Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters on sale now!!!
I am pleased to announce that my book, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Exposing the Lies of the Anti-Gay Industry, just went on sale. I have already sent out many press releases announcing this.
As you all know, this has been a long process for me. I originally wanted to write this book in 1992 while in college.
Coming out is a difficult process. Realizing that there are people out there who, through lies, will try to convince you that you have a negative future as a gay man only makes the process worse. Hearing people cite the work of Paul Cameron and other lies did much damage to my psyche at that time. I have since gotten over it, but I will never forget it.
So I finally sat down three years ago and began the process of writing this book. My purpose is to show how the anti-gay industry distorts studies to prove the lie that "homosexuality is a dangerous lifestyle."
I also outline their propaganda techniques and give examples of how they distort current events to lie on the lgbt community.
This book is my way of striking back not just for myself but for the next generation; the next young lgbt who will be forced to listen to the standard lies about the supposed gay life span or gay men molesting children.
I am smarter than I was in 1992 and my community is more pro-active. In that spirit, I hope this book answers a lot of questions, exposes a lot of lies, and turns this "cultural battle" into one in which the anti-gay industry has to answer for their tactics rather than us lgbt having to explain our lives.
Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters or reading an excerpt can go here.
And one more thing - thank you all for your suppport.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Don't we ever learn?
In an excellent show of guts, officials in Broward County, Fla., voted unanimously Tuesday to boot Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle from their tourism board.
I am happy about that but I read something about an event in another state that got me sad.
In Tennessee, Congressman Steve Cohen finally met with a group of black ministers who have been after him because of his voting for the federal hate crimes bill.
The meeting got ugly and will best be remembered for the following:
"He's not black and he can't represent me, that's just the bottom line," said Rev. Robert Poindexter of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. "I don't care how people try to dress is up, it always comes down to race and he can't know what it's like to be black."
It always saddens me as an lgbt of color when I see the gay and black community played against one another. Unfortunately since Bush's re-election, there has merged a wannabe army of black ministers who march in lockstep with the propaganda of the anti-gay industry, eager for the rewards of faith based money and notoriety that comes with their stances.
But with their stances comes ugly realities. No matter how hard they try, their prejudices are coming through. And these prejudices are embarrassing them.
Before their meeting, these black ministers were successful in putting Representative Cohen on the defensive. Now, they are on the defensive:
Comments and outbursts like that caused leaders to say the group will send Cohen a letter of apology.
"We didn't control it well, but it was never our intention to offend anybody," said Rev. Stanford L. Hunt, the group's secretary and pastor at Beulah Baptist Church. "Things definitely got out of hand."
Cohen agreed.
"I was not treated the way a congressman or an elected official or an invited guest should have been treated," Cohen said afterward. "It was supposed to be my time to come and address this issue. I never expected anything like this."
From reading the comments below the article, these ministers have done more damage to themselves. Not only were they unable to change Representative Cohen's mind, but their credibility as leaders in the black community has been questioned.
I have heard many white lgbts wonder how can heterosexual African-Americans stand for discrimination against gays when they have a history of being the victims of intolerance.
The answer is easy: because they are human and must be educated.
We would like to think that the victims of discrimination develop some sort of compassion that would enable them to not take on the role of oppressors. But such a thought is purely idealistic.
The fact of the matter is that human beings are not infalliable creatures. We are like cars; we need tune ups from time to time. Or in other words, we need consistent reminders.
We need to be reminded of what happens when a group of us are attacked and discriminated against for just being different. We need to be reminded that prejudice and hate should not be determined by actions but the reasonings behind those actions.
And we need to be reminded that in the long run, we all want the same thing: comfort, love, and the right to self-determination.
Without these reminders, we fall into chaos.
In an excellent show of guts, officials in Broward County, Fla., voted unanimously Tuesday to boot Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle from their tourism board.
I am happy about that but I read something about an event in another state that got me sad.
