George Washington Carver was gay. . . and other bits of lgbt black history you probably didn't know

As we all know, February is Black History Month.  With that in mind, let's not forget those lgbts of color excelled in entertaiment, science, and civil rights, such as the legendary scientist George Washington Carver.

Unfortunately so many in the African-American community want to overlook us and they are aided and abetted by those religious right figures and organizations who seek to drive a wedge between both the lgbt and black communities.

The following names, taken from BlackedOUT History should remind us that no wedge can eliminate truth.

Name	Date-of-Birth Date-of-Death	Profession	Quote
Alvin Ailey Jr.	Jan. 5, 1931 Dec. 1, 1989	Choreographer	“I am trying to show the world that we are all human beings and that color is not important. What is important is the quality of our work.”
John Amaechi	Nov. 26, 1970	Pro Basketball Player	“I am gay, black, British…and I am now asserting my activism.”
James Baldwin	Aug. 2, 1924 Nov. 30, 1987	Author	"I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually."
Josephine Baker	June 3, 1906 Apr. 12, 1975	Singer and Dancer	“Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than the skin tone, when religion is seen uniquely as a way to speak one's soul; when birth places have the weight of a throw of the dice and all men are born free, when understanding breeds love and brotherhood.”
Jean-Michel Basquiat	Dec. 22, 1960 Aug. 12, 1988	Graffiti Artist	"SAMO© as an end to mindwash religion, nowhere politics, and bogus philosophy"
Gladys Bentley	Aug. 12, 1907 Jan. 18, 1960	Blues Singer
Octavia Butler	June 22, 1947 Feb. 26, 2006	Author	"People have the right to call themselves whatever they like. That doesn't bother me. It's other people doing the calling that bothers me."
George Washington Carver	July 12, 1864 Jan. 5, 1943	Scientist	“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.”
RuPaul Andre Charles	Nov. 17, 1960	Actor, Dancer and TV Show Host	“What other people think of me is not my business. What I do is what I do. How people see me doesn’t change what I decide to do. I don’t choose projects so people don’t see me as one thing or another. I choose projects that excite me. I think the problem is that people refuse to understand what drag is outside of their own belief system.”
Countee Cullen	May 30, 1903 Jan. 9, 1946	Poet	“My poetry, I think, has become the way of my giving out what music is within me.”
Lee Daniels	Dec. 24, 1959	Film Director
Angela Davis	Jan. 26, 1944	Civil Rights Activist	“Revolution is a serious thing, the most serious thing about a revolutionary's life. When one commits oneself to the struggle, it must be for a lifetime.”
Ruth Ellis	July 23, 1899   Oct. 5, 2000	Activist	“I never expected I’d be 100 years old. It didn’t even come to my mind.”
Sharon Farmer	June 10, 1951	White House Photographer	“Never turn down a chance to show what you can do.”
Peter Gomes	May 22, 1942	Theologian	“There can be no light without the darkness out of which it shines.”
Mabel Hampton	May 2, 1902 Oct. 26, 1989	Lesbian Pioneer	"I, Mabel Hampton, have been a lesbian all my life, for eighty-two years, and I am proud of myself and my people. I would like all my people to be free in this country and all over the world, my gay people and my black people."
Lorraine Hansberry	May 19, 1930 Jan. 12, 1965	Author and Playwright	“All real and lasting change starts first on the inside and works it way through to the outside. Politically speaking, each person being the change we wish to see in the world is the only stance that can make a lasting difference. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
E.Lynn Harris	June 20, 1955 July 23, 2009	Author	“I want people to know they don’t have to live their lives in a permanent ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ existence. Truth is a powerful tool.”
Sherry Harris	Feb. 27, 1965	Politician	“All real and lasting change starts first on the inside and works it way through to the outside. Politically speaking, each person being the change we wish to see in the world is the only stance that can make a lasting difference. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
Billie Holiday	Apr. 7, 1915 July 17, 1959	Singer	"A kiss that is never tasted, is forever and ever wasted."
Langston Hughes	Feb. 1, 1902 May 22, 1967	Poet	“Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly, Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams go, Life is a barren field, Frozen with snow."
Zora Neale Hurston	Jan. 7, 1891 Jan. 28, 1960	Author and Folklorist	“Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to ‘jump at de sun.’ We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.”
Bill T. Jones	Feb. 15, 1952	Dancer and Choreographer	"Living and dying is not the big issue. The big issue is what you’re going to do with your time while you are here."
Representative Barbara Jordan (D-Texas)	Feb. 21, 1936 Jan. 17, 1996	Politician	"My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total. I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution."
Audre Lorde	Feb. 18, 1934 Nov. 17, 1992	Author	“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
Marsha P. Johnson	1945 July 6, 1992	Transgender Activist and co-founder of S.T.A.R.	When asked what the P stood for in her name, she replied "Pay it No Mind."
Miss Major	Unknown	Transgender, Public Health and Prison Activist
Gertrude "Ma" Rainey	Apr. 26, 1886 Dec. 22, 1939	Singer	"Went out last night with a crowd of my friends, They must have been women, 'cause I don't like no men. Wear my clothes just like a fan, Talk to gals just like any old man 'Cause they say I do it, ain't nobody caught me, Sure got to prove it on me."
Bayard Rustin	Mar. 17, 1910 Aug. 24, 1987	Civil Rights Activist	"We are all one. And if we don't know it, we will learn it the hard way."
Bessie Smith	Unknown July 1892 Sept. 26, 1937	Singer	“It's a long old road, but I know I'm gonna find the end.”
Sheryl Swoopes	Mar. 25, 1971	WNBA Player	"No matter how far life pushes you down, no matter how much you hurt, you can always bounce back."
Wanda Sykes	Mar. 7, 1964	Comedian	"If you feel like there's something out there that you're supposed to be doing, if you have a passion for it, then stop wishing and just do it."
André Leon Talley	Oct. 16,1949	Fashion Editor	“It's not about canceling shows, but initiating things on an individual level. When much is given to you, much is expected. If you're an honest American, you can't wake up and not be affected by the neglect of the government after Katrina. You can't be an honest American and not think about it every day.”
Alice Walker	Feb. 9, 1944	Author and Feminist	“The truest and most enduring impulse I have is simply to write.”
Phill Wilson	Apr. 29, 1956	AIDS Activist	"The price of the ticket for life is to leave the world in a different place than you found it, to leave the world a better place than you found it."
Jacqueline Woodson	Feb. 12, 1963	Author	“I think it's important that everyday we think about the work we need to do to make this world a better place. I mean, we should wake up thinking about it and go to bed thinking about tomorrow's tasks. There's an awful lot of change needing to be made around here.”

