Sakia Gunn - More important than Peter's mess

I see that our friend Peter LaBarbera is getting a little traction from the anti-gay industry regarding his bestiality mess.

Whoop te do. I was going to write a little on it but I saw something more important:

Five years ago, Sakia, a 15-year old girl who "dressed like a boy," was attacked while waiting for a Newark, New Jersey bus after a night out with friends. The girls were approached by two men in a car who made uninvited sexual advances. When the girls declined, stating that they were lesbians, 30-year old Richard McCullough fatally stabbed Sakia while shouting homophobic slurs. She bled out at the intersection of Broad and Market during the wee hours of Mother's Day morning.

This May is the fifth anniversary of the murder of Sakia Gunn. She would have just celebrated her 20th birthday.

The rest of the article is here.

Let Peter and the rest of the rest of the anti-gay industry ruminate and bullshit. They are irrelevant.

Our lgbt children, such as Sakia Gunn, matter more.

Meanwhile, down here - South Carolina Black Pride

Forgive me for this short post.

I know there is a lot going on in California and with Obama very close to getting the Democratic nomination, but I thought I would talk a little bit about what's going on in South Carolina.

We are three weeks away from the third annual South Carolina Black Pride and things are beginning to hop.

I am secretary of the group (although I prefer the title Prime Minister of Information - eat your heart out, Stokely Carmichael), so tonight, I get to send out over 1500 emails to various individuals.

Big fun.

But I'm looking forward to it for one reason.

A week ago, I was told an interesting story. A certain political official was talking to a group of South Carolina black pastors and she made a point to ask about lgbts of color.

From what I understand, these pastors pulled an Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and said that there are no lgbts of color in South Carolina.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little.

They said they didn't know where she could find any.

Of course if they were truthful, these pastors would have invited the political official to their churches and pointed at the usher board, the deacon board, the choir, and in some cases, themselves.

But the fact that these pastors claimed not to know any lgbts of color is a perfect reason to have a South Carolina Black Pride.

We have had two South Carolina Black Prides and over 1,500 folks attended. I have a feeling that we are going to have double that number this year.

And I'm looking forward to it and the repercussions thereof.

There is an intentional wall of silence when it comes to the visibility and needs of lgbts South Carolinians of color.

It's time for that wall to come down.

Monday Musings

Peter gets nasty

I wouldn't be able to live with myself on a journalistic level if I did not mention this.

Our friend Peter is getting highly desperate in his attempts to demonize lgbts.

He attended the International Mr. Leather (yet again) to "document homosexual perversion."

And this time, he went so beyond the pale that it made me sick.

Apparently Peter took pics of some videos that were allegedly sold at IML, including some involving bestiality and scat (poop videos).

He tried to make it seem that both of those functions were indicative of the lgbt community at large.

Note that we’ve covered up the pornographic images. The bestiality titles (e.g., “Goat Fever,” “Amateur Animal 1,” speak for themselves. “Scat,” according to one online (and sexually explicit) “Robert Scott’s Gay Slang Dictionary,” refers to [*] “A gay male who gets sexual gratification from acts involving faeces.” That is, excrement, which to us at Americans For Truth is proof that Satan is alive and well in this world.

Personally, I've always believed that poop is concentrated evil coming out of a human's butt, but somehow I don't think that its proof of the existence of Satan.

Flatulence is another story.

All I can say is thank God for Box Turtle Bulletin who exposed various interesting aspects of Peter's nonsense:

I was, however, able to find out some interesting information about the videos that Pete highlighted to titilate and horrify his readers. They are heterosexual.

Goat Fever involves a man, two women, and a (presumedly female) goat. Amateur Animal 1 features “A couple with a blonde and german shepherd”. (I’m not providing links but descriptions of these videos are available by Googling their titles).

Neither of these videos involve male-male contact. But you wouldn’t know that from Pete’s posting.

In other words, the bestiality video that Peter is using to demonize the lgbt community stars heterosexuals.

Peter engages in a common anti-gay industry trick: using a sex act to demonize lgbt community while omitting the act that heterosexuals do it also.

