10 reasons why Americans for Truth is a hate site

Peter LaBarbera has finally responded to the Southern Poverty Law Center declaring his Americans for Truth web site as a hate site. He claims that his site is getting smeared.

He also links to a defense from fellow right-winger Matt Barber. However based on his past statements, Barber defending LaBarbera against charges of being anti-gay is like Idi Amin defending Josef Stalin against charges of being a dictator.

But let's take a critical look at the charge. Now according to Matt Barber (who sits on the board of Americans for Truth - so much for objectivity):

AFTAH is a Christian organization that promotes biblical morality . . .

I guess that "biblical morality" includes:

1. Smearing gays via a CDC report on an increase on HIV while intentionally downplaying the part of the report which clearly places the blame on this increase on homophobia (while at the same time implying that the report "dispels the homophobia causes AIDS propaganda")

2.  Defending a bill which would lead to the imprisonment and possible genocide of Ugandans simply for being gay or lesbian.

.3. Going to subcultural leather events and using the "racy" behavior of gays attending to stigmatizing the entire lgbt community while ignoring the behavior of heterosexuals at the same events.

4. Making ugly comments about a "transgender quota" in the Obama Administration simply because the president appoints a (very, very qualified) transgendered woman to an office in his administration.

5. Instigating a  highly inappropriate comment about gays, lesbians, and sexual intercourse; a comment so ugly that it led to a feud between three religious right groups. And by the way, Barber was heavily involved in this one too.

6. Continuously citing the work of the discredited researcher Paul Cameron, even when made aware of his dubious history of getting kicked out of medical groups, censures and rebukes.

7. Aiding and abetting Conservapedia spread lies about gay health using the fictional term "gay bowel syndrome."

8. Freely admitting to errors when it comes to claims against the gay and lesbian community but not taking responsibility for them.

9. Falsely accusing the Democratic National Convention and the Gay and Lesbian Task Force of putting on a sadomasochistic event.

10. Attempting to imply that a staph infection was the new HIV and then lying about his implications when caught.

Those are just 10 reasons gleaned from my interactions with LaBarbera and I'm sure they only scratch the surface.

Earlier when talking about this situation, I claimed that LaBarbera's reaction would remind me of the Aesop fable of the dog and the bell. It goes like this:



A DOG used to run up quietly to the heels of everyone he met, and to bite them without notice. His master suspended a bell about his neck so that the Dog might give notice of his presence wherever he went. Thinking it a mark of distinction, the Dog grew proud of his bell and went tinkling it all over the marketplace. One day an old hound said to him: Why do you make such an exhibition of yourself? That bell that you carry is not, believe me, any order of merit, but on the contrary a mark of disgrace, a public notice to all men to avoid you as an ill mannered dog." 

Notoriety is often mistaken for fame. 

I think that says it all.

Teabaggers vs. Proposition 8 protesters: a change in angry people brings out the hypocrisy in the right

Watch CBS News Videos Online

These are the threats made against Democrat Bart Stupak after Sunday's health care reform vote. They are chilling on their own but the fact that they emanate from folks who claim to be "pro-life" gives an extra batch of ice to the chill.

And of course some on the right have trivialized incidents like these, which is totally the opposite of the aftermath of the 2008 Proposition 8 vote when gays and lesbians protested in anger.

Remember how Michelle Malkin wept and cried with pseudo disgust over us "gay bullies" who supposedly attacked people via protests and boycotts?

Nowadays she is taking to personally attacking a Congressman who dare call attention to the excesses of the anti-healthcare protests. Quite a hypocritical switch but business as usual for  Malkin.

Remember how Mike Huckabee told only one side to the Phyllis Burgess incident (i.e. the anti-gay protester who was pushed and her styrofoam cross taken from her after she elbowed her way through crowd of anti-Proposition 8 protesters so that she could get on camera). Remember how the religious right portrayed the lgbt community on the whole as thugs who were allegedly threatening people, vandalizing churches, and shouting people down?

We were inundated with story after story of how gays and lesbians were "beating up" on "innocent" Christians and those stories were connected with earlier phony stories about gays and lesbians supposedly assaulting people. It got so bad that I wrote a post calling for us to get a handle on the lies told.
 
And remember this comment:
 

Of course, activists say they are merely utilizing their political freedoms and rights, but, the fact is, I see a lot of sore losers who are intolerant of any outcome but the one they desire. Some are acting like toddlers who throw a temper tantrum until they get their way. Are they fighting for their rights or at last showing true colors of intolerance against anyone who believes contrary to them?

That was  actor Chuck Norris speaking about the Proposition 8 protesters. As far as I know, he has been silent about the teabaggers threatening Congressmen and their children.

Meanwhile the publication in which he ran that piece of vile, World Net Daily, is now in a surfeit of stories about "socialism," how Obama is trying to destroy the United States, how he is not a United States citizen etc. etc.

