phrase that will ever come out of my mouth.
I have reconciled myself to the fact that some Americans will never accept the gay community.
And that is fine.
What I am talking about through my book and blog is the fact that religious belief alone is no reason to dictate to anyone how their lives are going to be. And I as a gay man will not apologize for my desires to have a good family, children, or any of parts of that lovely American Dream that I believe so much in.
And I will not allow anyone to make me live my life based on their interpretations of how they think I live or what they think I do in the bedroom.
In accordance to that, I think we as a community need to expose the lies of James Dobson, Lou Sheldon, Peter LaBarbera, and company. We need to be unapologetically aggressive, but also show discipline and resolve.
We need to make them justify the fact that they are lying in the name of God.
But I think I can put it better through a rough excerpt of my book:
Gays and lesbians make up to two to 10 percent of the American population and come in every age and ethnic group. These are people with real lives. They work, eat, sleep, and pay bills just like everyone else. In fact, according to the 2000 Census, over 300,000 of them are raising children in this country.
But despite all of this, the United States is not educated as to who exactly they are. Many don’t know any out-of-the-closet gays and lesbians. Many who do know out-of-the-closet gays and lesbians do not take the time to learn about them or their lives.
Also, many Americans regard themselves as Christians and to many of these Christians, homosexuality is a sin. Therefore when people like Timothy Dailey and Robert Knight put forth their lies and propaganda about the gay community while at the same time claiming that they are on the side of righteousness, it is relatively easy to persuade people of faith that they are speaking the truth.
Backed by this propaganda, those who call themselves "people of faith" often repeat some of the most vicious, un-Christian lies with not only a straight face but a self assurance that what they are saying is the gospel truth:
"The "alphas" in homosexual relationships, be they men or women, are many times recruiting younger partners. A vast percentage of those who enter the homosexual life do so after having been sexually initiated by an older person of their sex – be it consensual or not – it usually has the feel of enticement or seduction." - Kevin McCullough, The ‘Gay’ Truth, May 30, 2003
"... there is an abundance of evidence that homosexual couples do not make the optimum family unit. We have also seen evidence that homosexual couples prey on young males and have in some instances adopted them in order to have unfretted access to subject them to a life of molestation and sexual abuse." - Tennessee State Representative Debra Young Maggart to a constiuent, February 25, 2006
"The newest thing in Chicago, it's becoming a trend, and you're gonna find this hard to believe...sex with infants" ... "It's not enough that they have...you know when you engage in perversion, and homosexuality is perversion, we don't hate the gays mind you, we don't hate them, we hate what they're doing...pretty soon that perversion is like addiction, it's not enough, so you need to graduate to something else. You need to move on. So now they're having sex with animals, a small group that's getting bigger, sex with infants, sex in the street in Chicago out in the open, it's just getting more and more perverted." - Guy Adams, August 2, 2006
. . . If someone wants to believe that gays and lesbians are going to hell, then that is his or her right. After all, this is America and the First Amendment guarantees anyone the right to espouse whatever beliefs they want. In this country, we have Jehovah Witnesses, Seven Day Adventists, snake handlers, Muslims, Jews, etc.
But the passage of laws is a more complicated process.
Laws are created to guard the public trust and to protect that same public from harm. Jewish people in this country cannot pass laws based upon their interpretation of the Talmud anymore than Muslims can pass laws based on their interpretation of the Koran. In that same spirit, Christians cannot pass laws in this country based on their interpretation of the Bible. Just because one’s religion tells him that homosexuality is a bad concept does not mean he can pass laws discriminating against gays and lesbians.
That is, unless he can prove that the public good is preserved by such laws.
Therefore, in order to prove that gays and lesbians should not have any protection of laws, so-called "pro-family" organizations have created a written and oral pattern of deception that is not only blatant in its attempts but shameful in its audacity. In their zeal to prove the worst about the gay community, the anti-gay industry runs roughshod over science and truth. They have created a houses of pseudo-scientific studies based on distortions, lies, headless monsters, and legitimate studies taken out of context , which are then pushed by fake experts, Ph.D.s, conservative columnists and bloggers, and ignorant people of faith all willing to sacrifice their integrity on the altar of an alleged higher calling.
And to make matters worse, they work to undermine credible information that has proven time and time again that their ideas of the gay community are fallacies.
