Tennessee anti-gay group steals tacky video from Florida

The tactics of homophobia are never new. They are as old as the Earth itself - appeal to people's ignorance and fear and you will have success. Case in point is this ad by the The Family Action Council of Tennessee:



Does this ad look familiar? It should. In 2009, a group which called themselves Citizens for Good Policy out of Gainesville, FL ran the same ad in an effort to defeat an anti-discrimination ordinance:



Luckily the effort to defeat the anti-discrimination ordinance in FL lost by a large majority, proving that people don't always fall for vindictively inaccurate scare tactics about men in women's restrooms..

Hopefully Tennessee will be further proof of this. It's pathetic that these groups can't think of a reasonable argument against anti-discrimination ordinances so they have to conjure up lies about children in danger.


Hat tip to Truth Wins Out.

Anti-gay groups receiving federal funds and other Thursday midday news briefs

Legislature OKs out-of-state gay marriages - Good things are happening in Washington State.

Gay marriage ban is simply wrong for state - A column from Indiana simply nails it.

Religious groups receive federal funding despite anti-gay political activity - The only reason why this is happening is because the lgbt community isn't raising sufficient hell over it.

Religious Right Favorite Trent Franks Poised To Run For Senate - Lord give us strength!

Gay people 'at higher risk of chronic illness' - Watch how the religious right distort this report by omitting the reason why this is so - i.e. lack of strong family support.

The National Organization for Marriage's ugly face on video

The National Organization for Marriage tries to push itself as an organization dedicated to preserving the "sanctity of marriage." However do not be fooled. As the following video featuring its leaders and followers demonstrates, it is just yet another homophobic religious right group, albeit one with deep pockets.



By the way, this video is from the excellent webpage nomexposed.org, which should be a resource for every lgbt and ally concerned with marriage equality and NOM's dishonest efforts to impede marriage equality

Related post:

Yes Maggie Gallagher, you are bigoted and NOM is homophobic. Here's why.

Matt Barber - 'Homosexuals are picking on me!'

My favorite religious right pet is at it again.

On Monday, the Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber made an absolutely ridiculous (even for him) comment that young lgbts are committing suicide because supposedly "they know they are committing a sin."

Needless to say Barber got some negative pushback - which he richly deserved - for such an irresponsible comment.

Today, he tried a little pushback himself. According to People for the American Way's Religious Right Watch, Barber spoke with another favorite religious right pet of mine, Peter LaBarbera, and proceeded to wax Biblical about the so-called wages of sin and homosexuality:

You know, scripture says ‘woe to those who call evil good and good evil.’ When homosexual activists and other ‘progressives’ in the pro-sin movement are exposed to biblical truth, their reaction is invariably visceral and loud. There’s ‘nothing new under the sun.’ This ‘kill the messenger’ strategy is age-old and knee-jerk. These folks, as a matter of course, call evil good and good evil. Of course their gripe isn’t with me. I’m nothing. I’m nobody. Their problem is with their Creator, the natural order and the fallen state of mankind. They’re just lost.

… Right, as you know I’ve never been one to mince words or sugarcoat things. That’s how God hardwired me. I also shared my opinion that many of those caught-up in the homosexual lifestyle intuitively know that such conduct is sin – that it’s both immoral and unnatural behavior. Objective truth is objective truth. God has written His laws on the hearts of every man, woman and child. We’re all spiritual beings created in the image of our sovereign Lord. We are also all sinners. Scripture says that not one of us is righteous. When we sin, we create separation between ourselves and God.

God’s word also says that when we sin sexually, it’s particularly egregious because our bodies are the temple of Christ. This separation from God – a natural result of sexual sin – can lead to depression and even despair. It’s a no brainer. I pointed out that such despair and inner conflict can logically be one factor that might contribute to teen suicide. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to witness, but it’s a very painful reality.