Box Turtle Bulletin also said this about scat:

As reader PiaSharn correctly noted, this is not the definition of “Scat”. This is, rather, the definition of “Scat Queen”, Although LaBarbera prefers a definition that starts with “a gay male”, scat is actually a fetish that is practiced among heterosexuals as well and does not appear to be more common among homosexual fetishists than heterosexual fetishists.

Personally the entire thing grosses me out. When I read it this weekend, I didn't want to have anything to do with it. I don't know ANYONE straight or gay who participates in those two sex acts and I don't want to know anyone who does.

But here is what I do know. Peter's latest sojourn is getting ignored. I have looked over several pro-gay and anti-gay blogs and no one is talking about it.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think it's safe to assume that our friend Peter has gone too far. He is becoming a parody of himself.

Becoming a parody? Hell, he already is one.


One News Now pisses me off

Apparently the so-called Christian site One News Now does not like the attention that folks like myself give it.

Not only did it eliminate the section where you can comment on the stories, but it is also doing the following to various sites, like Right Wing Watch:

The other day we noticed that all of our links back to the AFA’s OneNewsNow website no longer take readers to the link in question, but instead redirect them to the Good Person Test (go ahead and click the OneNewsNow link above or any of these other links to see what we mean.)

So instead of being taken to a specific OneNewsNow article, our readers are directed to a website that challenges them to take a quiz to determine if they are indeed a “good person.” Not surprisingly, the answer is “no” and that they are in fact going to hell.

Answer a question about honesty and you are told you are a liar; answer a question about lust and you are told you are an adulterer; answer a question about anger and you are told you are a murderer . . .

Right Wing Watch isn't the only site this is being done to. Apparently One News Now did it to Goodasyou.org and Pam's House Blend.

Which totally pisses me off, cause it makes me jealous.

I'm not important enough to spook One News Now.

Well if at first you don't succeed, try try again.

Boy Scouts and bull*@#

Here is something I never talked about before.

Apparently across the nation, there is a huge controversy involving the Boy Scouts and the lgbt community.

Many of you probably already know it. The Boy Scouts do not allow gays to serve as members or scoutmasters. The group's right as a private organization has been upheld by the Supreme Court in 2000.

And here is where the serpent starts to sting.

Because of the policy, the Boy Scouts have been losing a lot of support. According to Wikipedia:

About 50 of the 1300 local United Ways, including those in Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle, have withdrawn all funding. The BSA has also lost all funding from several large corporations that had been regular donors, such as Chase Manhattan Bank, Levi Strauss, Fleet Bank, CVS/pharmacy, and Pew Charitable Trusts. For example, Pew Charitable Trusts, which had consistently supported the BSA for over fifty years, decided to cancel a $100,000 donation and cease future donations. A number of public entities (including the cities of Chicago, San Diego, Tempe, Buffalo Grove, Berkeley, and Santa Barbara, as well as the states of California, Illinois, and Connecticut) have canceled charitable donations (of money or preferential land access) that had historically been granted to the Scouts.

Most recently, the city of Philadelphia rescinded its decision to allow the Scouts to use a building rent-free. The Scouts are suing, but the city isn't backing down.

Now some folks, such as our friend Peter LaBarbera, have made this an issue of gays trying to force their way into the Scouts so that evil scoutmasters can "indoctrinate" young boys into homosexuality.

Of course that argument is nonsense so I'm not even going to discuss it.

Mostly because I believe that the Boy Scouts should be allowed to discriminate. I have always felt that the case of the Boy Scouts of America vs. Dale was not necessarily conducive to the lgbt community.

If the Boy Scouts feel that they as a private group should discriminate, then more power to them.

However (and you knew this was coming), as a private group, they don't have a right to public monies or the items that are paid for by such monies.

Public monies come from lgbt as well as heterosexuals. If the Scouts have a problem with gays as members, then the organization should have a problem with taking money from gays.

