Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters celebrates three years of refuting the religious right

Three year ago today, I began my blog, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters. Initially it was to serve as publicity about my book (of the same name). However, the blog has taken a life of it's own. What I wrote three years ago is as relevant today as it was then:

There are a bunch of organizations in this country who thrive on ignorance, fear, and a sense of entitlement.

They refer to themselves as "pro family" and even members of the gay community regard them as the religious right

With all due respect, I don't see them as that. They are an anti-gay industry who seeks to gain political power by building on the religious beliefs and ignorance of people of faith. And they have been pretty successful.

Central to this success are their so-called studies on the gay community. In order to prove that gays and lesbians should not have any protection of laws, they have created a written and oral pattern of deception that is not only blatant in its attempts but shameful in its audacity. In their zeal to prove the worst about the gay community, the anti-gay industry runs roughshod over science and truth. They have created a houses of pseudo-scientific studies based on distortions, lies, headless monsters, and legitimate studies taken out of context , which are then pushed by fake experts, Ph.D.s, conservative columnists and bloggers, and ignorant people of faith all willing to sacrifice their integrity on the altar of an alleged higher calling.

We know the claims these studies make:

gays have a short life span
gays molest children at a higher level than heterosexuals
lesbians abuse their partners at a high level
gays are more violent and are prone to crimes
gays are promiscuous and cannot handle the concept of marriage.

For two years, I have studied the methodologies of so-called "pro family" groups (i.e. Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America, the Traditional Values Coalition, etc) and am glad to say that their claims are rooted in lies, outright deceptions, and legitimate studies with portions cherry picked out.

In 2007, I will publish my book, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, detailing just what how the anti-gay industry propagandizes about the gay community. Through this blog, I will publish some of my findings and update everyone as to the progress of my book. I will update this blog on a weekly basis.

Now I must emphasis that I am not attacking anyone's religion. I respect a Christian's right to believe that homosexuality is an abomination. I also respect the right of the Boys Scouts of America to prohibit gays from serving as members. Of course I also believe that if the organization had any integrity at all, it should refuse any form of public monies because some of this money is derived from gay sources via taxes. And isn't accepting money from those who you feel will not conform to your moral code just as bad as allowing them in your group.

But I digress.

What I am saying through my book and my blog is that distortions and lies in the name of God are still distortions and lies. And anyone who knowingly uses them and can still refer to themselves as a person of faith needs to examine themselves.

If anyone wants to read past postings, check out the Best of Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters to the right of this blog.

Saturday, September 05, 2009

From 'bathroom bills' to 'lesson plans' - the right exploits children again

Aesop once wrote a fable about a hungry wolf who saw a lamb by a river bank. The wolf wanted "justification" to eat the lamb. He threw all sorts of charges of impropriety at the innocent creature but the lamb refuted them all.

Finally the wolf says, "You claim to be innocent, but I know you are lying so to hell with it." And then proceeded to devour the lamb, proving that when people want to do evil, they will use any excuse to justify their behavior.

In the case of President's Obama's speech to children on Sept. 8, it seems that the excuse is to "protect the children."

This recent controversy over President Obama's speech is nonsense. We all know it and we should say it loudly and often.

And not only that, it demonstrates just how some on the right, especially the religious right, operate.

Those who are making all of this noise about the President's speech claim that they have no arguments with it per se but with the "lesson plans" that accompany it, especially the part about advising children to write on how they can help the President.

The whine about the lesson plan is a big con. And it's an old one.

We all have seen this "I don't mind the big idea but the little details scare me" con before.

Remember when certain areas of the country (i.e. counties in Maine, Florida, etc.) were trying to pass transgender-inclusive gay rights bills?

The people opposing the bills claimed that they didn't have a problem with the "spirit of the bills," but that they left a huge opening for "sexual predators" to invade women's bathrooms and locker rooms.

That, of course was an evasive tactic.

What someone on their side of the argument did was look through the bills until they found a loophole that they could exploit. And they did this because they were too cowardly to publicly say that they didn't want transgender-inclusive gay rights bills to pass because they don't like homosexuality.

To say this would have left them open for the charge of bigotry.

But saying that they didn't support transgender-inclusive gay rights bills (or as they termed them - "bathroom bills,") because they would cause harm to children was a more advantageous tallking point.

So now in the case of President Obama's speech to children, we are seeing a foul case of deja vu.

These folks (Michelle Malkin, the conservative radio show hosts and bloggers, the religious right, elected officials in Florida) who started the nonsense about Obama's speech to children don't like the President, period. No matter what he does or says, he will remain on the very top of their crap list and they are going to do their best to undermine his efforts at all turns.

If he were Moses and parted the Red Sea for them to cross, they would be complaining about how the soles of their feet got wet.

But they don't want to openly say "we don't want the President to give this speech because we just don't like Obama."

Therefore we are saddled with this "I'm scared that President Obama will be indoctrinating children because the 'lesson plans' of his speech give me pause" talking point that will be repeated continuously without a good challenge by the liars on Fox News and other television programs with anchors too cowardly to challenge it for fear of looking "liberally biased."

Just like the case of the alleged "bathroom bills," someone looked through the plans of the President speech and found a loophole in which they can hang their lies on.

Evasive loopholes will continue to exist until someone has the courage to plug them up.

But unfortunately very few want to do this.

Friday, September 04, 2009

More LaBarbera lies and Know your lgbt history - Windows

Before I begin with this week's Know your lgbt history segment, I would like to point something out that caught my attention. If you want to skip it, then pan down to the Know Your LGBT History segment on Windows - the worst off-kilter lesbian movie I have ever seen.

At the National HIV Conference this week, the Centers for Disease Control said the following:

Gay and bisexual men account for half of new HIV infections in the U.S. and have AIDS at a rate more than 50 times greater than other groups. . .

. . . Gay and bisexual men account for half of new HIV infections in the U.S. and have AIDS at a rate more than 50 times greater than other groups, according to Centers for Disease Control & Prevention data presented at the National HIV Prevention Conference this week in Atlanta.

This is bad news to almost everyone except for our friend Peter LaBarbera, who naturally used this news for his own benefit:

The issue in this ongoing “culture war” is not the cause of homosexual “orientation” — or merely the legality of “same-sex marriage.” It’s homosexual behavior itself — and whether government should promote it or discourage it, or be neutral. I say discourage it, since the evidence keeps pouring in that conduct which has been proscribed as immoral down through centuries of Judeo-Christian tradition is also highly dangerous. Now if the CDC will only stop blabbering on about “homophobia” and start telling the truth — that the rectum is not a sexual organ, after all, and that we must take tough measures against “gay” promiscuity — America will become a healthier place.

