Hot mess in Irmo

The school board met regarding the GSA and other clubs. And if they thought their decision ended this thing, they are wrong.

It's too early to tell the repercussions, but here is what I do know courtesy of WIS TV:

A South Carolina school district has voted to allow all student clubs rather than risk a lawsuit by banning a gay-friendly student organization.

But another part of the policy approved Monday night by the Lexington-Richland School District 5 school board gives parents the option of not letting their minor children participate in any school club.

Another provision prohibits student clubs from discussing sexually explicit topics in keeping with the district's abstinence-based curriculum.

First of all, the second provision is irrelevant. Supporters of the GSA (myself included) have said all along that having the GSA doesn't necessarily mean that members will talk about sexual related matters.

Now the permission slips situation is another matter all together. Parents will be given a handout listing all the clubs and will be able to pick and choose which clubs to opt their children out of.

I don't agree with this because some students are not able to come out to their parents. I have heard of situations where children coming out to their parents have been beaten and kicked out of their homes.

Permission slips do not solve the problem. They are a very cynical way of sidestepping the Equal Access Act. In the long run, those who need the GSA will be denied.

This point was brought home during the newscast. A parent whose child attends one of the schools was interviewed. She was not happy with district allowing the GSA but she does like the idea of permission slips.

Her story gets better.

Apparently, her son is gay but she will not allow him to join the GSA. She said that they have been through counseling and continue to work through the issue.

I hope the irony of this doesn't escape anyone.

My prayers are with her child and her. Hopefully one day she will realize that the very thing she denies her son is what can keep him grounded and alive.

And I hope that one day, the people in my state will stop focusing on nonsense like "I Believe" license plates and saying that they are good people and start acting like it for a change.

Countdown to South Carolina Black Pride

This Monday is very interesting.

The Lexington-Richland School District 5 board is expected to vote on a new policy regarding school clubs. This comes as a result of the controversy involving a GSA at Irmo High School, which I have talked about on many occasions.

Rest assured that when word comes down as to what they do, I will have something to say about it.

Meanwhile, the same folks who wrote that book about John Kerry (remember the Swiftboaters) will be writing one on Barack Obama.

As if anyone is surprised. No doubt, the book will be a hit for people who read One News Now. That phony news site is getting highly shrill in their anti-Obama fervor.

From commentators, to columns, to "news" articles, not a day goes by where readers aren't seeing something new and very negative about Obama.

The last I checked, he has been confirmed as the anti-Christ.

And here I thought the anti-Christ was the person who invented cell phones.

But this day finds me waiting in anticipation.

On Wednesday, the opening ceremony of South Carolina Black Pride will take place.

To tell the truth, I am optimistic about the entire week.

This will mark the third occasion of black pride. The first black pride was mildly successful. We did a good job in many things but had a problem getting the lgbt community of color completely involved.

The second year was a hot mess which I will not speak of.

This year, we went all out. Making sure we learned lessons from the first two, the committee worked its ass off getting the community involved. Many of us went out on weekday nights to hand out flyers and network to the "children" despite the fact that we had to be at work early the next day.

We bent over backwards to involve all facets of the lgbt community of color (hence an excellent mini-ball will be taking place during the expo on Saturday) while at the same time getting press coverage and support from the lgbt community at large.

And we were highly successful. The word is definitely out.

Also, this year, I have not heard any complaints about black gays "segregating themselves" by having a black pride. Maybe I am being too optimistic, but I really think folks are starting to get where we are coming from. I think that people are understanding that black pride does not subtraction but addition.

So keep your fingers crossed because this week is going to be very interesting.

http://www.southcarolinablackpride.com/

Just do your damn job!!

I ran into the following disturbing news item yesterday:

They went to the doctor's office for an exam, but a same-sex couple said they got a lecture on lifestyle instead.

Ashleigh Haberman and Erica Schaub have made a life-long commitment to one another after getting married in Canada.

The openly lesbian couple has been together for nearly two years. They say their lifestyle and raising four children from previous relationships has its challenges, but they had never experienced discrimination, they say, until now.

"He asked who I was to her and I said, 'She's my partner,'" said Haberman.

The discussion took place at Spectrum Health South Pavilion Urgent Care Center in Grand Rapids. Schaub was there to get checked out for a lingering cold.

But instead of her symptoms, they say the doctor was more interested in the couple's relationship and how they felt about the recent California ruling allowing same-sex marriage.

"And he proceeded to give his opinion on how he felt that marriage, gay marriage, shouldn't be called a marriage because it's a religious based word, and he's a Christian, and there's no way that marriage could be considered legal in the gay sense," said Haberman.

While the couple's marriage is not legally recognized in Michigan, they say that's not the point, rather, the doctor's office is not the time nor place for a debate. They were there for an exam - not a lecture on lifestyle.

What's more disturbing were some of the comments on the page. Some have said that the doctor was in the right because of the alleged "health problems of homosexuality."

But no credible studies has ever said that the lgbt orientation is indicative of negative health problems.

Studies actually say that outside factors can lead to members of the lgbt community developing bad health choices. For instance, studies done by Drs. Elizabeth Saewyc and Robert Garafalo (talked about on this site at various times) blame homophobia for the rate of suicide amongst lgbt teens.

But more to the point of this article, the American Cancer Society have said that lesbians do have a greater risk of developing cancer. However, the group also says this is partly due to:

Many health insurance policies do not cover unmarried partners. This makes it harder for many lesbian and bisexual women to access quality health care.

Some women may not want to tell their health care providers that they are lesbian or bisexual because they don’t want discrimination to affect the quality of health care they receive.

Past negative experiences with providers may cause lesbians and bisexual women to wait too long before seeking health care. As a result, they may miss out on early detection tests and have cancers diagnosed at a later state, when the disease is more difficult to treat.

That last point is apropo to this situation.

Just like African-Americans who are less likely to trust physicians due to incidents in the past, such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, members of the lgbt community face potential danger if they cannot trust members of the medical community to do their jobs.

I only hope that the physician in question receives a serious reprimand for his breach of ethics.

The sad thing is that members of the anti-gay industry will most likely come out on the side of the physician, while at the same time exploiting the possible negative consequences of his unprofessional behavior.

Peter's friends

Peter LaBarbera is a huge hypocrite. We all know this. He is so wrapped up stopping the alleged "gay menace" that he, on occasion, makes a supreme ass of himself.

So why should today be any different:

Folks, in many ways I think Michael Savage is one of the freest voices in America. He talks boldly about things — like America’s moral rot — that even many “conservative talkers” avoid or sidestep with their calculated, politically correct, “I’m-not-intolerant” timidity on tough issues like homosexuality. (Some leading conservative talk show hosts refuse to confront the “gay” agenda or do so only on the margins — whatever happened to “conserving” our Judeo-Christian sexual ethic?)

The following are examples of Savage's free voice:

Savage's answer to homelessness: "Why not put them in work camps?" Monday, June 9, 2008

Savage plays Dead Kennedys song again after asserting he "is now being persecuted for refusing to take the party line" on Sen. Kennedy's illness Thursday, May 22, 2008

Michael Savage plays Dead Kennedys song "in some respect for" Sen. Kennedy Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Savage: "[L]oving, kind lesbian" is "the type that stuffed ovens in Hitler's concentration camps" Friday, November 9, 2007

Savage: "You're telling me there's no possibility of a conspiracy by the Democrats" to cause Roberts' seizure? Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Savage: Madeleine Albright is a "traitor" who "should be hung" Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Savage lauds Wash. Times employee allegedly soliciting girl for sex as a "normal pervert" who "should get a reward that it wasn't a boy" Friday, September 29, 2006

Michael Savage is a loud mouth bully who mistakes hyperbole for intelligent conversation. He is the McDonalds of talk radio; cheap and fast, but having no substance and ultimately not good for you.

But to Peter, Michael Savage is a bold and free person, just like anti-Semitic author Ted Pike is a "pro-family" advocate.

Of course Peter swore up and down that he doesn't share the same beliefs as Pike , just like he will most likely disavow Savage's ramblings.

