NOM makes a cruel attack on gay families

In case some of you do not know, there is a huge controversy in France regarding the possible legalization of marriage equality and gays adopting children and naturally the National Organization for Marriage is over there causing chaos and exploiting fears about gays and children in hopes of driving down the percentage of those who support the efforts.

Yesterday, there was a huge march against marriage equality in France in which NOM took part in or had something to do with causing - we know how this organization is when it comes to astroturfing. In fact, Jeremy Hooper has proof of NOM's filthy fingerprints with the anti-marriage equality doings in France.

But what catches my attention - and makes me absolutely nauseous, are some comic strips on NOM's blog which supposedly comes from French artists:

OK, I will accept that I have 2 Moms"
"But, then where is my Dad?"

Man on the left: “This child makes me feel hopeless”
Child: “Mommy?”
Man on the right: "Yes, she refuses to open to modernity”

But actually…. I would have loved to have a Mom”
“You are selfish! You should be happy to know that you provided happiness to your two Dads!”

Where does these comic strips come from? NOM doesn't say. Instead, it offers an interesting stereotype about the French -

The French people love satire and these three cartoons are examples of artists satirizing the proposal for gay marriage in France.

We don't know if those comic strips truly came from France or someone associated with NOM.

And it gets worse. Now for those who are not aware, NOM has a strict policy on its blog's comments section. The organization generally bars people, probably some for being rude, but mostly for making comments that the organization does not agree with. Subsequently, NOM's blog seems to have "regular" commentators who can always be counted on to attack gays in general and gang up on the one or two pro-marriage equality commentator which NOM allows through.

These regulars include (I am listing their nicknames. These may not be their real names):

Good News, Randy E. King, Barb Chamberlain, Thomas Aquinas, Son of Adam

And naturally, these folks have only good things to say about the attack on gay families:

Randy E. King -  They tried therapy dogs; now they want therapy children. Well whatever it takes to keep these people from killing themselves over the innate and immutable sense of guilt they carry for living self indulgent lives. Indentured infancy.

Barb Chamberlain -  Many children raised in the custody of same-sex guardians are asking these questions. And they're not too pleased that they've been lied to their entire lives. Children are not pets.

Of course in NOM's twisted world, children in orphanages and foster homes, as well as special needs children never seem to come up. The way NOM, and its surrogates pushes it, gays treat parenthood like going to the mall and picking out clothing and other items. And with that implication comes the next one that gays will neglect the children they care for because they only wanted them so as to be seen as "normal."

It's an ugly thing to connotate and presses the case that perhaps NOM's multitude of losses in November is causing the organization to rip off its mask of false respectability and show itself to be the vindictively homophobic group that we've all known it was to begin with. 

The similarity of the Civil Rights Movement and the Gay Rights Movement? Refuting the idea of 'behaving correctly'

On the Huffington Post, there is an excellent article which spotlights how civil rights legend Julian Bond feel about how closely linked the black and gay civil rights movements are.

The article itself is a must read.  However there was a point made in the comments section which was so insightful that I simply had to post it in order to give it more attention. It hits the nail on the head:

The notion of "choice" about "behaving correctly" has direct parallels to the Civil Rights Movement. Black people were required to behave in a particular way: to sit at the back of the bus, to obey their master, to drink from a particular water fountain. It was this expected and required behaviour which was in and of itself oppressive, hence those requirements were ultimately relaxed; they were unjust. This has exact parallels to the gay experience: the required behaviour is in and of itself oppressive. Of course gay people could choose to marry opposite sex partners and live with the oppression of misery, of course they could choose to live a life of celibacy and live with the oppression of desolate loneliness. And if they do not, they live with the oppression of disapproval, ostracism and abuse. It doesn't matter what gay people "choose", oppression is their reality. Just as black people yearned have the freedom to determine their own destiny instead of having it determined by others, so do gay people. The requirement of gay people to behave in a manner which denies their true desires is in and of itself oppressive and unjust - a direct parallel to the Civil Rights Movement.

Know Your LGBT History - Gays in Sports

As seen by the recent Olympics and the lgbt athletes coming out of the closet, the stereotype about gays not liking sports is bull.

In fact, we excel in it. But let's take a look at  this very good BBC documentary regarding gays in sports:







 

Past Know Your LGBT History posts:

'Wayne Besen makes mincemeat out of religious right figure during interview' and other Friday midday news briefs

Wayne Besen makes mincemeat out of the Family Research Council's Peter Sprigg:



Trust me when I say you will need a smoke after watching this video. See what happens when religious right figures are confronted with their lies.

In other news:

North Carolina Cafe Owner Hands Lesbian Couple Letter Condemning Homosexuality As They Leave - So I guess harassing gay and lesbian couples after they've eaten at your establishment and paid their bill should be considered as a "religious liberty?"  

Fox’s Starnes Blames “Heterophobic Bigots” For Anti-Gay Pastor’s Withdrawal From Obama Inauguration - And what type of cheese do you want with your "whine," Mr. Starnes? 

 Sweden Ends Forced Sterilization Of Transgender People - Good for Sweden!  

Author of 'don't say gay' bill heads Missouri House education committee - This should scare those who care about our lgbt youth.

 Buster Wilson: 'There is Nobody Out There that is Any More Hateful' than 'Big Gay' Bloggers - My heart bleeds for Buster but what he calls "hate" is what we call standing up for our dignity. And we will continue to do so.

