'Black media calling attention to NOM's black/gay wedge strategy' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

The Root on Amendment One and the bigotry of the black-gay wedge strategy - Awesome piece in The Root featuring my blogging buddy Pam Spaulding. Now we need pieces in Ebony and various other African-American publications.

 Hate-Filled Pastor Says Anti-Gay Amendment Would Protect Marriage ‘In The Garden Of Eden’- Because apparently there was such a thing as "Adam and Steve."

New Research Meta-Analysis Makes Compelling Case For Nondiscrimination Protections - Read and learn.

Ken Hutcherson, Anti-Gay Washington Pastor, Wants To Take Back 'Gay' From The LGBT Community - Dude! You are a black pastor. The black church community wouldn't exist if in part it wasn't for gay men. I don't think you will steal anything from us, but certain labels will be attached to you.

Anti-Gay Activist Calls Bill Limiting Reparative Therapy 'Hateful Toward Children' - Apparently forcing children to go through ex-gay therapy (which generally fails and causes psychological scars) is really love.

A few words of encouragement to my North Carolina brothers and sisters

In the end, those who fight injustice never lose. Those who fight injustice embody the spirit which makes not only this country, but this world what it should be.

Never give up. Never give in. Never allow yourself to be seduced by the orgy of ego if victorious. And if at any time you lose, never give that loss any more power than it deserves, if any at all. Never allow yourself to succumb to the deceptive warmness of the pool of self-pity, discouragement, and hate.

Remember you have been picked to pave a road so that others can easily walk to where they need to be. Every stony place that makes you stumble causing you to skin your knee, every rock caught in your shoe, and every blister on your foot will be one less obstacle for those who come behind you; those who will walk on the highway paved by your tears, your worry, your work. Take comfort in their ability to reach their destination.

And always remember that they can get to where they are going because you not only pointed out the way, but also led the initial journey and drew up the maps.

Keep those fists up, brothers and sisters.

Good luck in North Carolina, folks. I still say that in spite of it all, you won:

The sadness of the Amendment One fight expressed by a three-year-old

The following passage is from a piece in the Huffington Post entitled My Family Was Harassed at the North Carolina Polls. It is written by Aly Windsor, a mother, partner, and writer. It describes what happened when she and her partner - accompanied by their two young children - went to vote early against Amendment One:

Inside the polling location, the atmosphere couldn't have been more different. Everyone we encountered was respectful and kind. One poll worker cooed over our youngest and tickled his feet. We didn't have to wait at all to vote, and the whole process from start to finish took fewer than five minutes.

As we walked toward the exit, we could see the crowd again through the glass doors. The anti-amendment supporters argued with the pro-amendment campaigners. I felt an intense flush of gratitude that these young guys were willing to stand out in the hot sun, unwaveringly weathering the anger of our opponents, to fight for our family's rights and the rights of many others like us.

I hoped we'd be left alone as we walked to our cars, because no amount of shouting was going to change what we'd already done. But no, we reentered the chaos as we exited the building. Again, I thanked the young men for their presence. As we passed the crowd, a woman who looked to be the same age as my mother shouted after us, "Children are already suffering! Vote for!" Her voice was shrill and angry, and she clearly meant to harm us with her words.

Unfortunately, in the moment, she succeeded. Tears pricked my eyes, but I held it together until we got to our cars. Still within view of the crowd and the malevolent woman, my partner and I carefully put our children in their car seats and then hugged before before driving off separately. As I drove away, my tears spilled out. My 3-year-old asked where we were going, and I replied that I didn't know yet. He asked me why I was sad. I told him that the woman who shouted at us hurt my feelings. He told me she wasn't very nice.

I told him he was right. I knew that the woman was wrong not only in how she spoke to us but in what she said. Our children are not suffering. One need only spend a day with us to realize that our children are thriving, happy, and well-loved. They're fortunate to not only have two adoring parents but an assortment of doting grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

It reminds me of  that line at the end of the movie Bridge on the River Kwai uttered by a character who was fortunate enough to live past the scenes of war the movie conveyed, but also unfortunately had front row view of it all:


"Madness...Madness."

WOW! Associated Press nails report on Amendment One vote!

This report on Amendment One from the Associated Press is excellent. And I know everyone is going to be talking about the elderly man in the beginning of the clip. What he says is astoundingly ignorant but so indicative of the other side and also the reason why we will win when it's all said and done:

'Olympic hopeful comes out' and other Monday midday news briefs

Josh Dixon, Olympics Gymnastics Hopeful, Comes Out As Gay - Look at this. A black, gay Olympic hopeful gymnast comes out and . . . you get to choose between the wolf howls or the crickets. And I'm not talking about just the black community. Now  I didn't say this, but someone else made the comment to me that if little Mr. Dixon were of a, shall we say, lighter shade, he would be getting a lot more attention. Discuss while I duck. LOL

Bryan Fischer's Last Stand Against The Gays -  This Buzzfeed piece reminds me of a Bugs Bunny cartoon I saw where Bugs Bunny led Elmer Fudd onstage, allowed him to make a fool of himself, and then supplied the audience with tomatoes to throw at him.  We need to follow that model. Let Bryan Fischer speak, then point out to everyone just how ignorant he is.

AFA Stands By Their Man: Fischer Says 'Things that A Lot of People on the Conservative Side of Things Think but They Won't Say' - And while we are at it, let him drag down the religious right too.


Richard Grenell's Resignation Shows Mitt Romney's Unfit To Be President: Anti-Gay Pundit Bryan Fischer - Also, speaking of crazy Bryan Fischer, pay attention to a bit of history here - probably the only time he and I will agree on anything.

Will Obama Push Biden’s Support For Marriage Equality Back Into The Closet? - You know the controversy. Start reading and talking about it. 

Finally . . .