In reality, I doubt many of us in the lgbt community have a problem with Barber. I for one love it when he runs his mouth.  All the better for me to paint him as the personification of the religious right - seemingly organized and moral, much moneyed and highly connected. But in the very core of all of that "perfection" is a dark pit made up of deception and lies; naked hatred and foul homophobia.

So you will forgive me for laughing just a little. Okay a lot. It's always amusing to me how some folks  blame God for their hatred and call out Scripture to cover up their own homophobia. "Don't blame me," their mantra always seems to me." Blame God."

Yeah right. I'm sure it was God who led Barber to make ugly, vindictive remarks about members of the lgbt community, such as calling the transgender community "she-males" like he did in this tweet:

February 23, 2011: Today’s Army: Trannies, drag queens & she-males, oh my! http://tinyurl.com/6kcrssb

Or making uncalled-for remarks about our gay and lesbians fighting soldiers:

And I'm sure God is behind his constant and noticeable mentions of gay sex. I mean let's not forget his ruminations about anal intercourse - which shows he had obviously given it some thought:

There is nothing "conservative" about "one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it 'love'";

That's right. The fact that Barber is a rabid homophobe who obsesses about gay sex is all because of God.  If this is the case, it would prove one thing - God has a seriously warped sense of humor.

EEOC calls HIV a disability and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Montana House Blocks Attempt to Decriminalize Homosexuality - Unbelievable.

DOMA is like a cobra - Nothing is more cute than a homophobe wearing earrings.

Cuomo to LGBT Leaders: I Expect Vote on Marriage Equality in ‘Six to Eight Weeks or Maybe Sooner’ - We will see.

New EEOC Regulations Include HIV as a Disability - I wonder how this will play out. I personally don't see any problems with it.

The Proper Way To Defend Marriage - Hilarious!!!!

Marcia Walden - another religious right story of lies

One of the most effective strategies of religious right organizations is to take an incident which looks like Christians are being discriminated against because of lgbt equality and push it hard in the media before the truth is discovered.

And usually the truth turns out that the situation is a bit more complicated than the "innocent Christian vs. intolerant homosexual agenda" scenario set up by these groups.

We've seen this in the recent case of the British couple who were turned down as foster parents.

And now to fight ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Family Research Council is pulling out an old case - that of Marcia Walden.

From FRC's blog:

Marcia Walden, a licensed counselor in Georgia, explains why she was fired after referring a homosexual client to a colleague. Marcia referred the client to another colleague because offering counseling services would conflict with her Christian beliefs on homosexuality. Under ENDA legislation currently before Congress, Christian employers and employees across the nation would experience similar attacks on their Constitutional right to freedom of religion, speech and association.

FRC features a video of Walden tell her story. I won't embed that video because I think it's unfair. The purpose of the video is to gain sympathy for Walden. However appealing to emotions masks the fact that in this case, there are two sides to the story.

This is the real story according to court documents:

Walden's employer, Computer Science Corp had a contract with the CDC to provide counselors. Walden was counseling a CDC employee who told her about the problems she was having with her relationship with another woman. The employee had gotten emotional because it was a very sensitive situation involving a child in the relationship and forgery in order to steal credit.

It was then that Walden informed the CDC employee that her religious beliefs precluded her from providing counsel. Walden then sought another counselor to handle the client's referral.

Now even though the client was satisfied with the new counselor, she felt "judged and condemned" by Walden. She also felt that Walden's body language - her nonverbal communication - indicated disapproval of her relationship.

After an investigation, Walden's supervisor suggested another way she could refer clients to another counselor without mentioning her "personal values." Walden was specifically asked if she could tell clients in seeking same-sex relationship advice that she didn't have relationship counseling experience. Walden refused. Apparently Walden wanted to tell clients that her personal values precluded her from counseling them.

And this is the rest of the story via Pam's House Blend:

• The CDC later requested Walden's removal from the contract.

• With no other counseling positions available in the Atlanta area, CSC laid Walden off and noted that she would preserve her benefits if re-hired by CSC within a year.