In Tennessee, Congressman Steve Cohen finally met with a group of black ministers who have been after him because of his voting for the federal hate crimes bill.
The meeting got ugly and will best be remembered for the following:
"He's not black and he can't represent me, that's just the bottom line," said Rev. Robert Poindexter of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. "I don't care how people try to dress is up, it always comes down to race and he can't know what it's like to be black."
It always saddens me as an lgbt of color when I see the gay and black community played against one another. Unfortunately since Bush's re-election, there has merged a wannabe army of black ministers who march in lockstep with the propaganda of the anti-gay industry, eager for the rewards of faith based money and notoriety that comes with their stances.
But with their stances comes ugly realities. No matter how hard they try, their prejudices are coming through. And these prejudices are embarrassing them.
Before their meeting, these black ministers were successful in putting Representative Cohen on the defensive. Now, they are on the defensive:
Comments and outbursts like that caused leaders to say the group will send Cohen a letter of apology.
"We didn't control it well, but it was never our intention to offend anybody," said Rev. Stanford L. Hunt, the group's secretary and pastor at Beulah Baptist Church. "Things definitely got out of hand."
Cohen agreed.
"I was not treated the way a congressman or an elected official or an invited guest should have been treated," Cohen said afterward. "It was supposed to be my time to come and address this issue. I never expected anything like this."
From reading the comments below the article, these ministers have done more damage to themselves. Not only were they unable to change Representative Cohen's mind, but their credibility as leaders in the black community has been questioned.
I have heard many white lgbts wonder how can heterosexual African-Americans stand for discrimination against gays when they have a history of being the victims of intolerance.
The answer is easy: because they are human and must be educated.
We would like to think that the victims of discrimination develop some sort of compassion that would enable them to not take on the role of oppressors. But such a thought is purely idealistic.
The fact of the matter is that human beings are not infalliable creatures. We are like cars; we need tune ups from time to time. Or in other words, we need consistent reminders.
We need to be reminded of what happens when a group of us are attacked and discriminated against for just being different. We need to be reminded that prejudice and hate should not be determined by actions but the reasonings behind those actions.
And we need to be reminded that in the long run, we all want the same thing: comfort, love, and the right to self-determination.
Without these reminders, we fall into chaos.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The die is cast. Let’s party.
There is a lot going on today.
Janet Folger is distorting again in another attempt to defend Mayor Jim Naugle.
Peter LaBarbera is going all crazy over a "bathhouse" in Chicago among other things.
And another Republican Congressman has gotten into trouble for being getting frisky in a public "terloit."
But you all need to forgive me while I indulge a little bit over a personal victory.
It’s done.
Today I faxed the final approval form to my publisher. This means that by next month, my book (Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Exposing the Lies of the Anti-Gay Industry) will go on sale.
It has been a long struggle to get to this final point. And I am exhausted.
Tomorrow, I should be back slinging bombs at my usual speed.
But tonight, I want to simply rest.
There is a lot going on today.
Janet Folger is distorting again in another attempt to defend Mayor Jim Naugle.
Peter LaBarbera is going all crazy over a "bathhouse" in Chicago among other things.
And another Republican Congressman has gotten into trouble for being getting frisky in a public "terloit."
But you all need to forgive me while I indulge a little bit over a personal victory.
It’s done.
Today I faxed the final approval form to my publisher. This means that by next month, my book (Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Exposing the Lies of the Anti-Gay Industry) will go on sale.
It has been a long struggle to get to this final point. And I am exhausted.
Tomorrow, I should be back slinging bombs at my usual speed.
But tonight, I want to simply rest.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Moving closer to the Rubicon
Saturday night, I had a crisis involving my book.
In looking over my author’s copy, I thought I had omitted two letters from a source. Normally, this would still be a huge error as far as I am concerned, but in this particular case, the two letters changed the name of my source considerably. This would make the error a calamity of Biblical proportions (and I am not exaggerating).