The Daily Agenda for Monday, May 7 - The Daily Agenda is a regular segment from the blog Box Turtle Bulletin and I recommend that every lgbtq read it on a regular basis for education and inspiration. You see things are happening now which are bothering me a bit. Tomorrow is the Amendment One vote and it may or may not pass. But what thing that cannot be denied is the simple fact that those fighting Amendment One is putting a hell of a fight in educating people about how harmful this amendment can be to same-sex families and the rest of NC's population.  And also that alliances are being formed because of this fight. But if you read some of the messages I have read on Facebook and other places, you wouldn't know that. Some folks are already criticizing the campaign for this or that. Folks need perspective on things. Folks need to be reminded as to where the lgbtq community was then, where we are now, and where we are headed. And they need to ask themselves are they going to be the ones with the discipline for the long fight or are they going be standing on the sides with the crying towels or talking about street protests . . . that is until the next trendy thing catches their fancy. Are they going to be the ones so constantly angry because they are not equal in the eyes of the law yet. Or are they going to spend more time changing the law and not simply for themselves and their relationships, but also for the next generation.

Some of us are so wrapped up in our pity parties that we forget that every move we make affects the next generation.  The kids are watching us, folks. They see what we say and we do and trust me when I say that they are taking mental notes. And I rather have my actions and words motivate future leaders into action rather than making them think that things are hopeless. Nothing is hopeless for those who are willing to fight, fight hard, and fight intelligently. 

Video: North Carolina rises up against Amendment One!!

One thing which must never be forgotten about the Amendment One fight in North Carolina is how those who oppose that awful thing have fought with both cylinders.



From Pam's House Blend (I highlighted something to remember about the fight):

(There have been) hundreds of faith leaders against (Amendment One) as well, ones who understand why faith and matters of civil law must remain separate in order to protect religious freedom. (Yesterday) there was an event in Greensboro sponsored from the NAACP featuring over 100 clergy from large congregations including Rev. Dr. William J. Barber and ministers speaking out against the amendment. The NAACP has sponsored mailers and radio spots against the amendment as well. It’s notable that the NAACP, LGBT and progressive communities have been working together in ways that will continue beyond election day.

Some statistics from the latest phone call with the Protect All NC Families team:

• The campaign to fight Amendment One resulted in 11,000 donors with 70% of the money coming from inside NC, and $2.5 million raised
• 22% of targeted GOTV population has early voted
• An incredible 507K NC residents have early voted in this primary versus 486K that early voted in 2008
• Black voter turnout is down in this primary: 16% Af-Am voted this time, versus the unprecedented turnout of 40% in 2008 when Barack Obama ran for President
• Half-a-million robocalls went out today across the state broadcasting the anti-Amendment message from Bill Clinton.

Election Board complaint issued over pro-Amendment One mailer in North Carolina

Amongst members of the lgbtq community and our supporters, there have been whispering suspicions that one of the reasons why the National Organization for Marriage fights tooth-and-nail to keep its donor lists secret is because perhaps the Catholic Church leadership itself may be involved in with NOM's efforts to hinder marriage equality at a level which would raise some serious questions regarding ethics and the legality of a  religious organization interjecting itself into political battles.

And now there has been a complaint about it  in regards to the Amendment One fight in North Carolina

According to the Charlotte News & Observer:

The Catholic Dioceses of North Carolina have contributed $100,000 to the effort to put a ban on gay marriage and civil unions in the state constitution. And now the Raleigh Diocese has sent a mailer titled "Why Traditional Marriage Matters" that is prompting a complaint to the N.C. State Board of Elections.

Carol Love, the former executive director of Common Cause North Carolina, a liberal-advocacy group, questions whether the group filed the proper campaign paperwork for the mailer and filed a complaint. A staffer at the elections board told her the no records reflected the political expenditure. "My complaint is that the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh does not seem to be adhering to all state, and possibly federal, election and lobby laws, including reporting requirements, and request that the Board of Elections investigate this matter," Love wrote.

Related posts:

Just how plugged-in to the Catholic hierarchy is NOM?

Act Now: Tell the Catholic Church to Stop Donating to NOM



Hat tip to LGBTQ Nation.

Woman arrested after caught redhanded removing anti-Amendment One signs

"I didn't feel like I was stealing signs at the time . . . I just looked at it as picking up trash along the side of the road."

These were the words of Heidi Thompson, who was arrested in North Carolina on Wednesday and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and removing three lawfully placed political signs.

This took place after a motorist reported seeing allegedly seeing her and her 13-year-old daughter removing anti-Amendment One signs on Morganton Road in front of the Country Club of North Carolina.

She claimed that she did it in retaliation for because signs for Amendment One was taken from her yard.

"I know it's making me look like a bad parent, but we've taught that it's not right for men to be married to men and women to be married to women, so we stopped and picked them up," Thompson said. "Had I known it would be such a political issue, I wouldn't have done it."

Pinehurst Police Chief Earl Phipps said the delinquency of a minor charge was the result of Thompson's daughter, who was not charged, removing signs at the direction of her mother.

Police have received only one other report in the past month of anti-amendment signs being removed, he said, but investigators had no witnesses.

In Thompson's case, police had the rare witness who caught someone in the act.

There is nothing political about the charges, Phipps said.

"We don't weigh any favoritism one way or another in an investigation. We look at the evidence," he said.

Cue up the music. I guess the National Organization for Marriage will make her into its next supposed victim of the "nefarious gay agenda."

First shooting signs, then urinating on signs, then talking about beating up your gay child. And now stealing signs.

Regardless of how the vote comes out on May 8, those pushing for Amendment One have succeeded in making complete fools out of themselves.

Hat tip to Joe.My.God

'Homophobic attack on yearbook article probably backfired' and more Friday afternoon news briefs

Students, School Board Members In Tennessee Protest ‘It’s OK To Be Gay’ Yearbook Article - Read this school board member's explanation for his nonsense. It's standard religious right talking points. But let's take solace in the fact that his ignorance has allowed the yearbook article to be read by thousands, if not, millions of people.


Exodus Cancels Next ‘Love Won Out’ Conference Due to Lack of Interest - It seems that the "ex-gay" industry is dying a slow death. Good.

