Family Research Council memo = more lies about the lgbt community

According to Will Kohler of the blog Back2Stonewall, the Family Research Council sent the following brief 10-point memo to Cincinnati's Citizens for Community Values.

It's an abbreviated version of FRC spokesperson Peter Sprigg's error-filled paper, The Top Ten Harms of Same Sex Marriage.

Family Reseach Council's Anti-Gay Propaganda EXPOSED! - Top Ten Harms of Same Sex Marriage

As you can see, it is a piece filled with horror stories of what may happen should marriage equality become legal across the nation.

What's laughable about it are the conclusions FRC makes based on bad assumptions without any proof to back them up, such as how marriage equality would decrease birthrates:

Same-sex “marriage” would eliminate the incentive for procreation that is implicit in defining marriage as a male-female union. There is already evidence of at least a correlation between same-sex “marriage” and low birth and fertility rates, both in the U.S. and abroad. While some people still harbor outdated fears about “over-population,”demographers now understand that declining birth rates harm society.

Or out-and-out lies, such as marriage equality would interfere with so-called "religious freedom:"

Churches and non-profit organizations could be stripped of their tax exemptions and religious psychologists, social workers, and marriage counselors could be denied licensing if they “discriminate” against homosexuals. Individual believers who disapprove of homosexual relationships may face a choice at work between forfeiting their freedom of speech and being fired.

First of all, churches have never been nor will ever be forced to marry same-sex couples. In terms of "religious" psychologists, social workers, and marriage counselors, one would hope that FRC is not advising that these individuals - who may have to deal with potential lgbt patients - should have the right to deny services and care to these said patients, particularly social workers who would be employed by the state, i.e. your tax dollars. One would also hope that FRC isn't standing up for the right of "Christian" employees to harass their lgbt co-workers via their supposed freedom of speech.

When FRC did cite a study to prove a point made in its the memo, the organization was highly deceptive:

 •Fewer people would remain monogamous and sexually faithful.
 Among homosexual men, sex with multiple partners is tolerated and often expected. One study in the Netherlands showed that homosexual men with a steady partner had an average of eight sexual partners per year. If these behaviors are incorporated into what society affirms as “marriage,” then fidelity among heterosexuals would likely decline as well.

 •Fewer people would remain married for a lifetime.
 Even a homosexual psychologist has acknowledged that “gay and lesbian couples dissolve their relationships more frequently than heterosexual couples.” The same Dutch study that showed the high rate of homosexual promiscuity also showed that the average homosexual male “partnership” lasts only 1.5 years. As the transience of homosexual relationships is incorporated in society’s image of “marriage,” we can expect that fewer heterosexuals would maintain a lifelong commitment as well

You will notice how, while FRC cites a "Dutch study" freely, the organization makes it a point to not say that the gay men in the study were married. I have a hard time believing that this was accidental because, as it was, none of the gay men in the study were married.

While not known to many, except for those who have tracked the religious right over the years, the "Dutch study" citation is an old, dependable distortion of anti-gay groups.

The study in question was conducted by Dr. Maria Xiridou of the Amsterdam Municipal Health Services and appeared in the May 2003 edition of the journal AIDS. It did not look at gay marriage but was designed to "access the relative contribution of steady and casual partnerships to the incidence of HIV infection among homosexual men in Amsterdam and to determine the effect of increasing sexually risky behaviours among both types of partnerships in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy."
 
For this study, Dr. Xiridou received her information from the Amsterdam Cohort Study of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and AIDS Among Homosexual Men. To gain this information, researchers studied 1,800 gay men between the years of 1984- 2000.

Same sex marriage was legalized in the Netherlands in 2001. Information for the Amsterdam Cohort Study is found here. Furthermore, lesbians were not included in the study.

In other words, FRC is citing a study about unmarried casual gay male relationships to criticize marriage equality in general.

It's an extreme misdirection on the part of this so-called moral group.

But then again, the entire memo is an extreme misdirection on the part of FRC.

Related posts:

What the “Dutch Study” Really Says About Gay Couples

Family Research Council Defends Republican's Outdated Propaganda Against LGBT Community 

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

Know Your LGBT History - Anita Bryant

Whether she meant to or not, former Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner and spokesperson for the Florida Citrus Commission became an icon in lgbt history after her controversial and successful campaign to repeal a pro-gay rights ordinance in Dade County, FL in 1977. She won the battle but lost the war. She had other victories in other states, but she also galvanized the gay rights movement big time. Subsequently, her career was ruined. However, her legacy still stings our community. It was the first time someone used the "gays are a public hazard, particularly to our children" argument to defeat pro-gay legislation. And it would not be the last. Bryant provided a blueprint to future generations of bigots and homophobes:


 

 

Now the following is a clip everyone seems to remember. Bryant was assaulted by a gay man who hit her in the face with a pie. I am NOT for this sort of behavior. I don't care how empowering it allegedly feels. And I am totally against anyone who feels that we should do this sort of thing now (hello those who remember that stupid idea of throwing glitter on people). In the fight for equality, we should never stoop to levels which make us look like rabid dogs:

 

Past Know Your LGBT History posts:

'Two more Senators support marriage equality' and other Friday midday news briefs

Heidi Heitkamp, Joe Donnelly Back Gay Marriage - Suddenly, marriage equality is a popular issue to support in the U.S. Senate. Now about the House of Representatives . . .

 Fox News Fails To Prove That Marriage Equality Threatens Religious Liberty… Eight Times In A Row - Look this! It turns out that the cases where the religious right claims that marriage equality supposedly threatens "religious freedom" happened in places where there was NO marriage equality.  

ADF's five supposed 'victims' of marriage equality? All from states that didn't have marriage equality at time of incident! - Let's just reiterate the point of the above news briefs to show that it's a shame that no one - myself included - pointed that fact out until now. 

African-American clergy urge passage of IL marriage equality - Have you ever noticed how African-American clergy who support marriage equality don't get as much press as those who oppose it? Just making a point . . .  

Fred Luter Says He Didn't Mean To Link Gays to North Korean Threats - Oh come on! Sure you did!

Jon Stewart destroys Republican Party for its silly marriage equality argument

When it comes to the Republican Party and it's "rebranding," particularly on the issue of marriage equality, very few can put it better than Jon Stewart:

Paul Cameron is a symbol of the lgbt community's failure to take the initiative

Discredited anti-gay researcher Paul Cameron held a press conference today in which he spread more lies about the lgbt community. In this clip, he claimed that pedophilia is a standard practice in the gay community:

 

The sad thing about this clip is not what Cameron claims, but the fact that many lgbts - and heterosexuals for that matter - don't know who he is.

