Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Religious right leader distorts truth, twists logic to duck blame for gay teen suicides

According to People for the American Way, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council told NPR that gay teens are suicidal because they "know that they are abnormal:

"There's no correlation between inacceptance of homosexuality and depression and suicide," he says.

Rather, Perkins says, there is another factor that leads kids to kill themselves.

"These young people who identify as gay or lesbian, we know from the social science that they have a higher propensity to depression or suicide because of that internal conflict."

Homosexuality is "abnormal," he says, and kids know it, which leads them to despair. That's why he wants to confront gay activism in public schools. For example, his group supports the Day of Truth, when Christian high schoolers make their case that homosexuality is a sin.

But Perkins is wrong and the strangest thing is that his own words prove him to be a liar.

Remember that piece he wrote which was published in the Washington Post on National Coming Out Day? A portion of it said the following:

There is an abundance of evidence that homosexuals experience higher rates of mental health problems in general, including depression.

Media Matters said the following:

Perkins links to a February 2002 American Psychologist article, which reported on the "results of several breakthrough studies are offering new insights on gay men, lesbians and bisexuals." While Perkins is right, "Several studies suggest that gay men, lesbians and bisexuals appear to have higher rates of some mental disorders compared with heterosexuals," he's totally wrong that these rates have nothing to do with discrimination. In fact, the article immediately goes on to report that "[d]iscrimination may help fuel these higher rates." The article reported: "In a study that examines possible root causes of mental disorders in LGB people, [Susan] Cochran [PhD] and psychologist Vickie M. Mays, PhD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, explored whether ongoing discrimination fuels anxiety, depression and other stress-related mental health problems among LGB people. The authors found strong evidence of a relationship between the two." Several other studies back up this finding.

So while Perkins claims that there is no correlation between unacceptance of homosexuality and depression, he has no problem with distorting research that says just the opposite.

And it's not the first time he has done this.

According to Gay and Lesbian Medical Association's Ten Things Gay Men Should discuss with Their Healthcare Provider:

Depression and anxiety appear to affect gay men at a higher rate than in the general population. The likelihood of depression or anxiety may be greater, and the problem may be more severe for those men who remain in the closet or who do not have adequate social supports. Adolescents and young adults may be at particularly high risk of suicide because of these concerns. Culturally sensitive mental health services targeted specifically at gay men may be more effective in the prevention, early detection, and treatment of these conditions.

Me citing this piece is important because Perkins actually used it in 2009 as a part of his testimony in front of Congress in opposition to ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act). Endnote five of the printed testimony clearly says:

Evidence for the negative health consequences of homosexual conduct is available even from pro-homosexual sources such as the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. See their "Top Ten Issues to Discuss with Your Healthcare Provider" online at: http://www.glma.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=586&parentID=533&nodeID=1

He used the GLMA piece to talk about the so-called negative behaviors associated with homosexuality, omitting of course how homophobia plays a part in these negative behaviors, particularly depression - which was something the piece made abundantly clear.

Tony, allow to paraphrase something for you:

It's better to be thought of as a lying homophobic bigot than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

Religious right publication distorts AP headline and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Not okay, neither the misuse nor the AP's blind eye - One News Now distorts Associated Press headline . . . again.

Catching Up With Peter LaBarbera - Porno Pete strikes again.

NOM's Iowa 'toss the judges' bus tour is another big FAIL - The National Organization for Marriage seems to love failure.

Mike Huckabee's Army of Anti-Gay Zealots - About time someone else looks into this.

Dept of Education moves to aggressively curb anti-LGBT bullying - Not bad.

White House to Hold DADT Meeting - Time will tell.

Why can't the religious right stop denigrating gay suicide victims?

Leave it to One News Now and the Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber to take the recent suicides of gay youth and tarnish them in a sad effort to cover up how their homophobia may play into the situation:

A conservative attorney agrees with a Cornell University psychology professor who believes the idea that there is a homosexual youth suicide epidemic is a dangerous misconception.

Following the recent suicides of four homosexual youths, Professor Ritch Savin-Williams stated he believes "it is important to point out...that there is absolutely no scientific evidence of an 'epidemic of gay youth suicide,' or even that gay youth kill themselves more frequently than do straight youth." Though he agrees the deaths are tragic, he decides they are rendered "even more tragic because they come at a time when growing up gay has never been better or easier."