Audio: #Amendment1 pastor says same-sex marriage 'not far from' man & beast marriage - As we get closer to the Amendment One vote in North Carolina, some folks continue to go off the deep end.


Mitt Romney: Let States Decide If It’s OK To Fire People For Being Gay - Sorry Mitt but you are full of shit.


Chrishaun “CeCe” McDonald Accepts Plea Agreement to Reduced Manslaughter Charge - This is sad. This transgender sister was merely defending herself and she is the perpetrator? Hardly!


Orson Scott Card Slams Gay Marriage, Supports North Carolina's Amendment One In Op-Ed - A piece from a NOM board member so nasty that it may actually win more folks to the marriage equality side.

More support against Amendment One: Chelsea Clinton, George Takei, Jason Mraz - Meanwhile the voices against Amendment One pile up and it's just not celebrities but a multitude of NC groups.


Romney on Grenell resignation: We Don’t Select People Based On ‘Their Sexual Preference’ - That's right. Romney lets Bryan Fischer handle that.

Chris Matthews issues hypocritical sympathy for gay Republicans

Editor's note - Today's midday news briefs will be late due to a doctor's appointment.

During this recent interview with Media Matters for America founder David Brock and political analyst Ron Regan, I was secretly hoping that Hardball's Chris Matthews would be struck by lightning.

Okay not literally, but figuratively in a way of speaking.

The three were discussing the recent controversy involving Richard Grenell, Mitt Romney's openly gay foreign policy advisor who was forced to quit the Romney campaign after an outcry from religious right figures and organizations such as the American Family Association and Gary Bauer.

Matthews was incredulous that such "bigotry" (a word he used) would dictate this situation and the three in general were in agreement that Romney should have stood up to the religious right in defense of Grenell.

During the interview, Matthews also expressed sympathy for those who are gay Republicans on Capitol Hill and have to deal with these organizations.

But it seems to me that Matthews' sympathy was phony. He has been embroiled in a recent controversy with the group Faithful America in regards to his consistent invitations to Family Research Council head Tony Perkins to speak as an "expert" on Hardball.

Rev Graham should not endorse Amendment One shuck and jive

Rev. Billy Graham

Using religion to distract is the unkindest cut of them all so why should we be surprised that Amendment One supporters in North Carolina are doing just that.

That has been their modus operandi since the beginning, but now they have stooped exceedingly low.

Legendary pastor Billy Graham has endorsed Amendment One in full page ads set to appear in 14 newspapers across the state:

“At 93, I never thought we would have to debate the definition of marriage,” the national religious leader says. “The Bible is clear — God’s definition of marriage is between a man and a woman. I want to urge my fellow North Carolinians to vote FOR the marriage amendment on Tuesday, May 8.”

I mean no disrespect to Rev. Graham, but it disappoints me that he is lending his name  and reputation to this deceptive campaign. His statement is deliberately simplistic and ignores several issues, including the fact that Amendment One is not a Biblical issue and that marriage equality is already outlawed in North Carolina.

However, I would prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt. I personally don't believe that he would endorse Amendment One if he was educated on the realities of what would happen should it pass.

Legal experts across the state, even those who are conservative, have spoken out against Amendment One, calling it extreme because it "threatens a range of other protections for unmarried partners and their children, including domestic violence protections and child custody law."

University of North Carolina law professor Maxine Eichner, during a recent press conference on Amendment One, said:

. . . as indicated in the “Statement from Family Law Professors,” which was signed by family law professors from every law school across the state, every one of us believes that the Amendment One threatens domestic violations protections for unmarried couples, whether they are same-sex or opposite-sex.

I sincerely doubt that Rev. Graham would knowingly endorse something which could harm not only children, but also women trapped in domestic violence relationships.

I also sincerely doubt that Rev. Graham would endorse Amendment One had he known the parties involved in its attempted passing, included:

• An organization (The National Organization for Marriage) which unashamedly uses a strategy deliberately dividing the black and gay communities, a strategy so heinous that the NC NAACP has come out strongly against Amendment One,

• A pastor, Patrick Wooden, who spread foul sexual lies about the gay community in order to get voters on Amendment One's side, 

• A Neo-Nazi group which has also endorsed Amendment One,

• And the amendment itself, which was allegedly written to protect the white race.

Rev. Graham, these are the people on your side, sir. And maybe it's just me but there is something really, really wrong with that.

There is a saying that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" and it is very apt here. Rev. Graham's supposed "good intentions" in endorsing this sham of an amendment would definitely send innocent North Carolinians down a road to hell paved with harmed children, damaged domestic violence laws, racism, and the stigmatization of the state's gay community

I know in my heart that this is not the future he intends for North Carolina.

'Does Romney fear the religious right' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Presumptive Republican nominee for president Mitt Romney and his campaign are embroiled in a scandal regarding the resignation of an openly gay man, Richard Grenell, as Romney's national security and foreign policy spokesman. Grenell only had the job for two weeks. There is a huge belief that Grenell was let go to appease members of the religious right. Here are three voices on the matter:



Did Grenell Jump or Was He Pushed? - And Box Turtle Bulletin gives a good chronology of the controversy.


Hailing Gay Spokesman's Resignation, Religious Right Keeps up the Pressure on Romney - I guess admonitions against gloating means nothing to these so-called Christian people.

NOM now up to $425k in North Carolina - Look at this. NOM is bankrolling Amendment One in North Carolina in a HEAVY manner.

African American Voters Came Out Against Discriminatory Amendment After Overhearing ‘Caucasian’ Argument - And we see why now.

Bullied gay student protects himself and now faces expulsion

I don't condone the way this young man in Indiana defended himself but I understand and am totally in his corner:

Darnell "Dynasty" Young's classmates at Tech High School cursed at him in the school hallways and taunted him with homophobic slurs.

They followed him home from his bus stop and threatened to beat him up.

One night, as he walked home from his after-school job, they threw rocks at him.

When the 17-year-old and his mother, Chelisa Grimes, told school officials, she said, teachers and administrators seemed to blame Young for being openly gay.