Cameron is a sad fool, a pathetic old man who has been kicked out of or censured by several medical groups over the years, including the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association, for the blatantly hideous methodologies he uses to smear the lgbt community.  Among other things, Cameron claims that:

• Lesbians are more likely to die in car wrecks,

• Gay men molest children at a high rate and are more likely to be serial killers,

• Gay men stuff gerbils up their rectums,

• Gays and lesbians in the military are more likely to rape their heterosexual counterparts.

In short, Cameron is a laughing stock, a clown, a person so oblivious to his obvious failings that he continues to flail away.

But he is so much more. He is a reminder of something. You see, as religious right groups combat the growing popularity of marriage equality by portraying themselves as bullied organizations merely standing on their faith, they don't want you to know about Cameron.

It wasn't that long ago when these religious right groups, the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for American, the American Family Association, et. al., openly and freely cited his work in spite of his many professional rebukes.

However, as Cameron's reputation for distortion became more widely known, these groups either disassociated themselves from him, cited him through a second source (which some still do), or cherry-picked legitimate research to prove crackpot theories which originated with him (such as the lie that gay men molest children at a high level or the false accusation that gay men have a shorter lifespan than heterosexuals).

None of these groups ever apologized for using Cameron's lies to smear the lgbt community nor even acknowledged that for a time, he was a main component in their war on the lgbt community.

And for the most part, they were able to get away with it because neither the lgbt community nor our leadership pressed the issue.

So Cameron is a symbol in another way. He is representative of the failure of the lgbt community to take the offensive in the fight for our equality.

While we laugh at this doddering old man, we forget that his work is still being cited as fact by people as insignificant as commentators on Facebook to very significant as Republican leaders (i.e. Dave Agema).

Yet, other than a few bloggers such as myself, there has never been a major offensive to connect him to the religious right groups or take them to task for citing his bad work in defense of their "morals."

The defense of morality should never include lies. And those who are lied on should not allow it to happen without challenge. But the lgbt community has allowed this to happen by underestimating just how willing religious right groups are to deceive. Meanwhile because of our carelessness and inattention, they have built up a firewall of anti-gay theories backed by lies, distortions, and cherry-picked science. The vast majority of these theories originated from Cameron.

So will there be some serious part on behalf of the lgbt community to knock down this firewall? It can be easily knocked down because it's so flimsy. Lies generally are.

Or are we going to continue to do what we have done, which is attack the media for allowing anti-gay spokespeople like Tony Perkins, Maggie Gallagher, or Peter Sprigg to repeat these lies without challenge.

Forget blaming the media. Our community is powerful enough to handle this. We are powerful enough to take on these lies before they are used against us. And we especially powerful in knocking them down.

But are we ever going to take the initiative?

There is nothing wrong with us relying on intelligence and progressive ideas to achieve equality.  But the religious right deceptions are something which cannot be ignored. There is nothing wrong with addressing them head on.

When dealing with folks not afraid to lie, good old fashioned and straightforward truth-telling never hurts.

'Magic Johnson talks about gay son in powerful interview' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Magic Johnson Talks About His Gay Son for First Time in Powerful, Lengthy Interview: VIDEO - One of the most powerful interviews you will ever see. All parents, not just African-Americans, need to take a look at this. 

 Texas Students And Lawmakers Target University LGBT Centers - If this madness finally succeeds, it will probably be the newest plan of attack on the lgbt community. Count on it.

Buddy Collins Confirmed By North Carolina Legislature To Education Board, Despite Anti-Gay Past - LGBT students in NC are going to have more problems.

NOM Comm. Director hangs up on gay caller; 'I'm just saying I'm hanging up if the question is more than 15 secs' - Poor NOM. They just can't get a break.  

Harvey: Day of Silence Promotes 'An Abomination' - Poor Linda Harvey and her crusades.

Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly feud over marriage equality

I am sooooo ashamed of myself but I am enjoying this feud between Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly over marriage equality. O'Reilly earned the ire of a lot of conservatives - and especially Limbaugh - when he recently said that marriage equality supporters give a compelling reason why they want rights while the opposition can do nothing but "thump the Bible." Since then, it was on:

NOM's Ruth Institute caught lying about support of Chicago Bears

Recently, NOM's Ruth Institute sent the following out via email:

From Equality Matters:

According to the email, the gala will include a raffle featuring two pieces of autographed memorabilia from the Chicago Bears Organization, who the group thanks for “supporting our message”:

This year, we're planning on sending our graduates off with a bang! And we've got some help! Several donors have stepped up and donated terrific items for us to raffle as prizes in an effort to raise funds for ITAF '13.
[…]
For now, you should know that we have two fabulous raffle items from the Chicago Bears Organization (and a huge THANK YOU to the Bears for supporting our message).

The items in mentioned are the following:

Naturally, this left many folks wondering about whether the Chicago Bears supports NOM and the Ruth Institute's anti-gay message. After some inquiries, the Chicago Bears sent the following message:

"The two items featured in The Ruth Institute gala invitation were personal donations to Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse. Neither was a club donation, nor do they represent the team’s view on any social issues. Any remarks stating otherwise are false." 

Check and mate.  

This is a story in progress. Details may or may not change.

UPDATE - Jennifer Morse of NOM's Ruth Institute confirms the fact that the email was a lie:

Reached by phone Wednesday afternoon, Morse initially declined comment. But the website later dropped all images and references to the Bears at the team's request, and Morse issued a statement: "The Ruth Institute is not working with the Chicago Bears organization or any of its players past or present to promote our upcoming auction. The memorabilia we are auctioning off was acquired by me personally, not through the team or players. We understand that the Chicago Bears organization takes no position on social issues, and we regret any confusion we may have caused on this point."

Dave Agema controversy gets worse for lgbt community

The lgbt community really needs to pay attention to the Dave Agema situation in Michigan because it's just gotten worse. Agema, a state Republican leader, caught a lot of negative attention recently for posting outdated information about the lgbt community on his Facebook page.

Agema has not only refused to take back what he said, in spite of the fact that folks have complained about the inaccuracy of the information, but he has also put up a petition claiming that he  "will dig in and fight even harder to defend our conservative values from these attacks by liberals in the media, and even in our own party." Today, two state Republicans, Ken Yonker, of Caledonia, and Thomas Hooker, of Byron Center, signed the petition.