• Walden refused to pursue further employment with CSC, believing that the inclusion/diversity policies made it hostile toward Christians.

So Marcia Walden's case is not about her being fired because of her Christian beliefs, but rather she handled duties. When people come in for counseling, it is generally a sensitive situation and they should not be made to feel like they have done anything wrong. Walden chose to express her beliefs in an unprofessional manner and was penalized for it.

By the way, the courts agreed because Walden lost her case.

But as we have seen on so many occasions with so many other cases, she lives on as a religious right cause celebre.

Seven ways the Family Research Council have lied about ENDA

Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) will be introducing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in Congress this week. There is probably no way in hell with this rabid tea party Republican Congress that this will pass.

However, according to blogger Joe Jervis, the Family Research Council has chosen to take advantage of the situation anyway by relaunching their Stop ENDA campaign complete with a webpage of lies and fear stories.

I say I can do them one better by digging up past posts about how FRC has lied about ENDA:

Family Research Council deliberately misinterpret words of Obama official to discredit ENDA - The Family Research Council deliberately distorts the words of John Berry is President Obama's director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to claim that the passage of ENDA will lead to an overturning of DOMA.


Family Research Council head misrepresents credible information to hurt ENDA - In testimony against ENDA, FRC head Tony Perkins uses anecdotes and distorts a study on lgbt health.


Family Research Council exploiting Amanda Simpson's appointment to stop ENDA - The Family Research Council exploits the presidential appointment of transgender Amanda Simpson to call ENDA a "Crossdresser Protection Bill."


Family Research Council getting extremely 'scary' about ENDA - FRC channels the image of the Grim Reaper to assist in its lies about ENDA.

Religious right groups can't make up their minds when lying about ENDA - FRC falsely calls ENDA the Discrimination Against Christian Workers Act and uses one-sided anecdotes of people fired supposedly for their Christian beliefs.


FRC: Gays and lesbians shouldn't be employed in 'some' jobs - When FRC says "ENDA would mandate the employment of homosexuals in inappropriate occupations," are they implying the homosexuality = pedophilia lie?


Family Research Council gearing up to fight ENDA with distortions - blah, blah, blah, the "crossdressers" and liberals are trying to silence Christians.


Related posts:

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

A Gay Disney character? and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Mississippi Sheriff Reinstates Fired Gay Corrections Officer - This is good news indeed!

Truth Academy: Putting It All Together - If you have the stomach for it, Matt Algren breaks down Porno Pete LaBarbera's homophobic "truth academy."

WorldNetDaily screeches - Disney animator: 'Gay' characters only matter of time - This needs no introduction. It's World NUT Daily after all.

Tea Party Group Warns of White "Extinction" In America - SUUUURE it's not about racism.

Let kids access sites, ACLU tells school - I agree. Let students get adequate resources regarding their orientations

Catholic bishops don't want to give housing to lgbts

Some on the right tell us that lgbt equality will trump people's right to express their religious beliefs. In some cases maybe that's not a bad idea, such as the following:

U.S. Catholic bishops are urging federal housing officials not to adopt proposed rules that would bar groups that receive federal funds from discriminating against gays, lesbians or transgender persons in housing programs.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development said the new rules, proposed on Jan. 24, would “ensure equal access” to programs that help the elderly, sick, and impoverished find stable housing.

Citing recent studies, HUD said gays and lesbians face discrimination in the private housing market, and one in five transgender persons reports homelessness due to bias.

“In considering the mounting evidence of violence and discrimination against LGBT persons, the department is concerned that its own programs may not be fully open to LGBT individuals and families,” HUD said in January.

Lawyers for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops say the new rules would force some religious groups to compromise their beliefs or quit HUD housing programs.