And on other right-wing blogs and such comes even more shallow defenses of the threats and violence we are seeing.
 
Apparently to some on the right it doesn't matter whether the protests are truly violent or not. It's all about whether the supposedly "true Americans" are protesting rather than the "undesirables."

That conundrum is as annoying as Republicans seeking court aid in overturning health care reform after years of accusing judges of being "unelected" and "activists."

But that is another column for another time.

Anti-gay Pope Benedict implicated in cover up of molestation of deaf children

For a man who castigates the lgbt community, Pope Benedict seems to have some ugly skeletons in his closet:

From the New York Times:

Top Vatican officials — including the future Pope Benedict XVI — did not defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys, even though several American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter could embarrass the church, according to church files newly unearthed as part of a lawsuit.

The internal correspondence from bishops in Wisconsin directly to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope, shows that while church officials tussled over whether the priest should be dismissed, their highest priority was protecting the church from scandal.

The documents emerge as Pope Benedict is facing other accusations that he and direct subordinates often did not alert civilian authorities or discipline priests involved in sexual abuse when he served as an archbishop in Germany and as the Vatican’s chief doctrinal enforcer.

The Wisconsin case involved an American priest, the Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy, who worked at a renowned school for deaf children from 1950 to 1974. But it is only one of thousands of cases forwarded over decades by bishops to the Vatican office called the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, led from 1981 to 2005 by Cardinal Ratzinger. It is still the office that decides whether accused priests should be given full canonical trials and defrocked.

In 1996, Cardinal Ratzinger failed to respond to two letters about the case from Rembert G. Weakland, Milwaukee’s archbishop at the time. After eight months, the second in command at the doctrinal office, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, now the Vatican’s secretary of state, instructed the Wisconsin bishops to begin a secret canonical trial that could lead to Father Murphy’s dismissal.

But Cardinal Bertone halted the process after Father Murphy personally wrote to Cardinal Ratzinger protesting that he should not be put on trial because he had already repented and was in poor health and that the case was beyond the church’s own statute of limitations.

“I simply want to live out the time that I have left in the dignity of my priesthood,” Father Murphy wrote near the end of his life to Cardinal Ratzinger. “I ask your kind assistance in this matter.” The files contain no response from Cardinal Ratzinger.

The New York Times obtained the documents, which the church fought to keep secret, from Jeff Anderson and Mike Finnegan, the lawyers for five men who have brought four lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The documents include letters between bishops and the Vatican, victims’ affidavits, the handwritten notes of an expert on sexual disorders who interviewed Father Murphy and minutes of a final meeting on the case at the Vatican.

You can read the entire story here. It's just too ugly for me. It's a shame that this man didn't attack true crimes against children with the same fervor in which he attacked the lgbt community.

Mean, Dumb, and Just Plain Stupid

There is so much stuff going on today that I decided to introduce it all in a segment which I sincerely HOPE that I never have to use again - Mean, Dumb, and Just Plain Stupid.

MEAN - We've all heard of Constance McMillen, the young girl whose school cancelled her senior prom to keep her from bringing her girlfriend. And we know the story of Derrick Martin, the young man in Georgia inspired by this story to bring his boyfriend to his prom and how his school and folks across the nation backed him up.

But do you know what his parents did? Apparently they couldn't deal with all of the attention and kicked him out. According to this link he is now staying with a friend.

What kind of crap is that? I've seen a 5'4, 100 woman swing a chair like a baseball bat in defense of her child. These folks can't handle a little attention? Nonsense

Of course all of those folks who gave Kevin Jennings and GLSEN hell last year are totally silent over this.

DUMB - Oklahoma, home of Sally (gays are terrorists) Kern did something really hilarious.  The state legislature created a bill meant to strip hate crimes protection from lgbts. However, because of a "legislative error,"  the bill strips hate crimes protection from cases of race and religion. Lgbts, however, are still protected. Whoops!


JUST PLAIN STUPID - Those damn teabaggers. I'm sorry but now they are at the point of threatening the Democrats who voted health reform legislation through and that's just ugly. Children have been threatened, windows have been broken, and the home address of legislators have been posted with invitations to "pay them a visit."

You know it's serious when Politico and the Huffington Post are concentrating on the same story.

So from this day forward,  I will always refer to those folks as "teabaggers." Forget that "tea party members" nonsense.  They will always be "teabaggers" to me and yes I know the sexual connotations of the term, but maybe if some of them actually concentrated on that certain act, we wouldn't have to deal with hearing their mouths for a while.

Religious right misleads about testimony in DADT hearing

The news briefs are below if you want to read them. I just had to give this piece special consideration.