But birds of a feather do flock together.

Evil never dies . . . but sometimes it goes to Russia

With all of the California euphoria in the air, let's not lose sight of the facets of anti-gay industry lies we have to fight on a daily basis.

Yesterday, I talked about Matt Barber leaving the Concerned Women for America.

Today, I want to talk about something I noticed at Box Turtle Bulletin:

Monday we warned that Paul Cameron was to speak yesterday before the sociology faculty of Moscow State University. Now we have a report of what he told that audience. Not surprisingly, it’s the same claptrap he’s been peddling here in the U.S.

In this glowing account of his talk (they describe him as a “famous” or “renowned” scientist three times), Cameron repeats the most chilling line of his standard stump speech. He contends that gays and lesbians don’t produce children and because they allegedly cost society more than they produce. In recent writings where he pursues this line of reasoning, he concludes that gays and lesbians lead parasitic lives — with all of its implications and deserved consequences. This poor translation doesn’t reveal that he actually repeated the term “parasitic lives”, but that is an integral part of his speech.

That's right. The super-nemesis of the lgbt community is peaking his head from out of his cave.

For the benefit of those who do not know, Cameron is the forefather of anti-gay propaganda. His "studies" formed the building blocks of almost every anti-gay industry lie told about the lgbt community.

And even though he has been censured, rebuked, and discredited, his work continues to be repeated as fact by so-called persons of faith eager to demonize the lgbt community.

Hell, I even devoted an entire chapter to him and his lies in my book, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters.

So now, he is in a foreign country, sowing his lies in new territory.

More members of our community as well as the heterosexual community should educate themselves on Cameron and his lies. I talk about him in detail in my book and my Anti-Gay Lies and Liars webpage.

But if you want a more complete picture, Box Turtle Bulletin is the definitive site on all things Cameronesque, including a list of groups and people who continue to use his work even after he has been exposed as a charlatan.

Matt Barber stretches out those 15 minutes

The picture that I will carry with me from all of this hullabalo about California and marriage equality is, of course, the one of the 80-year-old lesbians who have been together for 54 years. And they were the first to be married.

That's just too cool for words. And it proves the point that everything the anti-gay industry says about us are lies.

Tell me again how we don't care about family. Tell me again how hedonistic we are. Tell me again how we are evil sinners going to hell.

Give me more reasons to laugh in your face.

Speaking of which, we may have lost an opponent last week. Matt Barber has left Concerned Women for America:

Matt Barber, Policy Director for Cultural Issues with Concerned Women for America (CWA), will be leaving his post with CWA and joining the staffs of Lynchburg, Virginia-based Liberty University School of Law and Liberty Counsel, two of the nation’s premier pro-family organizations. Barber will serve as Associate Dean for Career and Professional Development with Liberty Law School and will be Director for Cultural Affairs with Liberty Counsel.

Personally, I am going to miss Barber. Every time he opened his mouth, he moved the lgbt community closer to the doors of acceptance.

Initially Barber was an employee with Allstate Insurance. He also wrote Paul Cameronesque anti-gay screeds on the side. This led to him being fired because one of his columns invoked the name of his employer. Also, there were some claims that despite Barber writing the columns on his own time, he may have used company equipment to do so.

For a time, he allowed himself to be portrayed as a "martyr of the gay agenda," until his lawsuit against Allstate was settled out of court. The terms of the settlement were not publicized.

Then Barber took the job at CWA. And things got better for us.

Barber looked good on television and for a while, sounded like a good talking head. But as time went on, one could tell that he was way out of his league. The following are my favorite Matt Barber missteps. And all of them happened this year:

MRSA virus

Barber led the charge in claiming that a possible outbreak of staph infections amongst gay men in San Francisco was the result of a “politically correct” doctrine of not telling people about the so-called dangers of homosexuality. He even helped to infer that it was the new AIDS crisis.

However, the Centers for Disease Control quickly issued a statement contradicting this. Amongst other things, the statement said: The strains of MRSA described in the recent Annals of Internal Medicine have mostly been identified in certain groups of men who have sex with men (MSM), but have also been found in some persons who are not MSM. It is important to note that the groups of MSM in which these isolates have been described are not representative of all MSM, so conclusions can not be drawn about the prevalence of these strains among all MSM.

When confronted about this, Barber claimed that the gay community strong-armed the CDC into downplaying the MRSA virus. In addition, he denied that he linked the MRSA infection to the AIDS crisis. However, his original comments about the MRSA infection showed otherwise.

This was such a misstep that Barber's predecessor in the CWA, Robert Knight, jumped into the situation to downplay what Barber did.

The Gay Agenda claim again

Barber claimed to have revealed the "gay agenda." His "revelation" was an old one - the claim that the gay community is trying to take over America through points of attack from the book, After the Ball.

Barber's predecessor, Knight, once cited the book, as did Peter LaBarbera, as did Janet Folger, etc., etc. Pretty much every anti-gay "expert" on homosexuality has incorrectly cited this book as sort of a homosexual manifesto before Barber came on the scene.

The gay early death lie

Barber claimed that "multiple studies have established that homosexual conduct, especially among males, is considerably more hazardous to one’s health than a lifetime of chain smoking."

He also referred to the 1997 Canadian study to claim that gays have a short lifespan. Interestingly enough, he also addressed the 2001 complaint by the researchers of the study regarding the misusage of their work.

Barber tried to dismiss the complaint as "worthless fluff." He also claimed that the researchers were under "tremendous pressure" to refute their original study. But that is where Barber made two mistakes. Not only did he neglect to go into detail as to what pressure was "exerted" on the researchers, but his mention of the 2001 complaint led many to look it up.

Needless to say that Barber's claim of the complaint being "worthless fluff" didn't hold up in the eyes of many. And even on rightwing webpages, he got critcism for what he did.

Yes, with enemies like Barber, the lgbt community didn't exactly need friends. So with a tear in my eye, I say goodbye to the right-wing version of William Hung.

I am going to miss your stupidity Mr. Barber. She-bang! She-bang!

How dare a governor tries to protect his constituents!!

Things will be slow around here next week due to South Carolina Black Pride activities. I am heavily involved in the planning and shaping of events for the week. I hope to have a report on it after it's over.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has gotten members of the anti-gay industry upset because he recently issued an executive order adding the phrase "sexual orientation or gender identity" to the non-discrimination policy for state employees.

The responses to his action by the anti-gay industry only serves to underline how selfish and ugly some can get when it comes to the subject of gay rights:

Beshear claimed that, before the policy change, "a gay person could be fired simply for being gay." But (Peter) LaBarbera says that is just not happening. "There's no rash of homosexual firings ... this is all a myth. And it's designed to propel homosexual power forward.

So according to our friend The Peter, unless there is a rash of lgbts applying for unemployment and welfare or in danger of losing their homes due to being unfairly fired, there should be no legislation to protect them.

By that same token, why should science seek a cure for cancer? After all, many folks have been able to beat the disease therefore it's not a problem.

But more to the point, Peter's nasty answer (and he is not the only religious conservative who has voiced this belief - paging Robert Knight) got me thinking.

There is a parable that Jesus told involving a lost sheep. A shepherd owned 100 sheep. One night, 99 was in the fold, but one was lost. Did the shepherd say " I have ninety-nine, so this one sheep doesn't matter."

No. The shepherd went looking for that sheep and found it. That one lost sheep mattered to the shepherd just as much as the others.

And apparently to Governor Beshear, the well-being of lgbts matters to him as much as the well-being of his other constituents.

It was not only the right thing to do, but it was also the Christian thing to do. Peter and everyone who criticize his actions would do themselves a service to hush up and pay attention.


Box Turtle Bulletin exposes a very interesting person

David Benkof claims to be a bisexual man who wants to "defend marriage." And when I say "defend marriage," I do mean the same semantic nonsense that the anti-gay industry foists on us.

Benkof claims that gays will ruin the concept of marriage. And he has written several columns defending that position.

Sounds like to me that Benkof watched the musical Gypsy and applied that song "You Gotta Have a Gimmick" to his career.

