Another naive so-called "pro family" activist needing to be exposed
This Monday, a conservative webpage published a perfect example of what the gay community needs to be fighting.
A freelance columnist, Marsha West, wrote what she probably felt to be a declaration of war against the forces of evil (Parents, Listen Up! - http://www.theconservativevoice.com/articles/article.html?id=17975)
Naturally we gays and lesbians were first on her list. Check out her first sentence:
"This is no longer a nation where kids can be kids anymore. The secular humanists have seen to that."
In a nutshell, it is the usual tripe about America being no longer a "moral nation, blah blah blah." But what is interesting is that she repeats a few pieces of anti-gay distortions that have made James Dobson and his ilk so powerful in the Republican Party.
Check out this tidbit:
Here’s a sobering statistic: The average life span for a “gay” man is in the mid 40s if AIDS fails to intervene, the late 30s-to-early-40s if it does. Does that sound like a healthy lifestyle? It boggles the mind to think that the high death rate among “gays” is being hidden from America’s kids on purpose. Children deserve to know the truth!
To paraphrase the late Ronald Reagan, there they go again.
Whenever members of the anti-gay industry and their supporters want to scare people of faith, they claim that gay men have short life spans.
That my friends, is a lie.
As a matter of fact, it will be my pleasure to make it the first lie of the anti-gay industry that I talk about in this blog.
In the first place, gay men do not have short life spans. When members of the anti-gay industry and their supporters make this claim, they generally point to one of two studies:
One study is by discredited "researcher" Paul Cameron. Cameron has no credibility amongst his colleagues because he has been censured on many occasions as well as dismissed from the APA in 1984 for distortion of his colleagues' work. - http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_cameron_sheet.html
The second study is an Oxford/Canadian study that spoke purely on hypothetical terms. In 2001, the six original researchers went on record complaining that their work was being distorted by so-called "pro family" groups in order to demonize the gay community. - Gay Life Expectancy Revisited, International Journal of Epidemiology, http://ije.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/30/6/1499
In addition, the Centers for Disease Control have gone on record saying that they do not collect life span information on gay men. - www.washblade.com/print.cfm?content_id=5865
As it turns out, Ms. West's cite of the gay life span reeks of Cameron.
But this only scratches the surface.
One of Ms. West's links, the "Medical Downside of Homosexual Behavior," has numerous errors. It cites the study done by Robert Spitzer as proof that gays can change, but omits the fact that Spitzer has gone on record numerous times complaining about the misusage of his study by so-called "pro family" groups. - (www.exgaywatch.com/blog/archives/2006/06/spitzer_says_fo.html
www.glaad.org/media/np_archive_detail.php?id=369)
"The Medical Downside of Homosexual Behavior" also distorts a study from the Netherlands. The journal claims that according to the study, mental problems in the gay community cannot be attributed to homophobia. This is a misdirection.
Conveniently omitted in the citation of the study is the fact that the researchers said:
It is unclear to what extent findings from this Dutch study can be generalized to other cultures or nations. Compared with other Western countries, the Dutch social climate toward homosexuality has long been and remains considerably more tolerant. To the extent that the level of social acceptance of homosexuality induces differences in mental health status in relation to homosexuality, the observed differences might be greater in other Western countries than in the Netherlands.
With all due respect to Ms. West, she is a perfect example of well meaning people of faith allowing their egos to blind them as to how others are using them for personal gain. No doubt when she cited her distortions, Ms. West probably felt they were correct because they came from "Christian" sources.
But the ability to lie in order to enhance your argument is a very un-Christian characteristic.
For that matter, so is guillibility.
And yes Ms. West, that last comment was directed towards you.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Sept. 6, 2006
There are a bunch of organizations in this country who thrive on ignorance, fear, and a sense of entitlement.
They refer to themselves as "pro family" and even members of the gay community regard them as the religious right
With all due respect, I don't see them as that. They are an anti-gay industry who seeks to gain political power by building on the religious beliefs and ignorance of people of faith. And they have been pretty successful.