By now you all have heard of the testimony by retired General John Sheehan during the recent DADT hearings in which he blamed gays being allowed to serve openly in the military for the Srebrenica genocide in 1995

And you have heard the rebukes he received from Dutch officials. Let me reiterate what they said:

Dutch officials, however, are forcefully rejecting Sheehan’s outrageous claim. “It is astonishing that a man of his stature can utter such complete nonsense,” said the Dutch defense ministry spokesman, pointing out that international investigations of the Srebrenica massacre found no evidence “that the sexual orientation of soldiers played a role.” The Dutch ambassador to the United States said she “couldn’t disagree more” with Sheehan’s statement, and Dutch caretaker Defense Minister Eimert van Middelkoop called the claim “‘damaging’ and not worthy of a soldier. ‘I don’t want to waste any more words on it,’ he said.” Gen. Henk van den Breemen, Dutch Chief of Staff at the time of the Srebrenica genocide, added that Sheehan was spouting “total nonsense.”

Now all of this was published on March 19th.

And on March 23rd in The Advocate came this:

During last week’s hearing on the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, former NATO commander Gen. John Sheehan told committee members that a former Dutch defense chief of staff, Gen. Henk van den Breemen, said the “liberalization” of the Dutch forces rendered them incapable of protecting the people of Srebrenica in 1995 during a battle in the Bosnian war when approximately 8,000 Muslim men and boys were executed.


Van den Breemen rejected Sheehan’s account in a statement on the Dutch Ministry of Defense’s website, calling it “complete nonsense,” according to a translation provided the gay veterans group Servicemembers United.

The statement reads, “Sheehan based his claims on statements from then-chief of staff Gen. Henk van den Breemen. Van den Breemen, for his part, considers Sheehan’s accusations ‘complete nonsense.’ Van den Breemen does not share Sheehan’s opinion on the role of homosexuals in the fall of Srebrenica, and has never said anything that would imply he did.”

However if you were to read today's edition of the American Family Association's One News Now, you would read something along the lines of this:

General debunks repeal of military's 'gay' ban

A conservative military watchdog was impressed with the recent testimony of a former NATO commander who presented compelling evidence against President Obama's plans of repealing the military's ban on homosexual service.

Gen. John Sheehan testified before a recent hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee where he related a 1995 incident in which Dutch soldiers were detailed to protect some Bosnian Muslim civilians. In an exchange with committee chairman Carl Levin (D-Michigan), Sheehan claimed the Dutch battalion was under-strengthed and poorly led.

"The Serbs came into town and handcuffed the soldiers to the telephone poles, marched the Muslims off and executed them," Sheehan accounted. "That was the largest massacre in Europe since World War Two."

Levin replied by asking: "Did the Dutch leaders tell you it was because there were gay soldiers there?"

As the general began to answer, Levin cut him off and asked again, "Did they tell you that? That's my question" -- to which Sheehan replied, "Yes, they included that as part of the problem."

And you would also read about how Elaine Donnelly, head of the Center for Military Readiness and an outspoken opponent of gays serving openly in the military, voices how she was "impressed" by the retired general's testimony.

But what you won't read are the rebukes from Dutch officials because they are not included in the One News Now article.

Now some may argue that One News Now didn't mislead anyone by not reporting what Dutch officials said about Sheehan's testimony, but I beg to differ.

The Dutch rebukes are a very crucial part to this story and One News Now had plenty of opportunity to include them, that is if it wanted to.

But if I know One News Now's history (and I do), getting the story right was obviously the last thing on the publication's list of priorities.

Homeless made to suffer because of homophobia and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Portland RCC Diocese Ends Homeless Aid Group's Funding, Because of No On 1 Support - Homophobia claims the homeless as victims.

LifeSiteNews piles on Throckmorton - I don't agree with Warren Throckmorton on a LOT of things, but this vendetta against him lodged by our "friend" LaBarbera demonstrates Porno Pete's vindictive nature.

Judge rules Constance McMillen's rights were violated, but prom cancellation is valid - In case you haven't heard.

Georgia High School Approves Gay Prom Date - Another story, a happier ending.

A brief note on public relations - I'm in agreement with you on this, Jeremy. Few are watching for now but this situation will reach a crescendo and I hope it's not an ugly one.

Do you support the 'Homosexual Agenda' (silly survey)

I received this forwarded email from a fellow barista at Pam's House Blend. It's from Eugene Delgaudio, President of a group called Public Advocate of the U.S.:

Dear fellow American,

The Radical Homosexuals claim you and other pro-family Americans actually now support same-sex marriage, special job preferences for homosexuals and promotion of the homosexual lifestyle in schools.

Is it true? What do you say?

I have prepared an American Morality Survey for you to fill out that I will provide a link to in a moment.

But first I want to make sure you understand just how serious this issue is.

You see, the Radical Homosexuals are storming through Washington demanding passage of their agenda.

And with the passage of Thought Control last year, they say NOW is the time to push their perverse "life-style" on every man, women and child in America.