How desperate is NOM to stop marriage equality? This desperate

We now know that the National Organization for Marriage's plan to divide the black and gay communities didn't work because the group is now shifting gears:


 
According to Buzzfeed:

 The National Organization for Marriage has found the perfect spokespeople for its cause: gay people who oppose gay marriage. The only catch: They're French. NOM has posted a couple videos on its website from a French group called Homovox which features gay men who are against a proposed marriage equality and adoption law introduced by President François Hollande. Other groups include "Plus Gay Sans Mariage" (Gayer Without Marriage), run by a young activist named Xavier Bongibault who also appears in one of Homovox's videos. The videos feature gay men talking about why they oppose gay marriage. NOM doesn't identify where the videos came from on its blog, and they've been uploaded into NOM's YouTube account. Homovox didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Sorry but this is just PATHETIC! There is just no other word to describe it.

Religious right figures are FURIOUS over inauguration controversy

Because of the controversy involving Obama's inauguration and the pastor (Louie Giglio) whose invitation was rescinded because of his anti-gay feelings, the religious right has a new victimhood spin. According to the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins:

What a difference four years makes! In 2009, when the Left was in an uproar about Pastor Rick Warren's prayer, the President was quick to come to his defense. "We have to disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things we hold in common as Americans." Now, having revealed his true position on same-sex "marriage," the President seems determined to create even more division. If anything, this pulls back the curtain on the Left's real agenda. And it's not about tolerance. It's about forced acceptance. Americans need to wake up and realize that the homosexual movement cannot be appeased--not by marriage, not by special benefits, not by anything but the sanitization of Christianity from the public square. 

But believe it or not, Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association wins the award for the best hysterical spin:

 

Maybe I slept a bit during history class, but I don't recall Rosa Parks having her own radio show and a national audience where she whined about being victimized.

 You see the spin here, don't you? If you don't, you will because I am guessing we will hear more about it. It goes like this:

 Thanks to Obama, Christians are being discriminated against. They no longer are able to speak freely in the public square without some form of persecution. 

Nonsense. Giglio got into trouble because of an anti-gay sermon.  That's what Perkins and Fischer are missing. This has nothing to do with their religion, but their hate. When they use the phrase "public square," they seem to forget that the "public square" doesn't encompass them solely. Gays are a part of the public square and gays have every right to voice our opinion if we feel we are being disrespected. Although I did disagree with how some of us conducted ourselves (i.e. directing all sorts of unfair animus to Obama before we knew all of the facts), the fact of the matter is that tolerance for someone else's opinion is not the equivalent of being a doormat. We shouldn't sit with cracked smiles on our faces while  credibility and honor is given to someone who attacks us because he sees us as commodities in his ridiculous game of "Who gets to go to Heaven" instead of human beings.

And if you want respect in the public square, you need to show respect. To wit, don't use your interpretation of your religion as an excuse to keep people who you attack and insult from giving you hell.

In other words, Giglio is not a victim and this situation has NOTHING to do with the so-called persecution of Christians. Lastly (yes this is a cheap plug), if you want an idea of just what type of Christianity Perkins and Fischer endorses, check out the booklet on the right - How They See Us.

My suggestion to both Perkins and Fischer is before whining about persecution, they need to work on how they conduct themselves as Christians because in that regard, they are both extremely lacking.

'Anti-gay speaker dropped from Obama's inauguration' and other Thursday midday news briefs

BREAKING: Anti-Gay Pastor Removed From Inaugural Program - A little commentary guaranteed to piss some people off. When this situation broke, I rolled my eyes because I knew what would happen before we knew the full story. Some gays went off half-cocked raising hell and calling Obama every name in the book. They also brought up the Rick Warren situation from the last inauguration. I said wait until we hear the entire story, but no. Some of us got into our "super activist" mode. That's when we yell and scream, even at those on our side who plead for rational thoughts. I'm not criticizing the anger, but the method and the lack of thought. I found it hard to believe that a president who had made so many pro-gay strides would make such a 180 degree turn and bring someone like this to his inauguration. As it was, Obama was not responsible. It was a bad decision by the inaugural committee which has now been rescinded. The point is not the fact that we didn't a right to be angry and demand answers. The point is some of us were so damn eager to start talking shit about Obama. And some of the same shit talkers were the same ones who literally declared him the best thing since sliced bread after lgbt-inclusive hate crimes legislation was passed, DADT was rescinded, and he went on record for marriage equality. Make up your minds, folks. When things like this happen, don't be so quick to shit on someone you lauded just a few months ago because mistakes are always made and always need to be corrected. The most important thing in a working relationship is trust. And while I am glad with the speed this was taken care of, some of my lgbt brothers and sisters demonstrated their lack of trust issues. But enough about that. I'm sure I will hear from you if you agree or disagree. 

In other news:

NOM clearly moving forward with nasty 'gays against gay marriage' idea - Apparently playing the gay and black community against one another blew up in NOM's face. So now they are going to play the gay community against one another.  

Rush Limbaugh Doubles Down On Connection Between Homosexuality And ‘Normalizing Pedophilia’ - Meanwhile, he is upon his fourth wife. Okay that sentence made me kinda ill.  

Scott Lively Warns 'Wedding Songs to Homosexual Marriage' are Responsible for Noah's Flood and End Times - Apparently this is in the Bible which Lively writes with his own poo.

 Mark Ferrandino Becomes Colorado's First Openly Gay Speaker Of The House (VIDEO) - Let's end these news briefs with some good news so you don't think that I have completely lost my mind.

NOM doesn't really believe in 'religious liberty'

I've always believed the phrase 'religious liberty' was a useless buzzword when used by organizations like the National Organization for Marriage.

