Peter LaBarbera sinks to a new low
It is obvious that Peter LaBarbera cannot stand the lgbt community. No matter how many times he claims that he only wants to help us, his stridency and singleminded attempts to devalue our lives always gives him away.
But now he has sunken to a new low by devaluing the life of a man who cannot fight him back and using that man's memorial from his friends for political purposes.
In a recent posting in criticizing Surgeon General nominee James Holsinger for repudiating his 1991 paper about homosexuality, Peter said the following:
Statistics are easier to dismiss than the human victims of homosexuality: just ask Carolyn Groff, whose son Russell died at age 26 from AIDS after getting involved in a homosexual “relationship.
For those who don't know Russell Groff, a little background is in order.
Mr. Groff was an aspiring playwright who died of a staph infection in 2004. He was also HIV positive. Since his death, his partner has been in a time and money consuming legal fight with his parents over his burial site and who should be executor of his will.
And this is not just a simple battle:
Russell Groff’s parents have been virulently anti-gay, which is ostensibly motivating them in their pursuit to deny their son’s expressed wishes. They even did a Fred Phelps-like protest during Knoxville, TN’s LGBT "Come Out Knoxville" celebration.
According to the Knoxville Metro Pulse, Carolyn Groff blames the "destructive gay lifestyle" for the death of her son, an aspiring playwright. "He wasn’t like that until he got involved in the theater group at Maryville College," she explains. Several other members of her Bible Baptist Church brought signs denoting that gays are destined to hell. Their brand of Christianity drove Russell away from the Christian church and joined Kevin as a Quaker after they met.
While Peter references Mr. Groff's mother, the site he directs people to does not come from her.
It was created by a friend of Mr. Groff who wanted give a memorial to his life. If you click on Peter's link, you will see the following:
I have deleted content from my web page because I learned that someone was using it to further a cause I DO NOT believe in. I will not allow my love and compassion to be twisted into anything else. I will no longer add anything to this site for fear of its misuse. Thank you.
I had the pleasure of seeing the page before the information was removed and it was a moving tribute. Mr. Groff was a young man who had a lot of love from his friends and his partner. There was sadness about his passage but joy about the ability to be with someone (even for a brief time as it was) with so much going for him.
But what did it matter to Peter? To him, Groff was just another homosexual who died; another symbol to point to in his war against lgbts.
I also had the pleasure of talking to the person who set up the memorial and unfortunately choose to take it down. She is not happy about what happened.
I don't blame her. Her tribute had nothing to do with a cultural war. She was just celebrating the life of a someone who meant a lot to her. If Peter had any decency, he should have left her out of his mess.
My father was a prison guard who was murdered in 2000 by some inmates seeking to escape. I would be highly upset if any tribute I set up for him was used by a racist group to claim that African-Americans are violent individuals who kill each other.
What Peter did belongs solely in the realm of bad taste, pure and simple.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
Willfully ignoring the obvious about James Holsinger
James Holsinger was never a favorite of the anti-gay industry.
They didn’t necessarily rush to his defense when the controversy came about his 1991 study. I personally think that they didn’t want to bring too much attention to themselves because its obvious that Holsinger copied their tactics of creating "research": authoring studies full of cherry picked sources to discredit the lgbt community.
Now they seem to be angry at his testimony, specifically the fact that he disavowed the 1991 study. Check out our friend Matt Barber from Concerned Women for America:
Holsinger gave several non-answers when asked if he still believed that homosexuality was “unnatural” and “unhealthy.” He seemed to try to distance himself from his 1991 paper by saying, “First of all, the paper does not represent where I am today,” he said. “It does not represent who I am today.” (What does that mean? Does it mean he no longer believes that homosexuality is “unhealthy” and “unnatural,” or does it mean that he is now MORE certain than ever that homosexuality is “unhealthy” and “unnatural”?) He completely dodged the question and provided a non-answer (which I suppose he was coached to do). His answer was prefaced by saying that he used the best medical information available at the time.