But according to Box Turtle Bulletin, Benkof is something of a fraud:

David Benkof has been getting a bit of attention lately. This year he’s written several articles which he has been able to get published in mainstream newspapers. Sadly, he’s used deception and dishonesty to do so.

It's a very excellent piece. You can read it here.

Just three years? That's some bull@*&$

Hate crime or not, this fool deserves to serve more than just three years:

The Taylors teenager who threw a single, fatal punch at Sean Kennedy outside an Eastside bar was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after an impassioned argument about the role Kennedy’s sexual orientation may have played.

Stephen Andrew Moller pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, admitting he punched 20-year-old Kennedy in the face in the parking lot of the former Brew’s Pub on Pelham Road in May 2007 after a night of drinking.

Kennedy’s head hit the pavement, causing fatal brain damage.

Moller, who turns 20 on Friday, originally was charged with murder and faced the possibility of life in prison until Greenville County’s chief prosecutor offered the alternate involuntary manslaughter charge after a grand jury found "no malicious intent." The lesser charges carry a maximum sentence of five years.

In the year since Kennedy’s death, his mother, Elke Kennedy, has decried her son’s killing as a hate crime. Shortly after the death, a warrant alleged that the assault was motivated by the fact that Kennedy was gay.

However, in court Wednesday, prosecutor Mark Moyer read a statement Moller gave to an investigator in which he said he didn’t know Kennedy was gay until after he punched him and that he hit him because he was angry that Kennedy had inadvertently brushed his face with his hand.

No evidence was presented during the hearing that Moller acknowledged Kennedy’s homosexuality before the attack.

Shortly after Moller hit Kennedy, Moller called a girl that Kennedy was with outside the bar and left a voice message mixed with laughter, profanity and anti-homosexual epithets bragging about the assault, Moyer said.

The prosecutor read a transcript of the message in court, which Kennedy’s mother pleaded unsuccessfully with the judge to listen to the actual recording before sentencing Moller.

In his statement to the investigator, Moller said that he was sitting in the back seat of a car reaching to turn the radio station as Kennedy reached in with a cigarette and inadvertently brushed his face with his hand. Moyer said the car with Moller had driven over to some girls and that Kennedy came up and hugged one of the girls.

Moller’s attorney, Ryan Beasley, told Circuit Judge Ned Miller that Moller didn’t realize that Kennedy was gay until the driver of the car saw a bleeding cut on Moller’s hand and told him.

"You know that dude is gay," the driver said, according to Moller’s statement. "What are you going to do if you have AIDS now?"

"Everybody thought that this was maybe a hate crime, but it was not," Beasley told the judge. "Stephen had no idea that he was gay until afterwards."

Beasley called the killing a "tragic and freak incident with devastating results" and offered another possible explanation for the brain damage Kennedy suffered, telling the judge that a friend of Kennedy’s, who was drunk, dropped him after trying to lift him up.

"Oh, please!" a member of the crowd of Kennedy’s family and friends present in the courtroom said in response.

Before sentencing, Moller turned to apologize to Kennedy’s family.

"I live with it every day," Moller told the family. "I wish it had never happened. I never thought this would happen. I’m sorry."

In October, Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor Bob Ariail said that his office prepared the alternate charge of involuntary manslaughter after "realizing the possibility of no indictment on the murder charge ... would result in Moller’s release." Ariail said that while the charge would result in an inadequate punishment, it was the only charge that applied to the case.

Moller was later released on bond.

Judge Miller said that "the easy thing to do would be to give him five years and move on," but that he wanted to try to rehabilitate Moller with three years of probation after the sentence is served. Miller also ordered Moller to undergo anger management and substance abuse counseling, submit to random drug tests and perform 30 days of public service.

Miller gave Moller credit for the seven months he served in jail before he was released on bond in November.

Beasley told the judge that during his release Moller has been working and supporting a 9-month-old daughter.

Beasley told the judge that a prison sentence would "only hurt him" and that "there are some bad people in that place, and he’s going to be exposed to things he’s never seen."

Moller’s uncle, Steve Moller, spoke on his nephew’s behalf and said that "we wouldn’t be here today" if alcohol wasn’t involved, and he asked Kennedy’s family to work together with him to help curb underage drinking.

The audacity of nonsense - The One News Now and The Peter version

From an online buddy, Pam Spaulding, I discovered something very interesting regarding One News Now.

The phony news source didn't exactly eliminate its comments section.

It has the comments section as a forum where you have to register to become a member.

Apparently allowing people to comment on articles backfired on One News Now because some folks (myself included) took it upon themselves to correct the inaccurate spin the phony news source placed on some articles.

I am undecided on whether or not I will register. I'm tempted because I know that the forum will be a mass of bad studies regarding the lgbt community.

But I am getting a kick out of just reading the comments.

One thing that I did notice: these so-called Christian folks are scared of Barack Obama.

I have never in my life seen so much homophobic, racist, and xenophobic language coming from a webpage outside those of white supremacists.

Really though, it's par for the course for these folks. They are so annoyingly manic about elections.

To them, every election is an episode of McGyver where they have to manipulate and finagle the outcomes because the "wrong" outcome will bring the United States closer to the lake of fire complete with monsters out of the Book of Revelations.

Talk about dramatic.

When Bush was elected, I didn't freak out (of course in hindsight maybe I should have). When the Republicans won the House and the Senate in 1994, I didn't run in the streets screaming and crying about the end of the world.

I made the best of it. Why do these folks who cater to One News Now and this entire bullshit about them being the "chosen people" and the United States being the "chosen country" flip out when elections don't go their way?

Why do they see every election as a make or break situation where if their choice don't win, God is going to part the skies and make the destruction of Sodom and Gommarah seem like a picnic on a sunny day?

Who knows with these folks?

And while I am on the subject of audacity, I have to talk about my friend Peter LaBarbera (i.e. Porno Pete, The Peter, He With the Chunky Butt and Disappearing Hairline - I know I am going to get it for that one.)

Peter seems to be on a tear with Soulforce because the group "dares" to want to have conversations with various churches regarding their positions on homosexuality.

And Peter seems to be upset at one church in particular:

Would Willow Creek have agreed to a (forced) meeting with activists claiming that using pornography is not a sin, or that the “swinging” lifestyle is OK with God? No way. I think they bowed to Soulforce’’s pressure to “dialogue” because this particular sin, as Greg aptly calls it, enjoys a certain worldly favor that most others do not. Christ said His followers would get persecuted for following Him, and these days that includes being smeared as a “bigot” or a “homophobe” — and being accused of “spiritual violence” by the savvy activists at Soulforce — merely for agreeing with God that homosexual behavior is a sin that can be overcome through Jesus Christ.

I'm not going to go into intricate details about this. If Willow Creek wants to have a discussion with Soulforce, that is their right.

As I understand it, Peter is not a member of the church. What right does he have to interfere with their Biblical interpretations? Granted he does have a First Amendment right to criticize but the fact that he would only reveals his ego trip.

Apparently it's not enough for Peter to believe that homosexuality is a sin. He feels that it is his place to make sure that all churches believe this way.

Tell me again, Peter. Just who is trying to force their beliefs on whom?

News from Irmo: School Board postpones decision regarding GSA

Yesterday, a commentator asked about the situation in Irmo regarding the GSA.

I have gotten news that the school board has postponed their decision regarding curricular and non-curricular clubs:

Lexington-Richland 5 trustees postponed a vote on a controversial plan to add more regulations to noncurricular student clubs.

The proposal would add stringent rules to such clubs, including requiring parental consent for participation, banning those clubs from fundraising on school campuses and prohibiting clubs from using the school’s name.

The board is expected to take up the measure again June 23.

Eddie Walker, principal of District 5’s Irmo High School, said last month he would step down at the end of the next school year because a planned Gay-Straight Alliance club conflicts with his beliefs and religious convictions.

Officials had said the district couldn’t stop the alliance from forming because federal law prohibits discriminating against a club based on its purpose.