My mother thought I had finally gone off the deep end as I went through my notes like a madman, muttering to myself. She was ready to get on the phone to State Hospital when I found the notes I needed. My laugh of relief was something out of the ending of a horror movie where you find out that the psychopath not only lived but has the heroine trapped.
To her, I sounded like that psychopath.
As you can tell by that last paragraph, I not only found what I was looking for, but as it turns out, I was correct about the name of my source.
Problem solved. But new problem develops. Or to be more specific, an underlaying problem rises to the surface.
My mad search over a source Saturday night accentuated a fear I have kept since starting this project.
I have read and re-read. I have edited and re-edited. I have checked and checked and checked everything repeatedly. Tomorrow, I fax the final approval form to the publisher so that the book will be on sale hopefully by next month.
And I am scared to death about what is going to happen next.
Will this book be successful or will it fail? Will my lgbt brothers and sisters gravitate towards it or ignore it?
Can this book make at least a small difference in how we have been lied on?
I am walking into the unknown and all I can do is what I have been doing for the past three and a half years, which is pray.
But whatever you do, don’t tell Peter LaBarbera.
He probably thinks gay folks don’t pray.
Saturday night, I had a crisis involving my book.
In looking over my author’s copy, I thought I had omitted two letters from a source. Normally, this would still be a huge error as far as I am concerned, but in this particular case, the two letters changed the name of my source considerably. This would make the error a calamity of Biblical proportions (and I am not exaggerating).
My mother thought I had finally gone off the deep end as I went through my notes like a madman, muttering to myself. She was ready to get on the phone to State Hospital when I found the notes I needed. My laugh of relief was something out of the ending of a horror movie where you find out that the psychopath not only lived but has the heroine trapped.
To her, I sounded like that psychopath.
As you can tell by that last paragraph, I not only found what I was looking for, but as it turns out, I was correct about the name of my source.
Problem solved. But new problem develops. Or to be more specific, an underlaying problem rises to the surface.
My mad search over a source Saturday night accentuated a fear I have kept since starting this project.
I have read and re-read. I have edited and re-edited. I have checked and checked and checked everything repeatedly. Tomorrow, I fax the final approval form to the publisher so that the book will be on sale hopefully by next month.
And I am scared to death about what is going to happen next.
Will this book be successful or will it fail? Will my lgbt brothers and sisters gravitate towards it or ignore it?
Can this book make at least a small difference in how we have been lied on?
I am walking into the unknown and all I can do is what I have been doing for the past three and a half years, which is pray.
But whatever you do, don’t tell Peter LaBarbera.
He probably thinks gay folks don’t pray.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Bad news, Good news
Before I start, let me point something out about the Jim Naugle situation.
Isn't it "convenient" that all of the so-called "pro-family" sites and blogs talking about the situation are omitting the comments of the area police. You know, the comments that say "gay public sex" is not a problem in Fort Lauderdale.
And isn't is also "convenient" that so-called Christians are using the issue to condemn homosexuality on the whole when the situation is about "gay public sex."
Just another example as to how the anti-gay industry (i.e. Janet Folger, Peter LaBarbera, One News Now, etc.) and their supporters are lying and distorting in the name of God.
Now onto my bad news, good news.
Bad news - My interview on the radio show The Agenda (that was supposed to take place on Monday) has been postponed to next month. Actually I don't see it as bad news. By next month, my book should be out.
Good news - and speaking of my book, my author's copy (my book in it's final form) came yesterday. It looks good! My mother looked at it and is afraid that I am going to get sued by the groups and persons I accuse of distortions.
I say let them try. I have proof of my charges.
Of course seeing that this is my first book, I am wary of looking at it too much for fear that I am going to find a HUGE grammatical error. After a few more books under my belt, I will have more confidence in my work.
The main fact of the matter is that my book should be out by next month and the anti-gay industry is going to have a lot of explaining to do.