And the effects of their propaganda campaign can only be described as damaging.
Children who tell their parents they are gay are being kicked out of their homes or shipped to "reparative therapy" camps where they are supposed to be transformed into heterosexuals because Concerned Women for America has "research" that says that homosexuality is a "destructive lifestyle."
Legislation that would keep gays safe from job-discrimination face the accusation that it is just a backdoor way to force acceptance for the "homosexual agenda" because the Family Research Council has "research" that says so.
Schools across the country are ignoring the well-being of gay students in that they are not allowed to mention the word "homosexual" in sex education classes because Timothy Dailey, Robert Knight, or Peter LaBarbera has "research" that says homosexuals are coming into schools to indoctrinate the next generation and cause them to become infected with diseases like "gay bowel syndrome."
These so-called "pro-family" organizations are using phony statistics and half truths almost on a daily basis in attempts to defeat pro gay laws, deny gay children the right to form support groups, to hinder correct safe sex information from being made public, and any other way they feel they can stop the so-called gay agenda; an agenda that does not exist.
I have always believed that the truth in every situation will come out. I also believe in sometimes giving that truth a little nudge to the light.
First of all, I would like to thank all of my readers. This is my eleventh post and I will be reaching 300 hits within this week.
It just goes to show that so many of us are interested in taking on the anti-gay industry . I am all for educating Americans about who we are but I won't do it in a way that reduces me to a beggar. "Please tolerate me" is not a phrase that will ever come out of my mouth.
I have reconciled myself to the fact that some Americans will never accept the gay community.
And that is fine.
What I am talking about through my book and blog is the fact that religious belief alone is no reason to dictate to anyone how their lives are going to be. And I as a gay man will not apologize for my desires to have a good family, children, or any of parts of that lovely American Dream that I believe so much in.
And I will not allow anyone to make me live my life based on their interpretations of how they think I live or what they think I do in the bedroom.
In accordance to that, I think we as a community need to expose the lies of James Dobson, Lou Sheldon, Peter LaBarbera, and company. We need to be unapologetically aggressive, but also show discipline and resolve.
We need to make them justify the fact that they are lying in the name of God.
But I think I can put it better through a rough excerpt of my book:
Gays and lesbians make up to two to 10 percent of the American population and come in every age and ethnic group. These are people with real lives. They work, eat, sleep, and pay bills just like everyone else. In fact, according to the 2000 Census, over 300,000 of them are raising children in this country.
But despite all of this, the United States is not educated as to who exactly they are. Many don’t know any out-of-the-closet gays and lesbians. Many who do know out-of-the-closet gays and lesbians do not take the time to learn about them or their lives.
Also, many Americans regard themselves as Christians and to many of these Christians, homosexuality is a sin. Therefore when people like Timothy Dailey and Robert Knight put forth their lies and propaganda about the gay community while at the same time claiming that they are on the side of righteousness, it is relatively easy to persuade people of faith that they are speaking the truth.
Backed by this propaganda, those who call themselves "people of faith" often repeat some of the most vicious, un-Christian lies with not only a straight face but a self assurance that what they are saying is the gospel truth:
"The "alphas" in homosexual relationships, be they men or women, are many times recruiting younger partners. A vast percentage of those who enter the homosexual life do so after having been sexually initiated by an older person of their sex – be it consensual or not – it usually has the feel of enticement or seduction." - Kevin McCullough, The ‘Gay’ Truth, May 30, 2003
"... there is an abundance of evidence that homosexual couples do not make the optimum family unit. We have also seen evidence that homosexual couples prey on young males and have in some instances adopted them in order to have unfretted access to subject them to a life of molestation and sexual abuse." - Tennessee State Representative Debra Young Maggart to a constiuent, February 25, 2006
"The newest thing in Chicago, it's becoming a trend, and you're gonna find this hard to believe...sex with infants" ... "It's not enough that they have...you know when you engage in perversion, and homosexuality is perversion, we don't hate the gays mind you, we don't hate them, we hate what they're doing...pretty soon that perversion is like addiction, it's not enough, so you need to graduate to something else. You need to move on. So now they're having sex with animals, a small group that's getting bigger, sex with infants, sex in the street in Chicago out in the open, it's just getting more and more perverted." - Guy Adams, August 2, 2006
. . . If someone wants to believe that gays and lesbians are going to hell, then that is his or her right. After all, this is America and the First Amendment guarantees anyone the right to espouse whatever beliefs they want. In this country, we have Jehovah Witnesses, Seven Day Adventists, snake handlers, Muslims, Jews, etc.