According to a Michigan newspaper:

Yonker, who began his second term this year, signed the petition on March 30. On the petition, Yonker thanked Agema for "bringing forward the negative struggles the gay life style [sic] brings." He also linked to factsaboutyouth.com, a website that among other things contends homosexuals are more at-risk of contracting STDs, more likely to suffer from mental illness, less apt to be monogamous and likelier to live shorter lives.

"I encourage all to learn more this struggle some live with, so we can understand and help them," Yonker wrote on the petition before linking to the website, which also includes information about "change therapies" for homosexuals.

There is one problem

Facts About Youth contains the same tired lies and misinformation about the gay community found on almost every religious right web page and repeated by almost every religious right talking head. The following are just a few:

1.  Facts About Youth repeats the claim that Dr. Francis Collins stated that homosexuality is not hardwired by DNA. The truth is that Francis Collins never said that. In fact, Dr. Collins said his words were being distorted:

The words . . .  all come from the Appendix to my book “The Language of God” (pp. 260-263), but have been juxtaposed in a way that suggests a somewhat different conclusion that I intended. I would urge anyone who is concerned about the meaning to refer back to the original text.

2. Facts About Youth repeats the lie that  the Robert Spitzer study proves that homosexuality is changeable, excluding the fact that Spitzer has said on more than one occasion that his research was being distorted.

3. Facts About Youth mentions the term "gay bowel syndrome," even though it does not exist.

4. Facts About Youth repeats the lie that a Canadian study proves that gay men have a short life span, even though the researchers of the study said that their work was being distorted.

I don't know what's worse about this situation. The fact that people who are going to be voting on lgbt issues is spreading this bad information or that the lgbt community and our leadership seem to be clueless about raising a fuss over it.

'Rutgers coach fired after attacking players and screaming homophobic slurs' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Rutgers Basketball Coach Fired For Physical, Verbal Player Abuse, Homophobia - Simply a NASTY situation. 

 Brian Brown Encourages Hate Groups To Be More Anti-Gay Than NOM - Our former president, George Bush, called this "strategery." Or did Will Ferrell? Seriously the hope seems to be that if anti-gay groups are more rabid then NOM would seem more moderate and congenial. Knowing the country's media, this could work.  

John Kavanagh, Arizona State Representative, Defends Transgender Bathroom Bill - This bill is SUCH a waste of time and energy. All it does is beat our transgender brothers and sisters up with awful stereotypes.  

O'Reilly Says It's "Accurate And Honest" To Call Marriage Equality Opponents Bible Thumpers - This is true, but Bill O'Reilly? Defending us? Stop the world. I want to jump off. 

 NOM's latest hero: Father who doesn't care to dance at son's wedding - Good Lord, NOM? Who's the next hero going to be? Alan Keyes because he cut off all contact with his lesbian daughter?  

Keyes: Gay Marriage Violates the Declaration of Independence - Speaking of which. My gosh, first Ben Carson and now THIS guy. Is there any African-American conservatives out there with even a modicum of sanity?

Family Research Council defends Republican's outdated propaganda against lgbt community

As if it's a surprise to anyone, the Family Research Council is rushing to support Dave Agema, the Michigan Republican leader who is facing a firestorm for putting outdated anti-gay propaganda on his Facebook page.

Last week, Agema posted on his Facebook page something called Everyone Should Know These Statistics on Homosexuality, a vicious anti-gay litany of lies, including:

Many homosexual sexual encounters occur while drunk, high on drugs, or in an orgy setting.

Homosexuals live unhealthy lifestyles, and have historically accounted for the bulk of syphilis, gonorrhea, Hepatitis B, the "gay bowel syndrome" (which attacks the intestinal tract), tuberculosis and cytomegalovirus .

 25-33% of homosexuals and lesbians are alcoholics .

Homosexuals are 100 times more likely to be murdered (usually by another homosexual) than the average person, 25 times more likely to commit suicide, and 19 times more likely to die in a traffic accident.

Since that post, Agema has been catching a lot of flack, including from members of his own party demanding that he resign.

The Family Research Council has just backed Agema. In an email recently sent out, the organization said the following:

When leaders like Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema so much as raise questions about the harms of homosexuality, the RNC throws them under the bus faster than you can say "political correctness." Agema, a staunch Michigan conservative, is taking fire from his own party for a Facebook post that detailed the harms of homosexuality. And while people may not agree with everything in his column, they should agree on his freedom to call for a discussion. But under this new "inclusive" and "welcoming" RNC, simply raising awareness on certain social issues is off-limits. A group of GOP officials is calling on Agema to resign--including state party chairman Bobby Schostak, who claimed that statistics about the consequences of homosexual behavior (consequences which even the Left acknowledges!) are a "form of hate."

While Agema's research may be somewhat outdated, FRC's "Top 10 Myths about Homosexuality" highlights a summary of recent data, which all point to the high rates of physical and mental illness associated with homosexuality. Several of these hazards are echoed by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, which makes a point of posting the risks so that people can discuss them with their doctors. To his credit, Agema isn't backing down. He insists that we shouldn't cut off debate about a lifestyle with direct public policy implications.

While FRC rightfully calls Agema's information outdated, it replaces the information with some distortions of its own. The post it highlighted,  "Top 10 Myths about Homosexuality," has several problems with accuracy.  For one thing it repeats the same lies as Agema, but backed with cherry-picked studies.

A perfect example of this is FRC's claim about the work taken from the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. FRC cherry-picked the GLMA's work to give it a totally different meaning.

While FRC lists the health problems which may affect gays and lesbians, the organization is careful to omit the  information from the GLMA which points to how homophobia and societal rejection plays a part in creating these health problems and hindering lgbts from receiving adequate care. By omitting this information, FRC incorrectly makes it seem that the sexual orientation itself is a factor when it comes to gay and lesbian health problems.

For the record, Agema was not debating. He was spreading lies and distortions derived from bad sources. One source listed as a citation on the post Agema cited,  Paul Cameron, is a charlatan who has been either censured or dismissed from several medical associations for his bad research methodologies and outrageously homophobic claims, including the claim that gays stuff gerbils up their rectums. The problem here with Agema is that he is so wrapped up in his own self-righteousness that he fails to realize no one is persecuting him or trying to hinder his right to free speech.