And I am looking forward to that.
Before I start, let me point something out about the Jim Naugle situation.
Isn't it "convenient" that all of the so-called "pro-family" sites and blogs talking about the situation are omitting the comments of the area police. You know, the comments that say "gay public sex" is not a problem in Fort Lauderdale.
And isn't is also "convenient" that so-called Christians are using the issue to condemn homosexuality on the whole when the situation is about "gay public sex."
Just another example as to how the anti-gay industry (i.e. Janet Folger, Peter LaBarbera, One News Now, etc.) and their supporters are lying and distorting in the name of God.
Now onto my bad news, good news.
Bad news - My interview on the radio show The Agenda (that was supposed to take place on Monday) has been postponed to next month. Actually I don't see it as bad news. By next month, my book should be out.
Good news - and speaking of my book, my author's copy (my book in it's final form) came yesterday. It looks good! My mother looked at it and is afraid that I am going to get sued by the groups and persons I accuse of distortions.
I say let them try. I have proof of my charges.
Of course seeing that this is my first book, I am wary of looking at it too much for fear that I am going to find a HUGE grammatical error. After a few more books under my belt, I will have more confidence in my work.
The main fact of the matter is that my book should be out by next month and the anti-gay industry is going to have a lot of explaining to do.
And I am looking forward to that.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Jim Naugle returns (ugh)
Maybe Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle felt pushed to the side because of the San Diego firefighters lawsuit.
Or maybe he just likes looking like an idiot.
For whatever reason, yesterday, Naugle passed the threshold of nauseatingly annoying to being a complete moron when he held yet another press conference. And just like his last one, Naugle used this opportunity to rail against Florida's lgbt community.
And this time, he brought a posse, including John R. Diggs (author of the distorted study The Health Risks of Gay Sex) and Janet Folger (the wannabe 20th century version of Joan of Arc).
However we found out something new from this press conference. Apparently Naugle was using outdated studies (surprise, suprise) in his claims about AIDS in his area:
A health department official said some of the statistics used by the mayor are outdated.
For example, the county is no longer first in the nation in AIDS cases per 100,000 residents, said the official, AIDS surveilliance manager Pat Callahan Taylor.
Broward County does have an HIV/AIDS crisis, she said, and has had one for years. But it's not isolated to gay men.Black, heterosexual women make up a significant number of new HIV cases. Women make up a third of the 6,913 HIV cases diagnosed in Broward in the past 10 years."
I think it's really important when you're looking at the numbers to not just look at parts of it,'' said Taylor. "One of our favorite quotes is if you torture a statistic long enough, it will confess to anything. And I think that's what we've seen.''
But hey, why let a little thing like correct statistics stand in the way of getting into the kingdom of God. Naugle is obviously learning the tricks of the trade from Diggs and Folger.
The press conference left me confused. Is Naugle and company complaining about gay sex in public places (which area police continues to say is not a problem) or homosexuality in general.
I tend to think that they are intentionally distorting the issue. Naugle and company are doing this because they don't care about truth. As long as people come away with image of lgbts as disease ridden oversexed fiends, then their work is done.
And it's downright vulgar how they take a self righteous view of their own behavior:
"We are concerned of the moral fiber of this city,'' said Pastor Willie McBride, of the Lauderdale Christian Center in Plantation. " ... We have no hatred in our hearts toward you,'' he said. "When I lie, steal or cheat, God doesn't start hating me. But he hates the act.''
Meanwhile, expect a bunch of positive press to come Naugle's way from the anti-gay industry media machine.
Our friend Peter LaBarbera and his group, Americans for Truth (in name only) have been practically stewing in their own juices over the press conference. LaBarbera in particular describes Naugle's public sojourn as if it's the Second Coming complete with Gabriel blowing his horn and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in tow.