Related post: 

Black history and gay history are intertwined. Deal with it

Black history and gay history are intertwined. Deal with it

This post, courtesy of the excellent NoMoreDownLow.tv, is dedicated to all of those self-serving, self-righteous members of predominantly white religious right groups who claim that they want to preserve the integrity of the black community from the so-called evil clutches of the lgbt community but in reality don't give give a damn about either community.

Our histories are intertwined and nothing you can say or do will change that. Period:



If you want to see the full episode, go here.

Conservative marine stands up for gay brother and other Wednesday midday news briefs

NH: Conservative marine resists another kind of repeal - Words cannot convey how awesome this ad is.

Breaking: Prop 8 Ruling Today From California Supreme Court - This promises to be very interesting.

Gay alumni question policy of Christian college in Montecito - Speaking of another awesome letter. One day I am going to sit down and write mine.

Bryan Fischer's Genocide Apologetics - Just what dirt does Fischer have on the American Family Association that's allowing them to let him get away with this mess?

Gay-Straight Alliance wins peacemaker award - Enough of the sad press. Let's have some good news for a change!

Peter Sprigg won't address hate group charges but will lie about same-sex households

Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council has yet to address the charges lodged against his group by the Southern Poverty Law Center regarding how they spread propaganda and junk science or misrepresent legitimate science to demonize the lgbt community.

But apparently he isn't too busy to continue misrepresenting legitimate science against the lgbt community.

Yesterday, a piece of his, Federal Report Confirms 'Nuclear Family' Best for Children's Health, was published in The Christian Post.

In this piece, Sprigg claims that nonpartisan groups support theories lodged by himself and FRC regarding the best households to raise children - i.e. the notion that two-parent heterosexual families are the best places to raise children as opposed to same-sex families:

During such debates, Family Research Council and other pro-family groups note social science evidence showing children raised by their own mother and father, who are committed to one another in a lifelong marriage, are happier (experience better mental health), healthier (have better physical health), and more prosperous (attain higher socioeconomic status) than children raised in any other household setting. For example, the non-partisan research group Child Trends summarized the evidence this way:

“Research clearly demonstrates that family structure matters for children, and the family structure that helps the most is a family headed by two biological parents in a low-conflict marriage.”

We point to this evidence in support of policies which would discourage divorce, cohabitation, and out-of-wedlock pregnancies, while encouraging sexual abstinence until marriage-as well as in opposing efforts to change the fundamental definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Yet more evidence along these lines can be found in a recently published federal study on “Family Structure and Children’s Health in the United States.” The report compares health outcomes on a variety of measures by family structure. Seven different categories of “families” are identified-“nuclear,” “single-parent,” “unmarried biological or adoptive,” “blended,” “cohabiting,” “extended,” and “other.”

Like with so many other times Sprigg refers to legitimate science to quantify his theories, there are several things wrong with his citations of these studies.

The first study he cited - The Child Trends study - was published in 2002.  And it never even addressed same-sex households.

Anti-gay group distancing itself from viciously homophobic web page

Score one for the good guys:

A link to a seminar series that presents homosexuality and its “second-hand effects” as a public health threat has been removed from the website of The Family Leader.

Julie Summa, director of marketing and public outreach for The Family Leader, said the seminar series has not been offered for around two years. However, up until Tuesday, a link to the seminar’s website was made available to anyone who signed up for e-mail updates on the group’s 99-county “Capturing Momentum Tour.” The Family Leader’s phone number is listed as contact info for anyone interested in booking the seminar.

When asked by The Iowa Independent why, if the series has not been offered for two years, it continues to be advertised on The Family Leader’s website, Summa said it was a mistake.

“The Second Hand Effects link shouldn’t be on our ‘Capturing Momentum Tour’ web page, which was created from an old template,” she said. “We plan to remove it as you are correct, we do not currently offer the seminar and have not had a full seminar in about two years.”
The seminar series, which is advertised as exposing the “public health crisis of same-sex activity,” was first discovered by the “Good As You” blog, but garnered headlines when it was brought up by reporters at a press conference organized by The Family Leader with former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. The group’s CEO and president — Bob Vander Plaats — said the seminar hasn’t been offered since he came on board in November and vowed to look into the continued mention of the series on the group’s website.

I wrote a post about this site earlier this month, citing the many inaccuracies it contained including the fact that the page's name itself was an inference to the junk science of discredited researcher Paul Cameron.

It's nice to see what a little attention and focus can do.