If the Boy Scouts feel that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations in the Scout Oath, then how can it justify taking money from the folks who "practice" homosexual conduct.

You simply can't have it both ways.

Of course some will probably accuse me of being mean. How can I attack a group that does a lot of good things in the community? How can I attack a group that teaches young boys to be responsible citizens?

That's just it. They do not teach all young boys to be responsible citizens; only heterosexual boys.

Our gay boys are left out in the cold.

And as long as they leave our gay boys out in the cold, the Boy Scouts do not deserve money from this gay man or any other gay man.

That's the Boy Scouts, now it's time for the bull*@# courtesy of Focus on the Family.

The group has sent out a talking points list for folks who want to criticize marriage equality.

Jeremy from Goodasyou has exposed the talking points for the lies they are in the style that has made him one of my favorite bloggers.

But one point from Focus on the Family's list bothers me so much that I have to jump in. It's this one:

Same-sex family is a vast, untested social experiment with children.

Maybe it's just me but that is a vile thing to say.

The statement refuses to acknowledge the existence of same sex families, which have existed for many, many years.

And that phraseology "vast, untested social experiment," denigrates same sex family because it infers that lgbts choose to create, adopt, or take in children not because of a natural human impulse and not because we feel that we want to nurture a family, but because of a Machiavellian attempt to take over society.

The statement infers that lgbts are not humans but agreeable cogs willing to sacrifice the happiness and well-being of a child for a social endeavor.

That idea is a fiendish lie.

What's next? Accusing black women of having children simply for a welfare check?

2008 anti-gay industry greatest hits (so far)

I'm in the newspaper.

Right here is the link. Look at the row of folks holding the signs. I'm the black guy with the bad hair and white pants.

Man, I need a stylist.

Seriously though the situation down here with Irmo is still at somewhat of a fever pitch. If you read the comments under the article, folks on both sides of the issue continue to be revved up.

But I want to do something a little different today.

I noticed that June is almost upon us. Subsequently, we are getting closer to the mid-point of 2008.

And man has it been a wild year.

I blame it on the fact that its an election year. Whatever the case may be, I want to present the top (or lowest) moments in anti-gay industry hysteria in 2008 so far.

Yes this is a shamless plug for my other blog, Anti-Gay Lies and Liars.

Bear in mind, I don't have the exact months down and I know I am probably missing some incidents. Please inform me as such:

2008

Paul Cameron’s discredited study on “gay criminal habits” is cited as fact by supermarket tabloid magazine National Examiner.

Members of the anti-gay industry (i.e. Concerned Women for America, etc.) claim that a possible outbreak of staph infections amongst gay men in San Francisco is the result of a “politically correct” doctrine of not telling people about the so-called dangers of homosexuality. Some even infer that it is the new AIDS crisis. However, the Centers for Disease Control quickly issues a statement that will hopefully reign in future hyperbole. Amongst other things, the statement says: The strains of MRSA described in the recent Annals of Internal Medicine have mostly been identified in certain groups of men who have sex with men (MSM), but have also been found in some persons who are not MSM. It is important to note that the groups of MSM in which these isolates have been described are not representative of all MSM, so conclusions can not be drawn about the prevalence of these strains among all MSM.

In a show of unmitigated gall, anti-gay industry groups led by Concerned Women for America and Americans for Truth do not address their distortions of the MRSA infection. Instead, they try reverse psychology in claiming that they want to help gay rights group stop the infection.

Concerned Women for America leads the charge of anti-gay industry groups claiming that gay rights groups “strong armed” the medical community to play down the MRSA story. They do not offer any proof of their claims. In addition, Matt Barber (Concerned Women for America) and Peter LaBarbera (Americans for Truth) deny that they linked the MRSA infection to the AIDS crisis in their original spins. However, comments they originally said about the MRSA infection show otherwise.