Never mind that he shows his ignorance by taking in part of the CDC's statement and ignoring the part that doesn't suit his agenda.

The "blabbering about homophobia" that LaBarbera alludes to is this part of the article that he conveniently omitted in his attack on lgbts:

Many conference speakers, including ranking officials with the CDC, said getting rid of stigma, including homophobia, against those with HIV/AIDS is also a crucial part in reducing incident rates.

LaBarbera also omitted this part of the article:

( U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen) Sebelius also noted that gay and bisexual men, as well as African Americans and Latinos, continue to be hardest hit by the disease in the U.S. Steps are being taken by the Obama administration to target these populations specifically, she said.

“We’re targeting our efforts at high-risk groups like African Americans. Today, African Amer-icans make up just a tenth of the population. But they account for nearly half of new HIV infections. One in 30 African-American women will be diagnosed in her lifetime. One in 16 African-American men will be diagnosed with HIV. In 2005, the CDC reported that in five major cities, almost half of all African-American gay men were HIV positive. The situation is also dire for Latinos,” she said.

“Think about that. Imagine if it were half the straight white women in Atlanta. Wouldn’t we be calling this a national emergency? Shouldn’t we be?” she said to a cheering crowd.

I know LaBarbera wouldn't dare denigrate the Latino and African-American community for their unfortunate rate of HIV infections in the same manner that he denigrates the lgbt community. Not to worry, though. I'm sure enterprising racists will talk about the supposed "inferiority" of blacks and Latinos.

After all, you just can't keep hogs away from the trough, whether they be racists or homophobes.

Sorry about that for those expecting a Know your lgbt history segment. Now onto it . . .

Know your lgbt history - Windows

It has been said that Windows (1980) is such a bad movie that it will never make it to DVD. Hell, it's hard to find it on VHS.

And those who say these things are absolutely correct. I never thought it was possible to see a movie that simultaneously disgusted and bored me.

The repulsiveness starts off before you even have time to get acquainted with the characters.

Talia Shire plays a woman who is attacked when she is entering her apartment. The intruder makes her partly disrobe and, while holding a knife to her neck and mouth, makes her say "sounds" in a tape recorder.

The scene is disgusting. Why the intruder does this to her is even worse. He was paid by Shire's friend, played by Elizabeth Ashley, to make Shire do these things. She paid the man to commit the crime so that Shire would run to her for support. When this doesn't work, Ashley just listens to the tape of Shire's violation to the point where she can repeat the entire sequence by memory (and you just know that she will).

As you can guess, Ashley is secretly in love with Shire. When Shire moves to another apartment, Ashley commences to spy on her from telescope in a loft across the way.
As Shire slowly begins a romance with a detective investigating the case, Ashley begins to go insane, using a knife to "express herself" on Shire's cat, neighbor, and the psychiatrist who is starting to recognize her insane behavior.

First of all, what's with off-kilter women in movies? Why can't they just use a gun? Do they always have to attack people with knives. And not just any knife, but one of the long, slender knives that you just know was not made to cut meat.

Anyway, Windows was highly controversial. That and the fact that it was just a hideously made movie sunk its chances at the box office.

There is so much to dislike about this movie. For one thing, it just didn't make any sense. Ashley's character was rich, vivacious, and even has a sexy breezy way of talking.

Shire's character was meek, mousy, plain, and jumped at her own shadows. To make matters worse, Shire resurrected a bunch of those ugly berets she wore in Rocky.

Shouldn't it have been the other way around with Shire chasing after Ashley?

Secondly, the plotlines are dumb. The intruder who forces Shire to make all of those ugly sounds is caught because he is a cab driver and Shire just happens to be his fare later in the movie and recognizes his voice.

Thirdly, and maybe this isn't a bad thing, for a violent movie about a crazed lesbian who likes to get knife happy, we see almost no violence.

We know that Ashley is attacking people with her trusty knife because of reaction shots (although I saw the movie on youtube and maybe the poster excised the violent scenes).

At the very least, you would think to expect a knockdown, drag out fight between Shire and Ashley. It doesn't happen. All Ashley does is verbally repeat the sounds of Shire's violation until the police come. Meanwhile Shire just looks at her and wonders no doubt how in the hell did she get saddled in such a nasty movie.

The following are clips from Windows:

Now if you want to see the entire movie, you can go to the youtube file here.

But trust me when I say don't do it.

Past Know Your LGBT History postings:

Know your lgbt history - To Wong Foo and Priscilla

Maine anti-gays push old lie, Obama an 'uppity Negro,' and other Friday midday news briefs

Julian Bond's message to LGBTs: 'keep pushing on - victory is just ahead' - Thank you Pam Spaulding for posting this. I forgot briefly this week that those in power give up nothing without a knockdown, drag out fight.

Maine’s Anti-Gay Marriage Campaign Leader is Completely Insane - Well I knew that but it's always good to confirm. There they go again with the "marriage equality will force children to learn about gay sex" lie.

Obama Schoolchildren Speech Drives Right-Wingers Batty - Who does that "uppity Negro" Barack Obama think he is? The President of the United States?

Man accidentally shot dead by S.A. policeman was drag performer - This story is %$!@ up! That was my first impression of the situation.

Focus on the Family Promotes Misinformation about HIV/AIDS - Focus on the Family lying about HIV/AIDS? It must be a regular day.

Porno Petey strikes again

The Labor Day weekend holiday is upon us and wouldn't you know it? Peter LaBarbera does something nutsy.

The WWE has Wrestlemania.

The NFL has the Superbowl.

And Peter LaBarbera has Folsom Street Fair.

You can set your watch by it. Every time the San Francisco street fair rolls around, LaBarbera provides his version of publicity for the event by "condemning it." Then he goes to event, making sure to take pictures of alleged gross acts and providing "loving commentary" even sometimes informing us on the exact length of time those "freakie deakies" in said picture took to do the deed.

This year, LaBarbera takes the following quote from conservative radio so-and-so Michael Savage to make a ridiculous point:

“San Francisco is a microcosm of the illness called liberalism. It’s the least tolerant city in the country. It’s the meanest city in the country.”

I don't know about that. A city which hosts an alleged butt-naked festival doesn't necessarily strike me as intolerant.

But Michael Savage is the same person who lost his television show on MSNBC after telling a caller that he should catch AIDS and die.

So I guess if anyone knows about intolerance, it's him.

The Folsom Street Fair isn't exactly my cup of tea but apparently a lot of people (gay and straight - funny how LaBarbera always tries to omit the "heterosexual perversions" at Folsom) seem to enjoy it.