At first glance, I don't think this is a bad thing. The postponement gives area lgbt groups more time to educate the community on the importance of GSAs.

And I have a feeling that they will take advantage of the opportunity.


The audacity of nonsense

Now that Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee for president, all of the mess is coming out of the woodwork.

From emphasizing his middle name to calling him the Anti-Christ to overanalyzing his fistbump with wife Michelle, too many people are obviously demonstrating that they have too much time on their hands.

But this article from One News Now takes the cake:

Televangelist Bill Keller, founder of an interactive Christian website, says while only God knows the hearts of men, he has his doubts about Barack Obama's claims of being a Christian.

Keller is the founder of Liveprayer.com. Last year the evangelist challenged former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's claim to be a Christian, due to the fact that he was a member of the Mormon Church, which holds beliefs in opposition to orthodox Christianity. Now Keller is questioning Obama's Christian credentials, based on some statements the Illinois senator has made.

"A lot of the things that he is saying really call into question whether he really is a Christian," says Keller, offering up as an example Obama's statement that there are many roads that lead to God. "He has consistently been on record that he's willing to give away part of the land that God himself gave to the children of Israel directly to their enemies," he adds.

A campaign brochure titled "Faith. Hope. Change." describes Senator Obama as a "committed Christian" who visited a local church one Sunday, "felt a beckoning of the spirit and accepted Jesus Christ into his life." But Keller says Obama has views on social issues that most evangelicals regard as unbiblical.

"He has consistently voted to uphold a woman's right to kill babies," Keller points out. "He has consistently voted to support the gay agenda, gay 'marriage,' gay adoption, special rights for gays."

So apparently to Keller, the only true Christianity is the one he pushes. No discussion, no nothing.

And so many Christians like Keller wonder why folks think of them as self-righteous and overreaching.

I keep hearing that there is a problem with the perception of Christianity in this country. If this is true, then people like Keller is the problem.

There seems to be more than a personal belief going on here. Too many Christians in this country have an incorrect sense of entitlement. Not only that, but this sense of entitlement seems to be consistently stroked by people like James Dobson, Pat Robertson and the last James Kennedy.

"This is a Christian nation," they say. "This country needs to get back to its Biblical foundation."

Translation - "This is our country. The rest of you Godless people, especially you homosexuals, are here because we let you be here. You exist at our pleasure and you are overstepping your bounds."

I never knew Christianity was about having power and a sense of entitlement.

I thought Christianity was a belief in the goodness and mercy of God.

Of course I'm probably going get responses about "loving the sin and hating the sinner," or "God has rules for us to follow."

That's all well and good. But historically when people took it upon themselves to "enforce God's rules," the world ended up with lots of chaos and death.

Christianity, like all religions in their true and uncorrupted forms, teaches us that no matter how bad things get, we are the children of a living God who will never leave us. Everything else, especially interpretations of Biblical verses, is ballast.

At least, that's what I believe. Apparently I was wrong.

Whatever you do, don't tell my mother. She would be crushed to know that what she taught me is incorrect.

Thank you Mass Resistance for furthering our cause

It is always gratifying to see those who are our opposition spin their heels so much that they actually help us out.

I've talked about the group in Massachusetts, Mass Resistance (the organization behind the David Parker mess) a few times.

Mass Resistance and its head, Brian Camenker, consider themselves as a "pro-family" group working to stop the "gay agenda."

To wit, they have done a lot of "interesting work." Aside from the David Parker incident is the following:

In 2000, MassResistance entered unauthorized into a statewide conference, called "Teach-Out," that was sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education, the Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, held at Tufts University. Included among the conference-goers were preadolescents, some as young as 12, who were (like the rest of Teach-Out's attendees) allowed to ask questions about sex in a safe environment.

One student asked what fisting was, and was answered with an explanation. This led the incident to be dubbed "Fistgate" by Camenker and others. A person working for Camenker's organization, Scott Whiteman, taped some of the students without their knowledge. As a result of the outcry that was generated when parents heard tapes of the event, Margot Abels, a state employee who participated in the discussion, and two other state employees were fired. One of the state employees was later re-instated to her job.

Abels filed suit against Camenker as a result of his distribution of the tape recordings. The case was settled out of court; the results of a second lawsuit is unavailable .

Then comes this interesting incident from last year:

On Saturday May 12, 2007 Amy Contrada, the writer of MassResistance, finally revealed herself to the LGBT community. For the first time she put herself out there, willing to be photographed and interact with our supporters.

Amy, wearing an ill-fitted tan blazer and sporting greasy unkempt hair, began her day at the Youth Pride Celebration on the Boston Common where she (and a man wearing a red cap) lurked around taking photographs of our youth and adult leaders. She carried both a video camera and digital camera to capture as much "depravity" as possible. Amy especially focuses on the young people who are brave enough to express their gender in a way that deviates from societies rigid binary gender norms so that she can "shock and appall" her misinformed readers.

After Youth Pride Amy headed over to the BAGLY Prom where she showed her true colors. When Trevor Wright, organizer for the Prom and blogger for QueerToday, yelled at her to move she became infuriated. During their interaction, Amy hastily asked Trevor if he knew what "cum vomit" was. She insisted she read about "cum vomit" on the GLSEN web site, and that we were brainwashing young people to be "crazed homosexuals."

This is par for the course for Mass Resistance. Because of their efforts, the group was given the designation of a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

And I can't think of a group (okay maybe one or two - hello Peter and Matt) who deserve it more.

But I noticed something from their webpage, which I go onto from time to time when I need a good laugh.

Mass Resistance has been losing big time.

They are presently complaining about the following things:

The Mayor of Boston has raised the pride flag over City Hall to commemorate Gay Pride Week

The Massachusetts Legislature recently approved $850,000 in state funding for gay programs in schools. Apparently even some legislatures the group thought of as "pro-family" approved the monies.

Major corporations and top politicians are actually supporting Gay Pride Week in Boston.

Mass Resistance is crying bloody murder over all of these incidents, but it seems to me that the group's behavior contribute to Massachusetts's embracing of lgbts.

After all, would you align yourself with a group that mentions the word "cum vomit' in front of a bunch of children?

And besides, they seem to have this "throw the baby out with the bathwater" attitude with anyone who doesn't support their efforts.

This is what they claimed a "pro-family" legislator sent to a constituent explaining his vote for the approval of the $850,000 funding:

Below is an email Moore sent to a constituent who complained about his support for the funding for homosexual programs in the schools. Note that:

Moore tries to split hairs by saying he "didn't support" the money but didn't oppose it because he believes it is needed. Huh?

He repeats the gay lobby's big lie that this is for "violence prevention", ignoring the actual content of these "programs." We've challenged legislators to find a single legitimate violence prevention or suicide prevention aspect of any of this.

He insults parents by saying that if parents don't present homosexuality in a positive way at home, then "it must be taught or reinforced in other settings" - i.e., the schools. In other words, he believes that the state knows better than parents.

Sounds like he should be reprimanded, huh? Well Mass Resistance had the stupid presence of mind to print the letter. I ask you, does this sound insulting:

Dear Mr. xxxxxxx:

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by supporting "the increase in funding for the homosexual lobby." I certainly did not support any amendment to any lobby group. I did not oppose an amendment by Senator Wilkerson of Boston for an increase in the Department of Education's Administrative Account to earmark and additional $100,000 about the Ways and Means Committee recommendation of $200,000 to fund a Gay and Lesbian Violence Prevention Education Program. I don't agree with the Gay/Lesbian lifestyle, however, I believe that violence against students who profess to be, or appear to be Gay/Lesbian is wrong and that students should be taught to be tolerant of all people race, creed, gender, age, sexual preference or whatever. Children usually learn prejudice from adults, sometimes even from parents. We don't have to agree with others or condone their behavior however children need to be taught tolerance of differences. Tolerance of difference is, in my opinion, a family value that should be sustained and, especially when that lesson is not learned in the home, it must be taught or reinforced in other settings. If that is the amendment to which you refer, I am sorry if you disagree with my position, however I do not share the view of some others that we should ignore attitudes that engender violence in our schools or among our youth.