Of course One News Now has a very biased view of the situation:
The mayor of Fort Lauderdale is standing firm in his conservative beliefs, despite being hammered in the press and by homosexual activists. For one thing, they don't like the fact that the mayor plans to crack down on illegal sexual activity in public.
And at Florida Baptist Witness, there is this bit from Executive Editor James A. Smith, Sr.:
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle happens to believe that sex acts should not be permitted in his city's public restrooms. For that "bigoted" belief and others that have offended South Florida's—indeed, the nation's—homosexual lobby, Naugle is under intense criticism, including protest rallies, a recall effort and the scorn of Broward County elected officials.
I say, thank you, Mayor Naugle.
Of course both pieces makes it seem as if Ft. Lauderdale's lgbt community is angry at Naugle because of his "stand against public sex." Neither piece has any quotes or comments from Ft Lauderdale's lgbt community.
And neither piece has any comments from the area police who (and I repeat) have said again and again that public gay sex is not a problem in Ft. Lauderdale.
Let me state again that the anger over Naugle's behavior is not a defense of any type of public sex.
Ft. Lauderdale's lgbt community and many others (myself included) are angry because Naugle is using a moral panic to demonize an innocent community of people.
His eagerness to pander to ignorance and stereotypes is not the behavior of a decent human being, much less an elected official.
Naugle is a demagogue, pure and simple. He is a vile, media obsessed monster no different than any other figure in history who used religion to control people or torture innocents for their own sadistic purposes.
Sooner or later, if he hasn't already, Naugle is going to overplay his hand.
And I hope to be here to record it.
Maybe Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle felt pushed to the side because of the San Diego firefighters lawsuit.
Or maybe he just likes looking like an idiot.
For whatever reason, yesterday, Naugle passed the threshold of nauseatingly annoying to being a complete moron when he held yet another press conference. And just like his last one, Naugle used this opportunity to rail against Florida's lgbt community.
And this time, he brought a posse, including John R. Diggs (author of the distorted study The Health Risks of Gay Sex) and Janet Folger (the wannabe 20th century version of Joan of Arc).
However we found out something new from this press conference. Apparently Naugle was using outdated studies (surprise, suprise) in his claims about AIDS in his area:
A health department official said some of the statistics used by the mayor are outdated.
For example, the county is no longer first in the nation in AIDS cases per 100,000 residents, said the official, AIDS surveilliance manager Pat Callahan Taylor.
Broward County does have an HIV/AIDS crisis, she said, and has had one for years. But it's not isolated to gay men.Black, heterosexual women make up a significant number of new HIV cases. Women make up a third of the 6,913 HIV cases diagnosed in Broward in the past 10 years."
I think it's really important when you're looking at the numbers to not just look at parts of it,'' said Taylor. "One of our favorite quotes is if you torture a statistic long enough, it will confess to anything. And I think that's what we've seen.''
But hey, why let a little thing like correct statistics stand in the way of getting into the kingdom of God. Naugle is obviously learning the tricks of the trade from Diggs and Folger.
The press conference left me confused. Is Naugle and company complaining about gay sex in public places (which area police continues to say is not a problem) or homosexuality in general.
I tend to think that they are intentionally distorting the issue. Naugle and company are doing this because they don't care about truth. As long as people come away with image of lgbts as disease ridden oversexed fiends, then their work is done.
And it's downright vulgar how they take a self righteous view of their own behavior:
"We are concerned of the moral fiber of this city,'' said Pastor Willie McBride, of the Lauderdale Christian Center in Plantation. " ... We have no hatred in our hearts toward you,'' he said. "When I lie, steal or cheat, God doesn't start hating me. But he hates the act.''
Meanwhile, expect a bunch of positive press to come Naugle's way from the anti-gay industry media machine.
Our friend Peter LaBarbera and his group, Americans for Truth (in name only) have been practically stewing in their own juices over the press conference. LaBarbera in particular describes Naugle's public sojourn as if it's the Second Coming complete with Gabriel blowing his horn and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in tow.