“Faith-based and other organizations should retain the freedom they have always had to make housing placements in a manner consistent with their religious beliefs, including when it concerns a cohabiting couple, be it an unmarried heterosexual couple or a homosexual couple,” said Anthony Picarello and Michael Moses, lawyers for the bishops conference.

The lawyers’ remarks came in a letter to HUD as part of a public comment period that ended Friday (March 25). A spokeswoman for HUD could not be reached immediately for comment about when the new policy would take effect.

So in other word, these Catholic bishops would let people homeless rather than give housing to someone who may be an lgbt if that person is in a relationship but can't get married due to the anti-gay marriage laws. That doesn't strike me as very Christian.

The irony of the situation is that Jesus - whom these bishops claim to serve - was born in a manger because his parents were turn away from the inn on the night of his birth. Apparently there was no room.

Years later there is still no room, but this time it's in the hearts of those who claim to serve Him. There is no room for love or basic kindness.

Is this what Christianity has become? A selfish precept in which those needing love and support take a backseat to egos?  HUD is the last thing these bishops should worry about if they continue to be show such hatred and callousness in God's name.

Related post:


Catholic Church Urges HUD On LGBT Americans: “Let Them Go Homeless.”

Matt Barber - Jesus's Sleazeball

Apparently the disease of the mouth which affects the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer is spreading to other religious right figures.

According to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch:

Liberty Counsel’s Matt Barber took to the airwaves to bash President Obama and organizations working towards bullying-prevention, joining other Religious Right opponents of anti-bullying programs. Along with Shawn Akers, who like Barber works for both Liberty University and Liberty Counsel, Barber railed against the alleged use of “a ‘Trojan Horse’ strategy, using language of bullying and violence and creating safe schools” to implement “a homosexual activist political indoctrination agenda and a curriculum of pro-homosexual propaganda.” Barber also said that Obama is “furthering a separate but equal policy” that supposedly favors gay and lesbian students and employs an “Alinsky-style, homo-fascist tactic to stifle any dissent.” Barber concluded by claiming that “kids who are engaging in homosexual behavior often look inward and know that what they are doing is unnatural, is wrong, is immoral, and so they become depressed and the instances of suicide can rise there as well.”

Just in case you have the stomach for it, here is the video:




This isn't the first time Barber has made negative comments about young lgbts. In October of last year, he referred to young gay men  who had recently committed suicide as "sexually confused."

By the time I've gotten home today, Barber's comments had been discussed and vilified by several other blogs. Subsequently, that leaves me racking my brain trying to think of a new angle.

But I can't. Matt Barber is a sleazeball. He is the very worst of those who would call themselves Christian. Is this what the body of Christ is about; a bloated, ignorant man who makes his money off of attacking and stigmatizing a community of Americans simply because he doesn't like their sexual orientation?

For the record, Barber is not a physician nor is he a researcher. He is a failed boxer and a failed insurance salesman who weasled his way into a prime post with the religious right. His entire career has been a lie and a mockery to all that's is truly moral.

Now those who have a background in such things say that when lgbt children are bullied and picked on, they are more likely more to be depressed and more likely to commit suicide.

Barber doesn't know what the hell he is talking about and what's worse is the phony pity he displays for lgbt youth in light of the fact that his comments and actions regarding the lgbt community in general resemble that of a schoolyard bully.

Among other things, he

criticized Home Depot for daring to acknowledge that same-sex households exist,

slurred the name of an Obama appointee in a pitiful attempt to be clever,

defended countries that persecute lgbts,

told a highly dubious story about a gay man sexually assaulting men in his military unit, and

compared lgbts and progressives in general to idol worshippers and child sacrificers of Biblical times.

But it is in the area of "criticizing," i.e. talking about gay sex where Barber has made a, shall we say, niche for himself.

During one of those annoyingly dreary "God is telling us to take back America" conferences in September of last year, Barber reportedly urged attendees to

. . .focus on the “ick” factor around gay sex and on claims that homosexuality is a health threat, which he called the movement’s “Achilles heel.”