With free speech comes responsibilities and the main responsibility is the hope that one doesn't use his or her free speech to spread lies and deceptions. Caught up in his own phony martyrdom, Agema doesn't want to realize that in bearing false witness against the lgbt community, he has betrayed those Christian values which he is seeking to defend.

The Family Research Council, on the other hand, is another case entirely. It wasn't that long ago when the group peddled the same lies in the same unabashed form as Agema. However, knowing fully well that the information was propaganda, FRC dialed back the rhetoric and is now attempting to portray a more "kinder, gentler" image of homophobia.

And a central part of this false image is portraying every ugly offense it lodges against the lgbt community as merely a way of "starting a debate."  What FRC does to the lgbt community is no different than a reporter asking a politician, "so when did you stop beating your wife," and then whining about being silenced when the politician objects to the offensive nature of the question.

This is not debating.  It's called demonizing. It's called lying. And it has no place in the public square.  The question is how long will it be before the media stops being fooled by FRC's shuck-and-jive?

It wouldn't be allowed if Agema and FRC were talking about African-Americans. It wouldn't be allowed if Agema and FRC were talking about people of the Jewish faith. And it certainly wouldn't be allowed if Agema and FRC were talking about women.

What is about the lgbt community which makes it permissible to treat us any different?

Why we should 'protect' children from gays . . .

An excellent blogger and an online friend of mine, Rob Tisinai and his group - the National Marriage Organization, comes up with a few reasons why we all should "protect" our children from gays . . .

 

'Magic Johnson's gay son goes public with love and support from parents' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Earvin Johnson III, Magic Johnson's Gay Son, Goes Public With Boyfriend, Parents Very Proud - At first, I thought that this was frivolous. But on reflection, I am wrong. It is GOOD to see a high-profile African-American couple accept their openly gay son without any conditions. And Little Magic knows how to work a fur. I just hope it's not real fur. 

Keyes: Marriage Equality is the 'Archetype of all Crimes Against Humanity' - Because THIS crazy black man doesn't accept his lesbian daughter. Sad.  

Leaders Aim to Conceal Kill-the-Gays Debate from Ugandans - Ugh! This ain't good!

  GOP Lawmaker: Only Gender Norms Can Define A Family - Forget love and support? Hardly.  

Why LGBT Undocumented People Need Immigration Reform - Awesome article! 

 Audio: Tony Perkins suggests gays try suicide because 'they can't fill that God vacuum,' are 'in rebellion to God's design' - I haven't picked on the Family Research Council or Tony Perkins for a while. And they always leave themselves wide open.

Irony of homophobia escapes Catholic priest

Witness logic turned on its head. With the shift to a positive view of marriage equality gripping the nation, suddenly those who oppose it are portraying themselves as the victims of intolerance even as they denigrate same-sex couples and families. Witness a short clip of this interview from Fox News

As much as interviewer Megyn Kelly tried to give him cover, Father Gerald Murray still made himself look like a hypocrite:



Maybe it's just me but reducing someone's relationship right off the bat to sin is bigotry. It astounds me with what chutzpah these individuals employ to distort with a straight face.

Dave Agema saga exposes the lies of the anti-gay right

The saga of Dave Agema, the Michigan Republican leader who pushed bad junk science about the lgbt community last week, continues. From Talking Points Memo:

After standing by an anti-gay Facebook post last week, Michigan Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema on Sunday took to the social networking site again to claim there are "reems (sic) of studies showing the negative health affects (sic)" of homosexuality. According to a release from Grand Traverse County Republican precinct delegate Dennis Lennox, Agema was responding to a petition that urged the Republican Party to increase inclusivity.

According to Agema, he has "reams of studies" proving homosexuality to be a so-called dangerous lifestyle.  He originally cited information from Dr. Frank Joseph, a physician whom no one has ever heard of.  The information cited is called Everyone Should Know These Statistics on Homosexuals.

But there is something I noticed about Joseph's information which needs to be stated.

Those who have read this blog should remember this book on the left because I have referred to it many times. It is an awful comic book published in the late 1980s by a man named Dave Hafer called Deathstyle. It, as Joseph's piece cited by Agema, also purported to give "statistics" about homosexuality.

In fact, if one would compare Hafer's comic book and Joseph's piece, one would see startling similarities.

Joseph:

Homosexuals live unhealthy lifestyles, and have historically accounted for the bulk of syphilis, gonorrhea, Hepatitis B, the "gay bowel syndrome" (which attacks the intestinal tract), tuberculosis and cytomegalovirus

Hafer:

 

Joseph:

37% of homosexuals engage in sadomasochism, which accounts for many accidental deaths. In San Francisco, classes were held to teach homosexuals how to not kill their partners during sadomasochism.

Hafer:

Joseph:

Homosexuals are 100 times more likely to be murdered (usually by another homosexual) than the average person, 25 times more likely to commit suicide, and 19 times more likely to die in a traffic accident. 21% of lesbians die of murder, suicide or traffic accident, which is at a rate of 534 times higher than the number of white heterosexual females aged 25-44 who die of these things.

Hafer:

Joseph:

 Homosexuals prey on children. 33% of homosexuals ADMIT to minor/adult sex. There is a notable homosexual group, consisting of thousands of members, known as the North American Man and Boy Love Association ( NAMBLA). This is a child molesting homosexual group whose cry is "SEX BEFORE 8 BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE." This group can be seen marching in most major homosexual parades across the United States. Homosexuals commit more than 33% of all reported child molestations in the United States, which, assuming homosexuals make up 2% of the population, means that 1 in 20 homosexuals is a child molester, while 1 in 490 heterosexuals is a child molester.

Hafer:

 

You see where I'm going with this?

Both Hafer's comic book and Joseph's piece are filled with false information coming from cherry-picked sources published decades ago or just plain bad studies from junk science sources. One source in particular which they both share, Paul Cameron, is a man who has been either censured or dismissed from several medical associations for his bad research methodologies and outrageously homophobic claims. Amongst other things, Cameron has claimed that gay men "seduce" children on a regular basis, that is when they are not stuffing gerbils up their rectums.

In other words, Agema is doing nothing more than citing awful homophobic propaganda created to shock rather than to educate during a time in which the lgbt community didn't have shows like Will & Grace or figures like Ellen DeGeneres going to bat for us and we were seen as "pitiful other."

My guess is that Agema's "reams" of statistics will say the same negative things about lgbts which Hafer and Joseph did because they most likely come from the same place of lies and distortions.