An anti-gay industry group hoping to get petition signatures against a law protecting the transgender community from discrimination are the recipients of an “interesting” media opportunity. They had complained that new law could lead to men “dressed as women” entering women’s locker rooms and bathrooms. Conveniently, there is a report of an incident of this situation taking place at a local gym. However it is highly suspicious. The woman reporting the incident just happens to be a member of the group attempting to get petition signatures. For this reason and others, the incident is dismissed by many as a publicity stunt. However the stunt and claims are successful. The group forces a referendum on the bill.

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force head Matt Foreman says in a speech that the gay community must take more of a responsibility in fighting AIDS. He says that AIDS is a gay disease. Despite the fact that NAACP member Julian Bond has said pretty much the same thing about AIDS and the black community, members of the anti-gay industry trumpet Foreman's speech as proof that homosexuality leads to AIDS.

Concerned Women for America member Matt Barber claims to reveal the "gay agenda." His "revelation" is an old one; it is the claim that the gay community is trying to take over America through points of attack from After the Ball (see the year 1987).

An article in a Focus on the Family magazine contains the following cites the 1984 book The Male Couple to make the case that gay relationships involve promiscuity. However the article does not give the name of the book. This means of course it omits the caveat by the authors that their research was not meant to be the best representation of all gay couples.

Focus on the Family member Glenn Stanton says that there is a "clear consensus" among anthropologists that "A family is a unit that draws from the two types of humanity, male and female." Stanton, who is not an anthropologist, is quickly challenged by legitimate people in the field such as American Anthropologists Association. They call his claim a "gross misrepresentation of the position of the anthropological community on gay marriage"

Deerfield High School is again accused by the anti-gay industry of "indoctrinating students into the homosexual agenda." This accusation involves a book, Angels in America, that was recommended as an assigned book in a senior AP English class. The book details the early days of the AIDS crisis and contains sexually graphic language. However, many lodging the accusation against Deerfield omitted that the book was not required for reading. Also, parents had to opt-in their children in the class, which means they knew fully well what the reading choices would be.

Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern gives a talk to a local Republican group where she says homosexuality is worse than terrorism. She also cites Paul Cameronesque statistics on the alleged gay life span and claims that gays are trying to "indoctrinate" two-year olds.

In defending Sally Kern, Concerned Women for America brings up the 1987 book After The Ball. The organization accuses the gay community of relying on tactics in the book to "bully" Kern. The organization also does not give any proof as to an orchestrated plan by the gay community to do such.

Mary Frances Forrester, wife of a North Carolina state representative, writes a column for a right-wing publication in which she pushes forth the hackneyed claim that gays are plotting to undermine "Christian values." In her column, she cites the work of discredited researcher Paul Cameron. She also cites the Michael Swift piece from 1987, omitting the part of the piece that clearly called it satire. She even gets Michael Swift's name wrong, calling him "Mark Swift."

Concerned Women for America accuses Human Rights Campaign head Joe Solmonese of potentially "risking lives in pursuit of a political agenda." The organization claims that Solmonese "recklessly" demanded that the Food And Drug Administration's ban on blood donations by men having sex with men be lifted. However the group omits that Solmonese was merely commenting on testimony by American Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks and America’s Blood Centers that the ban should be lifted. Concerned Women for America also does not comment on these organizations' testimony. The press release sent out by the organization focuses solely on attacking Solmonese.

Janet Folger, in a column defending Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern's statements about homosexuality, refers to the 1997 Canadian study as proof that gays have a short life span. However, in 2001, the authors of the study complained on record that the anti-gay industry have been distorted this study.

Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council, in an interview about immigration laws denying the foreign partners of gay Americans the ability to immigrate to the U.S. unlike their heterosexually-married counterparts, says that he would prefer the United States deport gays and lesbians. He later apologizes for the comment.

Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern writes a letter to the editor to a local newspaper defending her comments about homosexuality. Amongst other things, she cites a study by Paul Cameron. She also distorts the 1997 Canadian study as proof that gays have a short life span. She does this despite the fact that in 2001, the authors of the study went on record complaining how it has been distorted by the anti-gay industry.