This is not even counting the vindictive comments he has made about members of the lgbt community via his tweets:

•  January 14, 2011: “Look pal, you won’t be able to ‘ask’ or ‘tell’ if you don’t get your hand off my knee! http://yfrog.com/h4d67zoj
•  January 25, 2011: Soldiers, does your foxhole buddy have your back or want to rub it?
•  January 29, 2011: Drudge:”Man Subjected To Body Cavity Search At Traffic Stop.” Other News: “Barney Frank Waves Down Police in Traffic.” http://tiny.cc/spo05
•  January 30, 2011: DADT repeal implementation underway. “Slap fighting” & “tickle parties” to be added to special forces training. http://tiny.cc/jfcdx
•  January 31, 2011: She-male model stirs Brazil fashion show. In other news: Man buys Rolex & discovers it’s a knock-off. http://bit.ly/gxcfVW
•  January 31, 2011: SNL skit mocking Tranny inanity has homosexual activists fuming (warning: a little crude) http://bit.ly/ewYd0A
•  February 1, 2011: Queering the Marines: From morally upright 2 immorally down-low. From semper fidelis 2 limp-wristed fellas http://bit.ly/fBcuqH
•  February 23, 2011: Today’s Army: Trannies, drag queens & she-males, oh my! http://tinyurl.com/6kcrssb
•  February 25, 2011: The homofascist bullying & brainwashing begins: “Combat troops to get gay sensitivity training:” http://bit.ly/dKqh4b

Seems to me if Matt Barber really cared about lgbt youth, he would put a gag in his mouth.  And if he really cared about the integrity of his Christianity, he would keep the gag in his mouth.

GOP candidates want to reinstate DADT and other Monday midday news briefs

Transgender Protections Bill Clears Maryland House - Not bad. Not bad at all.

Boston Globe: 'Same-sex marriage no longer such a divisive political issue' - I am still cynical about that. The right always has a way of whipping up resentment and fear.

Go ahead, GOP -- let Bryan Fischer moderate your debates. Please. We insist. - Pay attention. This will come back to haunt GOP Presidential candidates.

Haley Barbour Joins Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty In Call To Undo DADT Repeal - Ugh. And speaking of things that will come back to haunt GOP Presidential candidates.

Religious right using Exodus/Apple controversy to make money, settle old scores

Actress Olivia DeHavilland once remarked in a movie that "you just can't keep hogs away from the trough."

That statement is definitely one which sprung in my mind during the Exodus International/Apple controversy.

Last week, the organization Truth Wins Out led the charge to get Apple to dump Exodus International's "gay cure" phone app through a petition which over 150,000 people signed.

Now there has been some controversy over this, including in the lgbt community, because some felt that Truth Wins Out violated Exodus's International's free speech.

Nonsense. Apple is a private company and freely chose to remove that app after the complaints. Also, Apple shouldn't have approved the app in the first place. The ex-gay methodology is junk science and leads folks to down a primrose path of lies in thinking that their God-given sexual orientation is something they should be ashamed of. That sort of thing causes more harm than good by sowing self-hatred and repression.

If Apple wants to approve apps for junk science, then why not one for lobotomy or phrenology?

Naturally the reactions to controversy have been varied. The Family Research Council wasn't even involved, but has the temerity to raise money from the situation:

A story in the news this week proves once again what we’ve been saying for years. Liberals want to silence pro-family conservatives like you and me. In a stunning decision, Apple withered under pressure from homosexual activists and censored an application that offers help to people struggling with homosexuality. The app for ex-gays was created by Exodus International–and before this week, it had a 4+ rating from the iTunes store. Exodus is another victim of the growing campaign to silence Christianity in America. As a reader of my emails, you know that the Southern Poverty Law Center falsely labeled FRC a “hate group” for standing for biblical norms regarding sexuality. Liberal activists use this label and demand that media outlets censor FRC staff and research.

