Let’s not forget about the imps

Paul Cameron has yet another study out. This time, he claims that there has been a conspiracy to suppress studies that puts the gay community in an bad light.

But let’s move past him for a second. We need to keep focus on just how dangerous Cameron’s lies actually are.

No matter how many times he has been debunked, Cameron has an audience willing to believe his lies and pass them along. And those in that camp are also willing to repeat Cameron’s lies in front of school boards and legislative bodies.

Some of these folks are absolutely deluded; convinced that the only reason why Cameron has been rebuked is because his data is correct and the so-called Gay Mafia will do anything to suppress it They believe this despite the fact that there has been and continues to be a mountain of evidence against Cameron.

And then there are others who are very aware of Cameron’s history and the lack of credibility his data contains.

But they use it anyway because of a Machiavellian mindset. They seem to think that in the long run, defaming homosexuality and lgbts by use of bad studies (i.e. lies) are not necessarily a bad thing because the lies are being done for a good or Christian purpose.

A part of me feels sorry for those with the former notion. Those who have the latter notion (and there are many) are the ones we should focus our efforts on.

Indeed Paul Cameron had a belief that homosexuality is sick in a physical and mental sense even before he began defaming the community. For this reason, he manipulated and distorted legitimate data and statistics to quantify this theory.

While those in the anti-gay industry present a danger when they cite his work, they present more of a danger when they have the mindsets that led Cameron to do what he did to our community.

This leads them to find other works to distort.

My book covers many of these examples, so let me give out a few. I have not linked these examples to a site because

A. I have to give you some degree of curiousity so that you will buy my book and

B. Many of these examples are things that I personally researched and discovered.

But trust me when I say that these examples and more are covered with detail and proof in my book:

Gay men have a short life span due to disease and reckless living - When not citing Cameron’s studies to quanitfy this lie, the anti-gay industry will distort the findings of a 1997 Oxford study. However, they always omit the fact that in 2001, the original authors of the study said that their work was being distorted. They said the original study was speaking of a purely hypothetical outcome that is no longer applicable.

Gay men molest children at a higher rate than heterosexuals - When not citing Cameron’s studies, the anti-gay industry will repeat his theory that if a man molests a young boy, then that man is gay. Legitimate studies have all said this is not the case.

Lesbians engage in reckless behavior like drug addiction and alcoholism - When not citing Cameron’s studies, the anti-gay industry will cite convenience sample studies, or studies not indicative of the entire community. One such study was by Dr. Joanne Hall. Despite the fact that Dr. Hall’s study looked at only 35 lesbians and that she had written letters complaining about the distortion of her work, the Family Research Council and other groups still use it.

Gay men are promiscuous - When not citing Cameron’s studies, the anti-gay industry will use out-of-date books that only looks a part of the gay population. One book they cite is Homosexualities by Alan Bell and Martin Weinberg. Homosexualities looked at the gay community in San Francisco in the early 1970s. The authors even say that their book cannot be thought of to represent the entire gay community. A point of fact about Homosexualities is that it was produced by the Kinsey Institute, the organization that many in the anti-gay industry claims uses bad methodology. Apparently the Kinsey Institute can’t be so bad to them if they use its work to defame lgbts.

As I said before, I go into more detail about these examples in my book.

But my main point is that while exposing Cameron for his bad research, let’s not forget that the anti-gay industry has copied his shoddy tactics. We need to call them out on that.

Cameron shouldn’t get all the blame.

One step forward, one step back - My book slowly progresses

It’s been a crazy weekend.

For starters, my computer went to Jesus yet again. It wouldn’t have been so bad had I been able to save the information for my book ad, new press release, and questionnaire form to disk before it happened.

So to combat any further problems, I looked into getting a laptop. Unfortunately the cost of it destroyed the budget I set aside for the corrections of my book, so that left me in a serious funk.
However, with a little prayer and elbow grease, I have come to a solution to my problem. If all works out as it should, I will still be able to afford the edits to my book This process is what I get for being independent.

One good thing is that my press release has been running at several places, leading to nice articles and requests for interviews, not to mention requests to be placed on my mailing list.
While I sweated the problems this weekend, I compounded the error by watching a VH-1 marathon of some weird reality show called Flavor of Love.

The silliness of the show just underscores the sad state of hypocrisy of my African-American community when it comes to lgbt issue.

Donnie McClurkin, D.L. Foster, T.D. Jakes, and the rest of them don’t say anything about a show that portrays black men as bufoons and black women as loud, uneducated, slutty, hair-pulling, bizarre named (i.e Krazy, Bootz, Buckeey, Nibblz, Deelishis) hoochies but these same charlatans will pull open that Bible to criticize us.

And the same so-and-sos who enjoy ignorant shows like this will be the same ones who claim that "their faith" teaches that homosexuality is a sin.

Meanwhile, historically black colleges will do their best to keep us underground or invisible.

I guess Jesus had an exemption for bed-hopping, horse hair, yukk-mouth gold teeth brothers and sisters who can butt-clap and bitch slap.

Pass the Courvoisier!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously though, as many of you know, the National Day of Silence will take place next week. Our friends in the anti-gay industry will do their best to disrupt and lie about the purpose of this day. I’m guessing that our friend Peter at Americans for Truth (in name only), Linda Harvey (Mission America), and the rest have something interesting in the works.

Keep one eye open because you know they going to act like fools. Already they are claiming a huge increase in the participants of their anti-gay event, Day of Truth. My guess is that they have the "we are winning" press release already written.

Wayne Besen at www.truthwinsout.org is already on their case.

Lastly, a HUGE shoutout to an online buddy, Jim Burroway of Box Turtle Bulletin, for an excellent analysis on Paul Cameron and his latest set of lies.

I try to do my bit when it comes to exposing Cameron’s lies but Burroway goes the extra mile, giving sufficient detail as to how Cameron deceives and exploits people of faith. His latest piece, Paul Cameron’s Footprint" is yet another triumph.

Just one thing, Jim. Save some for the rest of us.

And speaking of Paul Cameron, I would like to point out something very positive about us as a blogging community. Since he came out with the new batch of nonsense about the supposed gay life span, Cameron’s lack of credibility has been spotlighted not just by bloggers on their own sites but on the sites where his lies are usually repeated and believed as truth.

Bloggers posted responses on so-called pro-family and "Christian" web pages detailing the paper trail behind Cameron’s nonsense. We were adroit, to the point, and not begging for "tolerance." We all said "Cameron is lying about us and here is the proof. Deal with it."

We should do that more often.

One more Paul Cameron bit

I apologize to anyone who has read my postings this week. I wrote an usually large amount about Paul Cameron and his so-called research.

And here is one more:

Married Gays Die 24 Years Younger

Contact: Dr. Paul Cameron, Family Research Institute, 303-681-3113, 303-886-1947 cell

PHILADELPHIA, Apr. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Marriage between a man and woman seems to result in longer life for both. Does it work that way for gay marriage?

"No," says Dr. Paul Cameron of the Family Research Institute, a Colorado-based think tank.

Researchers Paul and Kirk Cameron reported at the Eastern Psychological Association convention that married gays and lesbians lived about 24 fewer years than their married heterosexual counterparts.

In Denmark, the country with the longest history of gay marriage, for 1990-2002, married heterosexual men died at a median age of 74, while the 561 partnered gays died at an average age of 51.

In Norway, married heterosexual men died at an average age of 77 yr., the 31 gays at 52. The lifespan of same-sex married lesbians was 20+ years shorter than the lifespan of married heterosexual women. In Denmark, married heterosexual women died at an average age of 78 yr. as compared to 56 yr. for the 91 same-sex married lesbians; in Norway, married heterosexual women died at an average age of 81 v. 56 for the 6 same-sex married lesbians.

You have to admire Camerons' gumption, if nothing else. From one alleged study he presented research that claimed:

Gay men have short life spans

Homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking,

and now, this idea about married gays dying younger.

However, one can arrange trash on a heap in different configurations, but it is still trash and it still stinks.

Someone should tell that to our friend Peter LaBarbera at Americans for Truth (in name only). Apparently he has taken a break from denouncing the annual Day of Silence in order to announce Cameron's latest lie:

Homosexual activists reject out-of-hand any research that shows homosexual behavior, generally speaking, is unhealthy compared to normal sexuality. At some point, however, pro-”gay” advocates need to explain why so many homosexuals are dying so young. (And you can’t blame it on “homophobia” — you know, those anti-gay bastions of Norway and Denmark…) When they do, we’ll relay their explanations to you.