The "conservative attorney" who agrees with Savin-Williams is none other than the Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber. Barber, who once called gay relationships "one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it ‘love" and also defended the right of countries to persecute lgbts had this to say:

"As we've known all along, this line that is being pushed by radical homosexual extremist pressure groups that somehow societal homophobia is responsible...this is purely propaganda," he argues. "And as this professor points out, this is the case."

Studies show suicidal tendencies among homosexuals are about ten percent higher than the rest of society, but that occurs even in European nations where homosexual activity is celebrated and in areas of the United States where the lifestyle is more accepted. So since so-called "homophobia" is not the cause, Barber suggests another possibility.

"I think the cause is clearly we need to look to these kids who are sexually confused and are really disturbed and tormented internally -- it's not an external source," he notes. "So often times, unfortunately, with no other perceived means at hand, some of these kids are at risk to hurt themselves.

First of all, it doesn't take a blind, mute, and deaf man to know that Barber doesn't have an inkling of what he is talking about.

This particular statement of his is highly inaccurate:

"Studies show suicidal tendencies among homosexuals are about ten percent higher than the rest of society, but that occurs even in European nations where homosexual activity is celebrated and in areas of the United States where the lifestyle is more accepted."

The first part concerning Europe is a distortion of a Netherlands study. I talked about it earlier when referencing how Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council was misusing it. The second part of his statement concerning "areas of the United States" is a lie, plain and simple.

You see, Barber has an unfortunate habit of sometimes making things up.

Actually the entire premise of the article is wrong. From what I understand, there has been a lot of alarm and sadness over the recent suicides of gay youth, but no one has ever called it an epidemic or pandemic. Savin-Williams is doing some good by keeping such talk from becoming a hysteria. However, Barber is taking his words to trivialize the recent suicides in general.

The sad irony is that Barber omits the part of Savin-Williams's research which calls into question how much homophobia does play a part in the suicides of gay youth:

"First, middle schools can be tough places for youth who are 'different.' Bullies, however, seldom limit their attacks to gay youth. Research at Cornell's Sex and Gender Lab concludes that the life satisfaction of both straight and gay youth suffers if they behave in a gender 'inappropriate' manner (feminine boys, masculine girls). It is gender expression, not sexual orientation per se, that is linked with decreased psychological wellbeing, and this is likely the result of bullying.

"Second, some early adolescents who believe that they might be gay lack friend and parent support. Perhaps they have not yet developed their network of friendships and have parents who approach their child's same-sex sexuality as if it were a 'phase' that can and will change.

"Thus, to assert that there is an epidemic of gay youth suicide is not only speculative but also irresponsible because of the message it delivers to gay youth: 'be prepared to kill yourself.' Indeed, most gay youth love their life and wouldn't change their sexuality even if they had a magic pill to do so. Is this not the better message to deliver?"

Monday, October 25, 2010

A few words about voting from SAVE Dade

This isn't only about Florida. It goes for the entire country:

Hat tip to Save Dade.

Apparently I am an 'Uncle Tom' and other Monday midday news briefs

No Maggie…And You Don’t Have Any Blood In Your Heart Either- Give it up Maggie Gallagher, your protests only make it worse.

McCollum’s last stand? He won’t appeal gay adoption ruling, BUT…. - Florida's gay adoption ban is dead but McCollum seems to want to play Dr. Frankenstein.

Unlikely allies in bias battle: Gay man and his ex-attacker - This is a pretty cool article.

Finally, someone (who shall remain nameless) took the time to pick apart my earlier work. By picking apart, I mean calling me names like an shill for the Democratic Party and an Obama apologist. Then two others - one with a personal beef with me - decided to join in. And I have a problem with that because it proves the point I am trying to make. Can the lgbt community do anything but demonstate creative ways concerning how angry we are throw useless insults at each other. Anyway, this is my answer to him just in case he decides not to publish it on his page:

Dear Sir,

the piece I wrote was a response to the nonsense I hear about lgbts sittiing out this election. To do so would be counterproductive to our struggle. And yes I have a problem with the lgbt community consistently being "reactive" instead of "proactive" We gather together after a tragedy, hugging each other and the like but what are we doing to keep the tragedy from taking place in the first place?