And in all honesty, LaBarbera seems to enjoy it too.

One of these days, somebody is going to take a picture of him attending these fairs. I wonder what he wears while in attendance, that is if he is dressed at all.

Editor's note - Never mind about that last sentence. Just writing it made me ill.

Related posts:

Peter LaBarbera - the self-destruction of an anti-gay activist

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Protect Maine Equality makes it two for two, Bauer rumors claimed to be Sanford's fault, and the fate of my blog

The folks in Maine are learning the lessons from the Proposition 8 mess in California very well. The above ad makes it two for two when it comes to hitting the message on why marriage equality is important.

And while they are kicking ass in Maine, my home state of South Carolina is getting weirder. Supposedly the Lt. Governor Andre Bauer is gay rumors are the fault of Governor Mark Sanford's people trying to take attention away from the Governor's Argentinian scandal.

And on a personal note, thank you everyone who sent me kind words of encouragement during my fit of depression. And thank you if you didn't send me any emails and such because I know you were praying for me.

A friend of mine nailed down the basic reason for my bad mood:

omg, Alvin. From what I can see you need to stop reading the racist rhetoric on that ignorant website! It can't be good for the psyche.

She was talking about my post of the satirical site Christwire but girlfriend had a point. For three years, I have blogged nonstop about religious right distortions. This year as an effort to remain relevant, I started posting three times a day rather than one and at least once on Saturdays and Sundays.

My constant taking in of religious right dogma has been slowly killing my spirit and driving me nuts.

Apparently the mess involving Harry Jackson and his efforts to stop marriage equality in D.C. was the straw that broke this lovely camel's back.

If my depression kept up, I envisioned myself ending up like a character in one of Roman Polanski's early movies, laying catatonic in a messy room somewhere surrounded by corpses and rotting rabbits.

Don't get me wrong (finally I get to the good stuff), I am going to continue Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters but I've also decided to devote the upcoming Labor Day weekend to spending a considerable amount of time in bed with something with aloe vera and shea butter smeared across my face while I indulge in a huge quart of butter almond ice cream while watching some awful z-rated 80s horror movies involving nubile white women being chased by a weirdo wearing a paper bag.

I will rise from my throne on a few occassions to either corrupt the innocence of a young man or play Lolita with an older, desperate man (with me being Lolita).

Come Tuesday, I should have my fire and firm back.

One thing to remember, though. If listening to and reading religious right dogma can warp the mind of an proud, intelligent, self-confident (and very attractive) gay man to the point of depression, just imagine what it can do to the minds of young folks who have not come into their own as adults.

It's definitely something to think about.

Project Maine Equality runs excellent ad and other Thursday midday news briefs

Micheangelo vs. Brian Brown - Michelangelo Signorile talks NOM's exec director Brian Brown and destroys him in this clip of portions of the interview.

For the entire interview, go here.

First ad from Project Maine Equality. It smokes!!

Health Care Hostilities Result From Right's Declaration of War on Obama - This is a good read and a perfect look at what may be coming the lgbt community's way when the fight over ENDA gets cracking.

Which Communities are Still in High Sizzle Support Mode for Barack Obama? - This black gay man is if only simply for the purpose of strategic position.

Washington anti-gays enjoy a Pyrrhic victory

The online encyclopedia site Wikipedia defines a Pyrrhic victory as "a victory with devastating cost to the victor."

Those pushing for a referendum against in Washington state on expanded domestic partnership benefits should keep that in mind. Though they have won a major battle, the victory could lead them to lose the war.

A Washington judge yesterday rejected a challenge to the referendum, Referendum 71, based on a technicality - the challenge was not filed in the right county. He, however acknowledged that those challenging Referendum 71 has adequate evidence to prove their case:

Among the problems the judge cited: Tens of thousands of signatures may have been invalid because declarations on some petitions - attesting that voters signed knowingly, and were not paid or wrongly induced to provide their signatures - were left blank or simply rubber-stamped moments before being turned in.

Since 2006, Reed's office accepted such petitions under legal guidance from the state attorney general, noting that the state law merely requires the declarations to be printed on the back of signature petitions - it doesn't require the declarations to be signed.

(King County Superior Court Judge Julie)Spector questioned that analysis.

"This essentially renders the declaration requirement meaningless," she wrote.

. . . And finally, Spector noted, some people were apparently lied to by signature gatherers, who told them, for example, that the expanded domestic partnership benefits would force public schools to teach that same-sex marriage and homosexuality are normal, even over the objections of parents.

"It is unclear whether a signature-gatherer can swear that an individual signer has signed the petition 'knowingly' when the signature-gatherer has allegedly misrepresented the contents of the petition," the judge said.

So basically the anti-gay forces now have a victory but another one like it could sink them.

Now barring any decision by those against the referendum to re-file a challenge, Referendum 71 will go on the ballot, but with the stigma of lies and fraud.

And it could be a boon for those looking to defeat the referendum if they take advantage of it via commercials and the like.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Note to Christwire - You aren't exactly helping Andre Bauer

The rumor that SC Lt. Governor Andre Bauer is gay has elicited many responses, but none as strange as the one from the conservative blog Christwire.

I had to look it over twice to make sure that it wasn't a parody:

If You’re a Fantastic Pro-Family Republican, Does One or Two Same-Sex Encounters Really Make You Gay?

Another pervert internet blogger is throwing slander at the Republican establishment in an effort to turn a fantastic politician into the posterchild of gayness. The man taking the heat is André Bauer, the next governor of South Carolina when the current Luv Guv Mark Sanford resigns. Sanford, you may recall, is the lusty soul who pampered his South American female playmate with deluxe vacations, fancy dinners and the best hotel suites all on the taxpayer’s credit card. He was caught when he told his wife he was going on a hike and disappeared for a week, leading the National Guide to search the Appalachian Trial while he was secretly canoodling on a Argentinean beach in an unflattering Speedo. Well, Sanford won’t be much longer in the governor’s chair and his second in command, Lieutenant Governor is all pumped up to take his place.

That’s where flamboyant blogger with bulge of bias Mike Rogers toe taps in. He lubed his way into the national consciousness by bringing down idyllic Senator Larry Craig and wise-as-a-whip Representative Mark Foley. This week he has accused 40-year old Lt. Governor André Bauer of secret homosexual tendencies. But Bauer has an absolutely fabulous record defending the rights of families and Christianity. He has loudly opposed Homosexual Marriage, Homosexual Sodomy and Homosexual Adoption. He has profoundly defined marriage as between straights only. Not only that, but he has pushed for the words, “I BELIEVE” and the Christian Cross on South Carolina license plates, fought tax hikes and supported free-market capitalism at every turn.