We are honored to serve on these frontlines, but we need your help. Please help us stand for marriage and healthy human sexuality with your gift today.

Does the Family Research really want to remind people of its hate group designation, especially in light of the fact that the organization has yet to come up with a detailed response as to how can comparing gays to pedophiles, telling lies about the supposed short gay life span, and claiming that gay parents hurt children (all of which FRC has done) can  be seen as "biblical norms."

But as for religious right responses, none takes the cake like Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth:

In an interview with the American Family Association's One News Now, LaBarbera said the following:

"Major corporations are now openly discriminating against people of faith at the hands of radical homosexual groups like Truth Wins Out -- and don't be fooled by the name. Truth Wins Out is one of the most hateful, extremist homosexual organizations on the planet, and they're targeting ex-gays for their persecution."

And then on his own webpage, LaBarbera, who obviously never misses a chance to milk a situation, went a bit farther with a dig against Exodus International:

There are some interesting side stories and ironies to this second of two Apple cave-ins to LGBT pressure-campaigns. One is that Exodus International — a leading umbrella group for people desiring to abandon homosexual practice or resist unwanted same-sex desires – has gone out of its way (too far, in our view) NOT to offend homosexual activists. And look where it got them. In fact, a while back Exodus declared that it was disengaging from the ”Culture War” over homosexuality (in favor of ministry pursuits) – yet now it is thrust right back into it. This is a lesson for all naive Christians who think that by somehow sidestepping the cultural battle over homosexuality, it won’t rage on, with homosexual activists attempting to muzzle the Gospel.

LaBarbera's snide comment no doubt stems from a situation in 2009 when he and Exodus Vice President Randy Thomas had a very public feud over a vulgar comment made by the Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber about lgbts.

Exodus International raised an objection to the following comment made by Barber, which LaBarbera published on his webpage:

It boils down to this: there is nothing “conservative” about — as Barber inimitably puts it — “one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it ‘love.’” Or two women awkwardly mimicking natural procreative relations or raising a child together in an intentionally fatherless home.

Exodus's objection led to an amusing flame war on Exodus's webpage between Thomas and LaBarbera which allowed us to gain a peek at the pettiness of the so-called Christian personalities fighting against the alleged gay agenda.

No doubt, LaBarbera felt the need to settle old scores in his response to the the Apple situation by, with Christian love of course, kicking Exodus International when they are down.

So the way I look at it, the Exodus/Apple controversy is a win for the lgbt community.

We demonstrated what we can get accomplished when we all are on the same wavelength and two entities who fight hard against our equality have been exposed for being money-hungry and calculating (FRC) and vindictive (Peter LaBarbera).

Gay fathers face problems gaining acceptance

I love articles like the following published today by South Coast Today which talk about gay father. The more we talk about lgbt families, the more visibility we have. And THAT is a type of visibility that we need:

When Scott Wagenhoffer-Zahn was 4 years old, and his parents got married in Oregon, a minister grabbed his arms, looked him right in the eyes, and said, "You will burn in hell."

Scott started to cry. That may have been one of the first times he experienced prejudice, but it was hardly the last. That minister, some bullies at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich and others have objected to both his parents being men.

Even his uncles. One, Jimmy, said "that's just wrong" when Scott's father Steve Wagenhoffer of Orleans announced at one Thanksgiving dinner that he and his male partner were adopting two babies. "My younger sister wanted nothing to do with me," Steve Wagonhoffer says. "Her husband (Jimmy) believes you can 'catch gay,' so he keeps his kids away from me."

"When our other father and Steve got divorced," remembers Scott, now 16, "our father's brother, Uncle Bob, said, 'I'm sorry, but that's how those relationships end up. I'm sorry because I won't be seeing you in heaven.'"

Scott and brother Alex, also 16, have never even met their uncle Jimmy and tell the story of the estrangements with a sense of amazement.

