Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

Saturday, May 01, 2010

Peter LaBarbera 'obsessed' with schools being 'homosexuality promotion zones'

You think Peter LaBarbera is obsessed with the lgbt community?

That question was rhetorical seeing all of years, time, and effort he has spent attacking us, demonizing us, and basically trying to make us seem like the "other" in American society.

But the above video takes the cake. It happened this morning during Janet (I'm demanding that God give Christians control over the media) Porter's absolutely ridiculous May Day 2010 event in D.C.

May Day 2010 is one of those "America needs to repent and turn to God before he opens a big can of whip ass on us" events religious right groups generally hold when they are either trying to raise more funds or galvanize more folks through scare tactics.

And I think LaBarbera takes the cake here. According to People for the American Way's Religious Right Watch:

Peter LaBarbera . . . used his five minutes to attack gays, asking God to forgive us for our "excessive tolerance," lamenting "the long secular road America has traveled from 'abomination' to 'gay'," and for allowing "homosexual activists ... to fulfil their wicked plan of turning America's schools, public and sometimes private, into homosexuality promotion zones"

The idea that this silly man accuses the lgbt community of being some secret evil group out of a James Bond is extremely offensive and I would get angry if LaBarbera's prayer wasn't so hilariously ludicrous. Particularly 2:22 to 2:40 when he interrupts his prayer (to God) to explain to the audience one of the sources he cites.

Who knew prayers came with footnotes?

Folks like LaBarbera seem to always forget that lgbts can pray too and not only that, God hears our prayers.

This particular gay man won't be praying for his destruction, only that LaBarbera finally receives some type of inner peace.

Maybe then he will leave the lgbt community alone.

Not that I'm hinting anything, mind you.

UPDATE - According to Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out, the $70,000 event was a HUGE flop.

Related posts:

Peter LaBarbera - the self-destruction of an anti-gay activist

Pillars of Faith: Peter LaBarbera, Anti-Gay Creep

Porno Pete On Rampage

The 'Complete' Peter LaBarbera by Box Turtle Bulletin

Family Research Council deliberately misinterpret words of Obama official to discredit ENDA

John Berry is President Obama's director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

He is also openly gay and according to the Family Research Council (FRC), he is also proof that the ENDA (the Employment Non-Discrimination Act) is some type of nefarious plans by the gay community to gain "special rights." Tony Perkins, head of the FRC, said the following in an email:

If ENDA becomes law, the government will order businesses -- including faith-based businesses -- to cast aside their personal beliefs and hire homosexuals and cross-dressers, even if the employer considers these lifestyles immoral and inappropriate for their business.

Even groups like the Boy Scouts and child care providers aren't exempt from the bill's oppressive demands.

Worse still, ENDA will make it easier for activist judges to overturn the federal Defense of Marriage Act -- the most important protection for marriage that exists in our country!

I know that because the most powerful open homosexual in the Obama administration says it will:

John Berry, the director of the federal personnel office, says: "If we can get ENDA enacted and signed into law, it is only a matter of time" before pro-family, pro-marriage laws topple under its weight.

Even without FRC's track record for relying on distortions and fear tactics, it's easy to see that the organization's email contains a complete bastardization of Berry's words.

According to the Washington Blade (by way of lgbt-positive webpage Queerty and the anti-gay web page Americans for Truth), Berry was addressing Out for Work’s national convention at the Westin City Center Hotel in D.C. in September of last year and this is what was actually said:

Berry advocated for the importance of ENDA — and identified repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act as other priorities — in response to an audience member’s question about possible legislative issues on the horizon and criticism that President Obama isn’t moving quickly enough on LGBT issues.

“The most important thing we can do right now is we got to … secure the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act — and it’s got to include full transgender protections,” Berry said. “I believe that if we all concentrate our efforts where it needs to be concentrated, which is on the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, we can get the job done.”

Other pro-LGBT legislation can be more easily achieved, Berry said, if Congress were to pass ENDA.