Central to this success are their so-called studies on the gay community. In order to prove that gays and lesbians should not have any protection of laws, they have created a written and oral pattern of deception that is not only blatant in its attempts but shameful in its audacity. In their zeal to prove the worst about the gay community, the anti-gay industry runs roughshod over science and truth. They have created a houses of pseudo-scientific studies based on distortions, lies, headless monsters, and legitimate studies taken out of context , which are then pushed by fake experts, Ph.D.s, conservative columnists and bloggers, and ignorant people of faith all willing to sacrifice their integrity on the altar of an alleged higher calling.
We know the claims these studies make:
gays have a short life span
gays molest children at a higher level than heterosexuals
lesbians abuse their partners at a high level
gays are more violent and are prone to crimes
gays are promiscuous and cannot handle the concept of marriage.
For two years, I have studied the methodologies of so-called "pro family" groups (i.e. Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, the Traditional Values Coalition, etc) and am glad to say that their claims are rooted in lies, outright deceptions, and legitimate studies with portions cherry picked out.
In 2007, I will publish my book, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, detailing just what how the anti-gay industry propagandizes about the gay community. Through this blog, I will publish some of my findings and update everyone as to the progress of my book. I will update this blog on a weekly basis.
Now I must emphasis that I am not attacking anyone's religion. I respect a Christian's right to believe that homosexuality is an abomination. I also respect the right of the Boys Scouts of America to prohibit gays from serving as members. Of course I also believe that if the organization had any integrity at all, it should refuse any form of public monies because some of this money is derived from gay sources via taxes. And isn't accepting money from those who you feel will not conform to your moral code just as bad as allowing them in your group.
But I digress.
What I am saying through my book and my blog is that distortions and lies in the name of God are still distortions and lies. And anyone who knowingly uses them and can still refer to themselves as a person of faith needs to examine themselves.
There are a bunch of organizations in this country who thrive on ignorance, fear, and a sense of entitlement.
They refer to themselves as "pro family" and even members of the gay community regard them as the religious right
With all due respect, I don't see them as that. They are an anti-gay industry who seeks to gain political power by building on the religious beliefs and ignorance of people of faith. And they have been pretty successful.
Central to this success are their so-called studies on the gay community. In order to prove that gays and lesbians should not have any protection of laws, they have created a written and oral pattern of deception that is not only blatant in its attempts but shameful in its audacity. In their zeal to prove the worst about the gay community, the anti-gay industry runs roughshod over science and truth. They have created a houses of pseudo-scientific studies based on distortions, lies, headless monsters, and legitimate studies taken out of context , which are then pushed by fake experts, Ph.D.s, conservative columnists and bloggers, and ignorant people of faith all willing to sacrifice their integrity on the altar of an alleged higher calling.
We know the claims these studies make:
gays have a short life span
gays molest children at a higher level than heterosexuals
lesbians abuse their partners at a high level
gays are more violent and are prone to crimes
gays are promiscuous and cannot handle the concept of marriage.
For two years, I have studied the methodologies of so-called "pro family" groups (i.e. Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, the Traditional Values Coalition, etc) and am glad to say that their claims are rooted in lies, outright deceptions, and legitimate studies with portions cherry picked out.
In 2007, I will publish my book, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, detailing just what how the anti-gay industry propagandizes about the gay community. Through this blog, I will publish some of my findings and update everyone as to the progress of my book. I will update this blog on a weekly basis.
Now I must emphasis that I am not attacking anyone's religion. I respect a Christian's right to believe that homosexuality is an abomination. I also respect the right of the Boys Scouts of America to prohibit gays from serving as members. Of course I also believe that if the organization had any integrity at all, it should refuse any form of public monies because some of this money is derived from gay sources via taxes. And isn't accepting money from those who you feel will not conform to your moral code just as bad as allowing them in your group.
But I digress.
What I am saying through my book and my blog is that distortions and lies in the name of God are still distortions and lies. And anyone who knowingly uses them and can still refer to themselves as a person of faith needs to examine themselves.
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