Please bear in mind that I am no one's shill but a free man with my own mind. My background determines who I am and I decide how I will act as a gay man. That's another problem in our community. Some self-appointed individuals call themselves setting the rules and the dictates of what our history is and demanding that folks adhere to them. Well I don't and I am tired of all of this useless anger, these ugly words - "I am an Uncle Tom," "my writing is piss poor," etc. Yes I get it. You are angry but the question is what are you going to do with it? What are you going to do about it? Probably nothing but stew in your juices and call people names. It's unfortunately what some of us do best. Two more things - even those in the civil rights movement realized that proaction is better than reaction. I suggest you look up the full history before citing it. Just because the struggle for lgbt equality and African-American equality is similar doesn't mean you can cite it without knowing what you are talking about.

The lgbt community should NOT sit this election out

According to the Associated Press, a lot of lgbts are angry at the Democratic Party to the point that some are thinking of either not voting or sitting this election out:

If Democratic candidates are counting on long-standing support from gay voters to help stave off big losses on Nov. 2, they could be in for a surprise.

Across the country, activists say gay voters are angry — at the lack of progress on issues from eliminating employment discrimination to uncertainty over serving in the military to the economy — and some are choosing to sit out this election or look for other candidates.

Let me make this short and sweet. Any lgbt thinking of sitting this election out should think long and hard about whether it is a wise thing to do for the community. I say that on the basic principle that no American at any time should surrender his or her right to vote. Me as an African-American will never do that no matter how angry I feel.

Too many people have suffered beatings, humiliation, and even death for me to vote. For me not to vote would be spitting in their face.

But as a gay man, while I'm not happy with the progress of the Obama Administration on the BIG issues (i.e. DOMA, DADT), there is something nagging me extremely.

The lgbt community has had a wonderful year. Prop 8 was overturned, the Florida anti-gay adoption law is gone, the exposure of George Rekers opened so many's eyes to religious right junk science, the nation rallied around our youth when those awful suicides took place, and this week will mark one year since lgbt-inclusive hate crimes legislation was signed into law.

I have a serious problem reducing all of the positives of this year to one big minus simply because of DOMA and DADT.

I have a serious problem getting angry at the Democrats so much that I am willing to sacrifice our momentum.

But mostly, I have a serious problem with our community getting so angry at what Obama didn't accomplish that we ignore what we did accomplish. Please notice I said we as in the lgbt community and our allies

It would be nice that with a simple stroke of a pen, our lives would get better, but it's not going to happen that way. Even if DOMA and DADT was overturned, we are still going to have to deal with ignorance and prejudice. Our children are still going to have to deal with bullying. We are still going to have to deal with those who seek to either trivialize our lives or bash in our skulls.

All of this took place before the Obama Presidency and it will continue after his presidency. The only reason why there have been positive changes is because we took the initiative to make those changes.

And I guess that's my reason for getting angry at folks threatening to sit out on election day. To me, not voting is the same as cowering when someone threatens you. And this time's it's not necessarily a person making the threats but the circumstances of the times. But as quickly as a coward runs home when threatened by a bully, some of us are retreating into our safe zones, ready to give up our advantage (because we do have one) simply because our anger.

There should be a bit more understanding and an appreciation that the BIG issues are not the only ones affecting the lgbt community and that there are some who not affected by the BIG issues at all. I know many young black gay men who could care less about DADT but was floored by the fact that Obama took time out to speak to youths about bullying. To them, it was the first time they ever saw a president and a black man being publicly supportive.

Some victories may come fast, others will take time, but we are winning.

This by no means is a defense of the Obama Administration or the Democrats, but an attack on how the lgbt community is yet again "reacting."

For me, it mostly comes down to this:

We reacted because the police kept harassing us as Stonewall,

We reacted because Anita Bryant told those lies about us in the 70's,

We reacted because of the AIDS crisis,

We reacted because of the Proposition 8 vote.

Our history seems to be a pattern of reacting.

When you react, you lash out and are on the defensive. You are not in control of the situation because you are trying to rally yourself from whatever calamity that has been thrust upon you.

And that has been our problem.

We are constantly trying to rally ourselves after being slapped. We wait until we have been wronged before we act and then we try to take care of the situation with a rushed public display of anger. And deciding to sit this election out is the ultimate rushed public display of anger. Refusing to vote would do nothing but surrender our advantage, not to mention send a negative message to the many lgbt candidates running for office (another victory we seem to forget about in the midst of our anti-Obama gripefest).

One level, we do come across as a community with legitimate grievances (because our anger and frustration are legitimate), but on another level, we come across as a community willing to cut our noses off to spite our faces simply because we want things NOW.