“If we can get ENDA enacted and signed into law, it is only a matter of time before all the rest happens,” he said. “It is the keystone that holds up the whole bunch, and so we need to focus our energies and attention there.”

This is what Berry said about DOMA:

Berry noted that Obama has called DOMA [discriminatory] and urged for its legislative repeal, but the OPM director added the best way toward overturning the law would be through the courts and not Congress.

“I will tell you personally I believe that I think the courts will strike this down before Congress will have to repeal it legislatively,” he said. “And thank goodness because, in this case, the backbone is not there in Congress.”

Now some may argue that the definition of a "pro-family" law is up for interpretation, therefore there may not have been any distortion of Berry's quote on that point. This is a matter of perspective. Clearly to FRC, anything that benefits the gay community is not pro-family, in spite of the fact that a myriad of lgbt families populate this country.

However in regards to so-called "pro-marriage" laws, Berry in no way said that ENDA would make it easier for judges to overturn DOMA. He merely said that litigation through the courts could overturn DOMA.

Whatever the case may be, for FRC to claim that Berry said "If we can get ENDA enacted and signed into law, it is only a matter of time" before pro-family, pro-marriage laws topple under its weight is a deliberate misinterpretation of his words.

And for those familiar with FRC's habit of claiming angel wings while hiding its horns and pitchfork, it's business as usual.

Related posts:

Lgbt employment protection? Absolutely not. Ugly anti-gay comments at work? Sure.

Family Research Council getting extremely 'scary' about ENDA

Religious right groups can't make up their minds when lying about ENDA

Family Research Council exploiting Amanda Simpson's appointment to stop ENDA

Family Research Council head misrepresents credible information to hurt ENDA

Bathrooms, Church Exemptions, and Lies: Five ways the religious right misrepresents ENDA

The Family Research Council continues to use 'outdated' work

Friday, April 30, 2010

Know Your LGBT History - Theatre of Blood

One of my favorite horror movies is the 1973 Vincent Price camp classic Theatre of Blood.

In it, Price portrays a actor who murders his critics in the form of scenes from Shakespearean plays. One critic is stabbed to death like in Julius Caesar, another is drown in a vat of wine like the Duke of Clarence in Richard III, and another critic (who happened to be gay) is tricked into eating his pet dogs whom he refers to as his "children" (which is a take off of the play Titus Andronicus where the evil queen Tamora is tricked into eating her two sons baked in a pie).

But for the purpose of this post, it is the scene where Price dispatches critic Chloe Moon (Coral Browne) under the nose of a police guard which stands out. An afro wig, a fey accent, and a name like "Butch" would spook me too. Try as I might to be offended, I can't. The scene starts at 4:00:

LaBarbera wants 'homosexuality' litmus test for public officials and other Friday midday news briefs

Peter LaBarbera's Anti-Gay McCarthyism: We Have A Right To Know Who Is "Practicing Immoral Homosexual Behavior" - The insanity of "Porno" Pete LaBarbera part . . . oh why do I even bother to keep count?

Video: OWN. YOUR. DISRESPECT. FOR. THE. COMMANDER IN CHIEF. TONY! - Don't make the comment if you can't stand the consequences of your words.

Massachusetts Legislature Passes Anti-Bullying Measure - Good news from Massachusetts. Mass Resistance is going to plotz!

Hawaii House approves civil unions for same-sex couples; bill heads to governor - A new reason to visit Hawaii.

Openly gay students in Tennessee fight for their rights - Way to go! And the children shall lead them.

Arizona Expands Its Discrimination: Teachers With Heavy Accents Can’t Teach English, Ethnic Studies Are Banned - Not necessarily an lgbt issue per se but just so shockingly nasty that I have to include it.

Why the phrase 'No Homo' is highly needed

From the folks at infoMAnia, a dissertation on the phrase "No Homo."

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Look out! Here comes a new distortion about changing sexual orientation

Imagine my surprise this afternoon when I read the following from One News Now:

Researchers at Fordham University have released a study showing that homosexual men can change their "orientation" by developing healthy, non-sexual relationships with other men.