But the passage of laws is a more complicated process.
Laws are created to guard the public trust and to protect that same public from harm. Jewish people in this country cannot pass laws based upon their interpretation of the Talmud anymore than Muslims can pass laws based on their interpretation of the Koran. In that same spirit, Christians cannot pass laws in this country based on their interpretation of the Bible. Just because one’s religion tells him that homosexuality is a bad concept does not mean he can pass laws discriminating against gays and lesbians.
That is, unless he can prove that the public good is preserved by such laws.
Therefore, in order to prove that gays and lesbians should not have any protection of laws, so-called "pro-family" organizations have created a written and oral pattern of deception that is not only blatant in its attempts but shameful in its audacity. In their zeal to prove the worst about the gay community, the anti-gay industry runs roughshod over science and truth. They have created a houses of pseudo-scientific studies based on distortions, lies, headless monsters, and legitimate studies taken out of context , which are then pushed by fake experts, Ph.D.s, conservative columnists and bloggers, and ignorant people of faith all willing to sacrifice their integrity on the altar of an alleged higher calling.
And to make matters worse, they work to undermine credible information that has proven time and time again that their ideas of the gay community are fallacies.
And the effects of their propaganda campaign can only be described as damaging.
Children who tell their parents they are gay are being kicked out of their homes or shipped to "reparative therapy" camps where they are supposed to be transformed into heterosexuals because Concerned Women for America has "research" that says that homosexuality is a "destructive lifestyle."
Legislation that would keep gays safe from job-discrimination face the accusation that it is just a backdoor way to force acceptance for the "homosexual agenda" because the Family Research Council has "research" that says so.
Schools across the country are ignoring the well-being of gay students in that they are not allowed to mention the word "homosexual" in sex education classes because Timothy Dailey, Robert Knight, or Peter LaBarbera has "research" that says homosexuals are coming into schools to indoctrinate the next generation and cause them to become infected with diseases like "gay bowel syndrome."
These so-called "pro-family" organizations are using phony statistics and half truths almost on a daily basis in attempts to defeat pro gay laws, deny gay children the right to form support groups, to hinder correct safe sex information from being made public, and any other way they feel they can stop the so-called gay agenda; an agenda that does not exist.
I have always believed that the truth in every situation will come out. I also believe in sometimes giving that truth a little nudge to the light.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Paul Cameron, the anti-gay industry and pedophilia
One of the charges I make consistently in my book is that when the anti-gay industry are not using discredited researcher Paul Cameron's work, they copy his bad tactics or his outrageous theories.
Nowhere proves this more than in the subject of gays and pedophilia. Cameron believes the theory that if a man molests a boy then that man is automatically gay. Bear in mind that he distorted a study by Dr. A. Nicholas Groth to prove his theory and Groth complained vehemently about the misusage of his work. (see earlier post)
Unfortunately, as this May 4, 2005 letter to the editor to the Wall Street Journal, Cameron still believes his theory to be accurate:
“When the perpetrator and the victim are of the same sex, you are looking at a homosexual perpetrator. (When the victim is of the opposite sex, there is some uncertainty because homosexuals often molest children of both sexes) . . . Most people understand that a thief is someone who steals. Even though he loudly proclaims his honesty, a man is known by his actions. . . . Action trumps claims. Likewise , to most of us . . . a homosexual is someone who has sex with his own sex. Whether he’s married, also has sex with women, etc. - - if he has sex with boys or men, he’s a homosexual. Action trump claims.”- (Paul) Cameron responds to ‘Numbers Guy’, The Wall Street Journal, May 4, 2005
But other more credible researchers have said just the opposite. American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Academy of Child Psychiatrists and the Child Welfare League of America, all say that the homosexuality and pedophilia are not linked.