But basically, I'm saying this - don't sit this election out because if we don't vote because we haven't gotten what we wanted, then we deserve whatever we get.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Oprah takes a sad look back in AIDS in America circa 1987

Editor's note - I generally don't make this kind of warning but feel that I should in this case. What this clip shows will get you angry and will probably make you cry. But it needs to be shown what it was like when AIDS first came on the scene - the ignorance, the fear, the surreal hatred must be shown, remembered, and especially told to those who were too young to remember.

Oprah Winfrey took a look back at one of her 1987 shows. This particular one showed a community (Willamson, West Virginia) at odds with a young gay man with AIDS, Mike Sisco. The fears and hatred exploded when Sisco visited the local swimming pool and residents freaked out thinking that he had contaminated it. This is just a small clip of the show:

Friday, October 22, 2010

Know Your LGBT History - That Certain Summer

That Certain Summer was a groundbreaking television movie which premiered on ABC in 1972. It told the story of a teenager (Scott Jacoby) who finds out that his divorced father (Hal Holbrook) is gay and in a relationship with another man (Martin Sheen) while visiting him during the summer.

It was one of the first movies to deal with the lgbt community on a sympathetic level. The movie can be described as sad - the ending was at least. At the time, it was highly controversial and but successful, garnering several Emmy nominations and one win (Jacoby for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Drama).

It was also viewed as a huge success by the critics.

From Wikipedia:

Marilyn Beck of the New York Times called it "one of the finest pieces of drama you'll see this year on large or small screen." Judith Crist described it as "a giant step for television" in New York. TV Guide declared, "Television grows up," and in his review in the Los Angeles Times, Charles Champlin opined, "It is the best movie for TV I have yet seen . . . a film which would do honor to any size screen."

'Real' Rolling Stone smacks Ugandan homophobia and other Friday midday news briefs

African 'Rolling Stone' Impostor Spreads Hate Agenda - Rolling Stone magazine strikes against homophobia in Uganda and a bad mark on its good name.

Poll: churches to blame for suicides of LGBT youth - Supposed people of God, there IS a problem here. You can either deny or do something to combat like good Christians would do.

NOM/FRC/IFF sure have a funny way of honoring Spirit Day - The "puke" bus runs along. That's right, I said it.

Gay student teacher gets Oregon job back- This is what happens when the community steps up.

Janet Porter Prays For Control Of the Government - Again? You just can't stop the crazy in Janey.

President Obama: It Gets Better (and how the lgbt community can respond if they wish)

As you can see, President Obama has filmed a "It Gets Better" video expressing his support to lgbt youth. Now some in the lgbt community have expressed themselves by saying how can he film such a message in light of his actions on DADT and DOMA.

Of course some of these folks were the same ones asking where was his "It Gets Better" video after Secretary of State Hilary Clinton filmed hers. However, their points are relevant and should be expressed.

But one thing our community always seem to forget that while our anger is good, the way we show it sometimes ends up biting us in the ass.

Let's be straight here - Queer Nation is gone. Act-Up is gone. Stop resurrecting those insurrectionist take-no-prisoner ghosts and delusions of grandeur. As much as you would like to be short, to the point, and brutally honest, telling the President that "talk is cheap" and "fuck you" is stupid, immature, and totally contradicts the points you are trying to make.

And let's not forget this moment here. A while back, we couldn't get any president say the word "gay," much less "lgbt." Hell, in South Carolina, we can't even get Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley to say the word "gay."

The fact that Obama actually filmed this video demonstrates that slowly, but surely, we are winning.

So how about appreciating his gesture, saying thank you, but reminding him that work needs to be done on his part. Something like (and you don't have to repeat me exactly like this):

Thank you for the video, Mr. President. We are extremely pleased that you took time out of your day to speak to the youth and let them know not to allow bullies rob them of their self worth . . . now about that other stuff with us adults, i.e. DADT and DOMA. Don't you think it's time for you to stop pussyfooting? Just a suggestion.

Maybe it's just me but I think that goes a longer way than saying "you've got blood on your hands mother#@*!"

Thursday, October 21, 2010

FRC's Tony Perkins will not address the errors in his anti-gay piece, but he will play the victim

The Family Research Council's Tony Perkins received a lot of criticism for a piece he wrote last week on National Coming Out Day.