The irony is that this controversy is going on during a seriously positive shift of opinion towards marriage equality and the lgbt community in general.  Religious right groups are now attempting to play the victims and claim that this shift is causing them to be unfairly labeled as bigots.

But Agema's insistence on pushing this information reminds us that these groups are omitting entire chunks of the story, i.e. the portions in which they freely cited the same information as Agema.

And in any conversation about bigotry and homophobia, those chunks of the story cannot be omitted because when one takes the information Agema cites and polishes it up, one finds that while religious right groups are pleading victimhood, they are still referring to these lies as fact.

'NOM president wants to attach anti-gay group to Civil Rights movement' and other Monday midday news briefs

NOM's Brian Brown on Tuesday of last week:

Brian Brown: Anti-Gay March Was What the Civil Rights Movement 'Must Have Felt Like' 

Brown on yesterday's 'Meet the Press':

 Head of org that's vowed to 'drive a wedge between gays and blacks' says it's a 'slur' to compare gay, black fights 

Just in case you need to keep score, according to Brown - comparing the African-American civil rights movement to the lgbt movement for equality is a slur. But comparing the African-American civil rights movement to the fight to deny lgbts of equality. Well that's just peachy.

 In other news:

 Cardinal Timothy Dolan Admits That The Catholic Church’s Opposition to Same-Sex Civil Marriage Is Anti-Gay - Well duuuuh! 

 GA GOP Chair: Straights Will Gay-Marry Just For The Benefits - As if they actually need marriage equality to cheat. 

 Buddy Collins Nominated To Plum North Carolina Education Post, Despite Anti-Gay Record - Trouble for our lgbt children in North Carolina.

How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America - cheap plug time. Only 300 away from 15,000 reads. If you haven't read it yet, please do. Also, send it to your friends and family. A definitive take down of the anti-gay right.  

New Mormon Ex-Gay Therapy Website Is Rife With Lies And Stereotypes - An excellent example as to why the information in the last brief is needed.

NOM march participants aren't hateful. They're just ignorant

During NOM's march at the Supreme Court last week, the right-wing Media Research Center tried to lend the organization a helping hand by interviewing march participants. The interview was pretty much the question of "if you are against same-sex marriage, does that mean you hate gays?" Of course that's nonsense. The question was deliberately simplistic. This entire situation is not about hate. It's about ignorance. However there is no need for me to elucidate. Whether they realize it or not, those who tried to answer this ridiculous question more than proves my point. "Love" like what these folks expressed is love no one needs. You can mark this interview as backfiring:

Know Your LGBT History - 'THE GAYS ARE COMING TO GET YOU' documentaries

One thing the lgbt community has had to deal with over the years are homophobes with cameras, movie equipment and a vivid imagination. From Gay Rights, Special Rights to They Are Coming To Your Town, the religious right have made many a pretty penny and scared many an American with documentaries full of propaganda about a supposed gay conspiracy out to destroy America and harm children. The following trailer - The Criminalization of Christianity - is no different. Enjoy it if you can:

 

As you can no doubt tell, this trailer is filled with all sort of lies. However, I want to especially want to point one out because it involves a very good twitter buddy of mine, Chai Feldblum.

At 1:09, there is a huge photo Feldblum, head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, with the following words next to the photo: "Gays Win, Christians Lose."

For a long time, the religious right accused her of making that statement, but she never said such a thing. Like so many other things they push, the controversy about that alleged statement is an ugly lie.

Right Wing Watch says the following about the trailer:

Faith 2 Action is out with a low-budget trailer for a new movie warning America that “time and freedom are running out” in the fight to stop the gay rights movement.

The ominous trailer claims gay rights advocates are “threatening marriage,” “threatening our children” and “threatening freedom” and makes references to the Jerry Sandusky abuse case and a Michael Swift article which Religious Right activists apparently don’t realize was satire.

“If homosexual activists achieve their goal,” the trailer warns, “it will be the criminalization of Christianity.”

The trailer’s credits say the film was written, of course, by F2A president Janet Porter, the author of The Criminalization of Christianity who in 2009 predicted that the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act would “send pastors to prison.”

But they are still looking for an executive producer and a costume designer, so dust off those résumés!

Past Know Your LGBT History posts:

Anti-gay legislation rooted in lies, not Scripture

Dave Agema

For those who wonder why bloggers like me "pay attention" to the religious right and spotlight their lies, the following post is you: 

Michigan Republican Committeeman: Homosexuality ‘Usually Leads To Early Death’ - During the Supreme Court hearings this week on Prop 8 and DOMA, Michigan Republican Committeeman Dave Agema posted on his Facebook page something called Statistics on Homosexuality, a vicious anti-gay list of lies, including:

Many homosexual sexual encounters occur while drunk, high on drugs, or in an orgy setting.

Homosexuals live unhealthy lifestyles, and have historically accounted for the bulk of syphilis, gonorrhea, Hepatitis B, the "gay bowel syndrome" (which attacks the intestinal tract), tuberculosis and cytomegalovirus .

 25-33% of homosexuals and lesbians are alcoholics .

 Of homosexuals questioned in one study reports that 43% admit to 500 or more partners in a lifetime, 28% admit to 1000 or more in a lifetime, and of these people, 79% say that half of those partners are total strangers, and 70% of those sexual contacts are one night stands (or, as one homosexual admits in the film "The Castro", one minute stands).

 Also, it is a favorite past-time of many homosexuals to go to "cruisy areas" and have anonymous sex.

 78% of homosexuals are affected by STDs. 50% of suicides can be attributed to homosexuals The median age of death of homosexuals is 42 (only 9% live past age 65). This drops to 39 if the cause of death is AIDS. The median age of death of a married heterosexual man is 75. The median age of death of lesbians is 45 (only 24% live past age 65). The median age of death of a married heterosexual woman is 79.

Homosexuals are 100 times more likely to be murdered (usually by another homosexual) than the average person, 25 times more likely to commit suicide, and 19 times more likely to die in a traffic accident. 

 It wasn't that long ago that "high-profile" religious right groups such as the Family Research Council, the American Family Association, the National Organization for Marriage, and Concerned Women for America peddled this information free and unashamed. They still do peddle these lies, but only covertly.

NOM upset over Piers Morgan segment on marriage equality

NOM is upset over this segment on Piers Morgan in which a member of the Heritage Foundation, Ryan Anderson, was heavily outnumbered and outgunned by Piers Morgan and Suze Orman.

While NOM does have a minor point - at times it did get uncomfortable how Anderson was getting battered - for the organization to whine about unfair debates is totally hypocritical.