However, this means nothing to members of the anti-gay industry. When having to decide between credible research and research that caters to their religious beliefs about the "evils" of homosexuality, so-called "pro family groups" pick Cameron every time:
"The ‘gay agenda’ targets children. They’re luring kids into homosexual behavior. There is a strong undercurrent of pedophilia in the homosexual subculture." – Robert Knight, Rolling Stone, March, 18, 1999
Homosexual activists, of course, have created a propaganda tool that helps them avoid taking the blame for same-sex molestations. Whenever a boy is molested by a man, homosexuals label him a “pedophile,” which is supposedly distinct from homosexuality. This propaganda technique has blinded many journalists and academics to the truth: A person who molests a same-sex child is a homosexual. - Lou Sheldon, Big Brothers-Big Sisters Organization Faces Homosexual Child Molester Threat
"If he's (a man) into molesting boys, that's homosexual behavior. It's academic nonsense to talk about these people as heterosexuals.” Peter LaBarbera, Homosexuals more likely to molest kids, study reports, BP News, May 30, 2001
“Most cases of sexual abuse of children and adolescents involve boys being assaulted by men. This is by definition 'homosexual' since it involves same sex sexual abuse.” - Linda P. Harvey, Homosexual Agenda Escalates in Public Schools, June 21, 2001
And one more thing: while the quotes may be old, some even over five years old, none of these people or organizations have gone on record changing their positions.
I never knew Jesus approved of lying.
One of the charges I make consistently in my book is that when the anti-gay industry are not using discredited researcher Paul Cameron's work, they copy his bad tactics or his outrageous theories.
Nowhere proves this more than in the subject of gays and pedophilia. Cameron believes the theory that if a man molests a boy then that man is automatically gay. Bear in mind that he distorted a study by Dr. A. Nicholas Groth to prove his theory and Groth complained vehemently about the misusage of his work. (see earlier post)
Unfortunately, as this May 4, 2005 letter to the editor to the Wall Street Journal, Cameron still believes his theory to be accurate:
“When the perpetrator and the victim are of the same sex, you are looking at a homosexual perpetrator. (When the victim is of the opposite sex, there is some uncertainty because homosexuals often molest children of both sexes) . . . Most people understand that a thief is someone who steals. Even though he loudly proclaims his honesty, a man is known by his actions. . . . Action trumps claims. Likewise , to most of us . . . a homosexual is someone who has sex with his own sex. Whether he’s married, also has sex with women, etc. - - if he has sex with boys or men, he’s a homosexual. Action trump claims.”- (Paul) Cameron responds to ‘Numbers Guy’, The Wall Street Journal, May 4, 2005
But other more credible researchers have said just the opposite. American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Academy of Child Psychiatrists and the Child Welfare League of America, all say that the homosexuality and pedophilia are not linked.
However, this means nothing to members of the anti-gay industry. When having to decide between credible research and research that caters to their religious beliefs about the "evils" of homosexuality, so-called "pro family groups" pick Cameron every time:
"The ‘gay agenda’ targets children. They’re luring kids into homosexual behavior. There is a strong undercurrent of pedophilia in the homosexual subculture." – Robert Knight, Rolling Stone, March, 18, 1999
Homosexual activists, of course, have created a propaganda tool that helps them avoid taking the blame for same-sex molestations. Whenever a boy is molested by a man, homosexuals label him a “pedophile,” which is supposedly distinct from homosexuality. This propaganda technique has blinded many journalists and academics to the truth: A person who molests a same-sex child is a homosexual. - Lou Sheldon, Big Brothers-Big Sisters Organization Faces Homosexual Child Molester Threat
"If he's (a man) into molesting boys, that's homosexual behavior. It's academic nonsense to talk about these people as heterosexuals.” Peter LaBarbera, Homosexuals more likely to molest kids, study reports, BP News, May 30, 2001
“Most cases of sexual abuse of children and adolescents involve boys being assaulted by men. This is by definition 'homosexual' since it involves same sex sexual abuse.” - Linda P. Harvey, Homosexual Agenda Escalates in Public Schools, June 21, 2001
And one more thing: while the quotes may be old, some even over five years old, none of these people or organizations have gone on record changing their positions.
I never knew Jesus approved of lying.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
The anti-gay industry can't stop lying
An article in Friday's Agape Press demonstrates yet again the tendency for so-called "pro family groups" and their cohorts to spread propaganda about the gay community.
Agape Press is yet another tentacle of the anti-gay industry. This so called "news source" is an extension of Tim Wildmon's American Family Association and is another place where the anti-gay industry can spread lies about the gay community unchallenged.