In the piece, Perkins complained that "homosexual activists" were "exploiting" the recent suicides of lgbt teens. He tried to make the case that homophobia didn't lead to these suicides but that homosexuality itself was a "dangerous lifestyle:"

There is an abundance of evidence that homosexuals experience higher rates of mental health problems in general, including depression. However, there is no empirical evidence to link this with society's general disapproval of homosexual conduct. In fact, evidence from the Netherlands would seem to suggest the opposite, because even in that most "gay-friendly" country on earth, research has shown homosexuals to have much higher mental health problems.

In several places, including the comments section below his piece, Perkins got skewered. A main point of those criticizing Perkins was the fact that he distorted several studies to make the case that homosexuality was a "dangerous lifestyle."

Media Matters for America called him out:

Perkins suggests that these tragedies are not caused by the homophobic attacks these individuals were subjected to, but rather because "homosexuals experience higher rates of mental health problems in general, including depression," and, according to Perkins, there's no "evidence to link this with society's general disapproval of homosexual conduct." Unfortunately for Perkins, the article he links to says no such thing.

Perkins links to a February 2002 American Psychologist article, which reported on the "results of several breakthrough studies are offering new insights on gay men, lesbians and bisexuals." While Perkins is right, "Several studies suggest that gay men, lesbians and bisexuals appear to have higher rates of some mental disorders compared with heterosexuals," he's totally wrong that these rates have nothing to do with discrimination. In fact, the article immediately goes on to report that "[d]iscrimination may help fuel these higher rates." The article reported: "In a study that examines possible root causes of mental disorders in LGB people, [Susan] Cochran [PhD] and psychologist Vickie M. Mays, PhD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, explored whether ongoing discrimination fuels anxiety, depression and other stress-related mental health problems among LGB people. The authors found strong evidence of a relationship between the two." Several other studies back up this finding.

Jim Burroway of Box Turtle Bulletin pointed out this error in Perkins's piece regarding his "evidence" from the Netherlands:

While the study’s authors notes that the Netherlands is generally more tolerant, it doesn’t mean that LGBT people there are free from anti-gay bias and stress. After all, “more tolerant” is not the same as tolerant. And as for the study’s findings, the authors offered this explanation:

The effects of social factors on the mental health status of homosexual men and women have been well documented in studies, which found a relationship between experiences of stigma, prejudice, and discrimination and mental health status. Furthermore, controlling for psychological predictors of present distress seems to eliminate differences in mental health status between heterosexual and homosexual adolescents.

And John Aravosis on Americablog pointed out how Perkins and his group, the Family Research Council, promotes the work of the discredited Paul Cameron.

On Tuesday, Perkins answered back at his critics and did he clear up the points made about the errors in his piece?

Of course not.

He directed all of his attention to attacking GLAAD (the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) for their complaints about his piece:

In the last two weeks, FRC has had a front row seat to the effort by homosexual activists to intimidate the media into silencing conservatives. When the Washington Post published my op-ed last week about the need for an open discussion about the negative consequences of homosexuality (so that these people might have the freedom to leave the lifestyle), the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) threw a (predictable) fit. They accused the Post of giving me a platform for "anti-gay bullying" and urged readers to flood the paper with complaints. Now there are plenty of problems with this scenario-not the least of which is GLAAD's definition of bullying. Despite how threatened they are by the truth, there is nothing more compassionate than trying to rescue people from a lifestyle that is physically and emotionally destructive. GLAAD doesn't see it that way. Just as they did with Matthew Shepard, they're exploiting Tyler Clementi's tragic death as a weapon to scare Christians into retreating--or, in this case, as a way to pressure the media to muzzle any opposition.

The link to GLAAD's supposed "hissy fit" contains links to Burroway's criticisms, Aravosis's observation, and links to a few more problems with FRC's standpoint.

But Perkins chose not to address these. Instead, he chose to claim that he and his organization are victims of homosexual activists trying to silence Christians.

I didn't know pointing out someone's errors is the same as silencing them. Maybe it is in the case of Perkins and FRC.

If they couldn't lie about the lgbt community, maybe they wouldn't have anything else to say.

Company pays 20K settlement in gay harassment lawsuit and other Thursday midday news briefs

N.J.-based Sony DADC to pay $20K settlement to ex-employee in gay harassment lawsuit - Excellent news

Video: Wherein a tongue-tied Bob Vander Plaats gets smacked down. Hard - I love it when someone pushing distortions gets schooled.