Matt Barber of Concerned Women for America falsely claims that "multiple studies have established that homosexual conduct, especially among males, is considerably more hazardous to one’s health than a lifetime of chain smoking." Barber also refers to the 1997 Canadian study to claim that gays have a short lifespan. He addresses the 2001 complaint by the researchers of the study regarding the misusage of their work. Barber tries to dismiss the complaint as "worthless fluff." He also claims that the researchers were under "tremendous pressure" to complain. However, he neglects to go into detail as to what pressure was "exerted" on the researchers. Pleasantly for a change, he is taken to task for this distortion on many left-wing and right-wing webpages and blogs.

Conservative columnist Kevin McCullough falsely claims that ENDA (Employee Non-Discrimination Act) would make it difficult for churches to fire youth ministers found to be having inappropriate relationships with young boys in church programs.

Janelle Hallman, a researcher from NARTH (National Association for the Research and Treatment of Homosexuality), an organization pushing discredited ex-gay therapy, cites Paul Cameron in her book, The Heart of Female Same-Sex Attraction: A Comprehensive Counseling Resource.

Lifesite News, a Roman Catholic "news" site, refers to a discredited Paul Cameron study that he falsely claimed to have presented to the Eastern Psychological Association in 2007.

With these folks, there is NEVER a dull moment.

Irmo GSA controversy - who is at fault

I just came back from an interesting school board meeting in Irmo.

For the benefit of those who don’t know, Irmo High School Principal Eddie Walker is resigning after the coming school year because the formation of a gay/straight alliance. He says the alliance goes against his professional and religious values.

Fair enough.

However, in his letter explaining his resignation, Walker mischaracterized the organization as a sex club.

He has received a lot of national criticism (much deserved) and some local praise.

A gay rights group in South Carolina, South Carolina Equality Coalition, is leading the charge calling for his immediate firing.

Walker has much support from the area community. Both sides of the issue held rallies and prayer vigils before the school board meeting.

One guess whose side I was on.

The school board, who from what I understand was still meeting when I left, received comments from people on both sides of the issue.

Needless to say the meeting was a bit raucous at times. We heard from people who support Mr. Walker, calling him the best principal the high school ever had. We heard from parents opposing the GSA.

We heard from former Irmo students who detailed how they were picked on for being gay and how a GSA could have helped them.

And we heard from students who support the GSA.

The district is now considering guide lines for curriculum-based and noncurriculum-based clubs and organizations.

It won’t stop the GSA but it will make things a little difficult for it.

I have faith that the GSA will survive. The hardest part of establishing it is over. And as long as the Equal Access Act is in place, the GSA will stand.

But there is something on my mind that I have to say.

This entire situation took place because of a dereliction of duty on Mr. Walker’s part.

In this school board meeting, I heard a lot of good things said about Mr. Walker. He is a popular principal and very likely will be allowed to stay until his contract is over.

He has been called a man who stands up for his principles.

And one of those principles was stalling for a number of years to keep the GSA from forming.

Mr. Walker cares for all students

But doesn’t care enough to realize or investigate the reason as to why some students want to form a GSA.

He is a Christian man

Who in a public letter unfairly characterized the GSA as a sex club.

Do you see where I am going with this?

Every comment I heard that praised Mr. Walker only elucidates his failure to show true leadership in this matter.

Every assurance that he supports all students only serves to highlight the fact that in this case, he failed some of the most vulnerable students.

Every bit of praise heaped upon Mr. Walker illuminates how he did not keep the situation under control

As a matter of fact, he is the very reason why the situation got out of control. No one can blame those who support him nor can anyone call out those who want his immediate dismissal.

The fault lies at the feet of Mr. Walker.

In the backdrop of all his good works, this egregious error stands out like a scarlet letter, a sword of Damocles.

In the middle of all of his black marks is now a mark as crimson as the spot that Lady MacBeth imagined she had on her hand.

Unlike his fictional counterpart, he can take steps to remove the mark.

I hope that in his last year as a principal, Mr. Walker will attempt to do just that.

For the sake of all students.

Day Two of the Irmo GSA controversy finds that ignorance abounds

Day Two of the Irmo GSA controversy finds a bunch of comments on the area newspaper's webpage.