And they insist YOU actually support them.

The Homosexual Lobby played a major role in electing Obama and the majorities he enjoys in both houses of Congress.

I can only begin to imagine all the damage the Radical Homosexuals will do with their allies controlling the House of Representatives, the Senate and the White House.

As the President of Public Advocate of the U.S., I've devoted twenty-seven years to battling the radical homosexuals in Washington.

Backed by Hollywood celebrities, the media and millions of your tax dollars, the Radical Homosexuals have many Congressmen quivering with fear -- and they have a Radical Homosexual-friendly majority in control of Congress.

That is why pro-family Senators and Congressmen are counting on me to find out if you really support the Gay Bill of Special Rights and homosexual marriage as the radical homosexuals claim.

Please click here to complete the American Morality survey and prove to Congress that Americans oppose homosexual marriage and the Gay Bill of Special Rights today.

Frankly if you really do support the radical Homosexual Agenda -- or if you just no longer care enough to stand up for the family -- insiders in Congress say the entire Homosexual Agenda could pass in a matter of months.

*** Special job rights for homosexuals and lesbians. Businesses may have to adopt hiring quotas to protect themselves from lawsuits. Every homosexual fired or not hired becomes a potential federal civil rights lawsuit.

Radical homosexuals will terrorize day care centers, hospitals, churches and private schools. Traditional moral values will be shattered by federal law.

*** Same-sex marriages and adoptions. Wedding-gown clad men smooching before some left-wing clergy or state official is just the beginning.

You'll see men hand-in-hand skipping down to adoption centers to "pick out" a little boy for themselves.

*** Homosexual advocacy in schools. Your children or grandchildren will be taught homosexuality is moral, natural and good. High school children will learn perverted sex acts as part of "safe sex" education.

With condoms already handed out in many schools, Radical Homosexuals will have little trouble adopting today's "if it feels good do it" sex-ed curriculum to their agenda.

And to add insult to injury, lobbyists for the Homosexual Agenda are paid off with your tax dollars!

It goes on like this and ends with a special request for "donations," as if we should be surprised. The email also included several requests to fill out an American Morality Survey. And just so you know, the questions here are slanted such as:


Should homosexuals receive special job rights and force businesses, schools, churches and even daycares to hire and advance homosexuals or face prosecution and multimillion-dollar lawsuits?


Do you support the use of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to fund homosexual "art", so called AIDS-awareness programs and homosexual research grants that are frequently funneled to political advocacy?


Do you support same-sex "marriage" for homosexuals or "marriage-like" rights, like homosexuals being able to adopt children and raise them in their "lifestyle"?

I wouldn't advise filling out the survey because it puts your name on a "petition." It's worth looking at however for the accusatory language and imagery used. The email even implied twice that lgbts want to "invade" daycares.

Yet another phony moral "person" whose definition of morality encompasses making lgbts look the aliens from Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

They seem to spring up everywhere. Hell of a way to make money.

Hate group comes to the SC State House, creating surreal atmosphere

Four members of the Westboro Church (i.e. that "God Hates Fags" group) came to the South Carolina state capitol today and was met with a huge wave of protesters who outnumbered them 50 to one.

And the entire encounter took place in front of a State House event honoring the Special Olympics, creating a happening which was so surreal that the late Rod Serling would have said to hell with it and not bothered with his introduction.

I, of course, was in the middle of it all and learned a few things.

1. I love the energy of lgbt youth. The pro-gay crowd was comprised mostly of them and they recognized the ignorance of the Phelps group for what it was. No one got angry and no one got hostile. Don't get me wrong. They stood arm-in-arm and chanted when necessary, but they also used the event to have a little fun as the pictures show. And the event underscored how us older folks should never take them for granted. We must always stand with them and support them because they always manage to surprise us with their maturity.

2. Standing against folks like Westboro is necessary. Now usually this blog focuses on the covert actions of pseudo legitimate groups like the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America and spokespeople like Matt Barber and Peter LaBarbera. But let's not get so high and mighty that we forget that Westboro yanks all pretenses from their hate. No code words, no slogans - just pure unadulterated hate. And hatred should always be slapped down.

3. I'm old. Who the hell is the Green Man and the show "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia."

4. Little kids get bored easily even if they are holding hateful signs.

5. God may love gays, but apparently (according to one of the pro-gay signs), he hates the new Facebook. And He also loves "short shorts."

But onto the pictures:

One of the Westboro folks in complete regalia. Apparently they don't like anybody. They must be fun at holidays

This child don't care what God hates. Just as long as He doesn't take away his video game.

God hates traffic

You promised me to take me to Chucky Cheese after this. I think we should protest there.

Meanwhile, on our side:

This young lady claimed that God loves premarital sex and she even listed a Biblical verse to prove it. 