Bless Those Who Persecute You: The Just Response to Gay Bullying - A piece on the Huffington Post by a very good friend of mine, Rev. Candace Chellew-Hodge

Peter LaBarbera Unclear on Meaning of Word ‘Blackmail’ - I'm not going to say a word about Petey. It's just too easy.

1:30 PM ET: Join us for a live chat with ally Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA) - Don't miss this!

Hundreds in South Carolina hold vigil for lgbt youth

From Fox News:

Hundreds of candles burned Wednesday night in memory of five bullied youth, all either gay or questioning their sexuality, who in recent weeks have taken their own lives.

“Seeing the teens on the news who committed suicide, it hurts deep down inside because I was there just a few years ago,” says Justin Wise.

Wise, 22, says he was harassed throughout grade school, but now he's taking a stand.

Wise was one of the speakers at the candlelight vigil held outside the front steps of the state house, which focused on the message “it gets better.”

“We are out here to show those kids we are here, and you have a support system,” says SC Pride member Jennifer Tague.

Many of the attendees were wearing purple, because the color on the LGBT flag represents spirit.

“When you put a face out there and you talk about an incident people react,” says Elke Kennedy, whose son died in 2007 from a hate crime.

Click on the Fox News link for the video which unfortunately does not embed. The picture above is Founder of SC Pride, PFLAG Columbia, and the Harriet Hancock LGBT Community Center, Harriet Hancock addressing the audience at the vigil.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Julian Bond - Lessons should be learned from Tyler Clementi's suicide and Eddie Long controversy

Julian Bond, activist and chairman emeritus of the NAACP, has just published a short but very pertinent piece tying together the suicide of Tyler Clementi, the Eddie Long controversy, and the atmosphere of homophobia which led to both. It deserves a read:

Some who believe in Biblical literalism find sanction for their anti-homosexuality there, but selectively ignore Biblical injunctions to execute people who work on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2), to crack down on those who get haircuts (Leviticus 19:27) or to condemn those who wear clothes with more than one kind of thread (Leviticus 19:19).

We wouldn’t think of executing someone for having a Sunday job, but homophobia literally kills. We know Tyler Clementi’s name because his death has been in the news, but did you know about 13-year-old Seth Walsh of Tehachapi, Calif., or 13-year-old Billy Lucas of Greensburg, Ind., who also hanged themselves, or 13-year-old Asher Brown, 13, of Houston, Texas, who shot himself in the head? They all endured anti-gay harassment and bullying until the pressure became too great, as it apparently did for Tyler Clementi.

In the aftermath of the Atlanta scandal, many are given to call Bishop Long’s church “The Church of the Down Low.” This refers to the homophobia-inspired fear that forces many Black gay men into underground lives in a secret sexual world—secret even from family and friends—a covert world on the “down low.” The price some of us pay is AIDS.

As the Atlanta Constitution’s Cynthia Tucker wrote, “Bigotry fuels the scourge of AIDS in Black America, and the plague is making its greatest inroads into the population from which come the worker bees of the Black church: Black women.”

We need to sweep these prejudices away, as the Supreme Court did in 1967 when it eliminated the ban on interracial marriage.

NOM tries to evade New York's disclosure law and other Wednesday midday news briefs

NOM for Carl 'gays grind against each other in speedos' Paladino, against disclosure laws - Long story short: the National Organization for Marriage wants to push ads against Andrew Cuomo in New York but doesn't want to abide by the state's disclosure law, so they are suing. Imagine that.

Maggie Gallagher of NOM: Gays abusing gays leads to suicide, not her attacks on gay marriage - Speaking of the National Organization for Marriage, its founder Maggie Gallagher helps no one with her inaccuracies.

AP Notices Ugandan “Hang Them” Tabloid — Two Weeks Later - Thanks a lot, AP . . . I guess.

Cameron Village discrimination, anti-gay acts on the rise discussed on Joy Behar Show - An excellent piece. The part about anti-gay acts is spooky though.

Hilary Clinton gives support to our lgbt youth . . . and some of us try to ruin it

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton yesterday delivered this powerful and much needed message to our lgbt youth:

"I have a message for all the young people out there who are being bullied...hang in there, and ask for help. Your life is so important.

The story of America is the story of people coming together to tear down barriers, stand up for rights and insist on equality, not only for themselves but for all people.

Here at the State Department, I am grateful every day for the work of our LGBT employees who are serving the United States as Foreign Service Officers and Civil Servants here and around the world. It wasn't long ago that these men and women would not have been able to serve openly, but today they can because it has gotten better. And it will get better for you.