Big hat tip to Goodasyou.org

Congressman continues to lie about the lgbt community and other Tuesday midday news briefs

If a Congressman 'bulldozes away' 'screaming, profane gays' and no one's there to film it... - Oh look. Congressman Steve King tells another lie about lgbts.

More anti-gay follies from King. I'm beginning to think that he doesn't really care for lgbts:
 
Why we must not ignore anti-gay hate groups - a visual demonstration

Congressman: if gays were more 'quiet,' they wouldn't have to worry about getting fired

Rep. King's office knew charges against Jennings were false BEFORE sending out letter

And apparently King don't really care for black people either:

Anti-gay Congressman attacks Obama for showing 'partiality' to African-Americans

And in other news briefs:

Just When Is Fischer Speaking For the AFA? - The American Family Association gives Bryan Fischer the auspices to say some of the most vicious, nasty, un-Christian statements, but apparently he isn't speaking for them. You can't have it both ways, guys.

Study: States with anti-gay adoption laws have more mental health issues - It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you that.

Outer Banks gay festival stirs debate - Good. Keep at it!

Family Research Council has yet to come out with 'detailed response' against SPLC charges

Last night, I asked a very pertinent question about the Family Research Council.

In December after the Southern Poverty Law Center designated the organization as an anti-gay hate group, Peter Sprigg - one of FRC's spokesman - said that they will be coming out with a more "detailed" response refuting these charges.

It's been almost two months and no detailed response has come out. So I asked when was this report coming out. What's more, I presented my question directly to FRC's webpage.

I wasn't expecting an answer so imagine my surprise when I got one, albeit a standard one:

Dear Mr. Alvin McEwen:

Thank you for your interest in the Family Research Council. As you may be aware, FRC champions marriage and family as the foundation of civilization, the seedbed of virtue, and the wellspring of society. We work to shape public debate and formulate public policy that values human life and upholds the institutions of marriage and the family. Believing that God is the author of life, liberty, and the family, FRC promotes the Judeo-Christian worldview as the basis for a just, free, and stable society.

We appreciate the time you have taken to contact FRC, and the opportunity to address your concerns. A member of FRC's correspondence team will respond to your comments shortly. Once again, thank you for your interest in FRC's work.

Your confirmation number for this activity is 3926862. If any information in this email confirmation is in error, or if you have further questions, please contact us by telephoning 1-800-22 5-4008 Mondays through Fridays between 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM EST. From all of us at FRC, thank you and God bless.

Sincerely,

Family Research Council

Between you and me, I have a feeling that I'm going to be waiting so long for FRC's answer that "my credit will get good again."

But still, it's nice to put their feet to some type of fire.

If you feel the need to, please do the same - respectfully - by going here. Ask them why is it taking so long for them to "refute" SPLC's charges.
 
Related posts:

Family Research Council defends itself with distorted studies . . . again

Family Research Council plans to go on tour against the Southern Poverty Law Center

Family Research Council's 'we are not a hate group' campaign gets destroyed on two fronts

Family Research Council's anti-SPLC campaign places bullseye on the backs of Republican leaders

Family Research Council digging itself deeper in the hole in war against hate group label

The Family Research Council tries to declare war on the Southern Poverty Law Center

Peter LaBarbera's ramblings exposes the Family Research Council's deception

Mike Huckabee tries to defend the Family Research Council from hate group designation and fails miserably

The Family Research Council should be apologizing to the gay community

Family Research Council, American Family Association named as anti-gay hate groups

Will the Family Research Council ever fulfill its promise and address SPLC's charges?

"We will be preparing a more detailed response to Cohen’s charge that FRC spreads “falsehoods” in our well-documented research, which does show that certain harms are associated with homosexual conduct." - Peter Sprigg, Family Research Council on December 22, 2010 in response to the charges from the Southern Poverty Law Center and SPLC president J. Richard Cohen that FRC uses propaganda and inaccurate science - i.e. studies taken out of context - to smear the lgbt community.

Dear Peter, I know that you are busy speaking in Rhode Island and Maryland against gay marriage - probably following the same modus operandi which got you into trouble with SPLC in the first place - but if you aren't too busy, do you think that either you, Tony Perkins, or anyone else from FRC can respond to SPLC's charges like you said you would?

It has been almost two months. SPLC specifically laid out the demonizing claims you make about the lgbt community including:

Homosexuals molest children at far higher rates than heterosexuals,

Same-sex parents harm children, and

Homosexuals don’t live nearly as long as heterosexuals.

No one wants to silence you despite of your claims to the contrary. In fact, we want to hear what you have to say about these charges.

So start talking. We await with baited breath.

Why is it taking so long for you to respond?

Gay teacher reaches nice settlement with district and other Monday midday news briefs

Gay Teacher, District Reach $75K Settlement - A happy ending as far as I am concerned. But check out the comments under the article. Folks, when someone says he or she is an lgbt, it is NOT an automatic description of sexual intercourse. It's sad when folks have that mindset. The student asked why the teacher could not marry and the teacher was honest with him.


Fischer and the AFA Try To Weasel Out Of Their Latest Outrage - No you don't boys. Enjoy your medicine.

"Family" group sacrifices child security on the altar of anti-gay animus - And this surprises us because?

Sherrod Sues Breitbart For Damaged Reputation - Not necessarily an lgbt issue per se but SOCK IT TO HIM, SHIRLEY!

Why don't the Family Research Council support actual family issues?

In the realm of much ado about nothing but it may mean something comes this item from the Family Research Council:

In a statement released this morning, Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) introduced legislation that will protect the integrity of parent relationships between mothers, fathers, and their children.  This comes in light of the State Department announcing that it would be changing the passport applications to be “gender neutral” by replacing “mother” and “father” with “Parent 1” and “Parent 2.”