So this all begs the question, does the accusation of one or two wrong-headed and furtive man-on-man encounters actually make you gay? Couldn’t it be a mistake? If you have a great record fighting against the gays, doesn’t it cross out a few moments humping a younger man against the wall of some hotel room? This debate is far from settled, but it is an important one for the conservative party today.

That was all I could read before I choked in a fit of laughter. You can read the rest if you want (God help you).

Just in case you are interested, other postings on Christwire are the following:

Google Even Knows The Truth About Blacks

Soviets Create New Berenstain Bear Porn To Lure Children into Sin

MSI Computers Support the Gay Agenda With Laptop Butt Sex

Mercy!

UPDATE - Apparently Christwire may be a satirical site. If so, it's a damn good one! LOL

Andre Bauer's supporters attack gay rumors, NARTH gets slammed, and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Bauer on defense after blog post makes bold claim - SC Lt. Governor Andre Bauer's friends and supporters cry foul over rumor that he is gay.

Iowa groups file formal complaint against National Organization for Marriage - Slowly the noose will tighten around the neck of NOM.

NOM made Iowa House race a test on marriage equality -- and NOM lost - How nice. More noose tightening.

Researcher Blasts NARTH Official for “Blatant Misquotation” - Well this perks up my day a little.

From 'outside agitators' to 'wealthy gay activists' - Some of us black folks haven't learned a thing

Editor's note - I changed the title of this piece to further convey the depressive funk I've been under since the situation I am talking about in this post caught my attention. I know I am wandering into dangerous territory with the headline and the subject in general. I would sincerely hope those responding here and other places that this post may appear not take the easy road to offer polarized opinions. I hope I haven't.

I went to bed depressed Tuesday night and when I rose from my troubled sleep to post on my blog, my depression hadn't abated.

It got to the point where I was considering not posting anymore. I'm still halfway considering that option.

My mental malaise started when I was looking at anti-gay Stand for Marriage site emanating from Washington, D.C.

African-American pastor Harry Jackson and a coalition of other black pastors are trying to put to put marriage equality on the ballot in DC:

Jackson sent out a statement Monday stating that he and other opponents of same-sex marriage would file an initiative request with the elections board Tuesday.

If approved by the board, the initiative would give District residents an opportunity to vote sometime next year on whether to legalize same-sex marriage in the District. Jackson, who says he believes that most city voters oppose same-sex marriage, is hoping his proposal will slow efforts by the D.C. Council to legalize those marriages

. . . In May, Jackson filed a request with the elections board to hold a referendum to block the council bill allowing same-sex marriages performed in others states to be legally recognized.

The elections board, in a strongly worded ruling, blocked Jackson's referendum request. The two-member board cited D.C. elections law, which prohibits a vote on a matter covered by the Human Rights Act. The 1977 act outlaws discrimination against gays and lesbians and other minority groups.

Jackson has affiliated himself with the group Stand For Marriage, which seems to have the tendrils of the National Organization for Marriage all over it.

What has gotten me depressed to almost the point of exhaustion is the language used on the Stand For Marriage webpage:

Marriage Matters! With wealthy gay activists mobilizing all across the country to legalize homosexual marriage, there's never been a more important time to preserve and protect marriage in the District of Columbia once and for all.

I highlighted that phrase "wealthy gay activists" for a reason. It's a code word to the African-American community for "rich gay white men."

Black people have had to deal with negative code words throughout our entire history. From "outside agitators" to "welfare queens" to "reverse discrimination," code words were a way for enterprising exploiters to appeal to the lower instincts of people without being overtly racist.

Or in this case, homophobic.

In the same skillful manner white racists used code words to tell people that integration and giving the African-American community the right to vote would lead to destruction of so-called pure communities and the wholesale raping of white women by "big black bucks," Jackson and his group are implying that "rich gay white men" are trying to ruin marriage and, via osmosis, destroy the black community.

To make matters worse, one of the members of Jackson's group, Rev. Walter Fauntroy, was director of the Washington Bureau of Dr. King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Fauntroy also served as D.C. Coordinator of the Historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 and coordinator of the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March in 1965 as well as the Meredith Mississippi Freedom March in 1966.

Fauntroy has no doubt had to deal with the ugly power of "code words" in the past. Not only that, but working so closely to King means Fauntroy had to work with Bayard Rustin, an adviser to King, the main coordinator of the 1963 March on Washington, and an openly gay African-American.

Harry Jackson is an opportunist whose desire is for fame and notoriety. Fauntroy should know better.

Whether Fauntroy is aware of what's happening with the language of the site is not know. But what is apparent is that some African-Americans are attacking the lgbt community via the same tactics that were used to deny them their rights not so long ago.

And if this isn't bad enough, ultimately these African-Americans will be hurting their own people, i.e. lgbts of color.

There is a saying that goes "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Jackson and his group, and especially Fauntroy, proves that there are some who intentionally put themselves in this situation.

It will be my blog's three year anniversary this Sunday and this situation with Jackson's group makes me realize that sometimes no matter how hard you try to do the right thing, nothing changes.

No matter how many times you try to right the wrongs in the best way you know how, some wrongs are never righted and on top of that, new wrongs are committed.

Pretty soon, you feel like a dog chasing its tail.

And no one should have to feel like a dog.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

NOM-affiliated lawyer cites Paul Cameron. What would Maggie Gallagher say?

Does NOM-affiliated Charles LiMandri actually believe that gays ingest blood and feces during sex? What would Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown say to that?

By now, everyone knows that former Ms. California Carrie Prejean is suing pageant officials for libel, slander and religious discrimination.

But there are some things you don't know about her counsel.

According to Jeremy from Goodasyou.org, she is being represented by the National Organization for Marriage's counsel Charles LiMandri.

Goodasyou.org further says that LiMandri has a history of anti-gay "activism."

Jeremy also posts one of LiMandri's position papers, The Impact of Same-Sex Marriage On Religious Freedom.

I downloaded a copy and looked it over.

You have to see it to believe all of the discredited and misused studies LiMandri uses. Allow me to break down a few of his inaccuracies:

From pages four to 11, he lists anecdotes of incidents in which Christians are allegedly discriminated against because of a "gay agenda." Not only do a lot of these incidents have nothing to do with same sex marriage, but LiMandri gets the facts wrong.

Included in LiMandri's examples is my favorite, the David Parker incident, as well as the Repent America incident in which a group of people protesting a gay pride celebration were arrested in Pennsylvania after they wouldn't comply with the police at the scene. LiMandri claims that they were "peacefully protesting."