For the longest time, those debating on behalf of NOM - i.e. Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown - haven't necessarily behaved themselves during a debate.

 Part of me would think of that "we don't want to stoop to their level" argument. But then another part of me doesn't exactly feel all that bad that when knocked off of his talking points, Anderson couldn't rise to the challenge.  Perhaps the treatment he received stemmed from the fact that when asked questions, he repeated the same talking points in an unconvincing manner thereby giving Morgan, Orman, and the audience the impression that unless provoked a bit, he was going to duck and dodge.

But judge for yourself:

 

 

Family Research Council exploits Matthew Shepard's murder to justify discrimination

I've read many reasons why same-sex couples shouldn't be married from religious right groups and all of them are either distortion-filled or just plain nasty. But the following from the Family Research Council's Robert Morrison goes beyond the boundaries of good taste. He exploits the murder of Matthew Shepard to somehow connect marriage equality to the problem of absent fathers:

When we see dozens of Democrats abandoning their previously held positions and a few Republicans also willing to betray the voters who put them in office, it would be easy to become cynical about everyone in politics. But we have to stand firm and push back. Marriage is a blessing to families. Three-quarters of the teen rapists in our prisons are fatherless young men, so are two-thirds of the teen murderers. Even gay martyr Matthew Shepherd [sic] was killed by two fatherless young men. Marriage bashes no one. Marriage benefits everyone. 

Barring some profane words which I have not used in years, I can sum up Morrison's passage in three descriptions: tacky, tasteless, and totally un-Christian.

Those two men who murdered Shepard didn't commit their crime because a father was absent in their households. They murdered Shepard partly because of the fact that they were hateful individuals. But I would wager what they may have heard in their homes regarding gays had more to do with their crime than a father possibly not being at home. And also in a society which taught them to look at lgbts as slugs not worthy of respect (no doubt aided and abetted by past words and actions of the Family Research Council and other anti-gay groups)

 At any rate, it doesn't make any difference. They were adults and made their choice to take this young man's life. There is no excuse for that. I also find it extremely distasteful that after years of besmirching Shepard's name, i.e. claiming that he was murdered in the case of a drug deal gone bad or claiming that he flirted with the men and caused his own death, someone from the religious right camp would actually have the temerity to exploit his murder via the result of physical homophobia to justify institutional homophobia.

Most of all, I don't like what I read in Morrison's description of Shepard. Folks will read what they want in his turn of phrase but I detect a sublime nastiness in how he termed Shepard as a "gay martyr." It's a ugly transference by Morrison because he implies that the lgbt community predatorily used Shepard's death to further our supposed "agenda." The only one with an agenda here is Morrison because he doesn't seem to care a whit that Shepard was an innocent child more than he is a talking point.

After all, why would he even cite Shepard in the first place.

Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.

''Christian' writer pens nasty post on Today show host and her family' and other Thursday midday news briefs

Concerned Women for America Upset Jenna Wolfe Is Having a Baby - There is a very good chance that the lgbt community will attain a victory out of both cases heard in front of the Supreme Court this week. In the case of Prop 8, if we win any victory, it will be because of the fact that we have proven that the CA law would harm our children. If that becomes the case, then we can expect more nasty attacks like this, not just our person but our families.  

Premature Celebration - A very good piece and food for thought by Jim Burroway of Box Turtle Bulletin.

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski Is ‘Evolving’ On Same-Sex Marriage - Second Republican Senator on our side? It could happen.  

Important DOMA reminder: The Family Research Council built that - Food for thought. The Family Research Council is the group responsible for DOMA. I almost forgot that.

30 of the most offensive things said about marriage equality

With the momentum supporting marriage equality, there is an effort by some to distinguish the difference between those who oppose it because of strict religious belief and those who oppose it because of homophobic animus.

 This is a smart idea because it furthers discussion, eases tensions, and undercuts a possible oncoming backlash against marriage equality.

However, let's not forget those have acted the fool in this argument.

Thanks to Media Matters, we won't. The organization has come up with the 30 Of The Most Offensive, Idiotic, And Bizarre Conservative Arguments Against Marriage Equality. They include:

• Conservatives: Marriage Equality Will Lead To People Marrying Ducks, Donkeys, Goats, Dolphins, Turtles, Dogs, And Cantaloupes
• Conservatives: Marriage Equality Will Lead To The Downfall Of Society
• Conservatives Link Marriage Equality To Pedophilia, Child Molestation, And Incest
• Conservatives: Marriage Equality Will Lead To Plural Marriages
• The "Ick Factor," "Sexual Anarchy," And Other Reasons Conservative Media Figures Oppose Marriage Equality

While we should make the distinction between religious beliefs and homophobic animus, let's not be careful to forget those who have shown their animus. We would be making a huge mistake if we did.

Scenes from the DOMA trial: It was a GOOD day

Just as I did yesterday with the Prop 8 trial, this post will look at different aspect of today's DOMA trial:

 Supreme Court DOMA Case: Justices Sounded Skeptical Of Law's Constitutionality, Purpose - Keep your fingers crossed.

  Brian Brown: Anti-Gay March Was What the Civil Rights Movement 'Must Have Felt Like' - Poor Brian Brown. He's faked persecution so long he thinks he can compare himself to those who had to overcome genuine persecution. When I'm less drained and more fired up, I intend to revisit this item and give Mr. Brown a piece of my mind. 

 14 Most Telling DOMA Moments at the Supreme Court - I love this piece.

 NOM: Here's A Great Anti-Gay Preacher - NOM makes a HUGE error here. Someone isn't earning their ill-gotten salary. 

 MSNBC’s Luke Russert Grills Evangelical Leader Tony Perkins Over His Defense Of DOMA - This was GOOOOOOOD! Russert even challenged Perkins' ridiculous notion about "children do best with a mom and a dad." Then Perkins pulled the discredited Regnerus study out of his bag. And Russert shot that down, too! Perkins looked like he stuck his hand in a hot oven and was trying to act cool about it. I love it when a journalist does his/her homework!! 

 Four Examples Of The Junk Science That’s Been Used To Defend DOMA In Court - I am CITED in this post!!! When Paul Clement, the lawyer defending DOMA, submitted his brief a while back, I broke the story that he was using junk science. 

 Barber: Children of Same-Sex Couples Live In 'Disordered and Dysfunctional Households' - Apparently when Barber read the verse in which Jesus said "suffer the little children," he misunderstood.  