Of course One News Now has a very biased view of the situation:
The mayor of Fort Lauderdale is standing firm in his conservative beliefs, despite being hammered in the press and by homosexual activists. For one thing, they don't like the fact that the mayor plans to crack down on illegal sexual activity in public.
And at Florida Baptist Witness, there is this bit from Executive Editor James A. Smith, Sr.:
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle happens to believe that sex acts should not be permitted in his city's public restrooms. For that "bigoted" belief and others that have offended South Florida's—indeed, the nation's—homosexual lobby, Naugle is under intense criticism, including protest rallies, a recall effort and the scorn of Broward County elected officials.
I say, thank you, Mayor Naugle.
Of course both pieces makes it seem as if Ft. Lauderdale's lgbt community is angry at Naugle because of his "stand against public sex." Neither piece has any quotes or comments from Ft Lauderdale's lgbt community.
And neither piece has any comments from the area police who (and I repeat) have said again and again that public gay sex is not a problem in Ft. Lauderdale.
Let me state again that the anger over Naugle's behavior is not a defense of any type of public sex.
Ft. Lauderdale's lgbt community and many others (myself included) are angry because Naugle is using a moral panic to demonize an innocent community of people.
His eagerness to pander to ignorance and stereotypes is not the behavior of a decent human being, much less an elected official.
Naugle is a demagogue, pure and simple. He is a vile, media obsessed monster no different than any other figure in history who used religion to control people or torture innocents for their own sadistic purposes.
Sooner or later, if he hasn't already, Naugle is going to overplay his hand.
And I hope to be here to record it.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
The Magical and Mystical World of Kevin McCullough
My ennui is over and I owe thanks to conservative columnist Kevin McCullough.
You will remember that yesterday, I talked about how he distorted a quote from National Gay and Lesbian Task Force spokeswoman Roberta Sklar as well as the article from which the quote was derived to yet again denigrate the lgbt community.
Last night, I emailed him regarding his distortions. The following email exchange took place last night and this morning:
Email exchange 1:
Me:
mr. mccullough,
regardless of what those bloggers did say, you clearly misrepresented sklar's quote and the article it came from. She and the article was talking about bisexual women, not gays and lesbians.
despite what you may think, there is a difference between those orientations. I just wanted to bring that to your attention.
Kevin McCullough:
Listen A - or Charle - or whoever you are...
Reread the first line of my column. I clearly disclose that the context of the comments came from just such a piece. SO I clearly did not misrepresent anything... unless you folks are just so willing to lie that no matter what is on the page in front of you - you are going to say something other than that.
Please...
Email Exchange 2:
Me:
On the risk of going back and forth, you still distorted the piece and the quote. While you may have made clear the name of the article in terms of it being about bisexuality, you used the article to castigate gays and lesbians:
"For the past thirty years radical homosexual activists have sought out a way to justify their desires and behaviors beyond pure human choice. And by all measure they have been quite effective - at least in moving public opinion - though they've made little headway on fact. They have sought from science a biological explanation of their sexual behavior. They have sought to find medical, genetic, even DNA related origins. These searches have been in vain as there is still no biological, genetic, or cellular explanation for their sexually related behaviors."
Mr. McCullough, the article was about bisexual females, not homosexuality.The only thing you accomplished by naming the article was not only using an unrelated source to castigate gays and lesbians, but also letting everyone know how unashamed you are about committing such a blatant distortion.
a.m.
p.s. i am not one of those who will speculate on your orienation. I don't care about that. But I do care about how you distort and misrepresent the lives of lgbts.
Kevin McCullough:
A M,
Or whoever you are.
Proper credit was given. None of the woman's words were taken out of context.
And for women to engage in "bisexual" acts/relationships - MEANS that they are dabbling in homo-erotic behavior. The same behavior that is used to identify homosexuals.