LiMandri lists another case of so-called persecution:

The Oakland city government found the words "Marriage the foundation of the natural family and sustains family values" to be a hate crime and reprimands a group ofOakland city government employees for using these words on a flyer in the workplace.

LiMandri is obviously distorting the case. Oakland city government did not say that those words were a "hate crime." What happened was this:

Gay employees working for Oakland's government formed a group. In response, two Christian employees formed their own group. In the flyer advertising the Christian group, terms like "integrity" and "natural family" were used in ways that attacked the gay employees.

The Christian group was told to revise the flyer. They refused and sued the city of Oakland. They subsequently lost their case.

LiMandri even has the temerity to mention the initial controversy with Matt Barber. You will remember that before Barber became an anti-gay spokesperson, he was fired from AllState for using the company's equipment to write anti-gay columns as well as including his employment at the company in his bio. LiMandri omits that fact but makes sure to note that Barber wrote the pieces while away from work.

But the "real choice meat" of LiMandri's work comes after those inaccurate anecdotes.

In the rest of the 31 pages of his piece, LiMandri manages to reconstitute and rehash the most popular anti-gay propaganda out there, including:

Family Research Institute, “Medical Consequences of What Homosexuals Do” by Paul Cameron, Ph.D, www.familyresearchinst.org

That's right. LiMandri is citing Paul Cameron's discredited work as a link that people can use to "stay informed." And not just any Paul Cameron work, but the one that accuses gay men of ingesting blood and using gerbils and feces as sexual instruments.

Other bits and pieces from Cameron's distortions are throughout LiMandri's paper including claims that lgbts are more likely to molest their children.

Also, LiMandri uses the following from the Family Research Council:

“Homosexuality and Child Abuse”

This study is no longer on the Family Research Council's webpage because, as I was told in this link, the studies used in it are outdated.

Other distortions in LiMandri's paper include:

1. The distortion of Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity Among Men and Women by Alan Bell and Martin Weinberg as a correct assessment of gay men's sexual behavior even though it was published in the late 1970s. Homosexualities looked at gay men in the city of San Francisco in the early 1970s and the authors even said that their work could not be generalized to include all gay men:

“. . . given the variety of circumstances which discourage homosexuals from participating in research studies, it is unlikely that any investigator will ever be in a position to say that this or that is true of a given percentage of all homosexuals.”

2. The life expectancy at age 20 for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men - The distortion of the 1997 Canadian study that claims that gay men have a short life span. In 2001, the authors of this study complained about how it was being distorted.

LiMandri did not say where he got this statistic but odds are the 1997 Canadian study was the place. The only other place he could have gotten this was the discredited Paul Cameron study on the supposed gay life span.

3. Citing The Health Risks of Gay Sex by John R.Diggs even though it uses some of the same distortions that LiMandri used in his paper (i.e. the Bell and Weinberg book and the 1997 Canadian study distorted to claim that gays have a short life span. So in essence, LiMandri is inaccurately double dipping.)

The most comical of LiMandri's claims when he says lgbts "demonized" certain people for saying that homosexuality is immoral, including Anita Bryant, Dr. Laura and Michael Savage.

For the record, even though there were a lot of protests against Dr. Laura's show, it failed because it bombed with audiences, Bryant's rhetoric (gays are trying to recruit children) eventually became her undoing because it turned off a lot of fair-minded people

And (I was saving the best for last) Michael Savage lost his television show after he said he wished that a caller would catch AIDS and die.

Basically, Carrie Prejean's lawsuit is as vapid as her continued pursuit of the spotlight and NOM's exploitation of her controversy.

But the lgbt community needs to look past Prejean and take the fight to NOM.

Its head, Maggie Gallagher has made an artform out of turning the argument of marriage equality on its head.

According to her, the argument about same sex marriage is not about protecting lgbt couples or lgbt families in general. Gallagher claims that the argument is about keeping her and those who believe like her (i.e. that only correct family structure is the "Leave It To Beaver" family image) from being "unfairly" labeled as "bigots."

NOM is no different than any other religious right group. Beneath its veneer of family, faith, and traditional values that are a lot of lies, discredited studies, misused studies, and appeals to fear and ego.

And there are many unanswered questions as to where the organization is getting its funding.

The lgbt community has done a lot of laughing at NOM because of the missteps the organization has taken, especially with its "Gathering Storm" video. But as NOM continues to make its presence known in same sex battles across the country, it is time we stop laughing and start asking questions and demanding answers.

And the first question we should ask is why is the organization affiliating itself with a person who puts out such filthy lies about our community?

Ms. Gallagher, if you are knowingly affiliating yourself and your organization with someone who thinks that gays are a threatening horde of interlopers who engage in dangerous sexual practices and molest their children, then you are, in fact, a bigot.

Sex scandal number three brewing in South Carolina?

I interrupt today's news briefs to ask a very pointed question:

What in the hell is with my state of South Carolina?

After weeks of a sex scandal involving Governor Mark Sanford (who admitted cheating on his wife and calling his paramour his "soul mate") and after rumors of a closeted Lt. Governor comes more news of a conservative politician who may have deep tire tracks in their pure as the driven snow image:

Kristin Maguire, Governor Sanford's appointee to the State Board of Education and it's chairwoman has resigned.

According to FitsNews.com:

Kristin Maguire, an Upstate evangelical and one of South Carolina’s most respected social conservatives, has been one of the governor’s closest education policy advisors for years.

Maguire has also homeschooled her four children.

The scuttlebutt was that she resigned to devote more attention to her family.

However, more news is coming out. Maguire is supposedly:

the prolific author of hardcore erotic fiction on the Internet, according to documents provided to the governor’s office earlier this summer and later obtained by FITS News.

Maguire, a professed Christian who home-schools her four children, declined to comment for our story but did not deny that she had previously frequented websites that feature such X-rated material. Maguire believes that a former friend is leaking the information to the media in an effort to ruin her political career.

As for the specific writings alleged to have flowed from Maguire’s pen, most have been deleted from the Internet.

FITS was able to use conversations in various Internet chat rooms, however, to link at least two “erotic stories” to Maguire’s alleged pen name, “Bridget Keeney.” From there, numerous similarities between “Bridget” and Maguire emerged, including commonalities in age, geographic location, engineering background, hobbies (knitting, for example) and number of children. One comment left in an erotic chat room by “Bridget” even reveals the name of a professor who was at Clemson University’s College of Engineering at the time when Maguire was a student there, while another comment references a specific medical procedure that Maguire underwent several years ago.