Please remember that your life is valuable and you are not alone. Many people are standing with you and sending you their thoughts, their prayers and their strengths. Count me among them. Take care of yourself."

Unfortunately some have used this speech to either voice their disagreement with President Obama's movement on DADT and DOMA or criticize Mrs. Clinton for her husband's pushing of DADT when he was president.

It's caused some arguments and frankly it's stupid. I don't care what Obama didn't do or what Bill Clinton did do. This is about our children and it says a lot that Mrs. Clinton took time out to show them some support.

It's like what one of my facebook friends said:

As a community, we suck at solidarity. Heck, we can't even thank someone without getting into an argument.

Maybe that's why it's so difficult for us to get what we need. How can we demand respect from society when we can't even give it to ourselves?

Hat tip to Michelle Schohn.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

What the heck is the 'sodomy lobby' anyway? and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Allow me to apologize for not posting today. Long story short, I couldn't get into the dashboard of my blog page. As I investigate what went wrong today, enjoy these news briefs.

WND’s Kinsolving: Gay military recruits are disease-ridden “buggers” - Well he DOES refer to us as the "sodomy lobby." Just what the world needs - a insulting nickname that rhymes.

Anti-bullying bill dropped from special session - Gov. Pawlenty didn't support this in anticipation of his presidential run no doubt.

Breaking: Military told to accept gay applicants - I intend to vote for Obama should he run again but he really needs to give it up on this one. Sometimes being in a position to make history doesn't come at the time you want it to. It just comes.

‘It gets better’: Helping troubled gay teens - The article is excellent. The comments are a drag.

He's aware that 'drilling young men' isn't a euphemism, right? - The repeal of DADT would lead to an lgbt-led military. You could only be that lucky.

A Hack Plus A Quack Equals an Anti-Gay Attack - One of the main reasons why Wayne Besen is an inspiration.

FRC, NOM, Santorum Team Up To Target Iowa Judges - The National Organization for Marriage is going on another bus tour.

Wear Purple on October 20 for Spirit Day - Don't forget to wear your purple tomorrow!

Monday, October 18, 2010

ACLU steps in to help Mississippi corrections officer fired for being gay

Forget the phony lawsuits by Jennifer Keeton and Julea Ward because THIS situation is about real discrimination:

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit today on behalf of Andre Cooley, a corrections officer for juvenile detainees with an exemplary record, who was fired when his supervisors discovered that he was gay. The lawsuit claims that Cooley's constitutional rights were violated by the Forrest County Sheriff's Department and his superior officers

Justin Bieber becomes a victim of anti-gay bullying and other Monday midday news briefs

Justin Bieber -- Homophobic Bullying Victim - Rarely do I do the celebrity thing but this is just incredible. It just goes to show you that anyone can be targeted for anti-gay bullying.

Gay Marriage In Iowa Will Lead to Incest - I swear I didn't get my new copy of the "Radical Homosexual Agenda" which said this. Has someone been stealing my mail?

This is How Ex-Gays Influence the Civil Rights of Gays - And this guy, Ken Buck, is supposedly a favorite for the Colorado Senate seat. Ugh.

11 arrested in raid at Club Dallas - Guess what the next post on Peter LaBarbera's webpage will be about?

AOL article sanitizes Paul Cameron and bad science

Imagine my surprise Sunday morning when I was on AOL and saw the following:

Study: Gay Parents More Likely to Have Gay Kids

Walter Schumm knows what he's about to do is unpopular: publish a study arguing that gay parents are more likely to raise gay children than straight parents. But the Kansas State University family studies professor has a detailed analysis that past almost aggressively ideological researchers never had.

When one such researcher, Paul Cameron, published a paper in 2006 arguing that children of gay parents were more likely to be gay themselves, the response from the academic press was virulent, to say nothing of the popular press; the Southern Poverty Law Center, for instance, equated Cameron to a Nazi.

Not all of the vitriol was hyperbolic. Cameron does not tolerate gay people. He believes that "homosexual practice is injurious to society."

The gay press, as far back as the 1980s, labeled Cameron "the most dangerous anti-gay voice in America." Though Cameron was the first to publish papers on the dangers of secondhand smoke, the scientific community has abandoned him. The American Psychological Association long since dropped him from its membership for an "ethical" violation.

