Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

Friday, February 12, 2010

Know Your LGBT History - 3 Strikes

It's snowing in South Carolina and it's like when the USC football team makes it to a bowl game - it happens so rarely that when it does, folks down here tend to freak out.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

And I will apologize again for today's segment of Know Your LGBT History. I know that I should be positive seeing that it's Black History Month and I was last week with Paris Is Burning.

But it's equally important to show the flipside in terms of the media images that lgbts of color have to deal with.

3 Strikes is a bad movie. And not in a Plan 9 From Outer Space good way. It's an insult all around to everyone involved. It tells the story of a young man who has just been released from prison for the second time. This means, according to the 3 strikes law, if he is arrested for another crime, he will be going to jail for a looong time. And as luck would have it, the young man who picks him up from prison gets caught in the middle of a police shootout.

Which means . . . never mind. This movie doesn't deserve an explanation. It insults everyone involved, especially the lgbt community in this scene which is supposed to be funny but reveals the mindset of the movie's writer about gay men. Apparently he felt that we are so sex crazed, we will rape someone in the hospital wearing a bloody diaper.

And it gets better. For a long time, Black Entertainment Television would show this movie. And that was funny because it was filled with so much profanity that the network would have to blot out the dialogue from a lot of scenes. If you hadn't watched this movie on video or at the movies, you wouldn't know what was going on.

The hateful hospital scene is seen here via a bad copy (sorry but I just don't have the stomach to put a good copy of this scene on my blog):

Black History Month Jewels and other Friday midday news briefs

The NBJC celebrates Black History Month -- and names present-day jewels of the week - And I am proud to say that my very good online buddy Pam Spaulding has been chosen as a "jewel of the week." Congratulations, Pam. The honor is WELL DESERVED!

R.I. officials elect 1st openly gay speaker - Kick ass! Another honor for Black History Month because he is an lgbt of color.

Why I Loathe The Term ‘Same-Sex Attraction’ (SSA) - You and me both, Wayne!

Right-Wing Accuracy In Media: Abandoning freedom of speech and the press are a “natural reaction” to pro-gay “propagandizing” - Hateful group continues to support Ugandan anti-gay bill. Paging the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Gillibrand Lays Out Strategy For DADT Repeal – Moratorium Or Repeal, Tucked Into Defense Bill - However we can get it done, get it done!

Gays serving openly in the military = reinstating the draft

According to the American Family Association's One News Now, if gays are allowed in the military, the draft will have to be reinstated because it will be difficult to get new recruits:

A national defense analyst and Pentagon advisor says if those pushing for repeal of the 1993 law banning homosexuals from military service are successful, it will be difficult to maintain an all-volunteer force.

. . . Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis (USA-Ret.) was part of the military working group that helped craft the 1993 law known as Section 654, Title 10, which strictly prohibits homosexuals from serving in the military. He believes lifting the ban would alienate those people most likely to volunteer for the military.

"If you begin to erode the base -- primarily conservative, many are religious, and of course they're very patriotic... -- if you begin to erode that, guess what? You have no alternative if you want to fill the ranks than to draft," Maginnis decides.

He is convinced that President Obama could care less about how unpopular such a move would be. "The politicians don't want to vote for that, so that's really...the crux of what these people are about to do," the defense analyst explains. "Obama could care less about the military. He's paying back a political payola to the homosexual community."

And to prove this assertion, Maginnis offers . . . nothing. No studies, no proof, not even a magic show. Just his opinion. And his opinion pretty much makes up the article.

World Net Daily using Kevin Jennings to attack student anti-discrimination bill

We haven't heard anything from the right about Obama appointee Kevin Jennings since their pathetic attempts to get him removed last year.

But according to Media Matters, World Net Daily is making up for that silence:

A homosexual congressman from Colorado has proposed a law critics say would give controversial federal school safety czar Kevin Jennings - a longtime homosexual-rights advocate - almost unlimited authority to mandate indoctrination in public schools at taxpayer expense.

"It doesn't get much more fascist than this! It's a sexual revolutionary's dream," wrote Linda Harvey of Mission America.

Under the legislation by Democrat Rep. Jared Polis, Jennings "can create pro-homosexual programs and policies to their hearts' delight," Harvey wrote.

Jennings founded the "Gay, Lesbian Straight Education Network" and now heads the office of "Safe and Drug Free Schools" at the Department of Education.

Polis' proposal would provide special protections for students who claim they are discriminated against because of their "perceived sexual orientation." The bill would call down the wrath of the federal government on offenders by classifying "actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity" alongside race, color, sex, disability or national origin as factors on which protections are based.

The irony of Harvey's statement accusing Jennings of having a hand in this bill is that she later contradicts herself in the same article:

"While I have no hard evidence, it's got Kevin Jennings' fingerprints all over it," Harvey said. "His safe and drug free schools plan can take full advantage by creating new rules schools would have to follow."

America is such a great country in our freedoms but Harvey being quoted about this bill is proof of the fact that freedom of speech must come with a little discernment. Not everyone who voices an opinion about an issue has the facts.

Or in this case, will let the facts stand in the way of a good lie.

Remember, Harvey has no expertise in anything but rumor mongering. She is a former ad executive who "found the Lord." She also believes that anyone who supports lgbt rights in any form shouldn't be around children because they will cause those children to be molested. In other words, Harvey is clueless. She doesn't what the hell she is talking about.

Media Matters gives accurate clarifications about the bill:

Jennings not referenced in bill. The bill at issue, the Student Nondiscrimination Act of 2010, does not specifically reference Jennings, his position, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools, or his office, the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.