More information here

Fits News was quick to point out that nothing Maguire allegedly did was illegal and it also did not coincide with her tenure as Chairwoman of the State Board of Education.

But the blog also says:

Maguire’s involvement in S.C. politics goes well beyond her leadership of the S.C. Board of Education or her involvement with the Sanford administration. She is an executive committeewoman of the S.C. Republican Party, as well as the woman responsible for drafting the party’s education platform.

Prior to being elected Chairwoman, Maguire led the panel responsible for approving education standards taught in South Carolina classrooms, including what textbooks were to be used and how teachers were to be certified. She has been a strong supporter of “abstinence only” sex education, as well.

When Maguire was elected to lead the S.C. Board, her appointment was hailed as a victory for social conservatives and feted on Christian blogs and websites across the Southeast.

And now there seems to be more writings.

Now if these allegations are true, again Maguire did nothing illegal and to some people's eyes, nothing unethical.

But in light of the Sanford controversy, the rumors about Bauer and the Bible belt image this state portrays, one has to wonder like I asked, what is going on with South Carolina.

If you ask me, this state suffers from a Blanche DuBois complex. You know Blanche DuBois, don't you? She is the character from the Tennessee Williams play, A Streetcar Named Desire. She is the character who put up the fascade of innocent Southern purity while seething with repressed white hot passion just below the surface.

I'm a little scared of what other South Carolina public official may face sexual scrutiny.

Guys, you need a lesson in hiding your proclivities!

Or at least tell me again just why it would be a bad idea to allow lgbts to marry?

Liberty Counsel uses bad logic to deny lesbian the right to see her child

I will have updates on the Andre Bauer thing as soon as they come. For the time being, however, I need to focus on other equally important situations regarding the lgbt community and the religious right.

Maybe Liberty Counsel's Matt Staver is working too hard.

How else can one explain how he maybe thought he could pull a fast one in the latest religious right update of the Lisa Miller/Janet Jenkins custody case.

A little background - Lisa Miller and Janet Jenkins entered a relationship. Miller had a child, Isabella, and the two agreed to raise her together.

However when Isabella was 17 months old, the couple split up with Miller becoming a "born-again Christian" and "ex-gay." Since that time, she has refused to allow Jenkins to see Isabella, even though she initially agreed to allow Jenkins to see the child. Jenkins was even paying child support.

Courts have consistently ruled against Miller, even though she had engaged in ugly tactics in an attempt to deny Jenkins her rightly visitations, including moving to another state.

Enter the religious right. You see, Miller retained Liberty Counsel lawyers for her counsel and they and other members of the religious right have continuously milked this case for propaganda purposes, making it seem that Jenkins has no right to any parental claims.

Meanwhile they continue to drag this case through the courts from hearing to hearing.

Which comes to the crux this post. In his latest update of the case courtesy of One News Now, Staver says the following:

Meanwhile, Staver believes Janet Jenkins' purpose in the custody battle is to push the homosexual agenda -- not to gain a relationship with her former partner's daughter.

"The last time that she wrote a letter or tried to call [Isabella] was five years ago when she was age two," he notes. "She's never tried to send a card of any kind for any reason to Isabella. She has never sent her an e-mail. She has never come to any of her church recitals or plays or Christmas programs."

For one thing, it's ironic that Staver is implying that Jenkins isn't trying to gain a relationship with Isabella. And here I thought Staver's group was saying that Jenkins has no right to a relationship with the child.

And secondly, and this is confirmed by the Newsweek article and the Liberty Counsel itself, the couple split up when Isabella was 17 months old. And since that time, Miller has been engaging in chicanery to keep Jenkins from seeing Isabella.

Maybe that's why Jenkins hasn't been able to come to any of Isabella's church recitals or plays or Christmas programs?

And no one knows whether or not Jenkins sent Isabella a card. It stands to reason that if she did, Miller would have kept Isabella from receiving it.

Lastly, Staver's point about email is just plain dumb. Isabella isn't even 10-years-old. How many children under the age of 10 have their very own email accounts? Or anything computerwise that isn't supervised by their parents or guardians (in this case that person would be Miller - the very person who is keeping Jenkins from seeing Isabella.)

Staver is trying to argue insignificant points to obscure the big picture. Of course Jenkins cares about Isabella or she wouldn't be fighting this long and drawn out (thanks to the Liberty Counsel) case to try and get at least visitation time with the child.

And I hope she gets it for not only her sake but for the sake of little Isabella.

Monday, August 31, 2009

South Carolina Lt. Governor Andre Bauer outed?

I was in the middle of writing something good about the Carrie Prejean situation but then I got knocked on my ass by the following:

A South Carolina politician with a lengthy antigay voting record who has denied that he is gay is lying, according to blogger Mike Rogers.

Rogers, whose work outing closeted politicians who vote antigay figures heavily into the documentary Outrage, reports that South Carolina Lieutenant Andre Bauer has reportedly flirted with several gay men, and one source has admitted to having sex with him.

Two former Bauer staffers said the Lt. Governor spent hours alone with young men in hotel rooms on at least three occasions. The staffers also said the men he spent time with were not staff members with no particular reason to spend time with him.

Bauer, who is unmarried, told The State newspaper in June that he was not gay.

"One word, two letters. 'No.' Let's go ahead and dispel that now," he said in the interview. "Is Andre Bauer gay? That is now the story. We're a long way from where we were a week ago. We have diverted what the real topic should be here: Is the governor capable for carrying on the duties for which he was elected?"

However, openly gay South Carolina legislator Linda Kentner has been vocal about the secrecy of such gay lawmakers in her state who prefer to keep quiet... like the Lieutenant Governor.

More here

Being an lgbt resident of South Carolina and therefore privy to certain things . . .

I ain't saying jack until things are confirmed. I'm too pretty to be sued.

Okay - just one thing but not necessarily about Bauer. Being an lgbt resident of this state, I am privy to information regarding many public figures who are in the closet. Some discussions may be just rumors, but trust me when I say that there are a lot of closeted public figures in this state. Some names will shock you.

It's a bizarre conundrum

Don't worry. My piece on Carrie Prejean's counsel will be coming soon. But being a resident of South Carolina, this was too good not to mention.

More attention means more trouble for anti-gay group and other Monday midday news briefs

NOM finds out that more attention isn't exactly a good thing:

Fine-toothed combs scour NOM's unfair hair

NOM's 2007 tax return...and who is behind 'consultant' Common Sense America

The two posts are from Goodasyou.org and Pams House Blend. I wanted to put them both in one location to focus attention on how much attention the National Organization for Marriage is getting. No doubt at first the group thought that the recent Washington Post profile on one of its leaders, Brian Brown, was a good thing. It's nice to see them learn the flipside of attracting attention, especially when you are doing something morally wrong and potentially shady.