Finally! Someone uses the Bible for good rather than evil.

No, I didn't get the shorts guy's phone number.

Jesse Helms a gay rights hero? and other Tuesday midday news briefs

The Phelps folks came and acted the fool like they always do. And we came out to let them know how strange and unappreciated they were. More on it in my afternoon post. Pray that I can get the pictures posted.

A brief note on cocktail parties - As usual, Jeremy Hooper is on point. This time, it's about those folks who bitch about the galas and cocktails.

‘This Is My Mission’ - A Newsweek interview with activist Dan Choi.

Jesse Helms, gay rights advocate? That's what his estate says - Jesse Helms a gay rights hero? You must be $#!ing me!

Barney Frank Chides Tea Party Protesters After Anti-Gay Slurs - They are lucky it was Barney Frank talking. If it were me, I would have used some choice words I haven't used in YEARS.

Porter: Only The May Day Prayer Rally Can Wash The Blood From America's Hands - Does this woman LOOK for new ways to demonstrate how she has lost her mind?

Fred Phelps and his hate group to be in Columbia this morning

Every struggle for equality needs its moments of comedy and the lgbt struggle, particularly in South Carolina, will receive ours today.

The word is that Fred Phelps and his Westboro church of "God Hates Fags" will be at the State House in Columbia at 11 a.m. this morning. Apparently they had been protesting in North Charleston and felt the need to make a stop in Columbia.

I won't even waste time giving background on Phelps and his motley group of misfits, but needless to say that I WILL be at the State House to take pictures, talk to people, maybe try to "convert" the cuter members of the group.

Just kidding about that last one.

But can the Phelps group co-exist in the same environment as me - the B-teamer, the Black Tsunami?

It WILL be interesting.

Exodus International officially condemns Ugandan anti-gay bill. What took them so #$!@ long!!!

It's a piss poor late statement, but it's a statement From Exodus International President Alan Chambers and the board of the ex-gay group:

“Exodus International believes that every human life, regardless of an individual’s sexual behavior, is of inestimable worth to God and that defending this principle is foundational in offering a Christian response to any issue. As such, Exodus International has not and will not support any legislation that deprives others of life and dignity including, but not limited to, Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009. We stand with all who are defending this basic, biblical tenet and remain committed to sharing the compassion, hope and life-giving truth and grace of Jesus Christ.

“In November of 2009, several of us sent a letter to Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and First Lady Musenevi expressing our concerns regarding The Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009. The legislation would render some homosexual practices crimes punishable by life imprisonment and possible death. We believe that sexual crimes against children, whether committed by someone of the same or opposite sex, are the most serious of offenses and should be punished; we consider same-sex behavior in consensual adult relationships another matter.

Since the Bible clearly states that homosexual behavior was not part of God’s creative intent for human sexual expression, the Christian church must remain a safe, compassionate and confidential place. If homosexual behavior and knowledge of such behavior is criminalized and prosecuted, as proposed in this bill, church and ministry leaders will be unable to assist hurting men, women and youth who might otherwise seek help in addressing this personal issue. The Christian church must be permitted to extend the love and compassion of Christ to all, regardless of an individual’s adherence to scripture. We believe that such legislation would make this mission a difficult, if not impossible, task to carry out.

Many of us, and those we know and work with, have personally struggled with same-sex attractions and some have lived as gay-identified individuals, but we have since found a new identity in Jesus Christ. We now live our lives to reflect the transformation that is available to those who submit their mind, will and emotions to the Lordship of Christ. We sincerely believe that such transformation cannot be achieved in an environment of government coercion where the vital support, care and compassion of the Christian community is discouraged and prosecuted. In addition, it wasn’t through coercion that Christ set us free, but through the gracious invitation He extended to us for relationship and the freedom He gave us to choose our own path.

Thanks for the sour persimmons, guys. Now carry it farther and stop causing hell for lgbts in the United States.

'Porno Pete' gets long overdue 'honor' and other Monday midday news briefs

AFTAH on dubious list: A long overdue American truth - The Southern Poverty Law Center commits an act of charity and declares Peter LaBarbera's group, Americans for Truth, an official anti-gay hate web site. No doubt LaBarbera will wear the declaration like bell of honor like that dog with the bell in the Aesop fable. Later today or sometime later this week, I will be posting a list of LaBarbera's "greatest hits" which led him to receive this long overdue acknowledgement.

House Passes Health Care Reform; Religious Right Melts Down - Gravy added to last night's victory on health care reform.

Rep. Tammy Baldwin Says She Has Counted The Votes On ENDA, And There Are Enough  - Time to get cracking on this next "victory."

Teabaggers Storm Washington, Hurl Anti-Gay and Racist Epithets  - Just in case you haven't heard about this. Of course the people associated with Andrew Breitbart says its a lie, but then again those are the same folks who tried to smear Kevin Jennings as a pedophile.