H.R. 635, Rep. Forbes’s bill, would require that all federal agencies use the words “mother” and “father” when describing parents in official documents and forms.  Forbes said:

“Symbolism is important and this legislation seeks to preserve the sacred relationship mothers and fathers share with their children.  Referring to parents as “Parent 1” or “Parent 2” on official government documentation is a bureaucratic attempt to redefine traditional parent roles.  These subtle, but nonetheless significant, changes undermine the traditional American family relationships that have served as the bedrock of our nation since its inception.”

However, there is a question that remains.  Why is the Obama Administration forcing the need for such legislation?  After all, traditional family values should be accepted and encouraged in our society.

Notice the semantics here. The Obama Administration is "forcing the need for the legislation." And nowhere in FRC's writings is there an acknowledgment of same-sex households.

Personally I don't see the problem with the "Parent 1" and "Parent 2" label. It is merely a change to underscore the fact that not all families have the "mother/father" image. I refuse to use the word "traditional families" because the phrase is a nonsequitir, i.e. something obviously thought up in a boardroom as a way to allow organizations like FRC to avoid having to mention same-sex households while making themselves sound like heroes for defending so-called "traditional morality."

And FRC - and Forbes - underscores just how much they don't care about families at all in this useless fight.

In 2003 the Gay and Lesbian Task Force came out with a report showing that while organizations like the Family Research Council claim to support marriage and the family, their focus is not on issues that would protect the family:

The Family Research Council, a $10 million-a-year group that “shapes public debate and formulates public policy that values human life and upholds the institutions of marriage and the family,” had 203 documents on its website containing the word “homosexual,” only 39 containing the word “divorce,” 37 with “poverty,” 26 with the words “domestic violence,” 18 with the words “health insurance,” and only two with the words “child support.”

Eight years later, I doubt things have changed.

Forbes's bill is nothing but useless symbolism. As for FRC, they don't care how many families are this close to the soup lines and  poor houses.

Just that those families fit the "mother /father" classification.

Know Your LGBT History - Hotel

Hotel was a 1980s anthology series which dealt with the comings and goings at a ritzy hotel.

In the annals of lgbt television, it should be remembered for two reasons.

The first reason is just simple gay trivia. The legendary Bette Davis portrayed the hotel owner in the original made-for-television movie. However, she was too ill to continue in the series, so the producers got Anne Baxter.

For those of us up on our lgbt movie history, Anne Baxter and Bette Davis both starred in the legendary 1950s movie All About Eve in which Davis portrayed an aging Broadway star while Baxter played the ruthless ingenue determined to replace her.

Now the second reason why Hotel should be remembered was for its lgbt storylines and there were many. Some were good, while others plain stunk.

Unfortunately the following isn't one of the good ones. I'm sure the producers meant well but this storyline in which Jan-Michael Vincent finds out that his Navy buddy, Boyd Gaines, is gay was awful on so many levels.

Vincent refuses to accept his Navy buddy, even after Gaines is bashed by a homophobic street gang. The gang tries the same thing with Vincent and he beats the crap out of them.

However, the ending is not a happy one. Vincent still refuses to accept his former friend and ends the friendship.

Okay, first of all, couldn't Gaines have gotten a shot in on the gay bashers? His character came across as a wimpy so-and-so. I mean wasn't he in the Navy?

And secondly, that ending. Would it have killed the writers to have Gaines not look so forlorn? How about a "okay, your ignorance is your problem, not mine" moment from Gaines.

Couldn't they have given Gaines at least a little gumption?




Past Know Your LGBT History postings:

Is GoProud about to be stabbed in the back and other Friday midday news briefs

GOProud undeniably won one. But what about 'one-two? - I don't really care for GoProud but it's obvious that they are about to be shafted here. Come on now - yesterday conservative blogger Erik Erikson whines that GoProud is being mean to other conservatives. And then the head of the group sponsoring CPAC just happens to echo Erikson's mess. Typical game-playing from some of those on the right.

Colorado: officer resigns - posted hundreds of racist, homophobic comments on news sites on the job - As an lgbt of color, that makes me feel sooo safe.

Mills 'tracked by armed cops for being gay'- How very NOT SURPRISING. Homophobes in Uganda try to have an international journalist arrested for "being gay."

Dallas Couple Meets at ‘Ex-Gay’ Ministry and Marries - This awesome story is an excellent way to end today's news briefs

PolitiFact catches anti-gay group NOM in a huge lie about gay marriage and children

The Pulitzer Prize winning site PolitiFact just called out the National Organization for Marriage for pushing a misleading statement.

And it's a huge lie - one that is central to the organization's argument against same-sex marriage:

In early January, just days after Lincoln Chafee replaced Donald Carcieri as governor of Rhode Island, advocates on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate ramped up their annual battle.

This year, the fight is taking on new intensity because, while Carcieri vowed for eight years to veto any bill to legalize gay marriage, Chafee supports it.

Recently, a leading opponent, the National Organization for Marriage, mailed brochures throughout the state that included the headline: "Imposing same-sex marriage has consequences." The brochure listed four "real consequences" of "redefining marriage to a genderless institution."

We chose to examine one of the claims: "Massachusetts’ public schools teach kids as young as kindergartners about gay marriage. Parents have no legal right to object!"

We contacted Christopher C. Plante, executive director of the Rhode Island chapter of NOM, who told us that many schools in Massachusetts -- where same-sex marriage has been legal since 2004 -- have books on the subject in their libraries.The "poster child," he said, is a picture book called "King & King," by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland.