I think the group that monitors Mass Resistance, Mass Resistance Watch, puts it in a nutshell:

Do you think the Massachusetts Legislature is now aware that MassResistance is a recognized hate group? YES! And I'm sure our State Legislators just experienced a little of bit the hatred that these bigots spew forth daily at GLBT people. I imagine that they overwhelming approved the increase in funding for at risk youth knowing that dangerous people like MassResistance are out there.

Thank you Brian and Amy. Keep up the good work.

It never hurts when anti-gay folks work diligently to make themselves laughing stocks.

If at first you don't succeed, lie lie again

I will say one thing for the anti-gay industry: when they can't get over with lies, they continue to push and push until they tire people out.

Take the case of David Parker:

David Parker's Boston law firm, Denner Pellegrino LLP has filed a "cert petition" with the United States Supreme Court, formally asking the Court to review the ruling this past January by the Federal Appeals Court in Boston.

David Parker, his wife Tonia, and Rob and Robin Wirthlin have been attempting to bring a federal Civil Rights lawsuit against school officials and others in Lexington, Massachusetts. However, with the help of well-funded national homosexual groups, the school has persuaded judges in the Boston Federal District Court and Federal Appeals Court to deny the lawsuit the right to go to trial. Thus, the plaintiffs are appealing to the US Supreme court for the right to allow the lawsuit to be heard.

I've talked about David Parker so many times and I will keep bringing him up as long as the anti-gay industry continues to try and make him into a martyr:

In 2005, after a long series of meetings with Estabrook Elementary School officials regarding about teaching homosexual issues to his son in kindergarten without parental consent, David Parker finally told the principal and the city's director of education that he would not leave until the school agreed to negotiate some agreement on the matter. Rather than negotiate, the officials had Parker arrested and brought to jail, where he spent the night. The next morning he was led into Concord District Court in handcuffs.

That explanation by the anti-gay industry group Mass Resistance skirts over the facts in the case:

In January 2005, Jacob Parker brought home a diversity book bag from his kindergarten. Included in the bag was books about other cultures and traditions, food recipes, and a book called Who’s in a Family. The illustrations included various family constructions: single parents, mom-dad-kids, grandparents, mixed-race families, and same-sex parents.

David Parker, his father, decided that young Jacob was entitled to ignorance of the existence of same-sex headed families. He set out to change school policy so that his child not be exposed to that fact. He extended his demands to include any discussion of same-sex parenting, regardless of the context or setting - including any conversations of children of gay or lesbian parents.

Because the school district has a large number of same-sex families, many with children attending the school, the administration deemed Parker’s request to be nearly impossible.

This resulted in a string of emails and eventually Parker showed up in the administrative offices and refused to leave until his demands were met. At the end of the day, police were called and, when Parker refused the police requests to leave, he was arrested for trespassing.

Dr. Paul Ash, superintendent of Lexington Public Schools, said the school tried to be accommodating.

“The school department said, ‘Look, we’ll work with you, but we cannot assure you what a child is going to say and that we can immediately stop a discussion that you find objectionable,’” said Ash. “One of the central units in kindergarten is the discussion of families and we show families of all different types.” Ash says the discussions “ended up in an irreconcilable difference.”

In June 2006, the Parkers sued the school in federal court for civil right violations.

They were joined by the Joseph and Robin Wirthlin, parents of a second grader in the same district. On a day in which the school discussed marriage, a teacher read King and King, a book in which a prince doesn’t fall for a princess but for another prince instead. Although marriage laws in Massachusetts include same-sex couples, the Wirthlins believe that such marriages should be excluded from discussion about marriages in the classroom.

A few days after filing their suit, David Parker’s credibility came under question. He spread a story that his child, Jacob, was beaten by students for David Parker’s anti-gay stance and suggested that school teachers or the administration were behind the beating.

After much press in the anti-gay conservative Christian media, the facts were released. It turned out to be nothing greater than a schoolyard scuffle over who sat next to whom in the cafeteria.

In February 2007, U.S. District Judge Mark L. Wolf dismissed the lawsuit.

In his 38-page decision, Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf of US District Court said that under the US Constitution, public schools are “entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens in our democracy.”

“Diversity is a hallmark of our nation,” he said.

The Parkers and Wirthlins appealed the decision. A three judge appeals panel unanimously upheld Judge Wolf’s decision.

Hopefully the Supreme Court will recognize bullshit when they see it and not pursue the Parker case.

Then finally, this monster will die.


Watch the semantics

What exactly are sincere religious beliefs?

I have read on too many occasions that laws protect lgbts from discrimination would interfere with someone's "sincere religious beliefs" that homosexuality is a sin.

That phrase has no basis in truth, only semantics.

Whenever I hear an anti-gay industry head say this, I want to ask:

"So if a restaurant manager has sincere religious beliefs that homosexuality is a sin, does he have the right to fire an employee?"

"Or what about an apartment renter? Does his sincere religious beliefs give him the right to discriminate against lgbt renters?"

When you break down this so-called cultural battle, you will see that it's all about lies and semantics. Expose the lies and make the opposition clarify the semantics.

It makes it easier not to fall for their bullshit.

Sakia Gunn - More important than Peter's mess

I see that our friend Peter LaBarbera is getting a little traction from the anti-gay industry regarding his bestiality mess.

Whoop te do. I was going to write a little on it but I saw something more important:

Five years ago, Sakia, a 15-year old girl who "dressed like a boy," was attacked while waiting for a Newark, New Jersey bus after a night out with friends. The girls were approached by two men in a car who made uninvited sexual advances. When the girls declined, stating that they were lesbians, 30-year old Richard McCullough fatally stabbed Sakia while shouting homophobic slurs. She bled out at the intersection of Broad and Market during the wee hours of Mother's Day morning.

This May is the fifth anniversary of the murder of Sakia Gunn. She would have just celebrated her 20th birthday.

The rest of the article is here.

Let Peter and the rest of the rest of the anti-gay industry ruminate and bullshit. They are irrelevant.

Our lgbt children, such as Sakia Gunn, matter more.

Meanwhile, down here - South Carolina Black Pride

Forgive me for this short post.

I know there is a lot going on in California and with Obama very close to getting the Democratic nomination, but I thought I would talk a little bit about what's going on in South Carolina.

We are three weeks away from the third annual South Carolina Black Pride and things are beginning to hop.

I am secretary of the group (although I prefer the title Prime Minister of Information - eat your heart out, Stokely Carmichael), so tonight, I get to send out over 1500 emails to various individuals.

Big fun.

But I'm looking forward to it for one reason.

A week ago, I was told an interesting story. A certain political official was talking to a group of South Carolina black pastors and she made a point to ask about lgbts of color.

From what I understand, these pastors pulled an Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and said that there are no lgbts of color in South Carolina.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little.

They said they didn't know where she could find any.

Of course if they were truthful, these pastors would have invited the political official to their churches and pointed at the usher board, the deacon board, the choir, and in some cases, themselves.

But the fact that these pastors claimed not to know any lgbts of color is a perfect reason to have a South Carolina Black Pride.

We have had two South Carolina Black Prides and over 1,500 folks attended. I have a feeling that we are going to have double that number this year.

And I'm looking forward to it and the repercussions thereof.

There is an intentional wall of silence when it comes to the visibility and needs of lgbts South Carolinians of color.

It's time for that wall to come down.

Monday Musings

Peter gets nasty

I wouldn't be able to live with myself on a journalistic level if I did not mention this.

Our friend Peter is getting highly desperate in his attempts to demonize lgbts.

He attended the International Mr. Leather (yet again) to "document homosexual perversion."

And this time, he went so beyond the pale that it made me sick.

Apparently Peter took pics of some videos that were allegedly sold at IML, including some involving bestiality and scat (poop videos).

He tried to make it seem that both of those functions were indicative of the lgbt community at large.