The recent non-controversy regarding Washington's National Cathedral proves it.  The Washington Cathedral, one of the largest cathedrals in the country, the "seat of the Episcopal Church," and the host of this month's inaugural prayer service, has decided to host same-sex weddings. It didn't happen by a court order or protest. The Cathedral made the decision on its own.

The very definition of "religious liberty," right?

Wrong if you are a member of the National Organization for Marriage. Thomas Peters, NOM's Cultural Director, said the following:

Examples like this remind us that when you redefine "civil" marriage you create the new possibility of same-sex ceremonies in churches. Gay marriage advocates love to artificially split these two recognitions of marriage when they think it suits their purposes but the categories always re-collapse as soon as a liberal church like this one decides it wants to conduct ceremonies with same-sex partners. The simplest way to prevent same-sex ceremonies in churches is to fight for the recognition of marriage in civil law. 

In other words, NOM likes the idea of "religious liberty" when churches use it the way NOM wants them to. When the churches don't . . . then look out!

NOM figure wants to dictate the usage of sperm to have children

The most annoying thing about some religious right figures is that they think their religion gives them the right to determine how people can create families. Case in point, Jennifer Morse of NOM's Ruth Institute. Just listen to this tirade and wonder what was girlfriend smoking before she opened her mouth:

'Chris Kluwe reminds us about the simplicity of gay equality' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Editor's note - Due to its immense popularity, the booklet "How They See Us" will now be a permanent fixture on this blog for anyone to read, download, or link to.

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Minnesota Vikings football player and lgbt ally Chris Kluwe makes the argument over gay equality so simple. No "ifs, ands, or buts." No "howevers." No "having said thats." It's so damn refreshing.

 In other news:  

National Cathedral exercises its religious freedom; sure to tick off those who make constant 'religious freedom' claims - The National Cathedral in Washington exercises its "religious liberty" by allowing gay marriages in its sanctuary. How quick will it be before the usual characters show their hypocrisy over the "religious liberty" argument?

 Obama Names Gay Latino Poet Richard Blanco As Inaugural Poet - Not bad. Not bad at all.

 Fox Nation, Rush Limbaugh Peddle Gay Marriage-Pedophilia Link - Pathetic.

 Illinois Gay Marriage Sponsors Reintroducing Marriage Equality Bill On Wednesday - That's the thing about us lgbts. We NEVER give up until we get what should be ours.

Bizarre juxtaposition kicks NOM in the teeth

You probably heard about this situation but allow me to put it in its right context.

On January 6th, the National Organization for Marriage posted the following on its blog:

Bishop Paprocki Mobilizes His Priests to Proclaim the Truth About Marriage

Bishop Thomas Paprocki is the bishop of Springfield, Illinois. Following the lead of Chicago's Archbishop, Cardinal George, he's taking a bold stand to protect marriage, instructing his priests to read this letter from the pulpit at Mass today in defense of marriage. As we've already reported, seventeen hundred faith communities have already spoken out in defense of marriage.

Then came January 7th, the day that we found out that one priest Paprocki won't be able to count on is Thomas Donovan:

The pastor of St. Aloysius church on Springfield’s north end has been granted a leave of absence after he called 911 from the rectory and told a dispatcher that he needed help getting out of handcuffs. “I’m going to need help getting out before this becomes a medical emergency,”

 Father Tom Donovan told a dispatcher who sounds a bit incredulous during the Nov. 28 call. “You’re stuck in a pair of handcuffs?” the dispatcher asks. “(I was) playing with them and I need help getting out,” Donovan responds. Donovan told the dispatcher that he was alone in the rectory. It’s not clear exactly how he ended up in handcuffs or why he feared a medical emergency. His voice sounds garbled or muffled on the tape, and sources say that police discovered some sort of gag on the priest when they arrived.

The diocese has been tight-lipped about the matter, saying only that Bishop Thomas Paprocki granted Donovan’s request for a leave of absence at some point before Christmas. The diocese knows about the incident, given that Brad Huff, an attorney for the diocese, has been given a copy of the 911 tape by the Sangamon County Emergency Telephone System Department. Kathie Sass, spokeswoman for the Diocese of Springfield, said that the diocese also has a copy of a police report on the matter. 

 

The irony of the entire thing is delicious and perhaps it should send Paprocki a message that he should tend to the business of his diocese before attempting to prevent loving couples from being  married.

NOM, to the surprise of no one, has no comment on Donovan's controversy.

How They See Us: Unmasking The Religious Right War on Gay America

Due to the importance of this post, it will be the only one I write today.

I have said all that there needs to say and the only thing left now is the posting of How They See Us.

This booklet is free to anyone who wants to read, download, or link it to their blog. By all means, please do so. And above all, please "like " it on Facebook, twitter, and other forms of social media. In spite of the claims of the religious right, our goal is not to silence them, but to demand an answer from them regarding their tactics. Lies told in the name of God are still lies: HowThey See Us

A preview of 'How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America

Tomorrow morning at  8 a.m., I will be publishing what I hope to be a definitive work analyzing religious right propaganda.

How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America pushes a simple premise - the claim by organizations like the Family Research Council, the National Organization for Marriage, Focus on the Family, etc. that they operate to preserve Judeo-Christian values is a lie. The truth is that through spreading anti-gay propaganda which has absolutely nothing to do with religious beliefs, these organizations stigmatize the gay community and falsely label homosexuality as a threat to societal order and wellness. And what’s worse, they use the religious belief which designates homosexuality to be a sin as a free license to sugarcoat their tactics as mere “expressions of their personal religious beliefs” and labeling every question regarding these tactics as an “attack on their religious liberty” or an attempt to "silence" them.