NOM hopes to co-opt HRC's 'change your profile pic' success by denigrating single parents - NOM's trying to piggyback on HRC's campaign. Tacky, tacky, tacky.

Marriage Equality Is Good For Many Reasons - Well heck, I could have told you that!

 The Moment When Justice Ginsburg Took Aim To Kill DOMA - Yeah, I know. Everyone is going to remember Justice Ginsberg's skim milk comparison.

 More Great Signs From The Supreme Court Marriage Equality Rallies - Because you liked the pro-marriage equality signs yesterday, here are more from today.

'Possible DOMA ruling looks good for lgbt community' and other Wednesday midday news briefs'

 Well I caught it just in time. The talk for now according to @SCOTUSblog is good. There is an 80% chance that DOMA will be struck down.  Justice Kennedy thinks it violates states' rights while four other justices see it as a case of lgbt rights. I will take that. Like I said yesterday with Prop 8, this news is EARLY, so no dances yet. Or at least no tootsie rolls or "dropping it like it's hot" until June! See @SCOTUSblog for more details.

  Bill O'Reilly: Gay Marriage Foes Can Only 'Thump The Bible' In Their Arguments (VIDEO) - Suddenly things get really spooky. Oh well, I guess not. It's rather a good thing when you can convince someone, no matter who it is, with your argument.

  Today's pro-discrimination march - Oh brother. NOM left. The Westboro Baptist Church stayed. 

Anti-Marriage Equality Bishop: ‘Sexual Abuse Does Not Happen’ In Straight Marriages - No offense to my brothers and sisters in heterosexual marriages but OH BROTHER!!

 Kansas bill calls for HIV positive people to be quarantined - What the @!$%?  

Five Lessons I’ve Learned as a Black Christian LGBT Ally - An exceptional piece from a good friend of mine, Minister Gerald Palmer.

  Tennessee “Don’t Say Gay” bill dies, again - And good riddance!

Stunning video from yesterday and a reminder of NOM's lies

Well day one is over. Now day two will feature how the Supreme Court handles DOMA. But let's take a video look back at day one. The following video from blogger Mark S. King on youtube is reminds us about the sights and scenes from yesterday's competing rallies:




One more thing. If you haven't already shared the following video pulled from twitter, please feel free. It's a reminder of how the National Organization for Marriage plays loose with the facts:

Scenes from the Prop 8 trial - history through different eyes

So many things happened today during the historic Supreme Court trial on Prop 8, I thought I would simply post links and allow you to pick on what you wanted to focus:  

Megyn Kelly To Maggie Gallagher: How Is Prop 8 Different From A Ban On Interracial Marriage? - Okay you know it gets weird when Fox News challenges your homophobia

 Fox News Contributors Say Marriage Equality Would Criminalize Christianity - There we go! THAT's the Fox News I know and despise.  

NOM #marriagemarch suporter defines 'Real Men' - Jeremy Hooper attended NOM's ridiculous rally. Apparently he is more of a sadist than I am. Check out this nauseating bit and look for more on his blog.  

VIDEO: Conservatives At Anti-Gay Marriage Rally Undercut One Of Their Primary Talking Points - Feel free to enjoy. I don't have the strength. 

 Mike Huckabee Threatens GOP: Support Marriage Equality And Evangelicals Will Form Third Party - Feel free to destroy yourselves. As long as I get a front row seat.

  Op-ed: The 6 Most Absurd Prop. 8 Briefs - Yes, the homophobes went brief crazy. 

 Attorney Arguing For Prop 8 Admits His Argument Sucks, Basically - Yes he did.

 NOM's 'Historic' Fail - And NOM's march sucked also.

 The 60 Best Signs Against DOMA And Prop 8 At The Supreme Court - Let's end this post with a bit of frivolity.

'Consensus - Supreme Court ruling MAY BE partial victory for gays' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

What a morning at the Supreme Court! Transcripts will be ready soon (and unfortunately, I will still be at work) so allow me to break down the possible, too-early to tell but folks are talking anyway consensus. While not an embracing of full marriage equality for the entire nation by the judges, it is also believed that Prop 8 may just stay invalidated. Even though I don't live in California, I would take that and love it:

Supreme Court Proposition 8 Case Arguments Cast Doubt On Gay Marriage Ban - If Prop 8 stays overturned, it may come down to an argument which NOM tried so hard to omit from everyone's mind - children in same-sex families. 

 The Proposition 8 oral argument - And a more detailed view from SCOTUSblog .

  Republicans Admit Intention To Sugarcoat Their Opposition To LGBT Equality - Meanwhile, Republicans are clueless as what to do so they are waiting.  

Concerned Women for America: Starbucks Discriminates Against Straight People by Supporting Gay Rights - Oh good grief!

Today is the day. Let's not stop

What will happen today and tomorrow at the Supreme Court and at rallies around the nation?

I don't know. I am hopeful that we will prevail. I believe that we will prevail. I have certainly prayed over it a few times. Yes I prayed. No one group owns the patent on prayer and I suspect that I am not the first lgbt who has prayed over a decision which will affect his/her life.

 But this I do know.

We have come a long way and we ain't stopping now, regardless of what happens. We must never stop until full equality is ours.

Why can't Maggie Gallagher stop lying about gay household studies?

Maggie Gallagher

Former National Organization for Marriage head Maggie Gallagher is the latest religious right figure to throw a distortion-filled hissy fit over the American Academy of Pediatricians’ recent support of marriage equality and same-sex households.

In a piece in today’s National Review, Gallagher repeats the lie that the AAP ignored scientific data in its statement:

There are at least four reviews or studies in peer-reviewed literature that contest the claim that children do equally well with same-sex parents. (Regnerus, Marks, Sirota, Allen). None of which are mentioned by the American Academy of Pediatricians in their endorsement of gay marriage. They cannot cite a single scientific study in a peer-reviewed journal showing children with gay parents are better off if their parents are considered legally married. None of this matters. How serious are we about children’s well-being in this country?

Gallagher is not telling the truth. Or to put it another way, she is lying through her teeth. The other studies she mentioned (Marks, Sirota, and Allen) are merely cocktail canape.

Loren Marks did not create a study of same-sex households but rather a review of studies looking at same-sex households. His piece was considered to be a companion piece to the Regnerus study.

Dr. Theodora Sirota actually complained about how her work was being distorted to make the case against same-sex families.

Douglas Allen is a Canadian economist and a professor of economics who actually supported Regnerus’ work.