New impetus for bill banning anti-gay bias at work - ENDA could pass this year and I know the religious right is just chewing on the bit to oppose it. I'm chewing on the bit to oppose them. Let's get it started!

Congregation embraces transgender minister as his secret is revealed - Here is a positive story you don't hear about every day.

MA: First out black lesbian mayor in the U.S., Denise Simmons, marries partner - It probably won't make BET, Jet or Ebony magazine - the %!*#!

Getting rebuked in the name of Jesus and called a twit - is this the best the anti-gay folks can do?

I got two interesting negative letters that I want to share with you. After almost three years of doing this thing, it's nice to see my work paying off (sarcasm alert).

Liar !

I don't see how you learned through prayer to accept being gay, because i know GOD never told you it is ok for you to be gay. You need to STOP misleading people in GOD's name because he never told you to accept homosexuality otherswise he would be a liar and you can't make a liar out of GOD. I rebuke you in Jesus name for the lie you told.

When I opened my email and read this message, I nearly fell out laughing. I didn't quite do so because I was busy trying to remember just exactly what I did to garner such an interesting response.

Then I remembered the email I wrote on youtube answering someone's question as to how I was so sure that God had accepted me as a gay man. Apparently someone didn't share my views.

The person didn't elaborate just what happens when one is rebuked in Jesus's name. My guess is that I win some lifetime supply of polyester leisure suits or get eternally strapped down in a doorless room and forced to continously listen to the Osmonds "One Bad Apple."

Either would be pure hell.

My other letter comes from one of my favorite anti-gay spokespeople (and yours), Peter LaBarbera. Apparently he is not appreciative of my latest piece, Peter LaBarbera - the self-destruction of an anti-gay activist.

Now in all honesty, his comments didn't come unsolicited. I emailed LaBarbera my column in order to garner a response. This is what he said:

You are officially a twit, Alvin. You can't even recognize that your own obsession betrays your argument. Adios.

Between you and, me, this is LaBarbera's second or third time with answering my email by calling me a "twit" and using that words "adios" as a signal that he will not return any of my emails.

And yet he continues to answer my emails. I guess he doesn't "know how to quit me."

This is the same guy who allegedly has more gay porn than most people. So you can understand why I'm spooked.

If anyone would know about being obsessed, it's him.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Peter LaBarbera - the self-destruction of an anti-gay activist

What if you gave a press conference attacking the President of the United States and no one showed up, especially the media?

What if you sue a major hotel chain and no one cares, except for those who oppose you and they only take note to laugh at you?

Such is the lot of self-proclaimed anti-gay activist Peter LaBarbera.

One thing that the lgbt community doesn't seem to be giving that much attention to (with the planning of marches, fighting against anti-gay marriage laws, etc.) is the rapid and continued fall of LaBarbera from steadfast anti-gay activist to man with a serious problem.

The bio on his Americans for Truth webpage brags about his participation in groups such as Concerned Women for America, the Family Research Council, and his short stint as leader of the Illinois Family Institute.

It also talks about how many times he was interviewed by the national media and show such as James Dobson's Focus on the Family.

LaBarbera has gone from those so-called extreme highs to the lowest of low - featuring obscene pictures on his webpage.

Those pictures are what he is known for. They are why he is referred to in some circles as "Porno Petey."

No matter how many changes and nuances the religious right goes through, the lgbt community can always count on LaBarbera to attend leather events and "street fairs" with his camera, looking for "filthy images" to publicize on his webpage as an example of the so-called real face of lgbt America. And he always makes sure to give "loving detail" to the acts featured in the pictures.

I'm not one to usually make psychological judgements on people, so don't hold it against me when I call LaBarbera a living breathing Freudian slip.

I would love to know how many have looked on LaBarbera's page and moved from disgust over the pictures to wondering just what is in the mind of the person who took the pictures.

I guess it's better than wondering how many folks looked at LaBarbera's page in attempts to "pleasure themselves." I'm sure there are some of those out there.

LaBarbera is also a perfect example of how stridency can backfire. Uusually when someone falls in the mud, they lift themselves up and try to wipe the mud from their bodies.

LaBarbera has not only remained in the mud, but he has taken the iniative to rub it all over clean parts of his body.

And it is having an effect on his reputation amongst his peers, whether they want to admit it or not.

LaBarbera claims to have spent many, many years fighting the alleged gay agenda but it was the hate group Mass Resistance that was invited to lead a workshop on this so-called agenda during next month's conservative conference, Take Back America.

Also, notice how quickly another anti-gay spokesperson, Matt Barber, has moved up in the religious right food chain.

Barber has gone from fired AllState employee to a spokesperson of Concerned Women for America, to a "dean" at the conservative Liberty University and a promiment position at the equally conservative Liberty Counsel. And to top it off, every now and then, he writes a column for the widely read Town Hall.

And all the while this was happening, the most LaBarbera has accomplished is to fish for donations for his Americans for Truth webpage.

LaBarbera is an embarrassment to the religious right. He is their "Bull Connor," throwing a monkey wrench into their fascade of "love the sinner, but hate the sin."

The only places he is taken seriously is One News Now (which probably publishes his comments out of pity), various conservative blogs (which are as strident as he), and blogs like mine, Goodasyou.org and Pams House Blend (in actuality, we don't take him that seriously. He is good for a laugh or pointing out the hypocrisies of the religious right).

Deep down, I like LaBarbera . . . as a relic.

No matter how bad things seem, his bleatings and single minded attempts of "digging deep" into the so-called gay subculture is a reminder of how far we have come as a people. And provides a good laugh amongst me and my friends.

But by no means should the lgbt community dance on LaBarbera's grave. LaBarbera is inflicted with that type of steadfast crazy seen only in horror movies where the monster continues to stalk even after being shot, stabbed, karated, etc.

In other words, he doesn't know when to quit and he doesn't know when or how to change. The lgbt community might as well get used to it and work it for our own purposes.

But all in all, I envision a future where LaBarbera is an old man sitting on a stoop somewhere, his body bent and quivering with age (and hopefully his chin drooling unwiped spittle and corn mush) while muttering about those "damn homosexuals."

Mentally, I think he is already there.

Picture taken from Pams House Blend.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Know your lgbt history - To Wong Foo and Priscilla

Not too many people are aware of the fact that the motion picture To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar was actually an Americanized version of the Australian movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Both are road movies.