His behavior and the way he dressed called attention to himself, they said.

He accessorized his outfits with his mother's purses and jewelry. And he loved to dance.

His dance routine to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" won second place at Tech's talent show in December.

"They said that the problem was he was too flamboyant, with his bags and his purses and his rings," Grimes said.

Desperate to protect her son from bullies, Grimes gave him a stun gun to carry, just in case.

"I had to do something," she said. "They throw bottles and rocks at him."

Now Young faces expulsion from school.

"It has been a nightmare," Grimes said. "I'm trying to fight for my baby's education."

Young's story is one that could unfold in countless schools across America.

More to the story here.

You know what? Who cares if the young man is flamboyant. There are worse things you can be in life. And if the child carries himself with pride and no shame, then more power to him.

It's a terrible thing when adults blame the teen victims of bullying for their abuse. And it's even worse when a child is made to feel that he or she is a freak and that their creative deserves to be stifled.

Anti-gay marriage amendment supporter in North Carolina urinates on sign

From my online buddies Jeremy Hooper and Louis Marinelli ,  comes proof that some folks are getting out of hand in voicing their support for Amendment One in North Carolina - the bill which would not only outlaw marriage equality (which is already outlawed in the state as it is) but would cause chaos with unmarried couples and domestic violence laws.

Recently, a teen was filmed shooting down an anti-Amendment One sign (causing a justifiably negative reaction). THIS particular young man, Chris Kaliber, goes farther.

He states on his video page that he is "voting for the Bible."

But the way he chooses to do so has nothing to do with the Bible or the ballot box, but demonstrating that he chooses not to control his water



This is not a joke. I asked him on his video page - "Regardless of how you feel, was it really necessary to do this thing. Make your choice at the ballot box."

This is what he said - "Yes, yes it was."

As disgusting as what this young man does, I don't blame him more than I blame the National Organization for Marriage.

History has shown us that instigators generally come into communities and exploit people's fears, beliefs, and prejudices until chaos arises.

Take a good look, Maggie Gallagher, Brian Brown, and the rest of the folks at NOM. This is what YOU  helped cause.

Editor's note - Again, the only way we can speak out against this madness is to make it known, regardless of how angry we may get.

Anti-gay street group's video of supposed violence fits its record of entrapment

TFP street group creates questionable incidents of alleged 'pro-gay' violence.

Peter Sprigg, the National Organization for Marriage (and no doubt many others in the religious right) are touting the following video of a religious right organization supposedly being attacked by those who favor marriage equality:



If you don't want to seen the entire video (called Attacked by Tolerance), I don't blame you.  It merely shows snippets of incidents We don't really see many of these incidents in their entirety. This is what its summary says:

In this video, volunteers with the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP) describe how they were violently assaulted by pro-homosexual "marriage" advocates while supporting traditional marriage on college campuses and in the public square.

No doubt, TFP hopes to make the video go viral and it probably will. But let's put some truth in. No doubt, Sprigg, NOM, and other who push this video will omit the following facts:

What exactly is the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP)? David Badash of The New Civil Rights Movement, a pro-gay blog, did some research and found the following:

According to their website,

TFP Student Action is a project of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property. Founded in 1973, the American TFP was formed to resist, in the realm of ideas, the liberal, socialist and communist trends of the times and proudly affirm the positive values of tradition, family and private property. The American TFP was inspired by the work of the Brazilian intellectual and man of action Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira.

What We Do

Networking with thousands of students and concerned parents, TFP Student Action defends traditional moral values on college campuses. Inspired by the teachings of the Holy Catholic Church, TFP volunteers are on the front lines of the culture war, working to restore the values of Christian civilization.

TFP activities are carried out by 75 full-time volunteers and have the support of 120,000 members nationwide. The director of TFP Student Action is John Ritchie.

Now, here’s what else you need to know about TFP.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, “[i]n a 1986 article, The Washington Post described TFP as an “all-male, extreme right-wing group with chapters in 13 countries” (15 May 1986). The Brazil-based organization was financed mainly by wealthy South American families and supported the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile (ibid.). It was banned for its paramilitary activities in Venezuela, where it was implicated in 1984 in a plot to assassinate the Pope, a charge that the group denied.”

 Now the following is what I have discovered - TFP has a history of creating contrived incidents of supposed violence by gay equality supporters and videotaping these alleged incidents for use by religious right groups.

'North Carolina anti-gay amendment created to protect white race?' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Pastor: Telling parents to punch kids was joke - Is he serious? I hate to see when he is really trying to be funny.

Wife of NC State Senator says Amendment One is necessary ‘to protect the Caucasian race’ - Gasp and swoon! Has anyone told Patrick Wooden yet?

How a Bullied Gay Marion Teen Used Secret Identity to Fight Back - This young man should be commended.

David Barton says AIDS is God's Punishment for being Gay. Julia Sugarbaker Disagrees - I mean to post this excellent piece a while back. It says it all about phony Christians casting stones.


Matt Barber: 'The LGBT Agenda and Constitutional Rights Cannot Exist in Harmony' - I can't decide whether Matt Barber gives me bad gas or he looks like he is in a constant state of having bad gas. The latter statement would explain all of his outrageously mean-spirited statements about gays.

NC pastor created lies about gay sex because of his 'religious views'

Patrick Wooden

 During a recent Leadership Triangle forum regarding Amendment One (which would wreak havoc in North Carolina for unmarried couples and domestic violence laws if passed) blogger Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend had a very interesting conversation with one of the leading supporters of this amendment,  Pastor Patrick Wooden.

Pastor Wooden of Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, NC has been very vocal in his support of the amendment.  In  past interviews, he claimed that gays engage in so much anal sex that they have to wear diapers and also they use instruments such as cell phones as sexual aids:

. . I know of a case where in a hospital a homosexual male had a cellphone lodged in his anus and as they were operating on him the phone went off, the phone started ringing!