The study was published in the Journal of Men's Studies (March 2010). Greg Quinlan, president Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX,) tells OneNewsNow it serves as confirmation to "everything that we've been saying all along."

The One News Now article did not go into detail about the study so I looked elsewhere to find more information.

Lifesite News said the following:

Researchers at Fordham University in New York have published a study in the March edition of the Journal of Men's Studies, showing that positive results can be gained by homosexual men seeking to change their “orientation” by developing healthy non-sexual relationships with other men.

According to the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homoseuxality (NARTH), the study rovides “valuable empirical evidence” from the mainstream of psychological research supporting environmental factors as the cause of homosexuality.

The study, by Dr. Elan Y. Karten and Dr. Jay C. Wade, examined the “social and psychological characteristics” of men who experience unwanted homosexual attractions and who seek “sexual orientation change efforts” (SOCE).

Investigating these characteristics in cases of “self-reported change,” Karten and Wade found that clients reported that they experienced “a decrease in homosexual feelings and behavior, an increase in heterosexual feelings and behavior, and a positive change in psychological functioning” with SOCE.

Don't be fooled by the link that supposedly leads to the study. It actually leads to a NARTH (National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality) summary of the study.

And as many of us know, based on NARTH's history of embracing inaccurate theories about the gay community, it's not a good idea to trust the organization's summary of anything.

So where is the study and why won't these folks lauding it go into detail about it? Are they omitting something?

Dr. Warren Throckmorton of Grove City College, there is some serious misrepresentations going on.

Now I should break in and say that in many cases, Throckmorton and the lgbt community has not seen eye-to-eye on several issues.

But there are times in which Throckmorton calls out the religious right on their lies. He does such a good job at it that "our friend" Peter LaBarbera has directed barbs at him.

And the way I see it, anyone who upsets LaBarbera can't be all bad.

In this particular case, Throckmorton calls out One News Now and NARTH for distorting this study. I bolded the most important part of Throckmorton's statement:

Here is the OneNewsNow title:

‘Orientation’ change efforts effective.
Here is a statement from Karten and Wade (p. 86):

The purpose of the study was not to replicate findings from prior research or establish the efficacy of this treatment.
Now the way NARTH discusses the study, one might think replication of prior change research was the intent, but it was not a study that was designed to “establish the efficacy” of sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE). Rather, the authors surveyed 117 men who were trying to change and asked them what seemed to be working in their quest. It was not an outcome study and there were no follow up interviews with any of the subjects.

OneNewsNow says this:

Researchers at Fordham University have released a study showing that homosexual men can change their “orientation” by developing healthy, non-sexual relationships with other men.
As noted by the article, the study did not demonstrate change via any mechanism nor was the stated intent of the study to establish this finding. The study was not designed in such a way that change could be verified. Karten recruited participants from Journey Into Manhood participants and from therapists who conducted change therapy. The subjects were only required to have some same-sex attraction, meaning that we do not know how many, if any, exclusively homosexual men were in the study. There was only one measurement of sexual attraction via the survey with no follow up measures. Thus, change was not really measured, in that there was no pre-treatment or post-treatment assessments. Participants were asked to rate how helpful various interventions had been and various characteristics relating to masculinity. Nothing causative can be inferred from any of the reported correlations.

One News Now and NARTH distorting a study on sexual orientation? It must be a normal day.

DC Mayor apologizes for honoring ex-gay group leader and other Thursday midday news briefs

TWO Thanks DC Mayor For Explaining That PFOX Honor Was a Mistake - DC mayor accidentally awards PFOX's Regina Griggs a certificate of appreciation and later declares it a clerical error.

NOM's bombing Minnesota -- have we learned enough to care? - National Organization for Marriage strikes again. Again, where are they getting their money?

Mutharika criticises gay movement - Oh great. First Uganda now this.

Exposing the Christian Right's New Racial Playbook - Interesting coalition of venom.