Incredibly, Barber seems to be angry at Fox News for reporting that Holsinger repudiated his paper. Now that is something I thought I would never see:
But I think the MSM [mainstream media], including Fox, have grossly exaggerated his statement. They’re reporting what they wanted to hear, not what he actually said.
Barber wrote this passage in order to clarify a point he made in an earlier email:
Enter the Mainstream Media. They are widely reporting that Holsinger has “disavowed” his belief that homosexuality is “unnatural” and “unhealthy.” They’ve apparently made that extrapolation based upon Holsinger’s above referenced quote (quite a stretch I think). Brit Hume, reporting on the Fox News Channel, said, “Holsinger also told senators in a confirmation hearing that he no longer holds the views about homosexuality that he expressed in a controversial paper in 1991, in which he called it unnatural and unhealthy.” Unless I totally missed something, he never even came close to saying that.
The entire Holsinger affair has been a serious smack in the face to the anti-gay industry. Nevertheless, Barber and the rest are stubbornly trying to find a victory out of this.
This stridency illustrates why it's easy for the anti-gay industry to create lies lgbts:
No, Holsinger didn't repudiate his paper, the lazy media made it seem that way.
No, Paul Cameron is not a bad researcher. The APA, the American Sociological Association, and William Bennett are conspiring to bring him down because they have been highjacked by the radical gay agenda.
If we cite research in a way that it was not intended, then we are not at fault. It is the researcher's fault.
Keep it up guys. Your bullheadedness is your biggest weakness and our biggest strength.
Give Gloria Gaynor the benefit of the doubt
Some of us are angry at diva Gloria Gaynor because she recently commented that she uses her concerts to try and bring lgbts to Christ.
Understandably, with all lgbts have had to deal with regarding so-called religious people, some of us have gotten ugly towards Ms. Gaynor, calling her everything but a child of God.
Lighten up folks.
Gaynor didn’t bash us a community. Her desire to lead us to Christ doesn’t necessarily mean she wants us to abandon our lgbt identity.
Many lgbts are Christians because they have learned to reconcile their faith to their orientation.
But the bottom line is that so many of us have bought into anti-gay industry lies. We believe the lie that God does not want us to be lgbt.
Why listen to wannabe substitute spokespeople when the real deal is there for you? We should embrace any and all chances to talk to God regarding who we are.
Christianity, or any type of religion for that matter, and the lgbt orienation aren’t necessarily independent of each other.
The behavior of some of us towards Gaynor only underscores how the anti-gay industry has damaged our community.
They are not the proxy voices of God, no matter how much they claim to be. In actuality, they are ticks to the body of Christianity, sucking out the spiritual blood for their own personal agendas.
So sheath your claws and save your catty comments until at least we know what she meant. Until Gloria Gaynor comes out specifically attacking us, let’s give her the benefit of the doubt.
Don’t let the anti-gay industry’s hatred of us transform us into a carbon copy of them.
As long as we attack Gaynor for her comments without any clarification as to what she meant, the closer we become to being exactly what the anti-gay industry wants us to be rather than who we should be.
James Holsinger was never a favorite of the anti-gay industry.
They didn’t necessarily rush to his defense when the controversy came about his 1991 study. I personally think that they didn’t want to bring too much attention to themselves because its obvious that Holsinger copied their tactics of creating "research": authoring studies full of cherry picked sources to discredit the lgbt community.
Now they seem to be angry at his testimony, specifically the fact that he disavowed the 1991 study. Check out our friend Matt Barber from Concerned Women for America:
Holsinger gave several non-answers when asked if he still believed that homosexuality was “unnatural” and “unhealthy.” He seemed to try to distance himself from his 1991 paper by saying, “First of all, the paper does not represent where I am today,” he said. “It does not represent who I am today.” (What does that mean? Does it mean he no longer believes that homosexuality is “unhealthy” and “unnatural,” or does it mean that he is now MORE certain than ever that homosexuality is “unhealthy” and “unnatural”?) He completely dodged the question and provided a non-answer (which I suppose he was coached to do). His answer was prefaced by saying that he used the best medical information available at the time.