In reality, it's nothing new what they do and there is nothing nothing Christian or moral about it. When any group spreads propaganda, it’s always “in defense” of something and it usually scapegoats a group undeserving of such hostilities. Whether it be the defense of “Southern culture,” the “German homeland,” or “Judeo-Christian values,” it all adds up to the same thing - isolating an innocent group as the essence of evil and claiming that if only said group were put in its place, the world would be a better place. It’s a big lie and unfortunately, no one tells the lie better than religious right groups.

And it's high time that the gay community demand a public discussion on these lies. Let's hope that tomorrow will be the beginning.

'Religious right furious over Neil Patrick Harris' Superbowl ad' and other Monday midday news briefs

Neil Patrick Harris' Super Bowl Ad Slammed For 'Pushing Gay Agenda' On CBS - Don't these idiots have anything better to do?

 SPLC designated hate group thinks lesbian PFLAG mom is 'emotionally manipulative'; relatedly, down is convinced it is up - Hypocrisy defined. Religious right groups whine how marriage equality will cause problems for "innocent" people. But then they denigrate folks who speak FOR marriage equality.

 Log Cabin Republicans Criticize Chuck Hagel's Gay Rights Record In Full-Page Ad - For the Log Cabin Republicans to attack anyone on their gay rights record after the organization supported Romney for president is some bull@!%$! 

 Dobson on Obama's Reelection: 'Nearly Everything I Have Stood for these Past 35 Years Went Down to Defeat'- Dobson has a way being a little TOO melodramatic. The lesson here is that it's 2013, not 2004 and he doesn't have as much power as he did back then. 

 Pentagon Claims LGBT Sites Are Blocked For ‘Operational Security Reasons’ - Quadruple bull@!$#! 

Coming on this afternoon on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters - Tomorrow is the day in which history will be made! How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America will be published and posted on this blog. This afternoon will feature a blog post telling you what to expect tomorrow morning and maybe a preview of How They See Us. Look for it!

Fischer: 'gay lobby will use flaming homosexuals to hurt Christian bookstores'

Just when you think you have heard it all from the American Association's Bryan Fischer, he comes up with another one. I swear someone should follow this man around with a tape recorder and instead of giving good points regarding the necessity of gay equality, just let the tape play.
 

Know Your LGBT History - Barney Frank

Congressman Barney Frank has officially left office after serving over 30 years for the state of Massachusetts, the country, and the lgbt community.

Though he has now raised a desire to serve as an interim Senator until an election is held to officially replace outgoing Senator John Kerry, I seriously wonder if he was serious.

No matter though. There has never been, nor will there ever be another like Barney Frank. He was elected to office in 1981 and in 1987, he became the first member of Congress to come out as gay.

And it didn't hurt his career in the least. Until the time of his recent retirement, Frank always won his elections by wide margins (even after a ridiculous non-scandal involving a former partner who turned out to be escorting behind his back in 1987.)

But you know what we all miss now that Frank is gone from the House. The way he didn't take any nonsense from anyone regarding his policy decisions or his sexual orientation. The following clips are some of the best of his take downs:




 

 

Past Know Your LGBT History posts:

'Republicans continue to throw money away on bad DOMA defense' and other Friday midday news briefs

Cowboy Church Dust-up Over Horse Therapy Story - What does a church do when it claims that handling horses will make people less gay? Claim that it was misquoted. Nice try guys.  

House Republicans Vote To Continue Defending Unconstitutional DOMA - When and if they lose, I will be one of the first to say "I Told You So." I am considering renting out a plane. 

Related story on DOMA Defense:  Boehner's DOMA defense contains junk science, bad sources - What the money is going to, folks.  

Harvey: Oppose Labor Rights to Blunt 'Pro-Abortion and Pro-Homosexual Activism' - I do love Linda Harvey. She works better than a laxative.  

Morehouse Offers LGBTQ Course: A Student's Perspective - Hot damn! This is good news!

'Christian' groups play defense for refusal to help Hurricane Sandy victims

Yesterday's news cycle was dominated by how Republicans in the House of Representatives didn't vote on a relief package for the states struck by Hurricane Sandy and how several folks - including New Jersey Governor Chris Christie - wasn't exactly happy about it.

The Hurricane Sandy controversy even got play with religious right groups, but not how you think it would. The American Family Association's radio program played host to Rep. Tim Huelskamp, (R-KS) who said he found no reason for a bill to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy:



And then the Family Research Council, in its recent Washington Update said the following about helping the victims of Hurricane Sandy:

While some Congresses have the luxury of easing into their new jobs, this one does not. Thanks to all the unfinished business from the 112^th, these freshmen will be thrown into the deep end of America 's economic crises before they can even unpack their boxes. The first test for freshmen is the Sandy relief package, which the House postponed when it realized that the package was as flooded with pork as New Jersey homes were with water. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) took a lot of heat, most noticeably from Governor Chris Christie (R-N.J.), for refusing to fast-track a bill that uses hurricane victims as an excuse to pass almost $40 billion in government waste. 

Isn't it sad and fascinating that these organizations raise holy hell about something Jesus never mentioned (homosexuality) but becomes blase about something He heavily endorsed (helping those in need).

Such is the priorities of some tenets of American Christianity.

Tammy Baldwin sworn in as first openly gay United States Senator

Today, Tammy Baldwin was sworn in officially, becoming the first openly gay United States Senator. Enjoy this bit of history and those who can remember as far back as I can - and even farther - we have certainly come a long way, haven't we? Simply another reminder of how far the lgbt community can go when we don't let ignorant people hold us back.