After the forum, Pam questioned Wooden directly on his spurious claims regarding gays and sex, particularly the cell phone claim. The following is what she said took place:

Wooden’s defense is that he was asked to go on the program and he told “an anecdote." I reminded him that he had no data or evidence to support this claim, and that this is only supporting the notion that he thinks being gay is all about sex, and that heterosexuals engage in all sorts of sexual behaviors that don’t have any impact on their civil rights. All he could say was that he has to talk about it in these terms because, by definition, “homosexuals as a group are defined by who they sleep with” and by extension, since his religious view is that homosexuality is a sin, this is what drives him to speak out.

So basically Wooden did not supply any evidence of his claim because there was none. Wooden admitted that the only reason he made the claim  was to create an image of the gay community which is conducive to his religious beliefs that gays are immoral sinners.

In other words, Wooden lied. Deliberately and unashamedly.

Wooden was not interested in giving logical reasons why Amendment One should be passed. In fact, Wooden has never been interested in defending Amendment One through logic at all. He has only been interested in pushing Amendment One through any means, even if it meant demonizing the gay community through fear tactics and ugly stories of sex, diapers, and cell phones. And why did he do this? Because his religious beliefs dictated that homosexuality is a sin.

Where in the Bible does it say that Christians should lie in accordance to their beliefs?

Seems to me that if a truly Christian man feels that the position he takes on an issue is correct, he should not have to stoop to lies in order to defend it.

Wooden's admittance calls into question not only his integrity, but also his character.

Gays and lesbians partaking in the sacred institution of marriage in no way damages it. We merely want protection for our loved ones and the right to love without fear.

What's so immoral about that?

However, if anyone fears a danger of marriage being corrupted, they would be best served to look in Pastor Wooden's direction and remember his shameless ability to deceive without a shred of impunity.

Marriage is about love, support, and truthfulness. Pastor Wooden is nothing but lies.

To call on him to "protect marriage" is like asking a thief to guard Fort Knox.

The grand irony is that Wooden, according to Pam, said that the pastors who were against Amendment One didn't know how to read their Bibles. Wooden also had some ugly words to say about Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II of the NC NAACP who has been a vocal opponent of Amendment One:

He (Wooden) spoke dismissively onstage about other religious leaders who oppose Amendment One, and when I asked him about the NC NAACP’s Rev. Barber’s Open Letter to North Carolinians and very forceful advocacy against A1, he said that Rev. Dr. Barber is a demagogue (that’s a quote), and is not telling the truth about the harms of the amendment.

So Wooden seems to think that Rev. Barber is a demagogue huh? Well let's just put that one to a visual test:

I'm sure the Rev. Barber and the other pastors who oppose Amendment One know the Bible just as well as Wooden.

Particularly the verse about bearing false witness.

North Carolina pastor supports violence against gay children

The following is just plain sick. Pam Spaulding describes the scene:

There are many, many people of faith, progressive houses of worship fighting out and proud against Amendment One in solidarity with their LGBT neighbors who will be hurt by it, should it pass. On the other side? A man reveling in shooting up an anti-amendment sign, and now this news of a pastor in Fayetteville, Sean Harris, of Berean Baptist Church, whose loving message for parents of a child who might be gay — just beat it out of him.  Sickening. (Via JMG and Good As You):

Transcript (courtesy of Jeremy Hooper):

"So your little son starts to act a little girlish when he is four years old and instead of squashing that like a cockroach and saying, “Man up, son, get that dress off you and get outside and dig a ditch, because that is what boys do,” you get out the camera and you start taking pictures of Johnny acting like a female and then you upload it to YouTube and everybody laughs about it and the next thing you know, this dude, this kid is acting out childhood fantasies that should have been squashed.

Can I make it any clearer? Dads, the second you see your son dropping the limp wrist, you walk over there and crack that wrist. Man up. Give him a good punch. Ok? You are not going to act like that. You were made by God to be a male and you are going to be a male. And when your daughter starts acting to Butch you reign her in. And you say, “Oh, no, sweetheart. You can play sports. Play them to the glory of God. But sometimes you are going to act like a girl and walk like a girl and talk like a girl and smell like a girl and that means you are going to be beautiful. You are going to be attractive. You are going to dress yourself up.”

You say, “Can I take charge like that as a parent?”

Yeah, you can. You are authorized. I just gave you a special dispensation this morning to do that."

You may hear folks laughing in the background, but this is hardly funny. Perhaps Harris (I refuse to dignify this sick man by calling him a pastor) should read about children beaten and murdered for being gay or suspected of being gay,

Pay attention particular attention to the story of Ronnie Harris:

Ronnie Paris Jr. was a three-year-old boy who died after repeated abuse from his father, who feared that the boy was gay. The abuse that eventually led to the death started as early as when the boy was one year old. In May 2002, Paris was removed from his parents' home after the Florida Department of Children and Family Services found him malnourished and with a broken arm.

More than two years later, Paris was returned to his birth parents and the abuse continued. Just six weeks after he was moved back into his parents' home, Paris slipped into a coma while the parents were at a bible study. The child remained on life support for six days before the support was removed and he died.

Paris' mother, Nysheera Paris, told authorities that the boy's father, Ronnie Paris Jr. abused the boy because he was afraid that the son would grow up gay. This conversion abuse involved father-son boxing matches to toughen up the child but was nothing more than slapping and hitting Paris until he would cry and shake.

If Amendment One passes, that would mean North Carolina would supposedly "save marriage," right?

Then who is going to save our children from the supposed "defenders of marriage?"


(Editor's note - if this makes you mad, then good. But I implore you not to trade evil for evil. Do what you can to bring attention to this awful mess. Blast this all over!)

'Don't Say Gay' bill bites the dust hard and other Tuesday midday news briefs

From Think Progress, an item which needs to repeated as is:

Jeremy Hooper has been documenting the many vile, incendiary things that proponents of North Carolina’s Amendment One have been saying about the LGBT community.

Surprise, surprise: Vast majority of #Amendment1 cash comes from NOM, Catholic church, Christian groups - A feeling of entitlement and an assload of money to back it up. It's a deadly combination.

A Call to Stop the Killings in D.C. - Our transgender brothers and sisters in D.C. need our prayers and support.