If you are interested in relaying something Peter, then tell us why do you continue to rely on Cameron's data.

And while you are at it, ask One News Now (formerly Agape Press) why they relied on Cameron as a source for an article without commenting on his history.

Of course doing this sort of thing is old hat from them, as my upcoming book will point out.

One good thing out of Cameron's latest burst is how quickly he has been slapped down. The bloggers and online publications have been doing their job in order to refute Cameron and reveal his record of lies.

Not that it matters to those who are under the belief that since homosexuality is a sin, anything putting the lgbt community in a negative light is a good thing.

What I would like to see now is a press release from a major gay rights organization (hello HRC or GLAAD) denouncing Cameron.

Christians not afraid to lose integrity in defending Paul Cameron

Paul Cameron's latest lie is starting to get a little traction, but not without a high degree of criticism.

And this is good.

In the past, he has been able to slip his lies through without courtesy of correction. But this time, he is getting lambasted, as he should, by people who are aware of his history.

What concerns me are those who, while knowing Cameron's history, are willing to excuse his lies. I took the liberty of posting a litany of his offenses to several so-called Christian sites which published his latest press release.

In one area, I am in the middle of a small war. No matter how many times other folks and myself point out his bad history and lies, there are some people willing to give his lies the benefit of the doubt.

They have this image of themselves as besieged by the enemy in a culture war. Apparently the American Psychological Association, the American Sociological Association, and anyone who dares question the distortion of their own research by Cameron are working for "the enemy."

Go here and here to see what I am talking about.

I makes me sad. Not because of their beliefs that homosexuality is a sin, but because how these people are willing to sacrifice the integrity of their faith.

Their mindsets seem to be "homosexuality is a sin, so anything that portrays gays and lesbians in a negative light is, in the long run, correct."

A very Machiavellian way of thinking, but the last time I read the Bible, Jesus never talked about Machiavellian tactics.

These people underscore just how religion has been highjacked in this country by slicksters who have replaced the image of Christ with their own ideas of superiority and conquest.

But like I said before, all is not bad. This piece (click the link) is probably the best smackdown of Cameron I have ever read.

I almost can't wait for him to come out with a new lie.

Almost, but not quite.

Handle your business, HRC!!!

This post is going around on various blogs, so you may have already seen it.

However, I think that it is important for the word to get out:

When Homophobes Bear False Witness
Family Research Council lies to members about hate crimes amendment, fails to disclose conflict of interest

WASHINGTON— The Family Research Council bore false witness against its neighbors at least twice this Holy Week when communicating with its members about the need for hate crimes legislation, said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.

In an attempt to scare its members into believing that federal hate crimes laws will punish simple thoughts, the FRC asks in a new Web video (www.stopthoughtcrimes.com), "What will it mean in America if thought crimes laws are passed?"

The assertion that America doesn't already have a federal hate crimes law is a flat out lie. The federal hate crimes law (18 U.S.C. section 245), covering race, religion, color and national origin, has been on the books since 1969.

“It's easy to understand why the Family Research Council would feel the need to lie about the hate crimes law's existence. The existing federal hate crimes law already covers the employees of the FRC under its "religion" provision,” said Solmonese. “That means the FRC is either against granting others the same protections it has already enjoyed for almost forty years under current federal law or it wants to repeal the existing hate crime law. Talk about special rights.”

Just as embarrassing, no critic of the FRC – or anyone else – has ever been thrown in jail for any supposed "thought crime" under the existing federal hate crimes law. The truth is that neither the current hate crimes law nor the expanded measure criminalize thoughts or speech; they onlycover crimes involving bodily injury or attempted bodily injury.

The hate crimes statute is only invoked to allow a federal investigation and the prosecution of bias-motivated violence if – and only if – it is necessary to achieve an effective, just result. That only happens after a violent crime is committed, which debunks the "thought crimes" talking point.

As Congress once again attempts to add women, people with disabilities and members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to the existing federal hate crimes law, the FRC has demonstrated that it is willing to go to any length to stop this needed legislation – including lying. Similar legislation has already passed in recent years in both the Republican-led House and Senate. This year, the House bill, H.R. 1592, and its soon-to-be introduced Senate companion bill, will add gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability to the protected classes under 18 U.S.C, chapter 13, ensuring that the already-existing federal hate crimes law covers everyone.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Paul Cameron won't go away!

I don't know just what Paul Cameron is trying to prove. He has been censured, rebuked, and on a few lucky occasions, laughed at.

And on a very few excellent occasions, allowed our community to have many victories.

But he just won't go away. Apparently someone misinformed him about credibility.

Mr. Cameron, credibility does not mean repeating the same lies and bad studies that got you into trouble in the first place in hopes that people will forget what you have done.

Credibility comes from doing research right the first time, having the guts to admit that you are wrong when errors are made, and not being so biased that you can't see just how much of a pathetic figure you are becoming.

But I digress.

This morning, I saw the following:

Homosexuality More Dangerous Than Smoking
Contact: Dr. Paul Cameron, Family Research Institute, 303-681-3113, 303-886-1947 cell

PHILADELPHIA, Apr. 3 /Christian Newswire/ -- Studies have shown that years of smoking shortens the lifespan of the smoker from 1 to 7 years. But analysis of the age of death in Norway and Denmark for gays who are legally married suggests that engaging in homosexual behavior reduces the lifespan by 24 years!

There is nothing new here. Just the same old lies that got Cameron kicked out the American Psychological Association.

But let me elucidate on the history of Cameron and his attempts to prove that gays have a short life span. The information I am revealing are just a few summaries from my upcoming book:

In the late 80s/ early 90s, Cameron tried to make the claim that gay men have a short life span through disease and the like. He conducted this study by comparing obituaries in gay-themed newspapers to obituaries in mainstream newspapers.

There were several faults in this kind of research including the fact that just because the obituaries were printed in "regular" newspapers does not necessarily mean the deceased was not gay.

Many gays are uncomfortable with how society views them and how they view themselves. To shield themselves from what they see as persecution, they live life in secret, or "in the closet." It’s not farfetched to say that some die while still not open about their homosexuality. Also, even if they were open, who’s to say whether or not the obituary mentioned their sexual orientation?

Also, only two percent of Cameron's sample size were lesbians.

Nevertheless, the anti-gay industry made full use of this bad study. Conservative author William Bennett even referred to it on a Sunday news program, This Week.

However, he backtracked when informed of Cameron dubious history and the piss poor techniques used in the study:

"Given what I now know, I believe there are flaws with Paul Cameron's study. One cannot extrapolate from his methodology and say that the average male homosexual life span is 43 years."

In 2005, Cameron tried to sneak the study out again. It was at this time he claimed that "homosexuality was more dangerous than cigarette smoking."

What he did was take over 10,000 obituaries from the gay newspaper the Washington Blade and compare them to a CDC report entitled AIDS Cases in Adolescents and Adults, by Age - United States, 1994-2000.

He claimed that this supported his gay life span study. However, The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said otherwise.

Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, said Cameron used bad methodology. He also said:

"[The CDC] does not collect statistics on the life span of gay men. While gay men continue to be severely impacted by HIV and AIDS, AIDS-related death data cannot be used to indicate that homosexual men live shorter lives than heterosexual men overall."

So now in 2007, Cameron is again trying to claim again that homosexuality is more dangerous than cigarette smoking. This time, he is using a Scandinavian study to prove this theory.

Cameron's tactic in this case is interesting. In the past, the anti-gay industry copied his bad research techniques at the times they weren't citing his bad studies. Sometimes, they invented their own.

One new tactic they picked up (and I talk about it in my book) is to distort studies from the Netherlands and Scandinavia. This tactic helps them on two fronts: it is difficult for people to refute these studies without heavy research because they come from far away countries.

Also, the anti-gay industry likes to claim that the Netherlands and Scandinavia are the most gay-friendly places on Earth. Subsequently, if they can take studies from those areas and show that "promoting homosexuality" has caused problems, then they can demonstrate that homosexuality on the whole is a bad concept.

So I guess the teacher has learned from the students.

Keep up the good work, Paul Cameron. The anti-gay industry may cite you but sooner or later, the truth will out.

But until then, events like what happened today in Colorado (click on this link if you want to see what our friend Mr. Cameron looks like) when you got smacked down by a legislator for your bad studies will take place more often.