Note that we’ve covered up the pornographic images. The bestiality titles (e.g., “Goat Fever,” “Amateur Animal 1,” speak for themselves. “Scat,” according to one online (and sexually explicit) “Robert Scott’s Gay Slang Dictionary,” refers to [*] “A gay male who gets sexual gratification from acts involving faeces.” That is, excrement, which to us at Americans For Truth is proof that Satan is alive and well in this world.

Personally, I've always believed that poop is concentrated evil coming out of a human's butt, but somehow I don't think that its proof of the existence of Satan.

Flatulence is another story.

All I can say is thank God for Box Turtle Bulletin who exposed various interesting aspects of Peter's nonsense:

I was, however, able to find out some interesting information about the videos that Pete highlighted to titilate and horrify his readers. They are heterosexual.

Goat Fever involves a man, two women, and a (presumedly female) goat. Amateur Animal 1 features “A couple with a blonde and german shepherd”. (I’m not providing links but descriptions of these videos are available by Googling their titles).

Neither of these videos involve male-male contact. But you wouldn’t know that from Pete’s posting.

In other words, the bestiality video that Peter is using to demonize the lgbt community stars heterosexuals.

Peter engages in a common anti-gay industry trick: using a sex act to demonize lgbt community while omitting the act that heterosexuals do it also.

Box Turtle Bulletin also said this about scat:

As reader PiaSharn correctly noted, this is not the definition of “Scat”. This is, rather, the definition of “Scat Queen”, Although LaBarbera prefers a definition that starts with “a gay male”, scat is actually a fetish that is practiced among heterosexuals as well and does not appear to be more common among homosexual fetishists than heterosexual fetishists.

Personally the entire thing grosses me out. When I read it this weekend, I didn't want to have anything to do with it. I don't know ANYONE straight or gay who participates in those two sex acts and I don't want to know anyone who does.

But here is what I do know. Peter's latest sojourn is getting ignored. I have looked over several pro-gay and anti-gay blogs and no one is talking about it.

Ladies and gentlemen, I think it's safe to assume that our friend Peter has gone too far. He is becoming a parody of himself.

Becoming a parody? Hell, he already is one.


One News Now pisses me off

Apparently the so-called Christian site One News Now does not like the attention that folks like myself give it.

Not only did it eliminate the section where you can comment on the stories, but it is also doing the following to various sites, like Right Wing Watch:

The other day we noticed that all of our links back to the AFA’s OneNewsNow website no longer take readers to the link in question, but instead redirect them to the Good Person Test (go ahead and click the OneNewsNow link above or any of these other links to see what we mean.)

So instead of being taken to a specific OneNewsNow article, our readers are directed to a website that challenges them to take a quiz to determine if they are indeed a “good person.” Not surprisingly, the answer is “no” and that they are in fact going to hell.

Answer a question about honesty and you are told you are a liar; answer a question about lust and you are told you are an adulterer; answer a question about anger and you are told you are a murderer . . .

Right Wing Watch isn't the only site this is being done to. Apparently One News Now did it to Goodasyou.org and Pam's House Blend.

Which totally pisses me off, cause it makes me jealous.

I'm not important enough to spook One News Now.

Well if at first you don't succeed, try try again.

Boy Scouts and bull*@#

Here is something I never talked about before.

Apparently across the nation, there is a huge controversy involving the Boy Scouts and the lgbt community.

Many of you probably already know it. The Boy Scouts do not allow gays to serve as members or scoutmasters. The group's right as a private organization has been upheld by the Supreme Court in 2000.

And here is where the serpent starts to sting.

Because of the policy, the Boy Scouts have been losing a lot of support. According to Wikipedia:

About 50 of the 1300 local United Ways, including those in Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle, have withdrawn all funding. The BSA has also lost all funding from several large corporations that had been regular donors, such as Chase Manhattan Bank, Levi Strauss, Fleet Bank, CVS/pharmacy, and Pew Charitable Trusts. For example, Pew Charitable Trusts, which had consistently supported the BSA for over fifty years, decided to cancel a $100,000 donation and cease future donations. A number of public entities (including the cities of Chicago, San Diego, Tempe, Buffalo Grove, Berkeley, and Santa Barbara, as well as the states of California, Illinois, and Connecticut) have canceled charitable donations (of money or preferential land access) that had historically been granted to the Scouts.

Most recently, the city of Philadelphia rescinded its decision to allow the Scouts to use a building rent-free. The Scouts are suing, but the city isn't backing down.

Now some folks, such as our friend Peter LaBarbera, have made this an issue of gays trying to force their way into the Scouts so that evil scoutmasters can "indoctrinate" young boys into homosexuality.

Of course that argument is nonsense so I'm not even going to discuss it.

Mostly because I believe that the Boy Scouts should be allowed to discriminate. I have always felt that the case of the Boy Scouts of America vs. Dale was not necessarily conducive to the lgbt community.

If the Boy Scouts feel that they as a private group should discriminate, then more power to them.

However (and you knew this was coming), as a private group, they don't have a right to public monies or the items that are paid for by such monies.

Public monies come from lgbt as well as heterosexuals. If the Scouts have a problem with gays as members, then the organization should have a problem with taking money from gays.

If the Boy Scouts feel that homosexual conduct is inconsistent with the obligations in the Scout Oath, then how can it justify taking money from the folks who "practice" homosexual conduct.

You simply can't have it both ways.

Of course some will probably accuse me of being mean. How can I attack a group that does a lot of good things in the community? How can I attack a group that teaches young boys to be responsible citizens?

That's just it. They do not teach all young boys to be responsible citizens; only heterosexual boys.

Our gay boys are left out in the cold.

And as long as they leave our gay boys out in the cold, the Boy Scouts do not deserve money from this gay man or any other gay man.

That's the Boy Scouts, now it's time for the bull*@# courtesy of Focus on the Family.

The group has sent out a talking points list for folks who want to criticize marriage equality.

Jeremy from Goodasyou has exposed the talking points for the lies they are in the style that has made him one of my favorite bloggers.

But one point from Focus on the Family's list bothers me so much that I have to jump in. It's this one:

Same-sex family is a vast, untested social experiment with children.

Maybe it's just me but that is a vile thing to say.

The statement refuses to acknowledge the existence of same sex families, which have existed for many, many years.

And that phraseology "vast, untested social experiment," denigrates same sex family because it infers that lgbts choose to create, adopt, or take in children not because of a natural human impulse and not because we feel that we want to nurture a family, but because of a Machiavellian attempt to take over society.

The statement infers that lgbts are not humans but agreeable cogs willing to sacrifice the happiness and well-being of a child for a social endeavor.

That idea is a fiendish lie.

What's next? Accusing black women of having children simply for a welfare check?

2008 anti-gay industry greatest hits (so far)

I'm in the newspaper.

Right here is the link. Look at the row of folks holding the signs. I'm the black guy with the bad hair and white pants.

Man, I need a stylist.

Seriously though the situation down here with Irmo is still at somewhat of a fever pitch. If you read the comments under the article, folks on both sides of the issue continue to be revved up.

But I want to do something a little different today.

I noticed that June is almost upon us. Subsequently, we are getting closer to the mid-point of 2008.

And man has it been a wild year.

I blame it on the fact that its an election year. Whatever the case may be, I want to present the top (or lowest) moments in anti-gay industry hysteria in 2008 so far.

Yes this is a shamless plug for my other blog, Anti-Gay Lies and Liars.

Bear in mind, I don't have the exact months down and I know I am probably missing some incidents. Please inform me as such:

2008

Paul Cameron’s discredited study on “gay criminal habits” is cited as fact by supermarket tabloid magazine National Examiner.

Members of the anti-gay industry (i.e. Concerned Women for America, etc.) claim that a possible outbreak of staph infections amongst gay men in San Francisco is the result of a “politically correct” doctrine of not telling people about the so-called dangers of homosexuality. Some even infer that it is the new AIDS crisis. However, the Centers for Disease Control quickly issues a statement that will hopefully reign in future hyperbole. Amongst other things, the statement says: The strains of MRSA described in the recent Annals of Internal Medicine have mostly been identified in certain groups of men who have sex with men (MSM), but have also been found in some persons who are not MSM. It is important to note that the groups of MSM in which these isolates have been described are not representative of all MSM, so conclusions can not be drawn about the prevalence of these strains among all MSM.