Announcing the latest 'victim' of the 'gay plot to silence Christians'

Last night was the beginning of an excellent victory. Progressives are happy, conservatives, tea baggers, and Fox News are angry.

I'm almost tempted to stay home and see what Glenn Beck does in front of the camera. I already know that behind the camera, he is rubbing his hands with glee while visions of dollar signs dance in his head.

But the work of this blog goes on. And there are important lgbt issues happening now, such as this one in California:

An instructor at Fresno City College who made anti-gay remarks is in trouble with the administration after students complained that he was using the Bible to teach his Health Sciences class.

Administrators at the publicly funded school promised to take appropriate action against Dr. Bradley Lopez, who told his students that homosexuality is a mental disorder and should be treated with psychotherapy.

Students also complained that Lopez told students to use the Bible to explain climate change, the genetic makeup of Jesus, among other study assignments.

Christopher Villa, vice president of student services, issued a report last week on the complaints.

“Dr. Lopez engaged in conduct that could result in the creation of a hostile learning environment by unreasonably interfering with students’ learning by making insulting comments directed at homosexuals,” the report said, noting that Lopez made statements “unrelated to any legitimate course objective.”

In the report, Villa said that Lopez had violated campus regulations prohibiting religious indoctrination “by assigning readings from the Bible, reading the Bible in class, and otherwise relying on the Bible as an authority in the assigned subject matter.”

“Instructors are not required to hide their own religious belief or non-belief, but they may not engage in religious indoctrination as Dr. Lopez did here,” the report said.

That's the story BEFORE Mat Staver and the Allied Defense Fund possibly get their psuedo holy hooks in it.

If and when they do, Lopez will be cast as the so-called latest "Christian whose faith made him a victim of the homosexual agenda."

Like Crystal Dixon, Patricia Mauceri, and Peter Vadala 

According to religious right groups, all of these individuals lost their jobs because "gays want to silence Christians."

But as the links tell, these folks went well beyond their free speech rights by either forgetting what they can or cannot say on the job or about their job or mistaking their power on the employment food chain.

Phony claims of being the victims of a "gay agenda" were immaterial in those cases, just like it is in this one.

 Lopez should have remembered that he is paid to teach, not preach.

Know Your LGBT History - The Boys in the Band

So much is going on today - the health care vote, the situation involving the arrest of the activists who chained themselves to the White House fence (there was more than one) in protest of DADT, and a certain attorney general in Virginia who, like the rest of his cohorts in the religious right, seems to be so obsessed with his definition of "gay acts," that it's clouding his mind.

But it's Friday and that means time for another segment of my Know Your LGBT History. For this segment, I decided to spotlight THE penultimate movie in lgbt movie history, The Boys in the Band.

The Boys in the Band (1970), originally an off-Broadway play, tells the story of a group of gay men who gather together for a friend's birthday party. They drink too much and suddenly the catty atmosphere of the party becomes venomous. Things are said, friendships take a hit, and someone collapses under the weight of his self-hatred.

There has been so much said about this movie but allow me to say one more thing.

I hated The Boys in the Band. I will always hate it.

I know that it's a landmark in gay cinema and had to be true to life when presenting the lives of gay men back then but I still hate it.

It's not that I hated certain characters, be it super-flamer Emory, hateful Michael, or the prostitute who was supposed to a birthday gift.

It's just that if you turn those catty men into catty women, what do you have? A comedy - which I reviewed a while back - called The Women.

But no matter how catty and vicious those women in that movie were, the love that many of them showed to each other and themselves was a redeeming factor.

There is nothing but self-pity and self-hatred in The Boys in the Band. There is simply nothing redeeming about it except for the fact that it's just a historical commentary on the lives of gay men.

But that's hardly redeeming.

Past Know Your LGBT History postings:

Know Your LGBT History - Christopher Morley, the crossdressing assassin

Know Your LGBT History - Midnight Cowboy

Know Your LGBT History - Dracula's Daughter

Know Your LGBT History - Blacula

Know Your LGBT History - 3 Strikes

Know Your LGBT History - Paris Is Burning

Know Your LGBT History - The Women

Know your LGBT History - Soul Plane

Know Your LGBT History - The Player's Club

Special Know Your LGBT History - Fame

Know Your LGBT History - Welcome Home, Bobby

Know Your LGBT History - Barney Miller

Know your lgbt history - The Jerry Springer Show

Know your lgbt history - Martin Lawrence and that 'gay guy' on his show

Know your lgbt history - The Ricki Lake Show

Know your lgbt history - Which Way Is Up

Know your lgbt history - Gays in Primetime Soaps

Know your lgbt history - Boys Beware

Know your lgbt history - The Boondocks

Know your lgbt history - Mannequin

Know your lgbt history - The Warriors

Know Your LGBT History - New York Undercover

Know Your LGBT History - Low Down Dirty Shame

Know Your LGBT History - Fortune and Men's Eyes

Know your lgbt history - California Suite

Know your lgbt history - Taxi (Elaine's Strange Triangle)

Know your lgbt history - Come Back Charleston Blue

Know your lgbt history - James Bond goes gay

Know your lgbt history - Windows

Know your lgbt history - To Wong Foo and Priscilla

Know your lgbt history - Blazing Saddles

Know your lgbt history - Sanford and Son

Know your lgbt history - In Living Color

Know your lgbt history - Cleopatra Jones and her lesbian drug lords

Know your lgbt history - Norman, Is That You?