Readers were asked about their opinion regarding the principal of Irmo High School's resignation in the face of a possible GSA.

Predictably, some folks are standing in his corner:

I support Mr. Walker. A gay/straight club is about one thing - SEX. Abstinence is what we teach; it's what parents and the community should support. We need more professional educators like Mr. Walker who will stand up to these perverted bullies.

Eddie:
I applaud your decision to stand up for what you believe in and will be praying for you and your family during these next few months. With the emergence of 24/7 media, your name is bound to be slung into the mud, but just remember that there are people out there who support you. If we are loud enough, maybe one day we will win. Remember Jesus was hated, stoned and murdered, but he stood for what he believed in and because of that we are all saved. I do not know what your personal religion is, but I always applaud a man who has the conviction to say enough is enough.

I support the principle on this one, wish we had more like him. Maybe my naked blow-up doll club will be a hit at Irmo.

It is refreshing to see a man with convictions! Thank you Mr. Walker for standing up for your moral and religious beliefs and not bowing at the alter of political correctness. If we had more men of conviction like you, this country would not be in the mess we now find it.

It is a shame that the decent students at IHS are losing such a good man. I am sure that the human garbage will be very pleased, however, we as a society will all be a little bit dumber for having to put up with it.

On an area news site, a poll revealed that 67 percent of those answering said that GSAs should not exist in area high schools.

What did Gene Wilder say in Blazing Saddles? To paraphrase:

" . . .these are people of the land, the common clay . . . You know . . . morons."

All I can say is thank God I live in a country where majority rules is not necessarily an abiding principal.

Now I know that some are going to use what I just said in a semantic game of accusing me of being intolerant, but come on folks, let's be real here.

There is no legal justification to disallow this club. There is no moral justification to disallow this club. There are only assumptions; fearful assumptions.

And how long should anyone's patience last when realizing that the folks who oppose this GSA will not educate themselves on the truth of the matter.

I respect stubborness to a point, but not to the point where one continues to be stubborn in the face of truth.

So while I respect people's beliefs in opposing GSAs, I have to question their willful inability to see past their own ignorance about the matter.

Especially when it is pointed out to them ad naseum that a. GSAs do not encourage sexual activity and b. GSAs are protected by the Equal Access Act.

In all honesty though, I should chalk it up to the greatness of this country. The right to have an opinion (no matter how bullheaded it is) is a hallmark of this country just like the practice of standing up for the minority.

I guess it's a case of taking the good with the bad.

And many who responded in the newspaper actually supports GSAs:

That Mr. Walker intentionally misrepresents the purpose for the club's formation is a good indication that he does not belong in his position. That he objects to homosexuality doesn't make him any different than most of the people I know but for an educator to make bigoted,unsupported statements about anyone,let alone his students is reprehensible; he should go!

For the record, our schools and students are not in trouble because of a lack of God; our schools are in trouble because they are laboring under outdated ideas on education,teachers are overburdened,parents are struggling to make ends meet and have less time to spend with their children. If you believe that the absence of God is the problem you can easily rectify that by placing your child in a school whose charter incorporates biblical principles - there are plenty in SC. Of course, you could also teach your children the religious principles that you believe are imperative to their growth at home.

Wow!!! People, we are not talking about beliefs...we are talking about human beings!!!!! Gay people exist believe it or not. Your son , daughter, brother, sister, cousin, niece, nephew all could be a struggling gay teen. After reading the post on this board I see the need for a support group for these kids, because they sure are not getting any from home! If Mr. Walker cares so much for his students, which I have no doubt he does, I have meet him and he is very dynamic and nice person, but to completely alienate and ignore a part of the student body is not acceptable, he should step down now, not later. He has put the GLBT students at Irmo High in more danger than they ever would have been joining this "club" before his dramatic resignation. I can only imagine how many GLBT students are hearing the hateful parts of this debate from their parents and friends. It just breaks my heart to know how depressed and unwanted they feel right now.