You are indeed slouching towards Gomorrah.

Stopping a lie before it starts

The anti-gay industry is extremely intent on disrupting the upcoming National Day of Silence, even to the point of making up stuff. Case in point:

Graphic Youth Flier Guides “Queer” “Boyz” on How to Engage in Homosexual Sodomies
TAKE ACTION: Find out if your child’s middle or high school is participating in or endorsing the homosexual “Day of Silence” Wed., April 18th and remove him or her from school that day to protest the promotion of unhealthy and immoral lifestyles to our young people. For more information on HOW to find out about the Day of Silence in your kids’ school, go to www.NotOurKids.com.

By Peter LaBarbera

WARNING: Graphic, pornographic-like descriptions of homosexual perversions are contained in this flier for “boyz”– so why was it being distributed to young men? Why are homosexually-tempted teenagers being told that they are “superstars” and that “being queer is a gift”? And why are they being coached on how to “safely” perform sodomitic sex acts like anal sex, homosexual oral sex and even “rimming” — (licking their “partner’s” anus) – yet they are NOT told how deadly these immoral homosexual behaviors can be?

It’s time for everyday Americans to face the reality of homosexual perversions being promoted by “gay” activist adults to impressionable children. If you want to know why Americans For Truth so strongly oppose pro-homosexual youth/school campaigns like the “Day of Silence” (Wed., April 18th), study this ”100% Hate Free” flier — created by Chicago’s leading “gay health” organization and passed out to teen boys at a homosexual street fair. Like me, you will probably get angry when you read it, but better to be angry and informed than naive and uninformed about the evils being promoted to young people in the name of “gay pride.”

Again with the rimming, Peter?

Seriously though, be forewarned that the alleged flyer/pamphlet has nothing to do with the National Day of Silence. Our friends at Americans for Truth (in name only) claims that the pamphlet was given out to young boys during a street fair. The group conveniently did not mention when this took place.

The pamphlet actually came from Howard Brown, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) health care organization leading the region in addressing the comprehensive health care needs of people in the LGBT community.

As far as it is known, there are NO plans to distribute the pamphlet throughout high schools during the National Day of Silence.

Those who are inferring that this is the case need to check themselves.

Since when is it right to lie and deceive in the name of God?

GSAs and the Day of Silence
Who will you listen to?

April 18th will be the National Day of Silence, the event created to publicize the plight of lgbts in schools across the country.

The anti-gay industry is pulling out all of the stops to cause chaos, from creating a pseudo event (Day of Truth) where they encourage students to repeat Paul Cameronesque lies to advising parents to keep their children out of the schools on April 18th.

Their goal is to disrupt the National Day of Silence to such a point that schools will be fearful of holding the event.

With that in mind, I have just one question.

Who will you listen to?

The anti-gay industry claims that Day of Silence is a propaganda technique created to "indoctrinate" children into the "homosexual lifestyle." They claim that the designated day and other things, such as gay/straight clubs and alliances are leading children down a pathway of destruction:

It is no secret that some believe the best place to change society is through our public schools. Homosexual groups admit this is part of their agenda. They feel children who have been taught to believe in moral truths need to be re-educated. These special interest groups do not respect the religious beliefs of parents and their mission is to socially re-engineer society. - Daniel T. Zanoza, Republicans for A Fair Media

Day of Silence is a propaganda exercise for schools designed to engender sympathy toward GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) lifestyles. Many schools now officially back this disruptive, pro-homosexual event — so we’re calling on parents to pull their children out of school that day (Wed., April 18 this year). How did we get to the point in our society where schools would be used to promote acceptance of immoral homosexual behaviors and gender confusion (transgenderism)? - Peter LaBarbera, Americans for Truth

"Teenagers deserve an opportunity to study English, history, math, and science -- without being subjected to pro-homosexual proselytizing sanctioned by school authorities. Students shouldn't be forced to self-censor or adopt beliefs contrary to those of their parents and places of worship. Even the strongest of our junior high and high school children are not equipped to serve as frontline soldiers in this culture war." Linda Harvey, Mission America

Those who support Day of Silence and GSAs have a differing view on things. And they also have more credibility because they are (pay attention now) the students directly affected by GSAs and the Day of Silence:

When a student in Cara Cerise's ceramics class at Salt Lake City's Highland High School told her he had a solution to the gay marriage issue, she was ready to listen. "Just kill everyone who's gay," she remembers the classmate saying. Shocked, Cara started to cry. The daughter of a gay man, the teenager knew she needed to find a safe haven at school where she would not be judged. It was through the school's gay-straight alliance (GSA), now melded into Highland's social-justice club, that Cara found a home. - Students say clubs a haven from hurt

The misery Zach caused was minor compared with the misery he felt. He says he knew he was different by kindergarten, but he had no name for it, so he would stay to himself. He tried sports, but, he says, “It didn’t work out well.” He couldn’t remember the rules. In fifth grade, when boys at recess were talking about girls they had crushes on, Zach did not have someone to name.

By sixth grade, he knew what “gay” meant, but didn’t associate it with himself. That year, he says: “I had a crush on one particular eighth-grade boy, a very straight jock. I knew whatever I was feeling I shouldn’t talk about it.” He considered himself a broken version of a human being. “I did think about suicide,” he says. - Accepting Gay Identity, and Gaining Strength

What's most surprising about GSA clubs is what they're not -- namely, social clubs for openly gay or lesbian students. Members don't ask each other how they identify, and many members aren't gay. Some are straight students with gay relatives, or are simply interested in exploring the cultural and legal aspects of gay life and promoting tolerance and diversity.
"Our sexual orientation isn't discussed," said Veronica Falborn, a GSA member at Westwood Regional High School. "If you want to, it can be, but we just want to spread respect and tolerance." - Gay-friendly clubs thrive in North Jersey schools

Somebody tell me who are the slicksters out to indoctrinate and manipulate under the guise of truth?

And just who are the true heroes?

On the latter score, my money is on the children.

When I read their stories, I don't see individuals being manipulated by a nameless horde of invaders. I see lgbt children, their parents and supporters standing up for themselves and buying not into someone's ignorant definition of their lives.

And dammit, they should be listened to.

More to the point, Ms. Harvey, teenagers do deserve opportunity to learn English, history, math and science, but without having to be teased because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

Your constant need to ignore these students will hurt you the long run.

They are the reason why your side will eventually lose this so-called culture war.

Corrections I have made and corrections others need to make

Just a quick note about my book. The first round of corrections were sent to the publisher last night and should come back to me in a short time.

Barring any new heavy corrections, I will be sending out a press packet which will include an excerpt of my book

And speaking of corrections, I spent the entire weekend undertaking a new project. I was writing posts on so-called "pro-family" sites.

Paul Cameron's "new" study (see earlier posts) have been quietly making its way around the blogsphere. It's probably not getting much public play because people are aware of Cameron's lies.

However, on certain so-called "pro-family" sites, his press release has been published as if its the second coming.

An e-friend of mine posted an interesting link. It seems that controversial (and I won't say why) conservative columnist Armstrong Williams posted Cameron's press release as is. My friend claims that Williams committed plagiarism. See it for yourself here.

It was Mr. Williams's actions and other postings that led me to write my opinion on so-called "pro-family" sites that featured Cameron's press release.

I didn't post angry words, or "why do you all hate gay people" whinings that seem to be the rage.

I just posted facts and figures about Cameron's exploits. I received these facts from Dr. Gregory Herek and my upcoming book.

And I found it gratifying simply because that of the fact that every time someone logs on to those sites and reads Cameron's press release, they will read about his dubious history of lies and deception.

That is how one stops lies; reveal the truth whenever you can.

Official Pre-Press Release of My Book

This press release has already gone out to various folks:

Upcoming book exposes religious right’s love of junk science

Author claims “pro-family” groups rely on bad studies for their claims about the gay and lesbian community

March 29, 2007 - - According to an upcoming book, the religious right routinely smear the gay and lesbian community through junk science and distortions.Freelance author Alvin McEwen spent two years studying religious right claims regarding the gay and lesbian community. He claims to have found a disturbing pattern of deception which he will reveal in Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Exposing the Anti-Gay Industry.

“James Dobson and other members of the religious right claim to operate from a Biblical standpoint,” McEwen, ‘but their behavior has been anything but Christian. They have created a litany of lies which they use to defeat pro-gay laws and ordinances."