In a show of unmitigated gall, anti-gay industry groups led by Concerned Women for America and Americans for Truth do not address their distortions of the MRSA infection. Instead, they try reverse psychology in claiming that they want to help gay rights group stop the infection.

Concerned Women for America leads the charge of anti-gay industry groups claiming that gay rights groups “strong armed” the medical community to play down the MRSA story. They do not offer any proof of their claims. In addition, Matt Barber (Concerned Women for America) and Peter LaBarbera (Americans for Truth) deny that they linked the MRSA infection to the AIDS crisis in their original spins. However, comments they originally said about the MRSA infection show otherwise.

An anti-gay industry group hoping to get petition signatures against a law protecting the transgender community from discrimination are the recipients of an “interesting” media opportunity. They had complained that new law could lead to men “dressed as women” entering women’s locker rooms and bathrooms. Conveniently, there is a report of an incident of this situation taking place at a local gym. However it is highly suspicious. The woman reporting the incident just happens to be a member of the group attempting to get petition signatures. For this reason and others, the incident is dismissed by many as a publicity stunt. However the stunt and claims are successful. The group forces a referendum on the bill.

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force head Matt Foreman says in a speech that the gay community must take more of a responsibility in fighting AIDS. He says that AIDS is a gay disease. Despite the fact that NAACP member Julian Bond has said pretty much the same thing about AIDS and the black community, members of the anti-gay industry trumpet Foreman's speech as proof that homosexuality leads to AIDS.

Concerned Women for America member Matt Barber claims to reveal the "gay agenda." His "revelation" is an old one; it is the claim that the gay community is trying to take over America through points of attack from After the Ball (see the year 1987).

An article in a Focus on the Family magazine contains the following cites the 1984 book The Male Couple to make the case that gay relationships involve promiscuity. However the article does not give the name of the book. This means of course it omits the caveat by the authors that their research was not meant to be the best representation of all gay couples.

Focus on the Family member Glenn Stanton says that there is a "clear consensus" among anthropologists that "A family is a unit that draws from the two types of humanity, male and female." Stanton, who is not an anthropologist, is quickly challenged by legitimate people in the field such as American Anthropologists Association. They call his claim a "gross misrepresentation of the position of the anthropological community on gay marriage"

Deerfield High School is again accused by the anti-gay industry of "indoctrinating students into the homosexual agenda." This accusation involves a book, Angels in America, that was recommended as an assigned book in a senior AP English class. The book details the early days of the AIDS crisis and contains sexually graphic language. However, many lodging the accusation against Deerfield omitted that the book was not required for reading. Also, parents had to opt-in their children in the class, which means they knew fully well what the reading choices would be.

Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern gives a talk to a local Republican group where she says homosexuality is worse than terrorism. She also cites Paul Cameronesque statistics on the alleged gay life span and claims that gays are trying to "indoctrinate" two-year olds.

In defending Sally Kern, Concerned Women for America brings up the 1987 book After The Ball. The organization accuses the gay community of relying on tactics in the book to "bully" Kern. The organization also does not give any proof as to an orchestrated plan by the gay community to do such.

Mary Frances Forrester, wife of a North Carolina state representative, writes a column for a right-wing publication in which she pushes forth the hackneyed claim that gays are plotting to undermine "Christian values." In her column, she cites the work of discredited researcher Paul Cameron. She also cites the Michael Swift piece from 1987, omitting the part of the piece that clearly called it satire. She even gets Michael Swift's name wrong, calling him "Mark Swift."

Concerned Women for America accuses Human Rights Campaign head Joe Solmonese of potentially "risking lives in pursuit of a political agenda." The organization claims that Solmonese "recklessly" demanded that the Food And Drug Administration's ban on blood donations by men having sex with men be lifted. However the group omits that Solmonese was merely commenting on testimony by American Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks and America’s Blood Centers that the ban should be lifted. Concerned Women for America also does not comment on these organizations' testimony. The press release sent out by the organization focuses solely on attacking Solmonese.

Janet Folger, in a column defending Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern's statements about homosexuality, refers to the 1997 Canadian study as proof that gays have a short life span. However, in 2001, the authors of the study complained on record that the anti-gay industry have been distorted this study.

Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council, in an interview about immigration laws denying the foreign partners of gay Americans the ability to immigrate to the U.S. unlike their heterosexually-married counterparts, says that he would prefer the United States deport gays and lesbians. He later apologizes for the comment.

Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern writes a letter to the editor to a local newspaper defending her comments about homosexuality. Amongst other things, she cites a study by Paul Cameron. She also distorts the 1997 Canadian study as proof that gays have a short life span. She does this despite the fact that in 2001, the authors of the study went on record complaining how it has been distorted by the anti-gay industry.

Matt Barber of Concerned Women for America falsely claims that "multiple studies have established that homosexual conduct, especially among males, is considerably more hazardous to one’s health than a lifetime of chain smoking." Barber also refers to the 1997 Canadian study to claim that gays have a short lifespan. He addresses the 2001 complaint by the researchers of the study regarding the misusage of their work. Barber tries to dismiss the complaint as "worthless fluff." He also claims that the researchers were under "tremendous pressure" to complain. However, he neglects to go into detail as to what pressure was "exerted" on the researchers. Pleasantly for a change, he is taken to task for this distortion on many left-wing and right-wing webpages and blogs.

Conservative columnist Kevin McCullough falsely claims that ENDA (Employee Non-Discrimination Act) would make it difficult for churches to fire youth ministers found to be having inappropriate relationships with young boys in church programs.

Janelle Hallman, a researcher from NARTH (National Association for the Research and Treatment of Homosexuality), an organization pushing discredited ex-gay therapy, cites Paul Cameron in her book, The Heart of Female Same-Sex Attraction: A Comprehensive Counseling Resource.

Lifesite News, a Roman Catholic "news" site, refers to a discredited Paul Cameron study that he falsely claimed to have presented to the Eastern Psychological Association in 2007.

With these folks, there is NEVER a dull moment.

Irmo GSA controversy - who is at fault

I just came back from an interesting school board meeting in Irmo.

For the benefit of those who don’t know, Irmo High School Principal Eddie Walker is resigning after the coming school year because the formation of a gay/straight alliance. He says the alliance goes against his professional and religious values.

Fair enough.

However, in his letter explaining his resignation, Walker mischaracterized the organization as a sex club.

He has received a lot of national criticism (much deserved) and some local praise.

A gay rights group in South Carolina, South Carolina Equality Coalition, is leading the charge calling for his immediate firing.

Walker has much support from the area community. Both sides of the issue held rallies and prayer vigils before the school board meeting.

One guess whose side I was on.

The school board, who from what I understand was still meeting when I left, received comments from people on both sides of the issue.

Needless to say the meeting was a bit raucous at times. We heard from people who support Mr. Walker, calling him the best principal the high school ever had. We heard from parents opposing the GSA.

We heard from former Irmo students who detailed how they were picked on for being gay and how a GSA could have helped them.

And we heard from students who support the GSA.

The district is now considering guide lines for curriculum-based and noncurriculum-based clubs and organizations.

It won’t stop the GSA but it will make things a little difficult for it.

I have faith that the GSA will survive. The hardest part of establishing it is over. And as long as the Equal Access Act is in place, the GSA will stand.

But there is something on my mind that I have to say.

This entire situation took place because of a dereliction of duty on Mr. Walker’s part.

In this school board meeting, I heard a lot of good things said about Mr. Walker. He is a popular principal and very likely will be allowed to stay until his contract is over.

He has been called a man who stands up for his principles.

And one of those principles was stalling for a number of years to keep the GSA from forming.

Mr. Walker cares for all students

But doesn’t care enough to realize or investigate the reason as to why some students want to form a GSA.

He is a Christian man

Who in a public letter unfairly characterized the GSA as a sex club.

Do you see where I am going with this?

Every comment I heard that praised Mr. Walker only elucidates his failure to show true leadership in this matter.