The book tells the story of a queen who decided it was time for her son, the prince, to marry. He rejects every princess she offers. Finally the last candidate enters, and the prince feels "a stir in his heart." But it was for the princess’s brother, Prince Lee.

The two marry, and the book says "everyone lives happily ever after." On the last page, the two princes kiss, with a red heart covering their mouths.

PolitiFact said that when they asked for examples of where this book is being taught to kindergartners, Plante referred them to Lexington, MA:

  . . .two couples -- David and Tonia Parker and Robert and Robin Wirthlin -- filed a federal lawsuit against Lexington school officials. The suit alleged that the Parkers’ son was given a book in kindergarten that depicts various forms of families, including one with parents of the same gender. And, the suit said, when the Wirthlins’ son was in first grade, he was read another book,  "King &King," in school.

PolitiFact went on to recount the Parker/Wirthlin lawsuit (a more in-depth version of the David Parker controversy is here) but was still not receiving any answers regarding the claim that "gay marriage is being taught to kindergartners in Massachusetts."

Plante referred PolitiFact to Kris Mineau, executive director of the Massachusetts Family Institute. The Massachusetts Family Institute is another so-called pro-family group. This is what Mineau told Politifact:

Mineau said he has been fighting same-sex marriage advocates for eight years and he is certain their message is being spread in schools throughout Massachusetts.

But he acknowledged he could not cite any examples other than Lexington. "I don’t have documentation of everything going on," Mineau said. "It’s very difficult to quantify."

Mineau also claimed that the outcome of the Parker/Wirthlin case (Parker and Wirthlin lost) supposedly "discouraged" parents from complaining.

PolitiFact then spoke with Jonathan Considine of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and Thomas Gosnell, president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts.

All of these groups and individuals said that they were not aware of any school, classroom, or situation in which gay marriage is being taught to kindergartners.

Politifact concluded thusly:

Bottom line: The National Organization for Marriage mailing says that Massachusetts public schools teach kindergartners about gay marriage. The wording, including the present tense verb, gives the impression this is happening now, in many schools.

But the group’s only evidence is two incidents five years ago. It’s possible that somewhere, in one of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, other kindergartners have been taught about same-sex marriage. But NOM couldn’t cite any other examples. We find its statement False.

PolitiFact is the same site which called out Sarah Palin for her "death panel" lie and also the Republican party for claiming that the Obama Administration was pushing a "government takeover of health care."

Both of these claims received the PolitiFact Lie of the Year for 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Depending on the reach of its claim, it's obvious that NOM's lie regarding "gay marriage being taught to kindergartners in Massachusetts" may be a front runner for the 2011 Lie of Year.

My bottom line - NOM either needs to back up its claim with some suitable proof or take back what it said and apologize for misleading people.

Hat tip to my online buddy Bob Barnes for pointing the article out to me. I took the liberty in bolding the word "false" in the PolitiFact statement.

Watershed moment for gay marriage in Maryland?

I read the following about lgbt families via Goodasyou from Jennifer Roback Morse. Morse is affiliated with the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage and she was testifying against allowing same-sex marriage in Rhode Island:

"When slavery was abolished, all slaves became free men and women. When women obtained the right to vote, the discrimination ended with the very next election. But for children of same sex marriage, the situation will be different. When we come to our senses 30 years from now and realize that we have perpetrated a grotesque injustice, not a single child born fatherless or motherless within a same sex marriage will get his missing parent back. Only prevention will protect children’s rights.

The thin disguise of marriage equality will not mislead anyone, nor will it atone for the wrong this day done"

Is it just me or is that rhetoric a tad nasty when it comes to same-sex families.

Perhaps it isn't just me. We are learning that it was rhetoric just like that which made a Maryland State Senator, Jim Brochin, recently change his vote from opposing same-sex marriage in the state to supporting it. He released this statement to the press:

“What I witnessed from the opponents of the bill was appalling.” Brochin said. “Witness after witness demonized homosexuals, vilified the gay community, and described gays and lesbians as pedophiles. I believe that sexual orientation is not a choice, but rather people are born one way or another The proponents of the bill were straightforward in wanting to be simply treated as everyone else, and wanted to stop being treated as second-class citizens.

Brochin added, “For me, the transition to supporting marriage has not been an easy one, but the uncertainty, fear, and second-class status that gays and lesbians have to put up with is far worse and clearly must come to an end.”

What's happening here is simple. When the right first began attacking same-sex marriage in 2004, the understanding about it was a bit simplistic. They were able to exploit people's ignorance by terming it as selfish homosexuals wanting to redefine marriage.

However, fast forward to 2011. People are starting to realize that same-sex marriage is not about lgbts wanting to "force affirmation." It is about love. And most of all, it's about family.

Lawmakers in Maryland were able to see and hear from real families who are affected positively by marriage equality. And what did the folks on the right have to oppose this? A bunch of hypothetical statements tuned to sound logical, but really amounted to the demonization of lgbt persons and families - a three dimensional personification of truth vs. lies, if you will.

Personally, I am all for it. When truth faces up against lies, sooner or later, truth wins.

And it's about time, too.

Conservative throws tantrum about gay group at CPAC and other Thursday midday news briefs

RedState's Erickson Slams GOProud, Norquist and CPAC - Erik Erickson throws a tantrum because of the gay group at CPAC. Do you want your bwankee, wittle Ewick?

Protect Marriage MD: The 'MD' stands for 'minus droids'- Gay marriage will lead to android marriage? Nice going, NOM.

Ugandan Government Follows “Rolling Stone” Script for Gay Panic Defense in David Kato’s Murder - This ought to make Matt Barber practically giddy.