One item McEwen’s book examines is the religious right’s dependency on the work of researcher Paul Cameron. Cameron’s studies supposedly prove that the majority of gay men are pedophiles who have a short life span. However, his work has been discredited on a number of occasions and led him to receive a dismissal from the American Psychological Association, censure by other organizations, and public rebukes by such people as former Secretary of Education William Bennett.

“But the religious right constantly cite his work while omitting his sordid history, which they are fully aware of,” McEwen said. “The majority of their claims about the gay and lesbian community are rooted in some form or another from his distortions.”

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters also reveal several incidents in which legitimate researchers, psychologists, and physicians have gone on record complaining as to how the religious right distorts their work.

One case, McEwen said, involves a claim that a 1997 Canadian study proves that gay men have a short life span.

“The religious right always fail to mention that in 2001, the authors of the study said that their work was being distorted,” McEwen said.

And this is not an isolated incident.McEwen said that other times in which there have been complaints about distortions, so-called “pro-family” groups either ignored the researchers or accused them of having a “pro-gay” bias.

Other topics covered in Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters are the six distortion techniques of the religious right and how they distort sexual health information.

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters will be available for sale later this year through various online bookstores.

“At the very least, this book is a way for the gay and lesbian community to educate themselves,” McEwen said.

Anyone wanting further information, including how to receive press packets and excerpts or to be put on a list so they can be informed when the book is available for sale can email Alvin McEwen at CharleKenghis@aol.com

Progress of the book can be checked via http://holybulliesandheadlessmonsters.blogspot.com/

Wipe your mouths, boys. Your drool is showing.

Word came down today that something many thought was a hate crime may not have been so:

The cousin of a 72-year-old gay man whose death became a national focus for gay rights advocates and a catalyst for legislation said Thursday she won't stop asking questions even if police have.

Athena Fedenis said she was stunned to learn that Detroit police have closed their probe into last month's death of Andrew Anthos after the department was unable to find witnesses to a beating. It also stopped the investigation after the Wayne County medical examiner's office ruled Anthos fell because he had an arthritic neck, not because he was struck by an assailant during a hate-fueled attack.

According to Fedenis and other family members, Anthos said he was riding a city bus home from the library on Feb. 13 when a young man asked him if he was gay and called him a "faggot."

Naturally, our friend Peter at Americans For Truth (in name only) is spinning what happened as a plot by the gay community to force hate crimes protection. And I am sure that in the coming days, assorted bloggers and anti-gay industry groups will be sounding the drumbeat.

But don't get to happy, guys.

While they seem to be salivating over the possibility of catching the gay community in a degree of unchecked stridency in which some of us may have jumped the gun, I am not worried.

The anti-gay industry will overplay their hand in this matter. They always do.

Whatever the truth is about Mr. Andros's case, it still does not take away the fact that hate crimes protections still exists and this new law being pushed through Congress will merely add sexual orientation to the list of protections (the others being race, religion, and natural origin).

Why is it so hard for Focus on the Family, the Traditional Values Coalition, etc. to explain how adding sexual orientation to hate crimes legislation will cause Christians to be persecuted when the other categories have not caused any problems.

For those wanting more information, John Aravois nails the anti-gay industry over their lies

I guess it is easier to lie and distort even if you consider yourself a Christian.

And speaking of lies, while Peter and company are bitching about the Andros case:

The American Family Association is still selling It's Not Gay, featuring Michael Johnston claiming that he is no longer gay. Keep in mind that while he was making this claim, Johnston was having unprotected sex with gay men, despite the fact that he is HIV positive.

And Americans For Truth (in name only) still features the new phony study from Paul Cameron, ignoring his history of distortion and censure.

So boys, before you attack the gay and lesbian community for the Andros case, look to yourselves.

Even wannabe Christians who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Why we need non-discrimination laws

Some folks consider South Carolina to be backwards.

Naturally I don't agree because it's my home state and I love it.

But sometimes, I swear . . .

Check out this recent incident:

Couple: Hotel Wouldn't Rent to Us Because We're Gay

(Sumter) - A gay couple looking to rent a room say they were told by a local motel that it was against company policy to rent to gay couples.

The hotel is the Affordable Suites of America in Sumter.

For the past two and a half years, Jason Pickel and Darren Black Bear have been a committed couple. They recently exchanged bands, and Tuesday, their search for a temporary place to call home brought thtem to Affordable Suites, a long-term hotel in Sumter, where the couple says they were far from welcome.

"We were inquiring about the price, deposits, extra person fee, and she asked who the was going to be for, and I said for my partner and I,” Pickel said. “She said, 'oh we don't rent to multiple people of the same sex. I said, so you don't rent to gay couples, and she said no we don't rent to gay people at all."

They say they couldn't believe what they were hearing, but they say the woman working the front desk made the message very clear.

"She was like 'no we do not, no we do not...she was very assertive about it," they said.

The website for Affordable Suites of America states the company does not allow children or pets in its suites, but there's no mention of same sex couples. So News19 decided to contact the hotel. We posed as a potential renter, and inquired about two men staying in the same room.

The receptionist who answered the phone told us the following:“Our policy is we don’t’ rent to two people of the same sex if we only have one bed.” “Is that your policy,” we asked. “That’s corporate policy because they only have one sleeping area.” We then asked, “Okay, but they can't share the bed?” "I suppose they could, but most men don’t want to,"


However, when we contacted the owner of the hotel, Carroll Atkisson, he says there had been some confusion. He says any couple can come to the place and they will rent to them, period. Atkisson says the policy was not mean to target homosexuals. He says they were just trying to stop two single people from being in the same bed.

Pickel and Black Bear say they still plan to seek legal action.

Currently, there is no state law preventing a hotel from refusing service to a same-sex couple. However, it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, gender, disability, or marital status.

"If they have a policy, it has to be maintained fair and equitably," says Tom Sponseller, the President of the Hospitality Association of South Carolina. "At the beach, for example, because there are different bike weekends at the beach, that policy has to be enforced, and consistent."

There is currently a bill in the State Senate that addresses this issue. The measure, proposed by Charleston Democrat Robert Ford, would expand the Lodging Establishment Act to include prohibition of discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Bottom line: We need laws to keep things like this from happening. It's not about some "gay agenda," or an attempt to criminalize Christians.

It's only about fairness.

Paul Cameron, meet Peter LaBarbera
Peter LaBarbera, meet Paul Cameron

Cameron's lie about the supposed gay life span has hit the big time, so to speak, courtesy of our friend Peter LaBarbera and his group, Americans for Truth (in name only):

Canadian Research Suggests only 1.4% of Adults Homosexual

Readers should know that the same homosexual activist movement that now dismisses the Camerons’ research had, for decades, intentionally spread the myth — derived from homosexual sex researcher Alfred Kinsey’s fraudulent data — that “10 percent” of society was “gay.” – Peter LaBarbera

PHILADELPHIA, March 27, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - According to two researchers, the largest random sex survey ever conducted has reported that only 1.4% of adults engaged in homosexual behavior. Analyzing a 2003 Canadian Community survey of 121,300 adults, Drs. Paul and Kirk Cameron told attendees of the Eastern Psychological Association Convention that 2% of 18-44 year olds, 1% of 50 year olds, and only a third of a percent of subjects 60+ considered themselves homosexual. Thus homosexual activity was much more common among younger adults.

This entry solidifies Peter's absolute obsession with all things gay. Except for a brief burst of euphoria after Bush was re-elected in 2004, the anti-gay industry were careful to cite Cameron's studies, but not list his name. This is because they knew of his history.

For some reason, Peter seems to think that Cameron's problems are due to a "Gay Mafia." That could not be farther from the truth. Cameron relies on bad studies and distortions of legitimate work to prove his theories. He has gotten into trouble on many occasions because of this. Jim Burroway at www.boxturtlebulletin.com has written excellent reviews of Cameron's work

My upcoming book has an entire chapter on Cameron and his lies, but a little bit of information from Dr. Gregory Herek would be appropriate here:

On December 2, 1983, the American Psychological Association sent Paul Cameron a letter informing him that he had been dropped from membership. Early in 1984, all members of the American Psychological Association received official written notice that "Paul Cameron (Nebraska) was dropped from membership for a violation of the Preamble to the Ethical Principles of Psychologists" by the APA Board of Directors.