Know your lgbt history - The 'Exotic' Adrian Street

Know your lgbt history - The Choirboys

Know your lgbt history - Eddie Murphy

Know your lgbt history - The Killing of Sister George

Know your lgbt history - Hanna-Barbera cartoons pushes the 'gay agenda

'Know your lgbt history - Cruising

Know your lgbt history - Foxy Brown and Cleopatra Jones

Know your lgbt history - I Got Da Hook Up

Know your lgbt history - Fright Night

Know your lgbt history - Flowers of Evil

The Jeffersons and the transgender community  

Lie about gays in the military gets smacked down HARD and other Friday midday news briefs

Dutch officials call Sheehan’s theory blaming gay soldiers for the Srebrenica massacre ‘complete nonsense.’ - At the DADT hearings yesterday, a retired general blamed gays in the military for a historical massacre in the Netherlands. Dutch officials say he is full of it. READ this one. I love how they tore him down. We need more of that in THIS country.

CWA's fundraiser: Now with much better access to spine alignments - Ain't this a trip? The Concerned Women for America are now hawking "liquid nutrition" drinks. Well they are already pushing mental laxatives for the ignorant so I guess why not?

Ex-Gay Ministry Admits Sexual Abuse; Grateful At Not Being Found Out - Shame, shame, shame!

Anti-Gay Mailer Sparks Controversy At Post Office - Paul Cameron vs. the post office.

Lesbian Bishops Get Africans Killed - This isn't good at all.

After yesterday's activism, what's next?

I neglected to post videos of Dan Choi and the sit-in at Nancy Pelosi's office:





Do you agree or disagree with the actions? I'm in the middle but leaning towards the positive. I'm not going all out and calling the folks here heroes but it was very commendable that they took a risky stance because let's face it - sometimes stances like this are needed.

But I'm also for tactics with coordination. People always remember the sit-ins and marches of the African-American civil rights movement but they are always willing to forget that these sit-ins and marches didn't happen spontaneously nor singularly. They were a part of a huge coordinated plan.

I guess I'm saying that I want to see what happens next. Have there been any planning and will we see other actions designed to spur attention to our issues or were these actions the result of scatter shot frustration?

So my immediate reaction is "way to go," but my pragmatic reaction awaits satisfaction.

Related posts:
 
Some thoughts about this day of civil disobedience

Some thoughts about this day of civil disobedience

By now, the lgbt blogs are buzzing about Dan Choi chaining himself to the fence at the White House in protest to slow movement on DADT and GetEqual's sit-in at Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's office to get some action moving on ENDA.

It's been an interesting day to say the least.

Now at the expense of riling up the negative emotions of those who are throwing out words like "civil disobedience" or those who are waxing nostalgic about the days of Act-Up and Queer Nation, or getting "the troll" after me yet again (i.e. a former friend who every now and then takes my posts and spins them to talk about how me and others have done him dirty), allow me to offer a few comments.

1. The actions today are awesome. But our reactions suck. Already some of us throwing personal attacks at each other. We seem to always forget that lgbts come from different background and therefore not everyone has the same opinion on things such as what is happening today.  But here is the thing we should all remember. NO ONE has the single correct solution or blueprint for gaining equality. At the very least, we owe each other respect. We get enough negativity thrown at us as it is without contributing to the ugliness.

 2. Let's not get so caught up that we forget other important matters.

Might I remind everyone that Oklahoma is trying to pass a bill that allows the state to destroy evidence rather than cooperate with the federal hate crime law.

We are in the middle of a huge battle in South Carolina to get the Legislature to restore much needed funding to organizations dedicated to fighting the spread of AIDS.

 Virginia seems to have gone anti-gay buck wild.

And I haven't even mentioned the fact that across the country, there are over 30 of those phony moral values groups just waiting to create havoc on a state-by-state level.

Last but not least, there are our lgbt youth - the next generation. Let's never forget about them.

My point? Today's actions do not mark a start or a finish but a chapter in a huge book which we must continue to write.

Girl Scouts attacked with fradulent story and other Thursday midday news briefs

Girl Scouts Ensnared in the Right's Hatred of Planned Parenthood - A lie told against the Girl Scouts. Watch how there will be no apology or correction.