The article makes it sound as if Cameron is a victim of a "politically-correct" scientific community. And though the article's author, Paul Kix, does provide links which refutes that notion including the work of Cameron critic Dr. Gregory Herek (whom he labeled as part of the "gay press"), he was highly derelict in his responsibility to give a complete picture of Cameron's problem with credibility and why many in the scientific community have denounced him. It has nothing to do with political correctness, just the simple fact that Cameron couldn't be believed if you pumped him with a truck full of truth serum:

“(Cameron) misrepresents my findings and distorts them to advance his homophobic views. I make a very clear distinction in my writing between pedophilia and homosexuality, noting that adult males who sexually victimize young boys are either pedophilic or heterosexual, and that in my research I have not found homosexual men turning away from adult partners to children . . . I consider this totally unprofessional behavior on the part of Dr. Cameron and I want to bring this to your attention. He disgraces his profession.” - Dr. A. Nicholas Groth in 1984 after discovering that Cameron distorted his work.

"Paul Cameron (Nebraska) was dropped from membership for a violation of the Preamble to the Ethical Principles of Psychologists - American Psychological Association, 1983

The science and profession of psychology in Nebraska as represented by the Nebraska Psychological Association, formally dissociates itself from the representations and interpretations of scientific literature offered by Dr. Paul Cameron in his writings and public statements on sexuality. Further, the Nebraska Psychological Association would like it known that Dr. Cameron is not a member of the Association. Dr. Cameron was recently dropped from membership in the American Psychological Association for a violation of the Preamble to the Ethical Principles of Psychologists - Nebraska Psychological Association, 1984

Dr. Paul Cameron has consistently misinterpreted and misrepresented sociological research on sexuality, homosexuality, and lesbianism" - American Sociological Association, 1985

The Canadian Psychological Association takes the position that Dr. Paul Cameron has consistently misinterpreted and misrepresented research on sexuality, homosexuality, and lesbianism and thus, it formally disassociates itself from the representation and interpretations of scientific literature in his writings and public statements on sexuality. - Canadian Psychological Association, 1996

The crux of the AOL article was about a study by Schumm claiming that children of gay parents are more likely to be gay themselves. Now while in the article, Schumm asserts that he doesn't "go" for Cameron's type of research, he neglected to say that he has defended Cameron's methodologies in the past.
According to the site Box Turtle Bulletin:

Schumm is considerably more circumspect in how he uses Cameron’s research, but he did publish a 2000 article in Psychological Reports, Paul Cameron’s favorite publication outlet, defending Cameron’s research methods against Dr. Gregory Herek’s criticisms. Schumm is also listed as a member of Cameron’s “Editorial and Scientific Review Board” for the EJSSB (Empirical Journal of Same Sexual Behavior.)

The Box Turtle Bulletin 2008 article in question was talking about how Schumm testified in support of Florida's anti-gay adoption ban. In the AOL article, Schumm gave a bizarre defense as to why he testified for the adoption ban:

Schumm tells AOL News that he agreed to testify as one of the state's witnesses only if his evidence was not "slanted" for or against gay rights.

That is a hilarious assertion, seeing that Susan D. Cochran, a professor of epidemiology and statistics at UCLA and a witness against the ban, accused Schumm of distorting his own data. By the way, Florida's other witness in this case was the now infamous George Rekers.

And a recent post in Box Turtle Bulletin accused Schumm of distorting data in the same manner as Cameron in this supposed new study of his:

Schumm’s study is currently making a big splash on AOLNews, where, according to an article by Paul Kix, Schumm has supposedly conducted a new “robust” study examining whether Cameron was right: Do gay parents make gay children? Cameron’s paper, also published in JBS, was just another example of the shoddy “scholarship” and deliberate distortion of other publications that we’ve come to expect from him. Schumm’s paper seeks to replicate Cameron’s work while acknowledging some of the criticisms of Cameron’s 2006 paper. It’s important to emphasize however that Schumm only acknowledges some of the criticisms. The most important criticism — the completely non-random nature of the so-called “dataset” that Cameron used — Schumm not only ignores, but he repeats that same flaw and embellishes it in a grandly enlarged form.

So basically not only is Schumm's study not new but it's also not accurate. The real question is why was it so difficult for the AOL reporter, Kix, to do some real background research before writing this article.

Related posts:

Homophobic 'researcher' Paul Cameron in all of his repulsive glory

More homophobic lies from the Paul Cameron Poland tour

Why we should care about Paul Cameron