Cameron has posted an elaborate argument about his expulsion from APA on his website, claiming that he resigned from APA before he was dropped from membership. Like most organizations, however, APA does not allow a member to resign when they are being investigated. And even if Cameron's claims were accepted as true, it would be remarkable that the largest professional organization of psychologists in the United States (and other professional associations, as noted below) went to such lengths to disassociate itself from one individual.

At its membership meeting on October 19, 1984, the Nebraska Psychological Association adopted a resolution stating that it "formally disassociates itself from the representations and interpretations of scientific literature offered by Dr. Paul Cameron in his writings and public statements on sexuality."

In 1985, the American Sociological Association (ASA) adopted a resolution which asserted that "Dr. Paul Cameron has consistently misinterpreted and misrepresented sociological research on sexuality, homosexuality, and lesbianism" and noted that "Dr. Paul Cameron has repeatedly campaigned for the abrogation of the civil rights of lesbians and gay men, substantiating his call on the basis of his distorted interpretation of this research."

The resolution formally charged an ASA committee with the task of "critically evaluating and publicly responding to the work of Dr. Paul Cameron."

At its August, 1986 meeting, the ASA officially accepted the committee's report and passed the following resolution:

The American Sociological Association officially and publicly states that Paul Cameron is not a sociologist, and condemns his consistent misrepresentation of sociological research. Information on this action and a copy of the report by the Committee on the Status of Homosexuals in Sociology, "The Paul Cameron Case," is to be published in Footnotes, and be sent to the officers of all regional and state sociological associations and to the Canadian Sociological Association with a request that they alert their members to Cameron's frequent lecture and media appearances.

And here is a little bit of information from my book:

In 2005, the Boston Globe spotlighted Cameron in an article entitled Beliefs Drive Research Agenda of New Think Tanks. According to the article, when the Traditional Values Coalition was asked about Cameron, the organization responded by allegedly removing all references to Cameron from its web page. A spokesperson for the organization, Daniella Lopez, said the research had been placed on the web page by mistake.

Funny. I didn't know that the Traditional Values Coalition was pro-gay.

Peter, if you are going to cite a lie, at least have the savvy to try and cover it up.

Geez, you make me miss Robert Knight.

Three-prong attack of lies. What are we doing about it

I see that today has been a busy one for the anti-gay industry.

Adoption - This weekend, I wrote about how Paul Cameron was trying to retread his lie that gays have a short life span. It would be the third time he tried and like the first two, his observations are built on distortions (see Friday's posts).

Today, Cameron sent out another press release claiming that since he proved that gays have a short life span, they should not adopt children:

"The life span of gays is 20-plus years shorter than the life span of heterosexuals," states Dr. Paul Cameron of the Family Research Institute, a Colorado-based think tank. "This shortened lifespan," he warned, "has profound implications for adoption. On average, in Norway and Denmark -- where same-sex marriage is legal – married lesbians lived to age 56 and married gay men to age 52. So the chances that a gay-adopted child will lose one or both parents before graduating from high school are much greater than they would be with a married man and woman."

How convenient for Cameron that the anti-gay industry is trying to use the issues of gay adoption and foster care as cash cows, much like that of same-sex marriage. Arkansas is just one state that has to deal with the issue.

And don't be so quick to laugh Cameron away. While it is true that he has a dubious reputation, are we doing a good job in making sure people know about him; especially those who will cite his so-called research.

Because slowly but surely, Cameron's recent press release is being passed around, read, and believed.

Hate Crimes Legislation - The anti-gay industry have been lying about hate crimes legislation, claiming that it will lead Christians to be put in jail simply for saying that homosexuality is a sin.

This, of course, is a lie. But now they have stepped up the game.

A group, Faith2Action is now claiming that the addition of lgbts to hate crimes legislation means that a crime committed against a grandmother would rank less than a crime committed against an lgbt.

As proof of this, Faith2Action is distorting the recent court case of the protestors arrested during a gay pride parade in Philadelphia. They are even asking for money for commercials featuring the protestors who just happen to be grandmothers.

Faith2Action's efforts are being led by one Janet Folger. Folger made a name for herself in 1998 in the failed media blitz of the ex-gay groups trying to publicize the notion that gays can "change."

The media blitz failed partly because Folger admitted in a debate with gay columnist Andrew Sullivan that she supported the sodomy laws; laws that could jail lgbts for private sexual behavior.

How ironic and hypocritical of Folger.

Day of Silence - The Day of Silence, an excellent way for lgbt students to express themselves, is under fire yet again. This time, a group of so-called "pro-family" groups are encouraging families to have their children boycott the day.

The schools participating in the Day of Silence are listed in no doubt a sly way to encourage folks to call them and badger administrators with lies of a "gay agenda."

And for those who will not protest the Day of Silence, there is the Day of Truth, or a day when students are encouraged to repeat Paul Cameronesque lies about the lgbt community.

The person who seems to be at the head of all of this is Linda Harvey of Mission America.

Unfortunately, Miss Harvey's mission has nothing to do with truth:

"When people have views supporting homosexuality they should not be involved with youth in any way, period. Because they:
will provide inaccurate, misleading information to kids;
may limit a student’s opportunity to hear warnings about the behavior;
may advocate or model inappropriate behavior;
may be directly involved in the molestation of kids themselves; or
may be in a position to allow others to do so" - Fairy Tales Don’t Come True, February 13, 2006

Harvey has no training in anything remotely having to do with child care or sexual orientation issues. Her webpage lists her as a former ad executive. In other words, this woman does not know what the hell she is talking about.

Apparently Harvey thinks that being a Christian excuses her for being ignorant.

I hope no one accuses me of being paranoid when I say that these events happening so close to each other does not strike me as coincidental.

This three-prong attack didn't happen spontaneously.

I don't think that Paul Cameron just happenstance decided to create his study and try to use it against gay adoption.

Nor do I think that Harvey and Folger just came up with their campaigns to lie and silence lgbts.

This three-prong attack seems to be the result of slow, meticulous planning.

So what are we doing about it?

There have been some who think that we should protest, march, and get arrested in order to show our anger as to how our community is being victimized.

Sometimes I wonder if being loud and showy the result of lazy behavior; trying to get what we need in one angry rush.

While we are doing all of this "demonstrating," the anti-gay industry is weaving a tapestry based on lies and distortions. We have to be there at the beginning, exposing the lies and dismantling the distortions. And I don't mean that namby pamby bullshit of "trying to win hearts and minds."

There is nothing wrong with calling a liar one to his or her face, as long as you have the proof to back it up.

If we don't do this, then all of the yelling, screaming, and protesting in the world will not help us.

Rachel Griffiths, race, sexual orientation, and cherry-picking

In the middle of editing my book, I had a bad allergy attack this weekend. Subsequently, while still able to edit my book, I spent a good portion of time in bed.

And I didn't make it to work this morning because of it.

But there is nothing like a dose good old fashioned righteous indignation to get me going. And for that, I turn to my friends at Americans for Truth.

In his recent whining, our friend Peter is complaining that actress Rachel Griffiths dared to compare racial injustice to homophobia:

Griffiths: This lady told me she loved Brothers & Sisters, then said, “But I hope you pass this on to the producers, that we could really do without all that gay kissing.” I told her a story my grandmother told me: She went to Paris in 1932 and saw a black man holding the hand of a white woman, and she felt so horrified she almost threw up. My grandmother told me she knew that reaction was wrong, but it was the way she had been brought up. So I told this lady, “Maybe when you’re 98 you’ll tell your granddaughter how you saw two men kissing one day, and how you felt, but you know that’s wrong, and that was just how your were brought up.” She was shocked. I said, “So I’m not going to tell the show’s creators that. That’s for you to work out.”

– Interview in The Advocate, March 27, 2007, p. 20., by John Griffiths, who is identified as the TV critic for Us Weekly.

Homosexual activists regularly try to steal the goodwill of the civil rights movement, but in truth, opposing homosexual behavior is common sense and has nothing to do with racism. In fact, black homosexuals complain frequently about white racism within the homosexual subculture.

You know what pissses me off. That last sentence. For the record, as a black gay men, I do get angry at how ignorant some of our own people act towards me because of my color. I have been attacked and called names by ignorant gay racists.

Just like I have been attacked by ignorant black homophobes.

But nothing changes. I am still gay and I am still black. I am proud of both designations because God gave them to me. And I take great offense that Peter uses one to hurt the other.