Bill does not "mandate indoctrination." The bill does not "mandate indoctrination" in public schools, but rather bans discrimination based on "actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity" in public schools, and defines "harassment" on those bases as discrimination

Bill does not grant anyone "almost unlimited authority." The bill directs federal departments that provide funding to public schools to promulgate rules allowing for the termination of that funding if that school fails to take action to prevent discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Those rules are subject to approval by the president.

Bill is has a Republican co-sponsor. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) is listed as an original co-sponsor of the bill.

However, we know how the oppositions works - pour on innuendo and outrage and while omitting the facts. I'm pretty sure we will hear more lies about this bill.

My guess is that we can expect another series of phony exposes from Big Government and more ugly attacks on Jennings and Polis from right-wing sites and blogs.

And who could potentially suffer from this? Lgbt students. Again they will done the most harm by those (i.e. Linda Harvey, World Net Daily) who claim to have their best interest at heart.

Editor's note - the Media Matters piece has more information on Harvey's anti-gay history. Read it with a strong stomach.

Religious right distortion explosion!

There seems to be an explosion of religious right inaccuracies taking place today. You think they are geting desperate?

No, the SF study did NOT illustrate that half of gay marriages are “open” - A classic example of how the religious right distorts a news article to make the case against the lgbt community.

The far right's mono-game: Deny gays of monogamy, enshrine them as a monolith - Another view of how the religious right distorted the news article on lgbt monogamy.

Religious groups want gay judge removed from Prop-8 trial - They know they are probably going to lose this case so they jump on what seems to be a weakness. However they don't offer any proof of wrongdoing by the judge. They simply say that because he is gay, he can't be impartial. However, the judge's past rulings prove them wrong.

'Sleight of hand' measure favors homosexuals - It's a One News Now article but we all need a little fiber in our diets. Plus many commentators are skewering Matt Barber. Barber being called out on his lies is ALWAYS a nice thing to watch.

Does Matt Barber Speak For Liberty Counsel? - And speaking of Barber, is there some friction between him and the Liberty Counsel over statements he makes?

S.F. school board OKs new gay support program - how about a bit of good news to counter all of the nonsense.

Masturbation, Gary Glenn, and other Thursday musings

For those interested, Gary Glenn's silly war on this blog continues.

You will remember that earlier this week, Glenn (of the American Family Association of Michigan) voiced the opinion that "homosexual behavior" should be criminalized. When I wrote a post criticizing this opinion, he wrote back spouting nonsense and studies taken out of context, which I refuted.

Now one would think that it's over but think again because Glenn keeps coming back spouting the SAME distortions (you read that right) on the comments page of that post. Apparently instead of winning the argument on the basis of facts, he is trying to tire me out.

It's highly entertaining. But for those who want something more entertaining, enjoy this very short clip from Michelle Turner, a woman who started Citizens for Responsible Curriculum. CRC was a group which started a huge controversy in Montgomery County in Maryland in 2004 when it objected to sex education classes.

From the webpage of the group Teachthefacts.org (which was founded to combat this group):

The most intense criticisms were about the sexual orientation part, with the arguments consisting mainly of a laundry-list of complaints about the stereotype of the gay man. One court document argued that if the schools taught about various orientations students will become gay, catch AIDS, and come back to sue the school district. Costing the taxpayers millions, see? That's why we shouldn't teach the facts. The two groups that filed lawsuits, over and over again, were the Citizens for a Responsible Whatever and PFOX. PFOX is not a friend of the school district, and PFOX is not a friend of any gay person. PFOX's premise is that being gay is bad, and their recommendation is that gay people should just quit it and turn straight.

It was a hard fight, and in the end our side won a decent curriculum but the other side intimidated the school district and kept important information out under the threat of more lawsuits. Some school board members made firm statements about the new curriculum, and in the end all of them except one predictable member voted in favor of it.

But Turner and CRC from time to time still persists, like this clip from the Daily Show demonstrates.
Turner doesn't particularly care for letting folks know that masturbation is pleasurable:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

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Moment of Zen - Sex Ed for Kids

www.thedailyshow.com

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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Black History Month lgbts of color - Nell Carter

After the situation with Gary Glenn regarding "criminalizing the homosexual lifestyle," (I think I whipped his behind), I feel like showcasing something positive, so it's time for another Black History Month LGBT Hero:

Nell Carter:

From the Encyclopedia of Alabama:

Birmingham native Nell Carter (1948-2003) first came to public attention as a Broadway performer, but she achieved her most lasting fame as the star of the television series Gimme A Break! The diminutive but commanding Carter overcame a difficult and traumatic childhood to achieve a successful career as a singer and dancer in several theater productions in New York during the 1970s, including her most acclaimed show, Ain't Misbehavin'. She then reinvented herself as a television star, taking on the role of the brash housekeeper on Gimme A Break! Plagued by health problems and a turbulent private life, Carter died at the age of 54 while preparing for a new theatrical role.

Nell Carter was born Nell Ruth Hardy in Birmingham on September 13, 1948, to Horace and Edna Mae Humphrey Hardy. She was one of nine children. Nell displayed an early love for music and began singing in her local church choir. She soon progressed to appearing on a local radio show and performed with gospel groups as well. Early misfortunes would set the tone for Hardy's later life. Her father was electrocuted after stepping on a power line when she was a child, and at age 15, she was sexually assaulted at gunpoint and bore a child, who she named Tracey, as a result of the rape.

After graduating from Birmingham's Parker High School, Hardy continued to perform locally but soon moved to New York City to pursue better opportunities. It was around this time that she changed her last name to Carter. She performed in a variety of venues, including cabarets and nightclubs in the evenings, and from 1970 to 1972 also studied at the School of Drama established by basketball player turned actor Bill Russell. Also during this time, Carter earned a small part on the soap opera Ryan's Hope. After appearing in several Broadway productions, Carter traveled to London, England, for more theatrical training.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Wednesday, February 10, 2010