'Obama, Nazis, the Anti-Christ, and gays! Oh my!' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Audio: Scott Lively equates gays & Obama with Nazis & the antiChrist; says rainbow flag is sign of EndTimes - Oh boy! Leave it to Scott Lively to connect Obama with gays and Nazis and the anti-Christ. And what you see about his claim regarding the rainbow flag isn't a joke. Time to pull out my copies of the Omen and Damien Omen II.  

California Gov. Jerry Brown Appeals Injunction Against Ex-Gay Therapy Ban - Go get 'em, Jerry!

 Leading Conservative Religious Organization Warns That Christians Will Soon Be Treated Like Blacks In Jim Crow Era - Apparently when you become a leader in the religious right, you gain the power to talk out of your tuckus.  

The Right’s loss of the culture war is in extreme slow motion; will it toss its extremists out? Doubt it. - I hope they don't just yet. Then, who will I have to play with?  

Keeping the faith: 2012 in gay rights victories - A reiteration of how we ruled last year.

Anti-gay group wants to produce Christian-oriented rap video

When I first saw the above video, I thought "ugh."

Don't get me wrong. On it's face, I see nothing wrong with this per se.

But the devil is always in the details, or in this case, the devil seems to be the one behind this mess.

In other words, I have a serious problem with the organization behind this idea of a pro-Christian rap video - the Liberty Counsel.

The Liberty Counsel is a venomous anti-gay organization which hides its bigotry behind a Christian cloak, vocally standing even against the simplest of pro-gay endeavors including gays serving openly in the military as well as anti-discrimination laws.

But the thing which worries me the most is that the the Liberty Counsel employs Matt Barber. Barber makes no secret how negatively he feels toward the gay community. However  his past comments regarding our gay youth is a serious problem as far as I'm concerned.

Such as what he said about gay men and pedophilia:



 Or what he said about gay teens who commit suicide:



 Or how he defended ex-gay therapy for our youth:



One wonders if the rapper in the above video knows what he is getting himself into by joining such an organization which employs a man like Barber

Next step on the 'nefarious gay agenda' - we take over bowling on ESPN

Forgive the ridiculously hysterical headline. It's my way of pointing out something awesome which took place last weekend on ESPN:

ESPN set a new precedent over the weekend by airing what may be the first professionally-shot footage of an openly gay athlete kissing his husband after a victory
.
As Outsports is reporting, professional bowler Scott Norton smooched his husband Craig Woodward after winning the 2012 PBA Chameleon Championship in Las Vegas.

Though the event was held in November, ESPN did not air the footage until Dec. 30. During the telecast, ESPN’s announcers referred to Woodward as Norton’s husband or spouse, Outsports also pointed out.

Norton tied the knot with Woodward, a United Healthcare executive, in October 2011.
The 30-year-old bowler came out to friends and family as a teenager, though he didn't address his sexuality publicly until last year, the Windy City Times reports.

The kiss of victory comes at the end of the following clip at 2:09:

As you can see, it is a special moment. Don't get too hackneyed by it, brothers and sisters. Otherwise, I will be forced to share that Billy Dee Williams line from the Diana Ross movie "Mahogany:"

"Success means nothing unless you have someone to share it with."

'James Dobson's comments about Sandy Hook tragedy, marriage equality takes its toll' and other Wednesday news briefs

For those who can't get enough of seeing gay couples tying the knot for the first time (I know I can't), here is a video from one of the Maryland weddings: 



In other news briefs:  

Ryan Dobson Defends his Father's Comments About Sandy Hook, Calling Him 'a Man who is Making a Stand for Righteousness' - While I understand anyone's desire to defend his/her father, I am so offended by any notion that Dobson is a victim here. Innocents were murdered, Dobson said something stupid, and he deserves all of the negative blow back he gets.  

Kansas sues lesbian couple’s sperm donor for child support - Leave it to Kansas and Governor Brownback to try and screw us over. You just KNOW someone thought this mess up with mischief in mind.

 Chicago Cardinal Condemns Illinois Lawmakers For Considering Marriage Equality This Week - Sorry Cardinal, but no one is forcing you to marry gay couples, so butt out!

 Uganda LGBT Advocate Arrested for “Recruiting Into Homosexuality” - Remember that the struggle for lgbt equality is not solely American based. It is a worldwide fight for dignity and respect, NOT TOLERANCE! 

 Metropolitan Community Churches: Do Gays Need A Church Of Their Own Anymore? - I'm not crazy about the headline but the article is really good.

Matt Barber, the transgender community, gays rights, and children

Matt Barber

If one want to check out just how low some folks sink to attack the gay community, look no further than the Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber:

Through the secular-”progressive” looking-glass, the term “sexual orientation” has, in a few short years, evolved to accommodate an ever-expanding fruit basket of carnal appetites.

Mr. Francis enjoys macramé, long walks on the beach, wearing lady’s knickers and showering fully nude with 6-year-old girls. Because it’s illegal to “discriminate based on the basis of gender identity,” and since it’s the only “tolerant” thing to do, this brave bellwether of the persecuted LGBT victim-class has secured the “civil right” for him and other men to fully expose themselves to your daughter in the locker room at Olympia, Washington’s Evergreen State College. But slow down, Dad.

According to the law, if you have a problem with Mr. Francis baring all to your baby girl, then you’re the problem. You’re a “transphobe” (“homophobia’s” evil twin sister, er, brother … whatever). Deck this sicko for terrifying your first-grader and you’re off to jail while “Colleen” is off to the “Human Rights Campaign” for a commendation as the latest victim of an “anti-LGBT hate crime.”