Secaucus Town Council decides against rehiring 3 firefighters who quit amid allegations they harassed gay couple - Good.


Eugene Delguadio: Radical Homosexual Pirates Are Running Wild In Tampa! - Heeeeey! Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of lube! Of course this is the SAME nut who claimed that gay men are picking children out of orphanages in order to turn them gay.

Focus on the Family chooses power grabs over simple Christian virtues

While the lgbt community raises hell about the American Family Association, the Family Research Council, the Traditional Values Coalition, and many of those other bogus pro-family groups, let's not forget about Focus on the Family.

Focus on The Family has always been careful not to seem as too extreme as Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council or Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association.

However, that doesn't mean the lgbt community should ignore them. According to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch, the following is what the organization's advocacy arm - CitizenLink - wants Congress to do "to" the lgbt community (as well as other communities):

The group is now demanding Republicans pass harsh anti-choice bills that would cripple women’s health services, and also wants the GOP to rollback the rights of gays and lesbian: asking Republicans to repeal the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, reinstate Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, block the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and protect the unconstitutional Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Tom Minnery, the head of CitizenLink, previously called on the House Oversight Committee led by Darrell Issa (R-CA) to investigate the Department of Justice over their handling of successful challenges to DOMA.

I know there is something in there about health care, jobs, education, and helping the downtrodden.

But apparently it's hidden so well that I can't see it.

Focus on the Family's "wish list" speaks for itself in terms of how miserably the "public standard bearers" of Christianity and morality have failed at their jobs.

Anti-gay Congressman resigns after sex scandal and other Wednesday afternoon news briefs

Brochin reconsidering stand on same-sex marriage - Will wonders ever cease? Homophobia actually backfires in Maryland.

Antigay Rep. Chris Lee Resigns- Guess who caught being naaaasty? This is going to be THE hot story for a while.

Guess Who's Coming to CPAC? - This CPAC battle  between Republican gays and the religious right is so much fun to watch.

More CPAC hijinks:

FRC Infuriated That CPAC Will Host Pro-Gay Rights Presidential Candidate


CPAC Boycotters Kick Off Anti-Gay "Full Power Conservativism" Campaign


Norquist: CPAC Boycotters Just a Bunch of "Loser Organizations" Looking For Some Press


Video: It's my party and I'll define conservatism how I want to

Peter Sprigg proves the Family Research Council to be a hate group (again)

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Family Research Council should be considered  an anti-gay hate group because it passes along and repeats propaganda and falsehoods that have been refuted by legitimate science.

Now the Family Research Council claims that they are being attacked for espousing  "mere" Christian opposition to homosexuality and marriage equality.

It seems to me that if the organization wants to continue that line, then someone needs to put a kibosh on the work of FRC member Peter Sprigg.

Sprigg, who has said that gays and lesbians should be deported and  that "homosexual behavior" should be criminalized, is also known for his "reports" and "studies" about the supposed dangers of homosexuality.

However on more than one occasion, it has been pointed out that Sprigg distorts legitimate work and relies on out-and-out lies to further  his theories.

In two reports he authored - The Top Ten Myths About Homosexuality and Getting it Straight - it has been pointed out that (amongst other things) that Sprigg distorted credible research to make his point. It's obvious to Sprigg that complaints by doctors and researchers as to how their work is being distorted is a minor thing that should be ignored.

Specifically in Top Ten Myths, Sprigg cites legitimate research in order to demonize lgbts, but makes it a point to omit the part of said research which refutes his general argument about homosexuality being a "dangerous lifestyle." 

He outdoes himself in his new paper, The Top Ten Harms of Same Sex Marriage. Sprigg fills this pamphlet with information and extensive footnotes. However, based on his past tendency to play loose with facts, one has to doubt the credibility of this pamphlet.

And Sprigg gives folks plenty of reason.

Amongst the errors, Sprigg:

Conservative continues to gloat about circumstances surrounding murder of Ugandan lgbt activist

Some members of the religious right are slowly firing back against the plain truth that the rhetoric they espouse led the murder of Ugandan lgbt activist David Kato:

A litigation organization dedicated to advancing the family says claims that conservatives and Christians are to blame for the death of a homosexual activist in Uganda are false.

Liberals and homosexuals are speaking out in response to Ugandan police reports about homosexual activist David Kato being bludgeoned to death at his home in a country where government leaders have called for the death penalty against homosexuals. According to Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs for Liberty Counsel, the news fits a pattern.

"Somewhere in the world, violence occurs, [and] liberals rush to blame conservative and Christians' -- quote -- 'incendiary rhetoric' for the violence," he reports. "And then later, that rhetoric is proven to be irrelevant, and the left ends up kind of playing the fool with egg all over their face."

He says that is the case in Uganda, where police have arrested a man who lived with Kato and has confessed to murdering him for not paying for sexual favors. So Barber decides the narrative that hate and anti-homosexual rhetoric were somehow responsible for the cruel murder has crumbled around liberals.

Is it just me or is Barber's manner hateful and totally insensitive. And not to mention less than truthful.

Please note how Barber conveniently omitted that:

Uganda has a history of persecuting lgbts. So why should we believe officials from the country when they claim that the brutal murder of one of these lgbts - who just happened to be speaking out against said persecution - was the possible result of a "lover's quarrel."