Every assurance that he supports all students only serves to highlight the fact that in this case, he failed some of the most vulnerable students.

Every bit of praise heaped upon Mr. Walker illuminates how he did not keep the situation under control

As a matter of fact, he is the very reason why the situation got out of control. No one can blame those who support him nor can anyone call out those who want his immediate dismissal.

The fault lies at the feet of Mr. Walker.

In the backdrop of all his good works, this egregious error stands out like a scarlet letter, a sword of Damocles.

In the middle of all of his black marks is now a mark as crimson as the spot that Lady MacBeth imagined she had on her hand.

Unlike his fictional counterpart, he can take steps to remove the mark.

I hope that in his last year as a principal, Mr. Walker will attempt to do just that.

For the sake of all students.

Day Two of the Irmo GSA controversy finds that ignorance abounds

Day Two of the Irmo GSA controversy finds a bunch of comments on the area newspaper's webpage.

Readers were asked about their opinion regarding the principal of Irmo High School's resignation in the face of a possible GSA.

Predictably, some folks are standing in his corner:

I support Mr. Walker. A gay/straight club is about one thing - SEX. Abstinence is what we teach; it's what parents and the community should support. We need more professional educators like Mr. Walker who will stand up to these perverted bullies.

Eddie:
I applaud your decision to stand up for what you believe in and will be praying for you and your family during these next few months. With the emergence of 24/7 media, your name is bound to be slung into the mud, but just remember that there are people out there who support you. If we are loud enough, maybe one day we will win. Remember Jesus was hated, stoned and murdered, but he stood for what he believed in and because of that we are all saved. I do not know what your personal religion is, but I always applaud a man who has the conviction to say enough is enough.

I support the principle on this one, wish we had more like him. Maybe my naked blow-up doll club will be a hit at Irmo.

It is refreshing to see a man with convictions! Thank you Mr. Walker for standing up for your moral and religious beliefs and not bowing at the alter of political correctness. If we had more men of conviction like you, this country would not be in the mess we now find it.

It is a shame that the decent students at IHS are losing such a good man. I am sure that the human garbage will be very pleased, however, we as a society will all be a little bit dumber for having to put up with it.

On an area news site, a poll revealed that 67 percent of those answering said that GSAs should not exist in area high schools.

What did Gene Wilder say in Blazing Saddles? To paraphrase:

" . . .these are people of the land, the common clay . . . You know . . . morons."

All I can say is thank God I live in a country where majority rules is not necessarily an abiding principal.

Now I know that some are going to use what I just said in a semantic game of accusing me of being intolerant, but come on folks, let's be real here.

There is no legal justification to disallow this club. There is no moral justification to disallow this club. There are only assumptions; fearful assumptions.

And how long should anyone's patience last when realizing that the folks who oppose this GSA will not educate themselves on the truth of the matter.

I respect stubborness to a point, but not to the point where one continues to be stubborn in the face of truth.

So while I respect people's beliefs in opposing GSAs, I have to question their willful inability to see past their own ignorance about the matter.

Especially when it is pointed out to them ad naseum that a. GSAs do not encourage sexual activity and b. GSAs are protected by the Equal Access Act.

In all honesty though, I should chalk it up to the greatness of this country. The right to have an opinion (no matter how bullheaded it is) is a hallmark of this country just like the practice of standing up for the minority.

I guess it's a case of taking the good with the bad.

And many who responded in the newspaper actually supports GSAs:

That Mr. Walker intentionally misrepresents the purpose for the club's formation is a good indication that he does not belong in his position. That he objects to homosexuality doesn't make him any different than most of the people I know but for an educator to make bigoted,unsupported statements about anyone,let alone his students is reprehensible; he should go!

For the record, our schools and students are not in trouble because of a lack of God; our schools are in trouble because they are laboring under outdated ideas on education,teachers are overburdened,parents are struggling to make ends meet and have less time to spend with their children. If you believe that the absence of God is the problem you can easily rectify that by placing your child in a school whose charter incorporates biblical principles - there are plenty in SC. Of course, you could also teach your children the religious principles that you believe are imperative to their growth at home.

Wow!!! People, we are not talking about beliefs...we are talking about human beings!!!!! Gay people exist believe it or not. Your son , daughter, brother, sister, cousin, niece, nephew all could be a struggling gay teen. After reading the post on this board I see the need for a support group for these kids, because they sure are not getting any from home! If Mr. Walker cares so much for his students, which I have no doubt he does, I have meet him and he is very dynamic and nice person, but to completely alienate and ignore a part of the student body is not acceptable, he should step down now, not later. He has put the GLBT students at Irmo High in more danger than they ever would have been joining this "club" before his dramatic resignation. I can only imagine how many GLBT students are hearing the hateful parts of this debate from their parents and friends. It just breaks my heart to know how depressed and unwanted they feel right now.

Principal in MY state gets it right and wrong

It is very rare that my state of South Carolina get involved in the so-called cultural wars over lgbt rights.

But when it does, look out:

The Irmo High School Principal's announced resignation over a controversial student group is already drawing national attention.

Principal Eddie Walker told WIS News 10 his resignation won't take effect until June, 2009 - the end of the 2008-2009 school year.

Walker says it comes after he was asked to allow the creation of a Gay-Straight Alliance club at the school.

. . ."The formation of this club conflicts with my professional beliefs in that we do not have other clubs at Irmo High school based on sexual orientation, sexual preference, or sexual activity. In fact our sex education curriculum is abstinence based. I feel the formation of a Gay/Straight Alliance Club at Irmo High school implies that students joining the club will have chosen to or will choose to engage in sexual activity with members of the same sex, opposite sex, or members of both sexes.

My decision to resign is a personal choice based on my professional beliefs and religious convictions. I have prayed about the decision for a period of time and I have a peace about it. I would ask that you respect my choice as I respect your choice to disagree with me on this issue. I bear no malice towards anyone involved."

Now before the anti-gay industry zeroes in with their lies in order to make Mr. Walker seem like a martyr (and they will), please bear in mind that he choose to resign.

Mr. Walker was not fired nor was he threatened with termination. He made a personal choice to resign.

To his credit, I think Mr. Walker took the right road. He realized that legally, he could not oppose a GSA so he decided to bow out, rather than mandate some divine right to go above his employer (are you paying attention, Crystal Dixon).

Having said that, I have a huge problem with his incorrect assertions about GSAs.

I dare anyone to show me proof that GSAs encourage sexual activity. There has never been any proof of this assertion because it is a false notion created by the anti-gay industry designed to scare ignorant people.

GSAs exist so that lgbt teenagers can meet and interact with others like themselves. GSAs exist so that lgbt teenagers do not feel so isolated in a school environment, which at times can be homophobic.

I never came out while I was in school, but I had a front row seat to the daily degradation of someone I loved dearly just because he was gay.

He was bullied and picked on. With no support system to back him up, it was difficult for him to complete high school. Subsequently, he did not.

You see, that is what GSAs were created to stop. They give our lgbt children a support system and self-esteem; two qualities that are very important in completing not only high school but getting through life.

And more importantly, when schools fight the formation of GSAs, they usually find themselves on the losing end.

This is because of the Equal Access Act:

. . . the Equal Access Act provides that if a school permits students to organize clubs, then school officials cannot prevent a club from organizing based upon the subject matter addressed by the club. Although the Equal Access Act does not specifically address gay clubs, the law applies to students who want to form a Gay-Straight Alliance or other gay-rights club. Students must, of course, comply with their school's rules relating to forming clubs, such as application requirements and procurement of faculty sponsors. In other words, students who want to form a gay-rights club must follow the same rules as students who form a chess club.

It would seem to me that if these clubs were about sex, then the courts would be on the side of the schools.

So while I admire Mr. Walker's adherence to his personal beliefs and his decision to not allow those beliefs to influence his job, I think he really needs to educate himself.

Has he talked to his lgbt students? It always amazes me that when discussions regarding GSAs take place, very few people pay attention to what the students most involved have to say.

The stakes are too high here to make unfair assertions.