This Friday's article, Surveys Reveal Sex Practices of Homosexuals (http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/152006g.asp) claims that a sex survey in the August 15, 2006 edition of The Advocate reveals that "the homosexual lifestyle continues to be plagued by promiscuity and unsafe sexual practices."
First of all, a sex survey in one magazine cannot be taken to be indicative of an entire community. I for one did not fill out the survey and I know that many others didn't. So what does that say about us?
But the use of sex surveys in order to demonize the entire gay community is an old canard of the anti-gay industry. Our friend Paul Cameron used a sex survey as one of his cites of information in his refuted piece, Child Molestation and Homosexuality.
The survey Cameron used was a book published in 1979, The Gay Report. Now according to the webpage Box Turtle Bulletin (linked below):
"The Gay Report was modeled after many other informal sex surveys which were popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Magazines like Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and Playboy often conducted reader surveys."
In fact, 2,500 of the survey answers from The Gay Report came from a gay pornographic magazine, Blueboy.
Gay pornographic magazines cannot be considered as indicative of the gay community any more than Hustler magazine can be considered as indicative of the heterosexual community.
And andendum to this is the fact that the Traditional Values Coalition continues to claim that the The Gay Report is indicative of the gay community - i.e. The Gay Report: A Survey of Homosexual Sexual Habits. - http://traditionalvalues.org/pdf_files/GayReport.pdf
But more about that later.
My segueway into the history of the anti-gay industry using sex surveys to demonize the gay community was to show that when so-called "pro family" groups do not cite Cameron by name, they copy his bad research tactics.
As it is, Agape Press's usage of the sex survey from the Advocate is filled with distortions that can only be meant as intentional.
For example, look at this quote from the article:
"The poll found that 20 percent of homosexuals said they had had 51-300 different sex partners in their lifetime, with an additional 8 percent having had more than 300."
This is true but the way Agape Press cited the survey findings in this case was a misrepresentation.
The original question was:
"During your lifetime, how many different same-sex partners have you had sex with?"
The 51-300 range given by Agape Press is actually a combination of different answers. The original answers were:
9.92 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 51-100 sexual partners
9.58 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 101-300
Agape Press combined these two totals to make a 20 percent figure.
These other answers were ommitted:
5.6 percent of gays and lesbians said they had no sexual partners
6.95 percent of gays and lesbians said they had one sexual partner
20.24 percent of gays and lesbians said they had two to five sexual partners.
12.72 percent of gays and lesbians said they had six to 10 sexual partners
12.18 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 11 to 20 sexual partners
14.4 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 21-50 sexual partners.
Now if I used the same tactic that Agape Press used to garner its 20 percent figure, then I could say that a very large percent of gays and lesbians have a low promiscuity rate (0-50 partners in a lifetime.)
Another distortion is as follows:
"A survey in Ireland by the Gay Men's Health Project found that almost half of homosexuals said they were having unprotected sex.
The Advocate survey seemed to underscore that. It found that 55 percent of homosexuals said they never (20%), occasionally (10%) or usually (25%) practiced so-called "safer sex."
Agape Press does not give any more information regarding the Ireland survey. And of course the attempt to connect the Advocate survey to this is another distortion.
The actual survey question was "how often do you practice safe sex."
The answers given was as follows:
19.93 percent of gay and lesbians said never
44.65 percent of gays and lesbians said always
10.35 percent of gays and lesbians said occasionally
25.06 percent of gays and lesbians said usually.
So we see that Agape Press combined three of the survey answers to get its total. When the answers stand alone, the great majority of gays and lesbians say that they are practicing safe sex.
Now in its zeal to demonize the gay commuity, Agape Press omitted the following findings:
81.96 percent of gays and lesbians said they would get married if same sex marriage was legalized.
If having to choose, 84.18 percent of gays and lesbians would live without sex rather than living without love.
65.03 percent of gays and lesbians said they never visit bathhouses, sex clubs, sex parties, or backrooms. The answer with the second highest total in that category was "rarely" -17.20 percent.
Two points are obvious from the Advocate sex survey: gays and lesbians are not as sexually wild as people think and members of the anti-gay industry seem to never miss an opportunity to make life harder for us.
An article in Friday's Agape Press demonstrates yet again the tendency for so-called "pro family groups" and their cohorts to spread propaganda about the gay community.