With that in mind, I would like to ask Peter something. Or rather, I am calling him out. I doubt it will do any good because I don't know whether or not Peter reads this blog.

But just in case:

Peter dearest,

just how many black people are employed in your silly organization? For that matter, in your tenure with Concerned Women for America, I noticed that there were no black spokespeople. Were there any other black employees?

And while we are at it, why is it that a majority of so-called "'pro-family" groups have no representation of black people on their web pages. One sees many smiling, happy white families but very few black smiling, happy families.

One would like to think that black people hasn't fallen for your nonsense. However, the examples of Wellington Boone, Jesse Lee Peterson, and Tony Dungy proves this is not the case. Ignroance is truly color-blind,

With that in mind, what have you, James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Phyllis Schafly, and the rest of the religious right done for black people? Criticizing Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and a lot others just don't cut it.

Do you know the issues that affect black Americans? Or are you like Lou Sheldon and seem to think that poverty, crime, and being on the low end of the American socioeconomic structure is because of a "gay agenda."

When it comes to the black community, you all are guilty of the same crime you have accused gays of committing.

And people, even if they are want-to-be Christians, who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

More info on Cameron's phony claim

I was looking online and found this interesting item that puts more doubt on the validity of Cameron's claim (see post below). The information is by Romeo Vitelli, who is a legitimate psychologist:

Latest Paul Cameron Study Targets Canadian Gay Statistics

In the latest research by Dr. Paul Cameron, chairman of the Family Research Institute, and his son Kirk, demographic information provided by a 2003 Canadian community survey was used to provide estimates of the prevalence of homosexuality and early gay mortality. Based on the sample of 121,300 adults, the Camerons concluded that only 2 per cent of 18 to 44 year old respondents described themselves as homosexual with the percentage dropping to less than 1 per cent of respondents over 60. While admitting that the overall 1.4% figure can not be regarded as the "bedrock truth", Paul and Kirk Cameron accused the Canadian government of distorting the data by not reporting on homosexual activity in respondents over the age of 60 thereby increasing the "homosexual footprint".

They accuse governments around the world of "covering up" the early mortality of homosexuals and draw on their own research despite the controversy that has surrounded their findings.

While the true prevalence of homosexuality in modern society remains a politically charged question, using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey for a purpose for which it was never designed can only add further distortion to an already murky issue.

The survey was designed to examine a range of health-related questions in Canadian residents through a series of face-to-face interviews across the country. The survey was designed to "provide regular and timely cross-sectional estimates of health determinants, health status and health system utilization for 136 health regions across the country ". There was no sinister intent in the survey and expanding the "homosexual footprint" was not part of its stated goal.

It would be best if Paul Cameron looked elsewhere for his diatribes.

New anti-gay "headless monster"

or

Manure with icing covering it

Early Gay Death Syndrome.

Don't laugh because my guess is that the we will have to deal with this term sooner or later.

In other words, Paul Cameron is back:

According to two researchers, the largest random sex survey ever conducted has reported that only 1.4% of adults engaged in homosexual behavior. Analyzing a 2003 Canadian Community survey of 121,300 adults, Drs. Paul and Kirk Cameron told attendees of the Eastern Psychological Association Convention that 2% of 18-44 year olds, 1% of 50 year olds, and only a third of a percent of subjects 60+ considered themselves homosexual. Thus homosexual activity was much more common among younger adults.

What happened to the older homosexuals? "Some may have ceased to be sexually active," said Paul Cameron, "or they may have died. Recent reports from Scandinavia indicate that the life expectancy of homosexuals is 20+ years shorter than that of heterosexuals."

Now for those who are not in the know, Paul Cameron has a great degree of relevance in how Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, the Family Research Council, and the rest of the anti-gay industry lies about our lives.

It was Cameron who either popularized or created the myths that:

Gay men molest children at a high rate,

Gay men are sexually irresponsible individuals with a short life span,

LGBTs on the whole are hygenically disgusting people with a "devil may care" attitude about their lives.

Cameron created a series of studies that supposedly proved these theories. However, he also used bad tactics, including distorting the work of his colleagues.

For these offenses, Cameron has been censured by many research groups, including getting kicked out of the American Psychological Association. He claimed that he resigned from this group before being dismissed but this is not true. At the time he supposedly resigned, Cameron was under investigation for his tactics. APA rule specify that members under investigation cannot resign.

In my upcoming book, I devote an entire chapter to him, his lies, and how the anti-gay industry have used his studies or methodologies to demonize the lgbt community.

I also point out how when the anti-gay industry is not citing Cameron by name, they attempt to quantify his lies with distortions of their own.

With Cameron's new announcement, it sounds as if he is trying to push up his "gays have a short life span" lie yet again. The truth of how Cameron is trying to recycle this claim is better explained by the site queersighted:

The research, by the way, was based on a sex survey of one Canadian community of slightly over 120,000 adults.

The survey revealed that there were more practicing homosexuals among younger people than among older people. Combined with other research, Cameron concluded that this is because homosexuals die young.

The best part of this story is that Cameron put out a press release that suggests that he presented his latest research during yesterday's sessions of the annual Eastern Psychological Association Convention in Philadelphia.

According to his press release, "Drs. Paul and Kirk Cameron told attendees of the Eastern Psychological Association Convention..."

In fact, he did not present and was not on the agenda at this meeting. The fact is that he roamed the public corridors of the convention venue and "told" doctors about his research. Cameron was neither a registered speaker nor a member of the convention faculty.

Nonetheless he will present this research to lawmakers and judges as data that was "presented" at this legitimate convention . . .

This retread by Cameron is receiving much play at Free Republic and I am sure that the folks there know of his history. I have gone through past postings in which a member of the site diligently posts Cameron's studies as if they are true. When the person was challenged on the veracity of the studies, he or she (I don't know if it was a male or female) voiced very vehemently that there was a conspiracy to silence Cameron.

On the contrary, I am hoping that the anti-gay industry pushes Cameron's new claim loudly. That way, those of us who know how they lie would have more ammunition for our claims that the anti-gay industry are more interested in distortions than morality.

There have been a few minor sites that have already posted Cameron's press release.

I am presently looking to see if other anti-gay industry sites are doing the same. Whatever I find will be posted here.

Short post - something you can do

The anti-gay industry is scared to death because of the possibility of lgbts being added to hate crimes legislation.

Go to this site and take action so that we are added to hate crimes legislation.

If you need more information as to hate crimes protection, go here.

Oh and one more thing so that this site does not lose it's integrity:

Adding lgbts to hate crimes legislation will not lead to jailing Christians for believing or even saying that homosexuality is a sin. The ultimate goal of lgbts is not to persecute Christians.

Any claims that this is the case is anti-gay industry tactic 4 - Claiming that any pro-lgbt laws will lead to the persecution of Christians. This is not true nor will it ever be.

Was it something we said?

If you have read my post below about our friend Peter and his talking about rimming, please be aware that he has pulled the post.

And it's a real shame too because so many of us "evil radical gays" was having so much fun with him over it.

Oh well, now that it is gone, time to go back to work in "taking over the world."

Geez! What is with these people?

You all have read it. You know what I am going to talk about.

Just when I think that our friend Peter LaBarbera can't stoop any lower, he breaks out the shovel.

Now he is talking about "rimming," or sexually stimulating the anal region with one's tongue?

And why is he doing this? To play the "gay people are so damned nasty game." He makes the claim that rimming is:

a revolting homosexual act that most heterosexuals have never heard of, but which is commonplace among “gay” men.

What I want to know is how in the hell does he know?

While I'm sure that many of my colleagues will treat Peter's rumination over rimming like the mockery it is, I would like to reflect on the reason why he felt it necessary to talk about such an "interesting" subject.

People for the American Way sheds some light on Peter's obsessions in an excellent piece that looked at a recent gathering of anti-gay industry talking heads:

Peter LaBarbera of the Illinois Family Institute, an organization that recently called on President Bush and Congress to rescind waivers “for HIV-infected travelers participating in or attending the ‘Gay Games” in Chicago on the grounds that they posed a health hazard, noted that the Right has, thus far, been unable to make the American public understand just how gross and unnatural homosexual behavior really is.

LaBarbera then read aloud to the crowd of middle-aged audience members, a graphically explicit posting from a “pro-gay website” describing the unpleasant physical side effects of male anal intercourse, concluding that such information needs to be shared with the public, especially young people, so that they can understand the true nature of such gross, unnatural and dangerous behavior.