Tennessee Abandons ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill - A dumb bill bites the dust.

Fischer: 'It's Perfectly Appropriate to Discriminate Against' Homosexuality - Because apparently Bryan Fischer not only sits on the right hand of God but had a hand in writing our Constitution. And people wonder why are lgbtqs so angry?


Al Mohler’s truly stupid bigoted statement - Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary makes an eyebrow raising implying statement regarding gays in the Boy Scouts and pedophilia.

Lie about gay assault backfires on NOM in North Carolina

Maggie Gallagher

In 2008 in the aftermath of the Proposition 8 vote, the National Organization for Marriage was able to spin a story of gays allegedly assaulting an old woman to raise its profile and embarrass the gay community.

Four year later, this tactic has backfired in North Carolina regarding the fight over Amendment One - an amendment that if passed would cause chaos in North Carolina

Yesterday, Maggie Gallagher herself wrote the following post:

The Vote YES For Marriage NC campaign is reporting on Facebook that an elderly woman who refused to surrender her "vote yes" sign was beaten by a gay marriage advocate.

I knew of at least one case like this in California. This comes from "de-legitimizing" your opponents, claiming there is no possible argument for any point of view but your own.

I hope North Carolina does not become a repeat of the harassment and occasional violence we saw in California:

Gallagher was probably referring to the case of Phyllis Burgess, a woman who was allegedly assaulted by gay equality supporters during the aftermath of the Proposition 8 vote. On camera, Burgess was shoved and had a styrofoam cross ripped from her hands.

NOM and the rest of the religious right consistently brought up this camera footage as proof that gays are pushy and violent when we allegedly can't get our way.

However, they only told part the story.  The real story was that Burgess did not inflame the crowd by her views, but her actions. She allegedly elbowed her way to the front of the group so that she could be seen on camera. And in doing so, she allegedly knocked a disabled man to the ground.

How the religious right spun that story was no doubt fresh in the mind of Joe Jervis from the blog Joe.My.God because he investigated the North Carolina incident. This is what he found:

Guess what? The story was a lie.

According to Detective Branch, the woman in question was not in her own yard, as was implied by Vote For Marriage NC, she was at another house "looking for her sister." Branch told me that there the woman may have argued with a man about a yard sign, but Branch didn't know where that sign may have been located or for which side of the marriage issue it advocated. It's possible that she was complaining about the other man's own yard sign. There may have been no yard sign at all.

Robeson County officers advised the woman that if she wanted to pursue charges about having her car door slammed on her as she left the man's house, she could file for a misdemeanor charge of simple battery. Branch said no such claim was yet on record.

Does anybody want to take odds that Vote For Marriage NC confesses to their numerous outrageous lies about this concocted event?

Check out the rest of the Jervis's blog entry for how many times Vote for MarriageNC changed its tweets on the matter.

The irony is that while NOM and Vote for MarriageNC  spins their false story, they conveniently miss an actual story of a man shooting an anti-Amendment One sign allegedly on his neighbor's property:



Kismet is indeed a harsh mistress, isn't it, NOM?

Part 3: The HOMOPHOBE strikes back . . . rather badly

Graphic created by Mark from www.slapupsidethehead.com

As some of you know, yesterday, I published two posts from a Truth4Time member -LTP - who was offended by my story regarding the secret group.

The first post was him spouting all sorts of rambling nonsense about "evil homosexuals." Short of refusing to allow him to place the link to his dumb page, I published his words as is to demonstrate just off the rail some of these people are.

He didn't appreciate it because he sent me a second post in which he detailed supposed truthful information as to why homosexuality is supposedly a dangerous lifestyle.  The information he sent contained straw man arguments about the supposed "gay gene" and citations from discredited organizations as to how homosexuality can be changed. He dared me to post it as is.

I took his words as a challenge to not only post the information but to also refute it, which I did, specifically AND implicitly.

To put it nicely, I mopped up the floor with the child. It was a slaughter, a massacre, a tidal wave of truth which totally dismantled his nonsense and left him figuratively naked.

So what does he email me as a response or refutation? The follow two emails:

Email 1: Wikipedia is not a source kids, as for expelling mistakes keltic, cuantas lenguaguas habla usted fluentemente? un, deux, trios ...yep, it figures, nice try!

It is what it is, and I am not surprised for the responses of the all of you... as expected!

One of the most difficult things is for anyone to be truly honest with themselves, to then admit wrong doing, or that their lives may be not quite correct, or a sad passage in their lives, etc, and then have the courage and strength to make a course correction. I don't expect any of you to do that, since your psychological response was to latch out at the messenger of the truth, me.

As for all the other information and science pointing out the detrimental outcome of the homosexual behavior, well kids I have given you links, specially the links of my book, where in one of the chapters there is page after page of documented and corroborated examples of the detriments of homosexuality... but I do not expect any of you to admit when you are wrong...that requires and education higher than the one demonstrated by your responses, and by your responses you all seem very emotional and not very logical, so sorry.

And Alvin I give you at least credit for having the courage to at least post my side of the story, more than I can say for the responses by the other posters here. .. facts are facts people, there is no gay gene, multiple studies now prove that to be the case, therefore all that is left according to logic is that it a condition generated after birth... I know, it is not something easy to confront, and for many of you perhaps for the first time, a person that is not an echo like in the homosexual/progressive circles you are clearly navigate in.. but it is what it is. No emotional repose, no politics, just pure logic and analysis of the evidence, and then the results... so sorry. It is what it is...!

Now you can all go back and insult me...lol.... it doesn't hurt me a bit. Good night, Buenas noches.

Talk about tone deaf. He didn't even address the points I made in regards to his citation of a discredited organization (NARTH) or the legitimate organizations who have spoken against "ex-gay" therapy, or even the simple fact that the concept of the alleged "gay gene" is merely a religious right talking point. But you will love email number two.