You want to strain at gnats. The only defining point of homosexuals or heterosexuals - (and there is nothing else) - is who they choose to engage, fantasize about engaging, or desire to engage sexually with.
Since most gay men - have had sexual interaction with women. (look it up) And many gay women have interacted sexually with me (sic - I think this was an error on his part) the distinction between purely homosexual and purely heterosexual is almost never 100% true.
Hence - it IS a choice. Hence my point in the column. Hence the fact that I did not misrepresent any aspect of what the woman was saying.
She's the one that said more or less flatly that young women's sexual choices today are "fluid" "not fixed" etc. etc. - meaning THEY CHOOSE.
As do we all.
Because you choose not to hear the larger truth that she accidentally communicated - you've turned the issue on to me saying I distorted what she said.
Which I didn't.
I quoted her exactly. I referenced the fact that it was lifted from a piece that was on bisexuality.
And every one of the points I made was valid. For you to attempt to discredit them because you don't like the outcome is not my concern.
The facts do not lie, and did not change.
Only your desire to see them for something other than what they were.
Best,
~KMC
For the record, Mr. McCullough did distort Sklar's comment. He "magically" found proof that Sklar revealed that being gay is a choice. She was not commenting about being gay or lesbian, but a specific subset of the bisexual community. The article here bears that up.
Apparently Mr. McCullough not only felt he was correct using the article to generalize, he also felt there was nothing wrong with continuing to generalize about gay men in his letter to me (the article in question never even talked about gay men) .
Apparently, being gay and bisexual is the same thing to Mr. McCullough.
He sounds like Paul Cameron.
I posted the email exchange because I wanted to point something out. McCullough's behavior regarding his distorted column is indicative of the anti-gay industry.
Groups like Concerned Women for America, Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, and others manufacture ideas and "truths about the lgbt community. And when they are challenged on it, they either engage in verbal jousting to comb over their behavior or jump on the mantle of martyrdom and complain about how they are being "persecuted" because of their religious beliefs.
No doubt, Mr. McCullough is carving his cross even as I speak.
It's a sad mindset.
It's the same mindset that leads Florida Mayor Jim Naugle to rail against "gay public sex" despite the fact that area police have said it is not a problem in their area.
It's that same mindset that leads so many to claim that hate crimes protection for lgbts will lead to the persecution of pastors even though the law strictly forbids this to happen.
It's the same mindet that led the American Family Association to continue to sell a tape featuring "ex-gays" even though one of the men featured continued to have gay sex in hotel rooms.
And it's the same mindset that keeps Paul Cameron churning out lie after lie about the lgbt community.
In the long run McCullough and company will not be hurting us but themselves. More to the point, by stooping to misrepresentation and lies, they are hurting the integrity of Christianity.
Maybe that is the reason why Jesus wept. If I had "followers" like McCullough and company, I would cry too.
My ennui is over and I owe thanks to conservative columnist Kevin McCullough.
You will remember that yesterday, I talked about how he distorted a quote from National Gay and Lesbian Task Force spokeswoman Roberta Sklar as well as the article from which the quote was derived to yet again denigrate the lgbt community.
Last night, I emailed him regarding his distortions. The following email exchange took place last night and this morning:
Email exchange 1:
Me:
mr. mccullough,
regardless of what those bloggers did say, you clearly misrepresented sklar's quote and the article it came from. She and the article was talking about bisexual women, not gays and lesbians.
despite what you may think, there is a difference between those orientations. I just wanted to bring that to your attention.
Kevin McCullough:
Listen A - or Charle - or whoever you are...
Reread the first line of my column. I clearly disclose that the context of the comments came from just such a piece. SO I clearly did not misrepresent anything... unless you folks are just so willing to lie that no matter what is on the page in front of you - you are going to say something other than that.
Please...