Incredibly, Barber seems to be angry at Fox News for reporting that Holsinger repudiated his paper. Now that is something I thought I would never see:
But I think the MSM [mainstream media], including Fox, have grossly exaggerated his statement. They’re reporting what they wanted to hear, not what he actually said.
Barber wrote this passage in order to clarify a point he made in an earlier email:
Enter the Mainstream Media. They are widely reporting that Holsinger has “disavowed” his belief that homosexuality is “unnatural” and “unhealthy.” They’ve apparently made that extrapolation based upon Holsinger’s above referenced quote (quite a stretch I think). Brit Hume, reporting on the Fox News Channel, said, “Holsinger also told senators in a confirmation hearing that he no longer holds the views about homosexuality that he expressed in a controversial paper in 1991, in which he called it unnatural and unhealthy.” Unless I totally missed something, he never even came close to saying that.
The entire Holsinger affair has been a serious smack in the face to the anti-gay industry. Nevertheless, Barber and the rest are stubbornly trying to find a victory out of this.
This stridency illustrates why it's easy for the anti-gay industry to create lies lgbts:
No, Holsinger didn't repudiate his paper, the lazy media made it seem that way.
No, Paul Cameron is not a bad researcher. The APA, the American Sociological Association, and William Bennett are conspiring to bring him down because they have been highjacked by the radical gay agenda.
If we cite research in a way that it was not intended, then we are not at fault. It is the researcher's fault.
Keep it up guys. Your bullheadedness is your biggest weakness and our biggest strength.
Give Gloria Gaynor the benefit of the doubt
Some of us are angry at diva Gloria Gaynor because she recently commented that she uses her concerts to try and bring lgbts to Christ.
Understandably, with all lgbts have had to deal with regarding so-called religious people, some of us have gotten ugly towards Ms. Gaynor, calling her everything but a child of God.
Lighten up folks.
Gaynor didn’t bash us a community. Her desire to lead us to Christ doesn’t necessarily mean she wants us to abandon our lgbt identity.
Many lgbts are Christians because they have learned to reconcile their faith to their orientation.
But the bottom line is that so many of us have bought into anti-gay industry lies. We believe the lie that God does not want us to be lgbt.
Why listen to wannabe substitute spokespeople when the real deal is there for you? We should embrace any and all chances to talk to God regarding who we are.
Christianity, or any type of religion for that matter, and the lgbt orienation aren’t necessarily independent of each other.
The behavior of some of us towards Gaynor only underscores how the anti-gay industry has damaged our community.
They are not the proxy voices of God, no matter how much they claim to be. In actuality, they are ticks to the body of Christianity, sucking out the spiritual blood for their own personal agendas.
So sheath your claws and save your catty comments until at least we know what she meant. Until Gloria Gaynor comes out specifically attacking us, let’s give her the benefit of the doubt.
Don’t let the anti-gay industry’s hatred of us transform us into a carbon copy of them.
As long as we attack Gaynor for her comments without any clarification as to what she meant, the closer we become to being exactly what the anti-gay industry wants us to be rather than who we should be.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
You will always reap what you sow
I don’t know how the vote on James Holsinger will turn out but I am glad that he repudiated that study on lgbts he wrote:
Holsinger said the 1991 writing was not intended to be a scientific paper and relied on the information available to him at the time.
"First of all, the paper does not represent where I am today. It does not represent who I am today,'' Holsinger said.
I have to ask a question to our friend Peter LaBarbera, Matt Barber and the rest of the anti-gay industry: now that Holsinger repudiated his study, what is taking you so long to do the same?
The question is strictly rhetorical.
I know that many in the anti-gay industry won’t take back the discredited studies and the cherry picked legitimate studies they always cite when seeking to demonize lgbts.