Rosa Parks in drag, I guess.

Only Matt Barber can be ridiculously offensive, downright crude, and just so wrong all at the same time.

A little tip - I would advise anyone set to whine about  the so-called bad name that Christianity receives do one thing first. Hog tie Barber and lock him in a closet somewhere.

Even a sneeze from that guy destroys your argument.

Congratulations to all of the Maryland couples who got married! You earned this!

NOM's Top Ten Failures of 2012

After reading this list, I bet Brian Brown of NOM really cried!

Happy New Year! Now wake your drunk behinds up!

Seriously, let's start 2013 on a positive note thanks to Carlos Maza of Equality Matters. He has counted down the National Organization for Marriage's Top Ten Failures of 2012. I am especially proud of Failure Number Two, seeing that I played a role in publicizing it:

10. New Hampshire Repeal Effort

9. Another Failed Thanksgiving Video

8. Shrinking Donors

7. Gallagher Gets Called Out On MSNBC

6. New York Elections

5. The Failed Starbucks/General Mills Boycott

4. The Brian Brown/Dan Savage Debate

3. Undercover At NOM's Student Conference

2. Race-Baiting Memos

1. November 6

'Baseball player bothered by idea of gay teammate' and other Monday midday news briefs

Torii Hunter, Detroit Tigers Right Fielder, Says Gay Teammate Would Make Him 'Uncomfortable' - And the reason why he would feel uncomfortable is a real hoot. I respect his religion but the last time I checked, a baseball team is not a church. You are paid to win championships and if a gay teammate helps you win, then shut up and be thankful for him.  

A Warning From A Former DL Foster Disciple: “The Perfect Storm The ‘Ex-Gay’ Movement, Religious Based Homophobia and the Black Church Pt. 2″ - Part two of an excellent series from a good friend of mine.  

There's No Such Thing As A Gay Marriage Because It Cannot Be Consummated - So we are being attacked by the leadership of the Catholic church AGAIN. And boy is this really stupid.

 60 Powerful Steps Forward For Equality - Say goodbye to a very gay 2012. Hopefully it was be even more awesome in 2013.

Dan Savage vs. 'Porno Pete' LaBarbera - it wasn't even close

In a video - which I am totally angry that I am only finding out about now, seeing that was made in November - Dan Savage calls out anti-gay bigot Peter LaBarbera and proceeds to pimp-slap him all over youtube.

And the most significant thing to me about this video? Savage didn't wait until LaBarbera attacked the gay community on a specific issue. With a little old fashioned truth telling, Savage called out LaBarbera and knocked down his lies without even waiting. He took the initiative to call out LaBarbera.

That's something we need to do.

The gay community shouldn't wait until LaBarbera (or the Family Research Council or Linda Harvey or Matt Barber or the National Organization for Marriage) pollute the airwaves with their latest attack on the gay community. That these folks are going to attack us is a given.

Just like Savage did, we shouldn't wait for the mainstream media to get the message right that these so-called Christian groups spread lies about us.  And most of all, we should stop complaining that they don't.

Rather, why don't we take it upon ourselves to do what Savage did - call them out with clarity, making sure to spotlight and highlight their hypocritical cries of "morality" by exposing their tactics, nasty semantics, and especially the way they rely on junk science and discredited studies to smear us.

Editor's note - Just in case you are wondering, that last part was a plug for my upcoming booklet How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America which will be available for free download on this blog on January 8.

Goalposts of marriage equality will not be moved because of 'religious liberty' con

Watch the video then read my recap of the entire situation:




The semantics of the entire thing bothers the heck out of me. For the longest time, Brian Brown, Maggie Gallagher, and the rest of that bunch at the National Organization for Marriage constantly sounded the clarion call of  "Let the people vote!"

So the people of Maryland did vote on election day in November. And they voted for allowing gay couples to marry.

That should be the end of it. But folks like Brown, Gallagher, and the rest of the folks of NOM don't want it to be. Apparently in response to the fact that their clarion call backfired in this case, they create new controversies and attempt to move the goalposts farther away from gay couples.

People have to make choices every day when it comes to what's best for them, be it their business or peace of mind. And the trolley owner decided to get out of the marriage business because marriage equality was against his personal religious beliefs. That was his right, but it is his only right. And even that right goes just so far because I have always felt that the "religious liberty" argument is a dangerous way to cloak discrimination with an aura of respectability.  Just how far will this argument be taken? Today it's gay couples and trollies. How do we know that tomorrow it won't be gay couples and apartment rentals? Or African-Americans and apartment rentals? Or Jewish people and apartment rentals?

Just how many acts of possible discrimination will be allowed because of the "religious liberty" argument?

I'm sure we are going to hear more about this as NOM and its folks plot new strategies of making gay couples seem like the oppressors when all they want is the simple right to marry.

And to do so is not fair and it's not right.

Gay couples worked hard to earn the right the marry in the correct fashion, i.e. through the ballot box. These rights were won fair and square. And no portion of these rights, nor the dignity of marriage equality, should be sacrificed via sneaky semantics or weaving the thread between the lines

Gay couples in Maine make it legal - you gotta love it!

And now, same-sex couples are getting married in Maine. You really didn't think I would miss the chance to post about it, did you?

The first gay couple married in Maine. Congratulations Steven Bridges and Michael Snell:

For more pictures of the happy couple, go here.