The rejection from the family, though, was a foreshadowing of the kind of anti-gay rhetoric that Steve, Scott and Alex have been hearing for years. Says Alex, "People say sexuality is a taught thing. They say that a gay father will teach you to be gay. But sexuality is genetically wired into us. Hatred is the taught thing."

More here.

Know Your LGBT History - Reflections in a Golden Eye

Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away this week, was a gay icon. There is no doubt about that. However between you and me, I wish she had the opportunity to be in more lgbt positive movies.

The two movies she starred which featured lgbt portrayals weren't exactly positive. One was Suddenly Last Summer (1959) and the other was this monstrosity, Reflections in A Golden Eye (1967).

In Reflections in A Golden Eye, she portrayed the overly amorous wife of an Army captain (Marlon Brando). It is a movie about lust, and repression (Brando's character is a repressed gay man lusting after an army soldier (Robert Forester) who is fond nude horseback riding.)

Not one of my favorites:



Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

Uganda's anti-gay bill appears to be dead and other Friday midday news briefs

Poll: 74% of Catholics Support Recognizing Same-Sex Unions - Shhh! Don't tell NOM.

Uganda’s “Kill The Gays” Bill Appears To Be Dead - That would be good news.

AFA's Bryan Fischer: Muslims Have No First Amendment Rights - The man needs help.

Bachmann praises ouster of Iowa judges in gay marriage ruling - And she wants to be president? God help us all.

Real Family Values - Awesome editorial in the New York Times about gay marriage.

NOM called out for misleading on DOMA

The good folks at Stop8.org breaks down the lies of the National Organization for Marriage:



NOM may have gobs of money, but we have truth on our side. The problem is that we need to push this truth more. Point blank - we need more videos like this and we need these videos to be seen by as many people as possible.

New York Times looks at ' the extra hoops gay families must jump through'

When the National Organization for Marriage, the Family Research Council, and other organizations of that ilk talk about families, it because of the following New York Times article that they attempt to bury all mentions of lgbt families:

MOST pregnant women avoid long road trips right before their due date. But Amanda and Kay Shelton, a lesbian couple in Beverly Hills, Mich., contemplated traveling more than 600 miles to New Jersey so Amanda could give birth in a state where their baby could have two “legal” mothers.

Michigan, along with several others, doesn’t allow same-sex couples to perform second-parent adoptions, which allow one partner to adopt the other’s biological or adopted children. They never did make the long trip, which would have allowed Kay to begin adoption proceedings immediately. “It was not terribly practical, so we were kind of in a difficult spot,” said Amanda, 34.

The inability to adopt is one of many legal and financial inequalities the Sheltons face because their state and the federal government do not recognize their union, which they affirmed in a ceremony almost 11 years ago.

Though Kay, 37, is known as “mama” to their children — Maya is 3, Myles, 8 months — the state government still views her as a legal stranger. So Amanda, who works as a commercial litigator for a law firm in Detroit, must sign a notarized document every six months that gives Kay, who stays home with the children, parental consent. But they have often wondered if there was more they could do to strengthen those legal ties, or to improve their financial situation. So we asked three experts in same-sex issues — a lawyer, a financial planner and an accountant — for advice.

More here. This is a compelling article which tells us that every time the subject of gay marriage comes up, the fact that lgbts have families need to dominate the conversation

Religious right angry over Exodus/Apple controversy and other Thursday midday news briefs

SPLC-Certified Hate Group Defends Exodus, Wants Hateful App Back - The Family Research Council is hopping mad. Probably because somewhere in the world, an lgbt is having a happy life.

NOM's careless discourse: Apple corporate decision edition - The National Organization for Marriage follows Victoria Jackson's nonsensical connecting of the lgbt and Islamic communities. Tacky, tacky, tacky.

Save California Warns of "Sexual Brainwashing" in History Bill - Everyone knows that lgbts brainwashed children through Saturday morning cartoons. A perfect example is The Smurfs. Only a gay man would think of a cartoon with a village of 100 males and one female.