In particular, they seem to not be able to help themselves in repeating Paul Cameron’s discredited studies.
In a recent appearance on the O’Reilly Factor, Concerned Women for America’s Sandy Rios said the following:
" . . .we all know that smoking is really harmful to your health. Well, what people don't understand is that the homosexual lifestyle, especially for men, is deadly. It takes their life 10 to 20 years earlier than straight men."
No matter how many times must we repeat the fact that this study has been discredited on several occasions, I don’t it matters to Rios and company. As long as the information puts the lgbt community in a negative light, then they are going to use it.
Maybe they own a secret copy of the Bible that advocates lying in the name of God.
Also Rios tried to slip in a little comment about David Parker, the parent in Massachusetts who manufactured a media event based on the lie that he was trying to guard his son from being forced to listen to talks about gay sexual intercourse in his kindergarten class.
One lie after another.
Meanwhile, I hear that some "Christian" folks disrupted the opening prayer in the U.S. Senate. Apparently they were upset because a Hindu minister was invited to give the prayer.
I'm not surprised their behavior.
After all, according to people like James Dobson and Rick Scarborough, this country belongs to them. All of us "heathens" are just here by their will and pleasure.
So much for Christian humility.
It’s kinda sad how these pseudo-Christians operate. First many of them go on news programs repeating to be studies they know to be incorrect.
Meanwhile, others are shouting down those who don’t share their beliefs.
And finally to top it off, they all whine about being persecuted for their religious beliefs.
What's next?
Are they going to compare their actions to the African-American civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s?
Sorry folks, but the comparison just doesn't wash.
The African-American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s was about fighting for the right to exist. Some psuedo-Christians in this country are fighting for something that doesn’t belong to them or anyone else - the right to dominate.
They don’t seem to understand that they are doing more to turn people against Christianity than any of the collective actions of the usual boogeymen (i.e. lgbts, ACLU) that they like to conjure up.
Sooner or later, their stridency and obnoxious way of acting is going to come back and haunt them. And rest assured, I will be there to make sure as many people as possible pays attention.
I don’t know how the vote on James Holsinger will turn out but I am glad that he repudiated that study on lgbts he wrote:
Holsinger said the 1991 writing was not intended to be a scientific paper and relied on the information available to him at the time.
"First of all, the paper does not represent where I am today. It does not represent who I am today,'' Holsinger said.
I have to ask a question to our friend Peter LaBarbera, Matt Barber and the rest of the anti-gay industry: now that Holsinger repudiated his study, what is taking you so long to do the same?
The question is strictly rhetorical.
I know that many in the anti-gay industry won’t take back the discredited studies and the cherry picked legitimate studies they always cite when seeking to demonize lgbts.
In particular, they seem to not be able to help themselves in repeating Paul Cameron’s discredited studies.
In a recent appearance on the O’Reilly Factor, Concerned Women for America’s Sandy Rios said the following:
" . . .we all know that smoking is really harmful to your health. Well, what people don't understand is that the homosexual lifestyle, especially for men, is deadly. It takes their life 10 to 20 years earlier than straight men."
No matter how many times must we repeat the fact that this study has been discredited on several occasions, I don’t it matters to Rios and company. As long as the information puts the lgbt community in a negative light, then they are going to use it.
Maybe they own a secret copy of the Bible that advocates lying in the name of God.
Also Rios tried to slip in a little comment about David Parker, the parent in Massachusetts who manufactured a media event based on the lie that he was trying to guard his son from being forced to listen to talks about gay sexual intercourse in his kindergarten class.
One lie after another.
Meanwhile, I hear that some "Christian" folks disrupted the opening prayer in the U.S. Senate. Apparently they were upset because a Hindu minister was invited to give the prayer.
I'm not surprised their behavior.
After all, according to people like James Dobson and Rick Scarborough, this country belongs to them. All of us "heathens" are just here by their will and pleasure.