Congratulations to the rest of Maine's now legally married gay couples. You deserve all of the happiness which comes from marriage. The following are just a few pictures - courtesy of Buzzfeed - of the first night of marriage equality in Maine:

Know Your LGBT History - Roseanne

Before Ellen DeGeneres came out, before Will and Grace, there was the comedy series Roseanne. Roseanne was a successful comedy series featuring the trials and tribulations of an ordinary housewife (Roseanne) and her family

Roseanne caught a lot of flack because of a 1994 episode (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) in which lead character Roseanne kisses actress Mariel Hemingway in a lesbian bar:



That one scene caused a huge amount of controversy.

The irony about the controversial scene is that a year later, the show featured a hilarious episode (December Bride) in which a gay couple (Martin Mull and Fred Willard) got married. Other than moving the episode from to 9:30 p.m. there was no controversy. Regarding the move, ABC network claimed that it wasn't the wedding but rather the adult humor of the episode which prompted the  move:

 

Past Know Your LGBT History posts:

'See the weddings that bigotry couldn't stop!' and other Friday midday news briefs

Some of the most beautiful weddings of 2012 : - these pictures are to remind you that sooner or later right wins and equality conquers inequality. 

Maine Marriages Start Tomorrow - With more on the way!

S.C. gay advocates to marry in Md. on Jan. 1 - Meanwhile, two friends of mine will be tying the knot on Jan. 1. 

Hey NOM: We want marriage. Always. Every time. In every state. We're not hiding that fact. - So apparently NOM is really scared that the same beautiful scenes will repeat themselves in Illinois and Minnesota. Oh the poor babies.

  Gay Republicans Doubt Hagel's "Sincerity" - The Log Cabin Republicans run a full-page ad attacking Obama's nominee for Secretary of Defense, claiming that they are wary of where he stands on lgbt equality. Isn't the Log Cabin Republicans the SAME group which supported Romney in the last election?

LGBT year in review

As this short video shows, from Frank Ocean to Honey Boo Boo (yeah I said it), the lgbt community had a very good 2012:

Marriage Equality in 2012 - It was a very good year!

From the American Foundation for Equal Rights, a video which proves that the fight for marriage equality had an excellent year in 2012:

'Maryland business stops wedding services because of marriage equality' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Discover Annapolis Tours No Longer Offering Wedding Services Because Owner Opposes Gay Marriage - Oh well. It's his choice. No one is forcing him to stop.  His rights are NOT being violated and he is NOT a victim.

  LZ Granderson: The myth of the gay agenda - You mean the "gay agenda" is a myth? Well heck no wonder I never got any memos. And here I thought it was a "racial" thing ;p. Of course I don't know what I am going to do with all of those "Killer Queen" outfits I bought.

  'New York Times' quotes one of IL's most overheated; fails to tell readers who she is - A post which underscores how it is important for US to provide context when it comes to anti-gay groups. The mainstream media rarely does. 

 A Father’s Journey - A heartbreaking at times but ultimate triumphant story of a gay man and his father.

Another Republican Backs Repeal Of Federal Anti-Gay Marriage Law - Sweet!

A video so homophobic that it would make a bigot swoon?

Welcome back to the game, so to speak. I hope your Christmas holiday for restful.

For my return, I thought I would post this old video which I gleaned from Youtube. It gets so many things wrong, it's like a homophobic bigot's wet dream:



One can envision Linda Harvey reacting to this video like the bobbysoxers reacted when they first heard Frank Sinatra sing.

Editor's note - January 8th and the unveiling of the How They See Us booklet is right around the corner. If you want to join the Facebook event group announcing the unveiling, click here.

Marriage equality will destroy America (because hate crimes legislation and the DADT repeal didn't)

Happy holidays, folks. I am going on a semi-hiatus until the Christmas season is over. I say sem-hiatus because I count on NOM or the Family Research Council or Tony Perkins, or Matt Barber to say or do something which yet again affords me the pleasure of demonstrating what lying hypocrites they are.

But until then, allow me to leave you with this. It's the Liberty Counsel's Mat Staver talking about the "evil consequences" of marriage equality. It's the usual banter about the "dreaded consequences" which will allegedly happen if gays and lesbians are allowed to marry.

However, other than the fact that it's totally untrue, there is something else which stands out in my mind.

Didn't Staver and company say the same things would happen if Congress passed lgbt-inclusive hate crimes legislation, or if gays and lesbians were allowed to serve openly in the military, or if the gay community were allowed to adopt children, etc.,etc.

I think you get the picture here:



Until then, like I said - Happy Holidays. And, if you have been reading my blog, you know what's going to happen on January 8th.

 It's gonna be BIG!

'Ex-gay movement trying to infiltrate the Black community' and other Friday midday news briefs

DL Foster Has a Secret: “The Perfect Storm The ‘Ex-Gay’ Movement, Religious Based Homophobia and the Black Church Pt. 1″ - Rev. Gerald Palmer is the newest writer for Truth Wins Out and mark my words when I say he will bring a much needed aspect to the fight against the fraudulent ex-gay movement. In his first piece, he details the insidious infiltration that the ex-gay fraud is attempting to make in the Black community.  

Liberty Counsel's Mat Staver: Marriage equality will cause new civil war - I really wish that these bozos would make up their minds. Either marriage equality will destroy America, the world, or will cause new civil war. Why not blame marriage equality for resistant tartar on teeth?  

Pope Benedict Uses Christmas Speech To Call Same-Sex Marriage A ‘Manipulation Of Nature’ - If this guy keeps attacking gays, he is almost going to make me miss Alexander Borgia (look it up!)