Derby council defends foster ban on Christian couple - This case is far from over but it is good to get another side on this situation other than the canonization of the "Christian" couple.

Does the Vatican support anti-gay violence?

Recently, the Vatican  spoke out against the United Nations statement which condemns international homophobia:

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi says "people are being attacked for taking positions that do not support sexual behavior between people of the same sex," he said to the Human Rights Council, according to Reuters. "When they express their moral beliefs or beliefs about human nature ... they are stigmatised, and worse -- they are vilified, and prosecuted."

The Vatican isn't the only so-called religious entity to speak against the resolution, which is supported by the Obama Administration. Yesterday, the Family Research Council posted an opposing statement which claimed to express dismay over any violence perpetrated against the lgbt community but then gave support to the countries which perpetrate this violence:

Our global neighbors have the freedom to believe that homosexuality is wrong--just as they have the freedom to legislate against any behavior they think is harmful to society.

The Vatican seems to be taking a page out of FRC's playbook by intentionally ignoring that in some countries, folks aren't merely expressing a "moral belief" about homosexuality.

In South Africa, lesbians are subjected to "corrective rape."

In some countries, gay men are chased and beaten by mobs.

And in one country in particular (Uganda) - they will begin debating legislation to imprison and possibly execute people for being lgbt.

The UN resolution does not attack countries which simply express a moral belief against homosexuality. The resolution specifically calls out those so-called expressions which advocate violence against the lgbt community.

I don't put it past FRC to intentionally distort the situation, but for the Vatican to do this is highly shameful. The FRC has built a reputation in part for falsely claiming victimhood. The Vatican represents the Catholic community, which has genuinely been persecuted throughout history.

Instead of issuing deceptive statements, the Vatican needs to explain why it's not showing empathy for true victims of persecution in this matter rather than the perpetrators.

Budget cuts threaten treatment of HIV/AIDS in South Carolina

On the day of Elizabeth Taylor's passing, the following situation reminds us that we must be vigilant in carrying on her work to eradicate AIDS in our community.

In my state of South Carolina, state budget cuts are causing a huge problem in so many areas. And one area is when it comes to the treatment of HIV/AIDS:

About 7,400 South Carolinians are diagnosed with AIDS, according to the most recent figures from the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the state’s rate of infection is higher than the national rate.

With South Carolina facing a $700 million budget shortfall as the state begins the long recovery from the Great Recession, activists for patients with some chronic medical conditions like HIV and AIDS are finding little support to add funding to programs, as lawmakers cut health care expenses to balance the budget.

The waiting list for the state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which currently covers 2,262 people, has grown to 527 people as of Friday, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, which administers the program.

“I want to believe that they listen, I don’t know if they do,” Smith said of state budget writers. “I hope somewhere in the back of their mind that they are feeling some kind of something for the people.

“People are afraid that they may not get their medication.”

. . . South Carolina’s AIDS infection rate — 15.6 cases per 100,000 people — is higher than the national rate of 11.2 cases per 100,000 people, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The rate of new S.C. cases was the 11th-highest in the country in 2008, at 18.7 per 100,000, while Columbia had the seventh-highest rate of AIDS diagnoses among cities with population of 500,000 or more.

 (Julia) Craft and other advocates argue it is cheaper to pick up the cost of drugs than to treat the associated opportunistic diseases that most often kill AIDS patients, among them pneumonia, skin and immune system cancers and bacterial infections. In addition, someone on drug therapy is less likely to transmit the disease — and the cost of treatment — to others.

A report compiled by the Health Law and Policy Clinic of Harvard University recommended a number of strategies to expand HIV and AIDS programs, such as enlisting faith-based groups to encourage testing, treatment and to support federal and state programs. The report also recommends South Carolina apply for a waiver to allow Medicaid coverage of those with HIV.

So far, the the Harvard report has been ignored.

More here.