Agape Press is yet another tentacle of the anti-gay industry. This so called "news source" is an extension of Tim Wildmon's American Family Association and is another place where the anti-gay industry can spread lies about the gay community unchallenged.
This Friday's article, Surveys Reveal Sex Practices of Homosexuals (http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/152006g.asp) claims that a sex survey in the August 15, 2006 edition of The Advocate reveals that "the homosexual lifestyle continues to be plagued by promiscuity and unsafe sexual practices."
First of all, a sex survey in one magazine cannot be taken to be indicative of an entire community. I for one did not fill out the survey and I know that many others didn't. So what does that say about us?
But the use of sex surveys in order to demonize the entire gay community is an old canard of the anti-gay industry. Our friend Paul Cameron used a sex survey as one of his cites of information in his refuted piece, Child Molestation and Homosexuality.
The survey Cameron used was a book published in 1979, The Gay Report. Now according to the webpage Box Turtle Bulletin (linked below):
"The Gay Report was modeled after many other informal sex surveys which were popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Magazines like Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and Playboy often conducted reader surveys."
In fact, 2,500 of the survey answers from The Gay Report came from a gay pornographic magazine, Blueboy.
Gay pornographic magazines cannot be considered as indicative of the gay community any more than Hustler magazine can be considered as indicative of the heterosexual community.
And andendum to this is the fact that the Traditional Values Coalition continues to claim that the The Gay Report is indicative of the gay community - i.e. The Gay Report: A Survey of Homosexual Sexual Habits. - http://traditionalvalues.org/pdf_files/GayReport.pdf
But more about that later.
My segueway into the history of the anti-gay industry using sex surveys to demonize the gay community was to show that when so-called "pro family" groups do not cite Cameron by name, they copy his bad research tactics.
As it is, Agape Press's usage of the sex survey from the Advocate is filled with distortions that can only be meant as intentional.
For example, look at this quote from the article:
"The poll found that 20 percent of homosexuals said they had had 51-300 different sex partners in their lifetime, with an additional 8 percent having had more than 300."
This is true but the way Agape Press cited the survey findings in this case was a misrepresentation.
The original question was:
"During your lifetime, how many different same-sex partners have you had sex with?"
The 51-300 range given by Agape Press is actually a combination of different answers. The original answers were:
9.92 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 51-100 sexual partners
9.58 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 101-300
Agape Press combined these two totals to make a 20 percent figure.
These other answers were ommitted:
5.6 percent of gays and lesbians said they had no sexual partners
6.95 percent of gays and lesbians said they had one sexual partner
20.24 percent of gays and lesbians said they had two to five sexual partners.
12.72 percent of gays and lesbians said they had six to 10 sexual partners
12.18 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 11 to 20 sexual partners
14.4 percent of gays and lesbians said they had 21-50 sexual partners.
Now if I used the same tactic that Agape Press used to garner its 20 percent figure, then I could say that a very large percent of gays and lesbians have a low promiscuity rate (0-50 partners in a lifetime.)
Another distortion is as follows:
"A survey in Ireland by the Gay Men's Health Project found that almost half of homosexuals said they were having unprotected sex.
The Advocate survey seemed to underscore that. It found that 55 percent of homosexuals said they never (20%), occasionally (10%) or usually (25%) practiced so-called "safer sex."
Agape Press does not give any more information regarding the Ireland survey. And of course the attempt to connect the Advocate survey to this is another distortion.
The actual survey question was "how often do you practice safe sex."
The answers given was as follows:
19.93 percent of gay and lesbians said never
44.65 percent of gays and lesbians said always
10.35 percent of gays and lesbians said occasionally
25.06 percent of gays and lesbians said usually.
So we see that Agape Press combined three of the survey answers to get its total. When the answers stand alone, the great majority of gays and lesbians say that they are practicing safe sex.
Now in its zeal to demonize the gay commuity, Agape Press omitted the following findings:
81.96 percent of gays and lesbians said they would get married if same sex marriage was legalized.
If having to choose, 84.18 percent of gays and lesbians would live without sex rather than living without love.
65.03 percent of gays and lesbians said they never visit bathhouses, sex clubs, sex parties, or backrooms. The answer with the second highest total in that category was "rarely" -17.20 percent.
Two points are obvious from the Advocate sex survey: gays and lesbians are not as sexually wild as people think and members of the anti-gay industry seem to never miss an opportunity to make life harder for us.
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