The big prize here is the Regnerus study. And that is what Gallagher’s lie entails. The AAP did in fact look at Regnerus’ work and destroyed it. On pg. 1378 or pg 6 of the link, starting in the third column, the AAP lists four reasons why the Regnerus study cannot be considered credible in terms of looking at children raised in same-sex households.

Aside from Gallagher and Brian Brown of NOM, the Family Research Council, and Focus on the Family have also tried to push the lie that AAP ignored credible research on same-sex households. Maybe it’s just me but I detect a note of fear in regards to the immediacy of these claims.

And for the life of me, I can’t figure out why of all of the briefs or statements supporting marriage equality for tomorrow and Wednesday’s upcoming Supreme Court trials,  does there seem to be some fear regarding the AAP’s statement.

Whatever the case, the fear is hard to ignore. And that is good for us.

'The Advocate blisters NOM in huge expose' and other Monday midday news briefs

Dirty Money - The Advocate runs a HUGE and asskicking expose on NOM. Everyone repeat after me - "It's about time!"  

Will NOM condemn French “pro-family” violence, use of kids as human shields? - That's a good question but we all know the answer. Of course not. 

 Nevada State Senate Passes Trans-Inclusive Hate Crimes Bill - Who ever said this couldn't be done is a liar.  

Rob Portman's Gay Marriage Conversion Explained By His Son - Sen. Rob Portman's son, Will, talks about his father's change of heart on marriage equality and reminds us all about a father's love and concern for his son's well-being.  

My exchange with a NOM #marriagemarch speaker - A day in which Jeremy Hooper is not rhetorically tearing apart a NOM member or supporter is like a day without sunshine.

Focus on the Family talking head shows his ignorance, homophobia

Glenn T. Stanton

Religious right groups are continuing their sad attempts of calling out the American Academy of Pediatrics for formally supporting same-sex families.

 Last week, NOM, the Family Research Council, and the so-called American College of Pediatricians (a shell-group pushing anti-gay propaganda) spoke their piece. Recently, Glenn T. Stanton of Focus on the Family had some negative words about the AAP. He really should have kept his mouth shut:

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued what appears to be a politically motivated statement suggesting that children raised by same-sex parents do just fine. In fact, the AAP goes so far as to suggest that children are more affected by the health of the relationship between the people raising them than by whether they are being raised by their own mother and father.

Sadly, the report is not rooted in social science but instead in a spirit of radical social activism, causing the authors to come to a fantastical and wishful conclusion.  Regarding this issue, we must consider two important things that we do know.

1)    The current research on how children fare developmentally in lesbian homes (there is virtually no research on male-headed families) has so many serious methodological limitations and problems that it cannot be counted on to draw any kind of reliable conclusion. The AAP’s own journal Pediatrics published a study (see p. 3 of study) in 2010 on this topic which makes this very clear to anyone who examines the methodology employed in reaching the study’s findings. This study’s weaknesses are also clearly displayed in the published explanation (see p. 274-275) of the study’s purpose and methodology. The research base they are employing is a house of cards.

2)    There is an absolute wealth of very strong, consistent and diverse research demonstrating that when children are raised in a home other than with the child’s own married mother and father, that child is significantly more likely to experience a host of serious physical, psychological, educational, and behavioral disadvantages. And no data exists that this is not also true of same-sex homes. It should be noted that this body of data is so convincing that it compelled both the Clinton and Bush administrations to launch dynamic and sweeping initiatives to promote and increase greater fatherhood involvement in the lives of their children. Fathers matter greatly in the daily lives of their children.

Let's break this down - Stanton's first point is a claim that one study looking at lesbian homes has many "methodological limitations and problems." But that point is irrelevant.  Stanton lists one study which he claims has methodological problems. To reach its conclusion, the AAP looked at several studies on same-sex parenting.

In his second point, Stanton makes the claim about the many studies which prove his point, but where are they? He doesn't even list one. Then he tries to get extremely tricky by saying that no data exists that says children  in same-sex households don't have physical, psychological, or education disadvantages. The problem with Stanton's turn of phrase here is how he implies that same-sex households must prove that they are not harmful to children. That makes as much sense as racists telling African-Americans that they have to prove that they deserve the right to equality.

Seems to me that if any person or group implies that same-sex households are negative towards children, then the burden of proof must fall on them. Furthermore in his second point, Stanton falsely connects the problem of absent fathers in the household to same-sex families.  That correalation simply does not exist.

And, believe it or not, when Stanton questioned the credibility of the AAP in his first point, he opened himself up. What about his credibility? Stanton is not a pediatrician and has no expertise in pediatrics whatsoever. However, as a member of Focus on the Family, he has written many negative opinions on lgbts in general, some accusing the gay community of nonexistent diseases. In the piece Why Homosexuality Falls Short of the Ideal, Stanton said:

Diseases such as hepatitis, Kaposi’s sarcoma, anal carcinoma and rectal infections involving gonorrhea, herpes simplex, syphilis and human papillomavirus are disproportionately seen among homosexual men when compared to heterosexual men and women. These diseases are extremely rare among married, monogamous men and women. In addition, because of the extremely high rate of incidence among homosexuals, a group of rare intestinal diseases have been grouped together under the title "gay bowel syndrome. 

There is no such thing as "gay bowel syndrome."

In addition, he once called marriage equality "a lie of Satan."

The rest of Stanton's piece is highly suspect:

The AAP been openly advocating for homosexual parenting since 2001. But such advocacy comes from a small group within the AAP who focus primarily on gay and lesbian issues. At the start of this advocacy, the leader of these efforts reported in an email to select members that the Academy “received more messages — almost of all them CRITICAL — from the members about the recent Policy Statement on [same-sex parent adoption] than it has EVER received on any other topic. (emphasis in original). She reported significant withdrawals and threats of withdrawals of membership.

She then explained that “this is a serious problem, as it means it will become harder to continue the work we have been doing to use the AAP as vehicle for positive change.” (emphasis added)

 I hope Stanton will forgive my suspicions regarding his last claim.

Then again, I don't care if he doesn't. I think he is not telling the truth.

I also think that when Stanton was attacking the credibility of the AAP in his first point, he was simply playing a game of transference.  The AAP is a 600,000 member body with a huge amount of credibility.

Stanton is simply a hack with a cross emblazoned in his mind which most likely deludes him into thinking any lie he tells is okay as long as it is a lie told against gays.

Just who would you believe?