LaBarbera then called for anti-gay activists to regain the offensive by constantly reminding people that homosexual behavior is always wrong and that they must stop “downplaying their opposition” to homosexuality. More importantly, they must work to “bring shame back” to those who are practicing or defending homosexuality.

It's sad that Peter seems to link us wild sexual behavior. Is it really a need to talk about truth on his part or a passive aggressive degree of jealousy?

Draw your own conclusions.

In more important news, two items:

April is around the corner, which means it is time for the annual Day of Silence. Unfortunately the anti-gay industry seeks to combat this with "Day of Truth."

I see that Peter wants to people to send him the names of the schools who take part in the Day of Silence. I think he and others have got something sinister in mind. We should get ready to combat their lies.

They claim to want to use the day to speak the "truth" about homosexuality. However (and this is a small excerpt from my book) take a gander at what they want school kids to repeat about our community:

One of the efforts of the Allied Defense Fund is "Day of Truth," which is supposed to combat "Day of Silence," a national campaign created to bring attention to the bullying of gay and lesbian students in America’s schools.

ADF’s "Day of Truth" resources and literature, like all resources of the anti-gay industry, is filled with distortions. Case in point is the handout, The Ten Biggest Myths of Homosexual Behavior:

The handout claims that "homosexual behavior is at much higher risk for many sexually transmitted diseases, including not just HIV, but also syphilis, gonorrhea, human papilloma virus (HPV), hepatitis, chlamydia, and a whole group of infections called ‘gay bowel syndrome." But . . . "gay bowel syndrome" is an obsolete medical term that medical practitioners do not use.

The handout also makes the following claim:"The Centers for Disease Control have found that 60 percent of new cases of HIV infection are men who have had sex with men, and also that the number of homosexual men who admittedly neglect to use condoms is rising. Homosexual victims of AIDS, they found, had an average 1,100 sexual partners in their lifetimes. They estimated that 30 percent of 20-year-old homosexual men will be HIV positive or dead before they reach their thirtieth birthday." This claim is a blatant lie. The CDC has said that it does not collect statistics on the life span of gay men.

Let's not get so caught at Peter's need to talk about rimming that we forget the danger that him and other groups (i,e, Mission America) pose to our lgbt children.

Lastly, I see Tony Dungy, coach of the Indianapolis Colts, had some words to say at an anti-gay industry banquet in which he was being honored. Apparently he is for the ban against gay marriage:

The Super Bowl-winning coach "embraced" the stance of an Indiana organization supporting an amendment to the state constitution that would ban gay marriages, and he added Tuesday night at a gathering of the Indiana Family Institute that he's "on the Lord's side."

"We're not trying to downgrade anyone else," said Dungy, coach of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts. "But we're trying to promote the family — family values the Lord's way," Dungy said. "IFI is saying what the Lord says. You can take that and make your decision on which way you want to be."

This is my response:

Dear Mr. Dungy,

You have a right to your opinion and I honor that right. However, I should remind you that finally winning a Superbowl (that you couldn't lead your team to when you had the best record in the AFC) does not give you any type of special knowledge of just what is "God's side" in the complex issues of our world. Please be advised that the Bible that I assume you follow does not say "And God created Heaven and Earth and gave Tony Dungy special status to be on his side and to know his mysteries."

If I am wrong and you have the correct clarification of this, please let me know.

Until then, I would like to make a small suggestion that you do not mistake your awards and status as any type of designation to tell the rest of us just what is God's side in the complex matters of this world, including the issue of same-sex marriage.

But just in case I am wrong and you do possess some special conduit to God, could you ask him just why in the world does Peter LaBarbera like to focus on rimming?

The true test of homophobia

Word just came down from Australia that a gay man infected with HIV was intentionally infecting others.

It has been said that he was bragging about it.

If these things are true, the man is vile and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

But I have a simple question to anyone or entity willing to emphasize this man's sexual orientation for personal gain.

In the coming days, you will probably be sending out blog posts, emails, and solicitations for money, using the sad episode for your own purposes.

Would you be making such a fuss over that man's orientation if he was heterosexual and attempting to infect women?

A Freudian slip every now and then is a good thing.

It's still copy editing central at my house. I'm half way through and it looks good. Other than a few grammatical errors, my book is not going through any drastic changes.

As I said yesterday, I am also preparing press packets to email and send out. The packets are comprised of a press release, a one-page self-interview and a four page excerpt of my book. I am also preparing a list of who I will send the packets to.

If you are interested in receiving a packet or know of someone or news entity who you think should get a packet, please email me at CharleKenghis@aol.com

Now . . .

I still have been patroling for the latest scuttlebutt from members of the anti-gay industry. Pickings are very slim, even with our friend Peter. By the way, that video of the 2006 Pride Parade that Peter linked from the American Family Association site is rather good.

And don't worry, there is nothing obscene in it. It makes me wonder if Peter and crew is getting desperate.

That thought continues to echo through my mind when I picked up the following from his site:

At Americans For Truth, we are in an ongoing and very politicially incorrect battle to restore the definition of homosexuality: homosexuality is behavior — changeable behavior, not an innate, unchangeable trait or identity.

Homosexuality is what you do,not “who you are,”as proved by the many ex-”gays” and ex-”lesbians”now living joyful lives, whether celibate or in heterosexual marriage.

Okay, let's forget that nonsense about those "many" ex-gays. To paraphrase Wayne Besen, if there is so many of them, maybe they should march on Washington.

I will wait for it.

Whether he realizes it or not, Peter is telling a degree of truth, although I don't think he meant to.

His claim about homosexuality is not true. Peter, as far as I know, is not nor has he ever been gay. That being the case, what he knows about the lgbt community couldn't fit into the navel of a fetus.

But please notice the meaning behind his screed.

This so-called cultural battle that Peter and other members of the anti-gay industry fight was never about protecting Christians. It's not enough for Peter, James Dobson, Beverly LaHaye, and the rest to have a personal belief that homosexuality is a sin. They want everyone else to believe it also and they want the laws of this country to reflect their beliefs.

The entire plan of the anti-gay industry has been undermining and eliminating any positive reinforcement of the lgbt orientation. By doing this, they want to ensure that the options left for the lgbt community are ones that existed before we learned how to fight:

One option is to get married, live your life according to a lie, and reduce your orientation to clandestine sexual encounters in places like public bathrooms.

Another option is to be a real life representation of the play Boys in the Band; become open and unhappy until you connect being gay with being bitter, lonely, and hateful - a spiritual death debatably worse than any life taking blow from a gay basher.

No matter how they claim otherwise, the anti-gay industry wants to dictate not only our lives but the defintion of our orientation to us. And they want us to shut up, sit down, and take in what they say as if they are some type of authority.

They don't have authority. What they do have is a feeling of entitlement. It is that same feeling of entitlement that led James Dobson to attack researchers for daring to criticize him just because he miscontrued their work.

It is that same feeling of entitlement that continues to lead Peter LaBarbera into constantly trying to stigmatize our community.

It is the feeling of entitlement that allows Paul Cameron to justify his bad research techniques.

And it is the same feeling of entitlement that leads the entire anti-gay industry to say and do anything, no matter how unethical or hypocritical to their Christian principles, to ensure their way of life is enforced.

And the sad thing about the entire situation is that they actually think they are doing God's will.

Sometimes I laugh at the depths of the anti-gay industry's ignorance. And I want to help in any way I can in exposing how they have distorted our lives.

But there are times when I can't help but to feel sorry for them.

That was QUICK!!!

Remember when I said "barring unexpected incidents?"

We just had one and it may blow up to be something BIG!

It seems that our friend Ken Hutcherson, the anti-gay pastor who never met a self aggrandizing adjective he didn't like, is upset at the White House over a title he was supposedly given.

According to him, he was given the title of Special Envoy for Adoptions, Family Values, Religious Freedom, and Medical Relief. He apparently used this title on a trip to Latvia where he complained about (what else) gay rights.

But . . .

The White House says he wasn't given the title.

So now he is not only pissed but claims to have proof of being bestowed the title.

The entire story is here and here

Don't tell our friend, Peter.

He may get jealous of losing attention.

I will keep following this story as it goes.

My galleys are here!!!!!!!!!

I neglected to mention that the galleys to my book also arrived. I spent the entire weekend just looking at them afraid to print them out.