'Dan Savage calls out religious hypocrisy in controversial speech' and other Monday midday news briefs

There is so much drama in regards to Dan Savage's recent speech in Seattle. And naturally, I got a couple of things to say. But first:

Check out this powerful detailing why Amendment One (that awful anti-family amendment in North Carolina) could harm domestic violence victims:



Join me (or, rather, follow me) for a one-day Twitter fundraiser to fight Amendment One - Check out this link from Pam Spaulding if you want to help in defeating Amendment One.

In other news:

Maine's Mike Heath continues to sabotage his side; yay!! - If we get marriage equality in Maine, this will probably be the guy will end up helping us. And he hates our guts.

Romney’s Inconsistent Reaction To Massachusetts’ Same-Sex Marriage Ruling - Brother Etch-A-Sketch strikes again.


And as you can tell, I saved this one for last . . .

Dan Savage Addresses Journalist Conference Speech Controversy, Denies Attacking Christianity - Now about this Dan Savage controversy. I have said on more than one occasion that he and I don't see eye-to-eye on many things. Also, the language he used here isn't exactly something I would have said.

But you know what? He is exactly right.

 I consider myself a person of faith. I credit my faith in God with accepting my sexual orientation. But here is something that I have never understood about some of my fellow Christians. How is it that they can cite passages regarding the supposed sin of homosexuality, but will ignore the ones advocating slavery, children obeying their parents, keeping women silent in church, divorce, and other things that they will not talk about which is clearly in the Bible. Why didn't Jesus say one word about homosexuality? And for that matter,why  didn't God Himself?

How is it that they can cite the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as proof that God hates homosexuality when it is clearly said in the Bible that God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah long before the passages regarding homosexual rape appeared? How is it that when other passages in the Bible talk about why Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed, you don't see anything regarding homosexuality? And why won't they discuss that chapter in the book of Judges (Judges 19) which pushes forth the theory that one of the reasons why Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed was not because of homosexuality but because of how the city treated visitors. You see a similar incident happened in the book of Judges where men in a city wanted to rape a visitor. But the visitor escaped by handing over his concubine whom the men brutalized until she died.

Why is it that so many folks call the Bible the unquestioned word of God but won't talk about parts of the Bible which would actually challenge their notions of who God is. God does want obedience but He doesn't want blind obedience and those secure in their faith should know that seeking the answers to questions would only work to enhance the faith rather than destroy it.

So my question to those offended by Savage is basically simple. What are you afraid of?

NOM's ability to lie becoming a sad parody

Maggie Gallagher

Remember a certain moment in February 2012 when the National Organization for Marriage's Maggie Gallagher was interviewed on Up With Chris Hayes?

It was a contentious interview, by the way, punctuated by Gallagher accusing commentators from the show of "making up" facts to use against her and NOM, particularly when it comes to "reparative therapy," or the practice of trying to change the sexual orientation of lgbtqs:

Well, I've never advocated for gay reparative therapy, and the National Organization for Marriage does not. We focus on fighting for laws that define marriage as the union between a man and a woman.

Someone should ask Gallagher about a certain post on NOM's blog which appeared on Friday:

New California Law Would Forbid Professionals from Helping Teens with Unwanted Same-Sex Attraction

Parents and/or teens' wishes notwithstanding:

An unusual assortment of groups are beginning to express alarm over a bill moving through the California legislature that has sweeping implications for both free speech and family rights.

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, is not mincing words. "I can honestly say this is one of the most outrageous, speech-chilling bills we have ever seen in California-and that's saying a lot," he said.

The main purpose of the bill, SB 1172, is to limit the ability of psychologists, therapists and other counselors to assist adult or minor clients with sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE). SB 1172 flatly bans SOCE for minors-regardless of the parents' or minors' wishes-and requires a new consent form for adults containing statements about sexual orientation that many counselors would dispute. The bill then creates significant liability for professionals who proceed with SOCE. -- Pacific Justice Institute press release

The actual story, by the way, has to do with a proposed California law which would outlaw reparative therapy for those under 18-years-of-age. Reparative therapy, while popular amongst many religious institutions, is frowned upon by mental and medical associations such as the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Let's play the game of "spank the homophobe"

The person who I talked about in my last post - who by the way is a member of the Truth4Time site - can't seem to take a hint.  He didn't exactly appreciate me mocking him. Subsequently, he sent me a long post and dared me to publish it.


I will, with a few additions of my own. Now I have given the poor child the initials of LTP. Never mind why. LOL

LTP:

I dare you Alvin to post my response... lets see if you are as open minded as you people say you are.

 My friend - "Homophobe", "sad ignorant fool", subpar intelligence"..."nice" (sarcastic).. insults, typical of the responses from this kid of crowd... well, here is an education on facts:

First… there is no "gay gene".... if you are a homosexual you were not born one, you are made, a fact explained by geneticists like Dr. Neil E. Whitehead PhD in YouTube:

Type in the search box: [ Dr. Neil Whitehead answers, "Is there a gay gene?"]

Dr. Neil says that even after decades of looking:“ No statistical significant gene has been found, and they even looked at the whole human Geno…”

Another is large “Identical Twins Studies” in the Netherlands and Holland also prove homosexuality not to be genetic, since only less than 10% of the time if one identical twin is gay the other one is also gay, meaning 90% of the time if one is gay the other is not… in a situation were b-o-t-h beings (the twins) are genetically identical, and cooked in the mothers belly at the same time (under the same hormonal environment).

Even England's leading gay activist Peter Tatchell recently stated that: "Homosexuality isn’t natural. Ignore those researchers who claim to have discovered a ‘gay gene’, gay desire is not genetically determined". (Spiked, Tuesday 24, 2008).

My answer - First of all, my friend, you didn't give any information on Dr. Neil Whitehead.  Whitehead is a member of the discredited group NARTH (National Organization for  the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality). No one in the scientific community takes that organization seriously because it pushes "reparative therapy" - the false notion that homosexuality is a condition which can be changed. According to Truth Wins Out:

NARTH relies on outdated studies and frequently confuses stereotypes with science. Dr. Nicolosi, for example, often tells audiences that people are gay because they have a rift with a same-sex parent or a have domineering opposite sex parent. It has been decades since any serious scientific body subscribed to these views and there is no contemporary research to uphold these anachronistic theories. Yet, NARTH’ co-founder Dr. Joseph Nicolosi repeats the empty mantra, “We advise fathers, if you don’t hug your sons, some other man will.”