BLOGSWARM: For a good and non-discriminatory time, call Nancy - Blogswarm Speaker Nancy Pelosi on ENDA.

Peter LaBarbera, Expert on Nothing, Disagrees with UNAIDS Expert on AIDS Prevention - Strangely enough, when religious right folks throw out their opinion, their lack of expertise is really never questioned.

Some clinical trials exclude gays and lesbians: study - But of course the religious right groups will omit this fact when they cite their junk science.

'A Closer Look' at Elaine Donnelly's "1100 Flag Officers" Letter - A chief opponent of allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military seems to be passing around a fradulent letter. Should we be surprised?

A 'tribute' to gay and lesbian characters in children's television shows and cartoons

I don't care what anyone says, there were a lot of subtle gay characters in children's television. And I'm not saying that in the spirit of James Dobson Jerry Falwell when he went after the Teletubbies years ago.

I'm just noticing something that probably a lot of us knew and this youtube clip from dangoist bears out (in its own way, that is). Feel free to laugh if you want (or not):



Related posts:

Know Your LGBT History - The Boys in the Band

Know Your LGBT History - Christopher Morley, the cross-dressing assassin

Know Your LGBT History - Midnight Cowboy

Know Your LGBT History - Dracula's Daughter

Know Your LGBT History - Blacula

Know Your LGBT History - 3 Strikes

Know Your LGBT History - Paris Is Burning

Know Your LGBT History - The Women

Know your LGBT History - Soul Plane

Know Your LGBT History - The Player's Club

Special Know Your LGBT History - Fame

Know Your LGBT History - Welcome Home, Bobby

Know Your LGBT History - Barney Miller

Know your lgbt history - The Jerry Springer Show

Know your lgbt history - Martin Lawrence and that 'gay guy' on his show

Know your lgbt history - The Ricki Lake Show

Know your lgbt history - Which Way Is Up

Know your lgbt history - Gays in Primetime Soaps

Know your lgbt history - Boys Beware

Know your lgbt history - The Boondocks

Know your lgbt history - Mannequin

Know your lgbt history - The Warriors

Know Your LGBT History - New York Undercover

Know Your LGBT History - Low Down Dirty Shame

Know Your LGBT History - Fortune and Men's Eyes

Know your lgbt history - California Suite

Know your lgbt history - Taxi (Elaine's Strange Triangle)

Know your lgbt history - Come Back Charleston Blue

Know your lgbt history - James Bond goes gay

Know your lgbt history - Windows

Know your lgbt history - To Wong Foo and Priscilla

Know your lgbt history - Blazing Saddles

Know your lgbt history - Sanford and Son

Know your lgbt history - In Living Color

Know your lgbt history - Cleopatra Jones and her lesbian drug lords

Know your lgbt history - Norman, Is That You?

Know your lgbt history - The 'Exotic' Adrian Street

Know your lgbt history - The Choirboys

Know your lgbt history - Eddie Murphy

Know your lgbt history - The Killing of Sister George

Know your lgbt history - Hanna-Barbera cartoons pushes the 'gay agenda

'Know your lgbt history - Cruising

Know your lgbt history - Foxy Brown and Cleopatra Jones

Know your lgbt history - I Got Da Hook Up

Know your lgbt history - Fright Night

Know your lgbt history - Flowers of Evil

The Jeffersons and the transgender community  

South Carolinians: 'AIDS is not in remission and the funding shouldn't be either'

From the Midlands Connection:

The number of people in this state living with HIV and AIDS is on the rise. According to the South Carolina HIV and AIDS crisis task force, more than 14,000 people have the disease. Nearly 25 percent of them rely on government money for medication.

Earlier this week, House lawmakers asked the feds for more than $170 million to fund services for prescription drug programs and the department of disabilities and special needs. However HIV/AIDS was left out of that mix.

"AIDS is not in recession and the funds to fight AIDS should not be in recession either," said Columbia Pastor Andy Sidden.

Hundreds gathered at the State House Wednesday to protest recent cuts to state funded HIV and AIDS services. Earlier this month, South Carolina budget writers slashed the "AIDS Drug Assistance Program's" entire $5.9 million budget.

"Cutting funding for ADAP is like a death sentence for the people who do not have health insurance or can't afford all of their medicines out of pocket," said AIDS activist Jean-Elizabeth Smith.

I was there and was impressed by the numbers who came out in support of the restoration of the funds.  To use a tired cliche, a picture is worth a thousand words:

By the way, you will all be happy to know that an amendment has been submitted to restore $2.2 million back into the program. But according to the article, those who gathered at the State House said that until the money is restored, they won't be silenced.

And they shouldn't be either.

Editor's note - the pictures were taken with a Blackberry so I apologize in advance to those not happy with the quality of some of the photos.