To Wong Foo (1995) tells the story of three drag queens (Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo) who travel on a cross country trip to a competition. After a very ugly encounter with a police officer, their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. As they set up residence in the nearby town, their presence change the humdrum existence of the town's residents.

The Adventures of Priscilla (1994) was slightly different. It's the tale of two drag queens (Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce) and a transgender woman (played excellently by Terrence Stamp, who should have gotten an Oscar nomination) who is traveling across the Australian outback to a gig. As they make their way to the gig, we learn more about their lives and attain a degree of respect for them (Although Guy Pearce's character was extremely annoying. I won't even talk about the "ABBA turd.")

While To Wong Foo was a bit more comedic, both I found both movies to be enjoyable features in their own way. However, if I were to compare the two, I found To Wong Foo a bit shallow. It went for the easy laughs rather than to explore the characters' complexities.

Interesting fact to note - Priscillia is actually an Oscar winner. It won Lizzy Gardiner and Tim Chappel the 1995 Oscar for Best Costume Design.

Gardiner stole the Academy Awards show with her dress made solely of old American Express Gold Cards.

Anyway, enjoy the clips. First, To Wong Foo:

Now here is Priscilla:

Utah governor opposes anti-discrimination protection for gays and other Friday midday news briefs

Utah governor: No special rights for gay people - That's right. You should be fired and denied housing because you are gay (sarcasm alert).

Race-Based Protests Directed At Obama Continue To Rise - Oh no! It's simply not true. It's just a case of "playing the race card." Where in the hell did that phrase come from anyway?

Court orders Oklahoma City teacher reinstated - We win one!

Gay Group Sues Washington Secretary of State - Things get interesting up in Washington.

Understanding the "How" In "How To Take Back America" - Featuring no less than THREE workshops on how to lie on lgbts.

Ask Maggie Gallagher about successful lgbt families

Make no mistake about it. When people like Maggie Gallagher and Tony Perkins pontificate about "the family," when organizations such as the National Organization for Marriage talk about the word "family," they don't want to talk about lgbt families.

You see, that's the one thing that will destroy all of their lies about marriage and the lgbt community - the fact that lgbt families are raising children to be successful and thriving American citizens.

Not once have I ever seen Gallagher, Perkins, or any of that bunch ever questioned about the existence of lgbt families.

Who will be the first to directly ask them?

Thursday, August 27, 2009

And now more fun bits from the National Organization for Marriage

Maybe I'm the last one to post this video (which means you probably have seen it already) but I think it's funny and factual.

The only thing it's missing is the "Gathering Storm" ad.

'Bash Back' hurts the lgbt community (again), Ex-gay group threatens legal action, and other Thursday midday news briefs

Audio: Right-wing extremist continues to help our cause - Yes, Jeremy. I am paying attention. I just hope that others are.

Ex-Gay Group Threatens Legal Action To Keep Secrets Hidden - I wonder what they are hiding.

Bash Back "Queer Anarchist" Busted For Smashing Denver Democratic Offices - Way to be counterproductive you idiots! Count on this being a front pager on One News Now, Americans for Truth and other various religious right sites and blogs (who, I might point out have been silent on the Arizona "Christian pastor" saying that gays should be killed.)

Group that opposes gay marriage now targeting Iowa - I said it once and I will say it again. Just who is funding the National Organization for Marriage?

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Proof that homophobes and racists aren't that different

This post is dedicated to Rev. Harry Jackson, Ken Hutcherson, and the rest who play the "gay rights" aren't the same as "African-American civil rights" game.

The argument about whether one can compare the struggles of the lgbt community to that of the African-American community will probably be an eternal one.

I've talked about the situation from many angles but I think I've nailed down one sure way to convey the fact that those pushing fear and hatred does not care if you are black, white, straight, or gay.

It's short and quick. If you blink, you may miss it.

First let's look at a handout from the racist group the National Alliance which talks about black men and HIV:

Now let's look at this lovely piece via the anti-gay group the Traditional Values Coalition criticizing ENDA (Employment Non-Discrimination Act):

In the long run, it doesn't matter who had to ride in the "back of the bus" or who gets chased down a street.

As long as there are entities willing to exploit fear and stereotypes, we all suffer.

Are there any questions?

Editor's note - The Traditional Values Coalition is yet another anti-gay hate group as designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Related posts:

Interracial dating and homosexuality - two health risks?

Harvey Milk is entering the California Hall of Fame. Get over it

Not everyone in California is happy with the news that Harvey Milk has been selected for the California Hall of Fame:

"Harvey Milk was a notorious sexual predator, advocated multiple sexual relationships at the same time, was a public liar, and is in no way a good role model for children," said Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com.

In addition, Milk also squeezed the Charmin and pulled tags off of matresses.

Seriously, SaveCalifornia has created a webpage detailing Milk's "evils" in an attempt to get California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and state legislators to reject SB 572, the bill that would create "Harvey Milk Day" in California.

I personally hope that the bill passes, but to me it's no consequence whether it does or doesn't.

Milke will be entering the California Hall of Fame, an honor that will showcase him as an inspirational person in the history of the state.

In addition, Milk has already received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

So basically any nonsense that SaveCalifornia or Thomasson can think up to bash his legacy is irrelevant, ballast, cocktail canape.

Milk is an American hero and he has the honors to prove it. And no one can take that away from him.

End of story.

Related articles:

Let the Harvey Milk bashing begin courtesy of Focus on the Family

Religious right tries to smear Harvey Milk on his day of honor

Religious right shows Ted Kennedy no respect, Mark Sanford can kiss his job goodbye, and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Kennedy leaves 'sad legacy' on traditional values - From One News Now comes the notion of why should you show respect for those who have passed on when its more fun to be sanctimonious and self-righteous?

Young Gays in West of England Stand to Gain from Big Lottery Fund Cash Award - This is good news. I wish something like this would happen in the United States.

Florida's Gay Adoption Ban Headed to Appeals Court - Works for me if the state wants to fight this thing. I doubt they will be calling on George Rekers this time.

Split Decision on "Ex-Gay" Protections - Split decision my behind. PFOX lost this one and is trying to spin a victory out of this Bizarro-world style.

Anderson: Every Homosexual in the World is a Deviant Predator Who is out to Recruit Others Through Molestation and Rape - I get it now. If I just get on youtube shouting outrageous crap, I get media attention. Forget fighting for intelligent debate and truth.

Bauer: I won’t run in 2010 if Sanford resigns - Lt. Governor Andre Bauer is calling for SC Governor Mark Sanford to resign. Man, this has been an interesting summer.