Sandy Rios Exposes the Left's Plot to use Christmas to Distract Conservatives - Oh good grief! I repeat how can we carry on insidious plots against "American values" if we got people who are telling our plans. Just tell me - does she know about the plan to make Judy Garland's birthday a national holiday or the Joan Crawford parental at?

Excellent Christmas gift for those who love violence but hate foul language

Not necessarily lgbt-oriented, but this commercial is hilarious:



Great! I always liked my violent movies without all of that foul language. Nothing ruins shootings, stabbings, and bomb blasts like cuss words

Fraudulent anti-gay parenting study now used to create link between watching porno, marriage equality support

Mark Regnerus

How is this for a swift attempt to kick the gay community in the face? Not only is Mark Regnerus attempting to use his fraudulent study on gay parenting to attack same-sex families, but apparently he is now attempting to create a link between pornography and marriage equality support from information taken from the same study:

There is a correlation between watching porn and support for gay marriage among men, Dr. Mark Regnerus, associate professor of sociology at University of Texas at Austin, found. Exposure to diverse and graphic sex acts, he believes, may undermine a traditional view of marriage. Using data from The New Family Structures Study, a project for which he was the principal investigator, Regnerus found statistically significant positive correlation between porn use and support for same-sex marriage among men, even after controlling for other predictors, such as political party, religiosity, marital status, age, education and sexual orientation. In the full sample, 42 percent of men and 47 percent of women agreed or strongly agreed that gay marriage should be legal. Among men who view porn daily or almost daily, though, 54 percent strongly agreed (not just agreed) that gay marriage should be legal while only 13 percent who said they viewed porn monthly or less believed the same, Regnerus wrote for The Witherspoon Institute's "Public Discourse." 

Wasn't that flawed study - which received much deserved criticism - about same-sex parenting? Just how in the world did the porn factor come in?

I almost can't wait to hear what "negative" factor involving marriage equality Regnerus' study conveniently finds.

Hat tip to an anonymous Facebook buddy who pointed this out to me.

'Bigot switches from poop to fruit to attack gays' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Ugandan Anti-Gay Pastor Uses Fruit To Explain How Same-Sex Couples Have Sex - Martin Ssempa makes me sick to my stomach in terms of how he used American religious right propaganda to demean the gays and push that awful anti-gay bill in Uganda. I guess using fruit, however, is a step up. In 2010, He used to used feces to demean us: Martin Ssempa talks about 'poop' to demonize lgbts  


In other news (Lawd hammercy, that Ssempa post really unnerved me):

 New Cases Of HIV Infection Are Stabilizing, But Some Groups Remain Particularly Vulnerable - Of course the religious right will use this info to stigmatize the gay community, thereby creating circumstances which could lead to more HIV infections. Not saying that this sort of thing is intentional, but at the very least, these folks are oblivious.  

Andrea Lafferty Cites CT School Shooting to Rally Opposition to Non-Discrimination Policies - Exploiting Newtwon to attack ENDA. Which one of us drew the pentagram and uttered "I summon thee" three times to cause the Traditional Values Coalition to poke its ugly head out?

 NOM’s Peculiar Definition of “Victory” - Dear NOM, sugar on trash is still trash. You can only point to one victory, not 10 as you claim.

'Anonymous' gay man upset at 'It Gets Better' campaign

Unfortunately, when you are a member of a targeted minority, it is difficult to talk about problems affecting your community without the haters swooping to exploit the discussion.

Case in point, our friend "Porno" Pete LaBarbera is practically dancing in the streets over this video by an angry gay man over getting older:



On one hand, he sounds like a bitter man who has a personal problem with the "It Gets Better" project.  On the other, he raises valid points - albeit in an unfairly extreme fashion - which I am sure many of us have raised.

Of course on the other hand, a small part of me questions if this mysteriously anonymous individual is real. I guess it's too much Columbo, but the way he likes to cite statistics is bizarrely similar to how religious right spokespeople cite statistics.

But let's operate from the stand point that he is on the up-and-up.

Every community has their problems. Things aren't exactly easy for folks in the Black community. We have inner community issues that we have to discuss and deal with. For example, I always felt that there has been never enough discussion regarding depression in the black community, nor gay issues in general.There seems to be a fear of  being vocal about what troubles us about each other as African-Americans for fear that we are putting our business out in the street and "whitey" may use it against us. That's a problem that goes way back and is rooted in some form of reality.

And don't even get me started on the light-skinned vs. dark-skinned issue which has been a huge problem in the black community from day one.

My main point is not to discuss this man's issues, but to say that life is not supposed to be easy and no community is a Utopia. Every community - be it black, gay, Latino, female, etc. -  has its problems.

And there are two things people should remember:

1. There is nothing wrong with discussing these issues, but in a proper way. You do not tear down good things built up in the community, such as the "It Gets Better" project, simply because your issues aren't getting enough attention. Why not create a positive way to generate a discussion. The gay community has problems with trust issues and other issues involving our physical and mental health. However, the homophobia we have had to deal with put us in this state. We shouldn't be turning on each other.

2. Don't be so general about problems in the gay community.  While it has been my experience that some segments of the gay community may be as shallow as this man as called them, a vast majority are NOT like that. We certainly wish we could all join hands and sing in fellowship, but it ain't going to happen.  But that's life. 

In the long run, nothing is  And not everyone is going to be your friend, whether you are gay or not. But remember, it's your life and you are responsible for your own choices. Don't blame others for whatever problems you have and don't allow their ignorance to define you, whether that person be gay or heterosexual.