Kato had just won a huge judgment against a Ugandan tabloid which put his picture - and that of several other Ugandan lgbts -  on its cover, telling readers to kill them,

Due to the homophobic climate, Kato expressed serious fears for his life,

President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton spoke out against Kato's murder and the climate which caused it, and

Lastly, please note the basic dishonesty with Barber's claim. He makes it seem that us "liberals," without provocation, began blaming those on his side of the spectrum for Kato's murder. Where in the hell was Barber the past year and a half  when so-called conservative Christians like Scott Lively went to Uganda and dropped that  self-described "nuclear bomb" against gay rights?

But of course this is Matt Barber, a man who can probably give the nation of Uganda a run for its money in the homophobia department. He is, after all, a man  who not only defends countries which persecute lgbts, describes gay relationships as “one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it ‘love," but also makes it a point to encourage people to focus more on the “ick factor” of gay sex.

But in talking about Kato's murder, Barber takes his homophobia up a notch.

He is clearly practising the kind of Christianity which allowed for whites to look away while other whites were pulling black men out of their homes and lynching them in the South.

Just pretend you don't see or pretend you don't know more than you actually do and things will be fine.

It's sad that someone actually puts this man up as the best Christianity has to offer.

Was Torquemada busy?

Maggie Gallagher's Sarah Palin problem

The National Organization for Marriage's Maggie Gallagher has a serious Sarah Palin problem.

It's not a complicated thing to figure out. Palin has been going and going for so long that she has gone past simply "trying to get paid" and is actually believing that she is a visionary; that somehow she contributes something to the political spectrum other than being a sideshow performer whose every statement bring either peals of laughter or head-scratching confusion.

In that same manner, Gallagher seems to be approaching the fight against gay marriage. She's starting to believe her own press even when her words reveal her to be an empty vessel.

Witness the post on NOM's webpage about her testimony against marriage equality today in a front Maryland Congressional subcommittee:

Maggie Gallagher, Chairman of the National Organization for Marriage and one of the nation's leading spokespersons for the societal benefits of traditional marriage, today led off the testimony in favor of retaining marriage as a unique institution between a man and a woman in the Maryland Senate Committee on Judicial Proceedings.

Gallagher made a powerful case that marriage is and should always be an institution of great importance to civil society as well as one steeped in religious tradition, because it is the only institution purposely established to connect children to their biological parents and tie those parents to the raising of their children into the responsible future generations of citizens.

Hold your breath, folks. Here comes the statements of the great protector of marriage herself. This is reportedly the summation of what she said:

"Marriage is the union of husband and wife for a reason: these are the only unions that can make new life and connect children in love to their mom and dad. SB 116 doesn't just add more people to marriage, it changes marriage. As so many pro-gay marriage voices testified at this very hearing, gay marriage is grounded in the belief that this view of marriage is like objections to interracial marriage--something that should be discarded in law, culture and society. If Maryland adopts this radical new view of marriage, it will have consequences."

Are you kidding me? This is the summation of her statement against  marriage equality? Doesn't it come across as vapid and perfunctionary, omitting the fact that not all married couples have children, children are born to couples who are not married, lgbt couples are raising children, etc?

Just how does allowing lgbts to marry each other change the definition of marriage? You mean to tell me that on this, blog controlled by Gallagher, that they couldn't drudge a better statement than that?

I hope Gallagher is saying these things just to get the money because I don't think anyone with half a brain could be satisfied with such a statement dripping with ignorant simplicity.

It has to be the mysterious money sources backing NOM which make it so powerful because if the organization ever subsisted solely on rhetoric like Gallagher's, I would be able to prepare my vows in no time.

Ebony magazine includes lesbian couple in 'love issue' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Ebony Magazine Shines Light on Lesbian Couple’s Love - It's ABOUT TIME!

Bob Vander Plaats tries to snuff 'second-hand' fires; puts more kindling under ours - What's worse than a homophobe? A homophobe who tries to backtrack, thus making him a lying homophobe.


7-year-old donates to L.A. G&L Center because 'gay people are not treated equally' - Excellent moment which will not be ruined by the religious right or the "concern trolls."

The Battle Over the Smithsonian and the Right's New Culture Wars - Excellent piece by Michael Keegan, President of People for the American Way.


Exodus Co-Founder: “It was a terrible mistake for Exodus to get involved in politics” - Truer words were never spoken.

Ronald Reagan becomes homophobes' new 'tool' in attacking lgbts

I haven't weighed on the conservative mass inconization of former President Ronald Reagan because to a degree, it's so amusing.

While many on our side of the spectrum have pointed out flaws in Reagan's policies that should make today's conservatives shiver at the notion of making him their hero, as well as pointing out his lack of attention in the early days of the AIDS crisis, those who are "celebrating Reagan's legacy" are consuming themselves with making him less of a person and more of a marketing commodity.

It all reminds me of the the Adult Swim cartoon series, "The Boondocks" when it featured a "what if" episode starring Martin Luther King, Jr. Apparently according to the episode, King wasn't assassinated in 1968 but put into a coma.

What he finds when he wakes up is a world not geared to listen to his nonviolent philosophy but willing to market his image on everything, include fast food place mats.

A constant refrain of King was that he should somehow get some type of licensing over his image.

Somehow, I think if Reagan were alive, he would be asking the same question.

The ad on the left is from a group boycotting the conservative CPAC conference because they resent having a gay group, GOProud, being one of the sponsors.

Apparently their full page ad is a way of bringing Reagan's legacy on board with their crusade.

The irony is that the ad (and you can see a full pdf of it here) doesn't even have any statements from Reagan regarding the lgbt community.

Granted, it's not say that Reagan was the lgbt's community's best friend, so to speak. But the ad, signed by such prominent homophobes as Brian Camenker of Mass Resistance, Robert Knight of the Americans Civil Rights Union, World Net Daily, and Don Wildmon of the American Family Association (i.e. Bryan Fischer) seems to be wanting to exploit Reagan's prominence in the conservative movement while omitting certain incidents which may contradict the ad itself.