Email Exchange 2:
Me:
On the risk of going back and forth, you still distorted the piece and the quote. While you may have made clear the name of the article in terms of it being about bisexuality, you used the article to castigate gays and lesbians:
"For the past thirty years radical homosexual activists have sought out a way to justify their desires and behaviors beyond pure human choice. And by all measure they have been quite effective - at least in moving public opinion - though they've made little headway on fact. They have sought from science a biological explanation of their sexual behavior. They have sought to find medical, genetic, even DNA related origins. These searches have been in vain as there is still no biological, genetic, or cellular explanation for their sexually related behaviors."
Mr. McCullough, the article was about bisexual females, not homosexuality.The only thing you accomplished by naming the article was not only using an unrelated source to castigate gays and lesbians, but also letting everyone know how unashamed you are about committing such a blatant distortion.
a.m.
p.s. i am not one of those who will speculate on your orienation. I don't care about that. But I do care about how you distort and misrepresent the lives of lgbts.
Kevin McCullough:
A M,
Or whoever you are.
Proper credit was given. None of the woman's words were taken out of context.
And for women to engage in "bisexual" acts/relationships - MEANS that they are dabbling in homo-erotic behavior. The same behavior that is used to identify homosexuals.
You want to strain at gnats. The only defining point of homosexuals or heterosexuals - (and there is nothing else) - is who they choose to engage, fantasize about engaging, or desire to engage sexually with.
Since most gay men - have had sexual interaction with women. (look it up) And many gay women have interacted sexually with me (sic - I think this was an error on his part) the distinction between purely homosexual and purely heterosexual is almost never 100% true.
Hence - it IS a choice. Hence my point in the column. Hence the fact that I did not misrepresent any aspect of what the woman was saying.
She's the one that said more or less flatly that young women's sexual choices today are "fluid" "not fixed" etc. etc. - meaning THEY CHOOSE.
As do we all.
Because you choose not to hear the larger truth that she accidentally communicated - you've turned the issue on to me saying I distorted what she said.
Which I didn't.
I quoted her exactly. I referenced the fact that it was lifted from a piece that was on bisexuality.
And every one of the points I made was valid. For you to attempt to discredit them because you don't like the outcome is not my concern.
The facts do not lie, and did not change.
Only your desire to see them for something other than what they were.
Best,
~KMC
For the record, Mr. McCullough did distort Sklar's comment. He "magically" found proof that Sklar revealed that being gay is a choice. She was not commenting about being gay or lesbian, but a specific subset of the bisexual community. The article here bears that up.
Apparently Mr. McCullough not only felt he was correct using the article to generalize, he also felt there was nothing wrong with continuing to generalize about gay men in his letter to me (the article in question never even talked about gay men) .
Apparently, being gay and bisexual is the same thing to Mr. McCullough.
He sounds like Paul Cameron.
I posted the email exchange because I wanted to point something out. McCullough's behavior regarding his distorted column is indicative of the anti-gay industry.
Groups like Concerned Women for America, Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, and others manufacture ideas and "truths about the lgbt community. And when they are challenged on it, they either engage in verbal jousting to comb over their behavior or jump on the mantle of martyrdom and complain about how they are being "persecuted" because of their religious beliefs.
No doubt, Mr. McCullough is carving his cross even as I speak.
It's a sad mindset.
It's the same mindset that leads Florida Mayor Jim Naugle to rail against "gay public sex" despite the fact that area police have said it is not a problem in their area.
It's that same mindset that leads so many to claim that hate crimes protection for lgbts will lead to the persecution of pastors even though the law strictly forbids this to happen.
It's the same mindet that led the American Family Association to continue to sell a tape featuring "ex-gays" even though one of the men featured continued to have gay sex in hotel rooms.
And it's the same mindset that keeps Paul Cameron churning out lie after lie about the lgbt community.
In the long run McCullough and company will not be hurting us but themselves. More to the point, by stooping to misrepresentation and lies, they are hurting the integrity of Christianity.
Maybe that is the reason why Jesus wept. If I had "followers" like McCullough and company, I would cry too.
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