Why?

Because it's so damned amazing. I am closer to two of my dreams: becoming an author and exposing at least some of the lies of the anti-gay industry.

So barring any unexpected incidents (and I am sure there will be some thanks to Peter and the rest of the anti-gay industry), I will be busy editing my book this week. I will continue to post also but not as in much detail as I usually do.

The quicker I get the galleys back to my publisher, the quicker I can begin preparing press packets.

Check it out! The jacket title for my upcoming book. I got the galley for it yesterday.

Deerfield High School 'Confidentiality Agreement': How the anti-gay industry distorts reality

In my last post, I talked about the Deerfield High School controversy (see last post). Central to this controversy is a "confidentiality agreement" that students were supposedly made to sign.

The American for Truth (in name only)web page just posted the alleged confidentiality agreement.

And if this is the document that has been causing a lot of controversy, then Americans for Truth (in name only), Concerned Women for America, and all of the bloggers who have been hyping the Deerfield incident up as an attempt by the lgbt community to "indoctrinate" children have a LOT of explaining to do.

The so-called confidentiality agreement is a small part of the list of rules that those participating in the program agree to follow. These rules govern their conduct in the program.

No one is encouraged to keep things from their parents. In fact, they are encouraged to seek help if there is a problem.

This is what the part about confidentiality says (and I am transcribing):

Our agreements and commitments to each other

Confidentiality

Every person keeps what comes up in class confidential, unless it is dangerous to do so - that is unless a situation in class requires us to get outside help.

We do not repeat what someone says in class outside of class except if we have permission of the person that said it.

We will not continue a conversation outside of class without permission from all the people that were involved during the class.

Bottom line: What happens in our classroom stays in our classroom.

Exceptions to the confidentiality in which case (the teacher's name - I will not repeat it) will get outside help are:

If someone in the class reports being hurt;

If someone reports that they are hurting someone else; or

If someone reports that they are hurting or want to hurt themselves.

The rest of the two page document continues to give rules about respecting each other's right to talk and not making judgements on someone because his or her opinion. If students agree to abide by all of these regulations, they sign the form.

There are four other attachments to the commitment agreement that was posted. Americans for Truth (in name only) makes the claim that they are a part of the agreement.

But I doubt it.

It obvious that they were added by whoever posted the agreement on the webpage in order to enhance the lie of "gay indoctrination."

In short, the Deerfield Confidentiality Agreement controversy is yet another lie by members of the anti-gay industry.

Let me simplify the situation:

Deerfield High School has been conducting this program for years to help students adjust to high school. Five years ago, it added a panel discussion about gay students.

Parents got angry over the fact that gay students are going to be open about themselves. They sought help from anti-gay industry groups to stop the panel.

Someone from the either the parents group or the anti-gay industry groups took the list of rules that the participants of the program agreed to abide by and hyped the portion about confidentiality into a lie that claimed students were "encouraged" to sign a confidentiality agreement about one particular part of the program (the gay panel discussion.)

This lie was spread by various anti-gay industry groups, web pages, and bloggers all over the internet.

Boom! You got yourself a moral panic.

Let me predict what happens next.

I noticed on the Americans for Truth (in name only), it is announced that one of the parents opposing the gay student panel discussion will appear on the Laura Ingraham Show.

This parent is obviously going to repeat the lies of "gay indoctrinations" and "confidentiality agreements" until it is hyped all over talk radio. Then comes television.

And this is sad because the program that started all of this is a good idea. Students entering high schools should have some way to speak their minds and clear their heads.

More programs like this would mean less Columbine incidents.

But all because a group of parents do not like the fact gay students are encouraged to speak about their lives, the program is in danger of being misconstrued.

In pursuit of their so-called moral image, these parents have sold out their integrity.

I sincerely hope they don't regret what they have done.

A dash of inneundo, a smidgen of manipulation and you got yourself a conspiracy theory

The latest cause celebre of the anti-gay industry is occurring at Deerfield High School in Illinois. Here are the basic facts:

At Deerfield High School, there is a program that is geared to helping students adjust to high school. One component of this program is a panel discussion that includes speakers from the school's gay/straight alliance. These students talk about such things as being bullied because of their orientation.

Some parents are upset over this, claiming that their children are being "indoctrinated" by the supposed "gay agenda." These parents are demanding that the school end the gay panel discusssion. Naturally groups like Americans for Truth (in name only) and the Concerned Women for America are assisting in this effort. Now as far as it has been reported, the gay panel discussion is the only thing these parents object to.

The issue has been made stickier due to allegations that students were made to sign a confidentiality agreement. However, it is not known whether or not this agreement pertains solely to the gay panel discussion or the program in general.

In all honesty, I do not feel comfortable with the idea of students having to sign a confidentiality agreement.

However, I am made even more uncomfortable as to how the anti-gay industry and the bloggers who believe their lies have spun this story.

According to Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources for Township High School District 113 Suzan Hebson, the program has been going on for many years and five years ago, the panel discussion by the gay students was added.

She also said parents did have the choice of opting their child out of any session they feel uncomfortable with. Lastly, she said, the program was well advertised.

Members of the anti-gay industry and some bloggers still made claims that students were forced to participate in the panel discussion:

14 Year Olds Forced Into Gay Seminar and Gag Order by School

Officials at Deerfield High School in Deerfield, Ill., have ordered their 14-year-old freshman class into a "gay" indoctrination seminar, after having them sign a confidentiality agreement promising not to tell their parents.

Some teachers at Deerfield High School in Deerfield, Illinois are forcing 14-year-old freshmen to sign a confidentiality agreement saying they will not tell anyone, not even their parents, what they are taught in a pro-homosexual sensitivity training seminar. Martha Kleder spoke with Laura-Sue Hauser, head of North Shore Student Advocacy, a group of concerned area parents, and Matt Barber, CWA’s Policy Director for Cultural Issues

Notice how these sites link the confidentiality agreement with the panel discussion by the gay students. But again there is that question of what does the confidentiality agreement pertain to.

While I am not comfortable with the confidentiality agreement, did it pertain solely to the gay panel discussion or the entire program in general?

At first, this question may not seem like a big deal, but it really is. If the confidentiality agreement pertained to the entire program rather than just the gay student panel discussion, then all claims of "indoctrinating students into the homosexual agenda then demanding that they be silent about it" is yet another example of the conspiracy theory technique by the anti-gay industry.

By juxtaposing facts, the anti-gay industry is claiming, yet again, that gays and lesbians want "access" to children, as if we are some type of collective boogeyman cum Baba Yaga.

And speaking of manipulating, check out this allegation from One News Now (formerly Agape Press). I emphasized the connotative words:

Concerned Women for America is blasting an Illinois high school for urging students not to tell their parents about its mandatory homosexual indoctrination program. Deerfield High School in Chicago has a class called "Freshman Advisory," in which ninth-graders are required to attend a panel discussion led by the Gay-Straight Alliance Network. The panel features homosexual upperclassmen telling students about their sexual experiences.

In the interest of fairness and presenting both sides, I looked for and found a letter written by one of the students who participated in a past panel discussion:

For the last five years, the school has been giving a presentation to the freshman advisories about SAGA, the Gay-Straight Alliance at the school. During the presentation, a panel of students gives a combination of personal stories and statistics relating to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) life both in our school and in the world at large.

The stories are those of personal experiences students have had, and they are told by LGBT students and straight allies. The statistics provided are statistics from well-respected sources. Then, the panel fields questions from the students. Having seen the panel my freshman year and having spoken on it my sophomore and junior years, I can say that in no instance had anyone on the panel accused any other student of being a bigot for not agreeing with them; we present our personal stories as our personal opinions on the issue.

At no part during the presentation are kids encouraged to engage in homosexual behavior (indeed, we are of the belief that homosexuality is something you are born with, and thus it is logically impossible to ‘recruit’ people to a ‘homosexual lifestyle’) and at no point are kids told that they are wrong or deviant for having views different from those we present: we merely intend to clear up the stereotypes surrounding gays, and to encourage a tolerant environment.

. . . Just a few months back, my home was vandalized by a number of teens; this was an incredibly upsetting and hurtful experience, but despite this I have found support from friends, family, and those in the school to help me through this. There comes a point where all of us have our beliefs and morals challenged by those who believe differently from us. It is essential that we learn how to be accepting of those who disagree with us, and that we teach our children how to disagree with dignity.

Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, indeed.