Like the 1978 situation regarding the Briggs Amendment in California. The Briggs Amendment would have barred gays and lesbians from teaching in the state's public schools. Reagan came out publicly against the amendment, even writing an editorial to the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner outlining why the Amendment should be defeated. Reagan said in part:

“Whatever else it is, homosexuality is not a contagious disease like the measles. Prevailing scientific opinion is that an individual's sexuality is determined at a very early age and that a child's teachers do not really influence this."

His opposition to the Amendment played a part in its defeat.

So what have we learned here? Nothing about Reagan, really. But more and more about the lack of integrity of those wanting to condemn lgbts to a second class status. And not caring who they exploit to achieve this goal.

Bradlee Dean and Paul Cameron - when disgustingly vile homophobes meet

Today in my news briefs, I posted a news item from People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch regarding the American Family Association's Bryan Fischer and an interview he conducted with Bradlee Dean of the Minnesota ministry, “You Can Run But You Cannot Hide"

Right-Wing Watch describes Dean's ministry as such:

Dean’s You Can Run has found supporters in Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and the unsuccessful Republican candidate for governor Tom Emmer. Emmer’s campaign donated to the Ministry, and Bachmann even prayed to thank God about You Can Run “for how You are going to expand this radio program, how You are going to expand their video program, their publications, how You are going to advance them from 260 schools a year, Lord, to 2,600 schools a year.”

Right Wing Watch noted that Dean and Fischer had a very nauseating time during the interview in which they tried to outdo each other with hideous claims about the lgbt community.

But as I pointed out in that post, Dean had already done the lgbt community one worse earlier last year when he conducted an interview with discredited researcher Paul Cameron. You will remember that Cameron has been dismissed and censured from several medical organizations due to his tendency to fudge his research about lgbts or make up horror stories about us castrating children and wallowing around in feces.

In the post earlier today, I posted one part of the interview between Dean and Cameron. I am now posting this second part, which I think is the most gratuitously homophobic. I couldn't listen to it all. However if you can, good for you for having a strong stomach.

For me, the interview ranks right up there with being strapped down and forced to listen to the rants of racists trying to outdo each other in relating the most evil things they can say about African-Americans:



Of course the difference is that if these @!^&% were talking about black people, Michele Bachmann probably wouldn't be singing the praises of Dean's ministry.

It's definitely something worth thinking about the next time someone in our community talks about "ignoring people like Dean or Cameron" so as to not give them a larger voice of power.

I got news for these snobby individuals who espouses such a belief - it sounds like Dean and Cameron already have that voice.

At the very least,  Dean has the ear of a Congresswoman.

Same-sex families are changing the South for the better

Once I saw this on Goodasyou.org, I just had to steal it for my own site. This is an awesome story. And it's about REAL FAMILIES. That's the difference between the nonsense you hear emanating from groups like NOM. They talk about hypotheticals. THIS is reality:

Latisha Bines and Misty Gray cheered like any other parents at a recent middle school soccer game.

They're the two soccer moms in 13-year-old Darion Bines’ life. The women and all three of Latisha’s children operate as a family. And they've turned to their church for support, suggesting a changing face of the Bible Belt.

Data from the most recent U.S. Census shows that the South has the largest share of gay parents in the country.

“There are more of us coming out,” Bines said. “We’re feeling more comfortable about who we are. I guess it gives us more of a chance than back in the '80s, when you had to stay in the closet because you were ridiculed.”

Bines came out after having three children. She and Misty were joined as life partners in 2010 commitment ceremony. They live in part of the conservative Deep South, where many communities have not been receptive to so-called gay families.

“Gay and lesbian people tend to come out later in life, in those areas, which means they are more likely to have children from a previous relationship earlier in their lives,” said Gary Gates, a demographer with the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law.

Gates analyzed the data from the American Community Survey from 2005-09, which is administered by the Census Bureau. His analysis also showed that across the country, gay parents are more likely to be black or Hispanic than they are to be white.

According to the survey, San Antonio, Texas, leads the country in gay parenting, with 34% of same-sex couples raising children. That's followed by Jacksonville, Florida at 32%.

(Editor's note - I may be wrong here but I have heard that number three is Sumter, SC. Who says South Carolina is backwards in all things!!)

More on the CNN story here.

Michele Bachmann's favorite ministry has a love of rabid homophobia and other Monday midday news briefs

Bachmann’s Favorite Ministry Joins Fischer to Link Gays to the Holocaust - Michele Bachmann's favorite homophobic ministry meets with Bryan Fischer of the AFA. Wouldn't it be nice if homophobes spontaneously combusted when meeting up?


As an added bonus to this clip, check out part 1 (get the barf bag ready) of this interview featuring Bachmann's favorite ministry with an old friend of ours - Paul Cameron:



By the way Bradlee dearest, Paul Cameron was given that label of "most dangerous" over 25 years ago by The Advocate magazine (I own the issue). Things have changed significantly.

WND paints us as WMD; at this point, we can't even muster a courtesy WTF?! - And coming up number two with a nasty bullet is World Net Daily with an extremely homophobic cover story. Seriously you have to see this to believe it.

Shia LaBeouf’s Bar Fight Had Gay Slurs - First of all Shia, you have money, a hot career, and an Emmy. Who cares what some drunken fool in a bar thinks. BUT since you did, at least get a good punch off.

Utah: Bill could protect many religious activities - I'm all for protecting religion to a degree but this bill has some negative side effects for the lgbt community.