 . . . NARTH also has bizarre theories, such as encouraging male clients who drink Gatorade and call their friends “dude,” because this will supposedly make them more masculine. Dr. Nicolosi also espouses the bizarre idea that, “Non-homosexual men who experience defeat and failure may also experience homosexual fantasies or dreams.”

In 2006, NARTH had a meltdown after two major controversies. In the first, psychiatrist Joseph Berger, MD, a member of their “Scientific Advisory Committee,” wrote a paper encouraging students to “ridicule” gender variant children. “I suggest, indeed, letting children who wish go to school in clothes of the opposite sex–but not counseling other children to not tease them or hurt their feelings,” Dr. Berger wrote on NARTH’s website. “On the contrary, don’t interfere, and let the other children ridicule the child who has lost that clear boundary between play-acting at home and the reality needs of the outside world. Maybe, in this way, the child will re-establish that necessary boundary.”

 In the second controversy, Gerald Schoenwolf, PhD, also a member of NARTH’s “Scientific Advisory Committee,” wrote a polemic on the group’s website that seemed to justify slavery.

Two years ago, a member of NARTH's board, George Rekers, had to resign after being caught coming from a European vacation with a male escort.

But even without your citation of NARTH, your entire claim about a "gay gene" is merely a tactic for you to attempt to control the argument.

The ramblings of a poor, obsessed homophobe for your enjoyment and pity

Far be it from me to put someone in a spotlight as a subject of derision to be made fun of, but this child deserves it.

He kept sending me messages on the Signorile video until I blocked him, so he took the time to send me this long rambling message. This is sad homophobia defined.

Just read and understand the ignorant mindset behind some people's reasonings of why they treat us lgbtqs like freaks:

.. you blocked my responses to your post Alvin in YouTube, but I am not surprised, people like you want to block the Truth, to silence it like Chris Mathews even said in his video.

No matter, here it is anyway...

Do you know what it will take for a t-r-u-l-y better world to happen? Brutal honesty, and then Responsible Behavior from everyone! It will take for every single person to look at their lives, identify what they are doing wrong, and correct it, no excuses, ...none!

And what is correct and what is wrong behavior? Easy, look at the outcomes of the action, and then it becomes clear as daylight. And we all have flaws, things we need to work on, we assume too much, we care too much about our own selves and not enough for others, we pursue material things when we should we working more on our own selves, we consume too much, we rape the land too much, we neglect one another, we indulge on physical pleasures too much, when we should be more spiritual and protect and not abuse our bodies, and on and on.

And of course, out of those many flawed lives, many negative "side-effects" blossom, like children raised in neglectful environmental/dysfunctional/abusive environments, hell... some of the people having children are themselves children! Many children (like the case of homosexuals) are atrophied by those bad environments, and make the incorrect Gender Identification, or what is called Gender Identity Disorder in Philology, which later blossoms into full homosexuality. Remember, there is no “gay gene”.

My problem with people like you is that the dysfunction you have you seem to try justify it, to excuse it, when in reality if you look at it... A-L-L of it, it is clearly a bad behavior. High disease rates, high mortality rates, high cost to the individual and society, unstable relationships, physical damage to the body due to the erroneous sexual acts, and on and on... and on! It is all here: (Editor's note - the poor child supplied his page but I refuse to give it out. I've seen it and it's the same cherry-picked or discredited junk science we have seen repeatedly but ths time grouped together in one sad package. The young man obviously took so much work in gathering together his statistics that he didn't read them thoroughly or derive where they came from. A little note, my friend. There is no such thing as "gay bowel syndrome." Dumb ass.)

You tell the doctors that have to deal with the many diseases being spread in the population more and more by highly sexually promiscuous homosexuals, since many of homosexuals happen to be asymptomatic, carrying disease most are not even aware of, but are spreading it on to others thanks to your reckless sexual behaviors that homosexuality is good... go on and tell them...

You go on and tell the taxpayer that the health care cost going higher and higher every year due to more and more homosexuals (and other liberals as well) doing reckless sexual behaviors, causing more people to get sick with preventable disease it is a good thing... you go ahead... you tell them (just look at the HIV cost numbers in Canada in that webpage)...go ahead tell them...

Wrongs are wrong, no matter how much you make like doing it, no matter how much you may "feel" you have no choice but to do it! The same thing has happen to other groups like the alcoholics and smokers, people that would say they had "no control over their actions"... "they couldn't help it"... And just because others may be doing other things wrong still does not make a wrong right... that is the mentality of a child.

In the end, humanity will never achieve a better world as long as groups like the homosexuals stay in denial and keep pushing their dysfunction upon society as an "OK" thing", as a "harmless thing", ignoring and even blocking the data again and again that point and says, hey you have a problem...

I leave you with this thought by the great Greek philosopher Socrates (469–399 B.C.E.) that said that the biggest endeavor for a person in life is to “TRULY know thyself” or what he called, to have an Analyzed Life, he wrote: "...The unexamined life is not worth living..."

And please note that I have refuted his claims in a myriad of past posts, including this one which addresses in particularly the lies of "shortened mortality rate," the "unstable relationships," and the "promiscuity argument."

My prime objective for posting this child's pathetic ramble is for you see the folks who have dived  headfirst into the pool of lies pushed by the religious right.

But with this posting comes a caveat. Not everyone believes this mess and the wilder these folks get, the more mainstream we are becoming.

So in essence, you are witnessing death throes of archaic ignorance.

But I'm feeling a little guilty about it. Who knew watching the death throes of archaic ignorance would be so much fun to watch?

One more thing that someone just pointed out to me. What's the definition of stupid irony? Using a quote from a gay man (Socrates) to end a ramble criticizing gays.