So much for Christian humility.
It’s kinda sad how these pseudo-Christians operate. First many of them go on news programs repeating to be studies they know to be incorrect.
Meanwhile, others are shouting down those who don’t share their beliefs.
And finally to top it off, they all whine about being persecuted for their religious beliefs.
What's next?
Are they going to compare their actions to the African-American civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s?
Sorry folks, but the comparison just doesn't wash.
The African-American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s was about fighting for the right to exist. Some psuedo-Christians in this country are fighting for something that doesn’t belong to them or anyone else - the right to dominate.
They don’t seem to understand that they are doing more to turn people against Christianity than any of the collective actions of the usual boogeymen (i.e. lgbts, ACLU) that they like to conjure up.
Sooner or later, their stridency and obnoxious way of acting is going to come back and haunt them. And rest assured, I will be there to make sure as many people as possible pays attention.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
And speaking of health, more lies from the Bush Administration
I ran across an item today via Think Progress that I have to comment on:
Govt Website: Abortions Make Women Feel ‘Sad,’ Resort To ‘Drugs’ And ‘Alcohol’
Yesterday, NARAL discovered that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had revised a government website, 4parents.gov, with biased and misleading ideological claims about abortion. From new website:
Some teen pregnancies end in abortion. Abortions can have complications. There may be emotional consequences, as well: some women say that they feel sad and some use more alcohol or drugs than before.
The previous version of the site contained factual information about the rates of teen pregnancy. But these new “facts” on the site are misleading. As the Guttmacher Institute’s May 2006 report noted:
[T]he APA [American Psychological Association] found that “women who are terminating pregnancies that are wanted or who lack support from their partner or parents for the abortion may feel a greater sense of loss, anxiety and distress. For most women, however, the time of greatest distress is likely to be before an abortion; after an abortion, women frequently report feeling ‘relief and happiness.’”
. . . This is not the first time 4parents.gov has put forth misleading information. When the site launched in 2005, it told parents “to convince their teens to stop having sex by telling their children that they are ‘worth it.’” But no resources were provided for “parents whose teen remains sexually active, implying that these youth are not ‘worth it.’” It also referred to a “fetus” as an “unborn baby.”
UPDATE: In 2005, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent Leavitt a letter with reviews by scientific experts who concluded that 4parents.gov’s content appeared “to have been guided by ideology.” He also noted that the website was not created by government scientists, as the administration claimed, “but rather through a no-bid contract to the National Physician’s Center for Family Resources, an obscure organization that has taken positions against scientific agencies on important matters of public health.”
So why is this signficant? Because the National Physician's Center for Family Resources also pushes incorrect information about the lgbt community.
The following is a passage from my upcoming book (with information taken from the article, Specter seeks review of teen health site, The Washington Blade, July 29, 2005):
In July 2005, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter asked that the national Health and Human Services look at a certain web site because it allegedly showed inaccurate information about homosexuality and contraception.
The web site, 4parents.gov, received information from an organization called the National Physicians Center for Family Resources. The chairman of the National Physicians Center for Family Resources board, John Whiffen, said the organization was correct regarding what it had printed about homosexuality.
He said:
“It’s fairly well-accepted that smoking is not a good idea. It takes seven years off of your life. It appears that male homosexuality takes more than that off your life."
That claim, as many of you know, comes from a Paul Cameron study. Our discredited friend strikes again.
With former Surgeon General Richard Carmona claiming that the Bush Administration impeded him from doing his job combined with James Holsinger's hearing tomorrow, I can't help but to wonder about this administration's commitment to health care not ruled by psuedo-Christian ideology.
I ran across an item today via Think Progress that I have to comment on:
Govt Website: Abortions Make Women Feel ‘Sad,’ Resort To ‘Drugs’ And ‘Alcohol’
Yesterday, NARAL discovered that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had revised a government website, 4parents.gov, with biased and misleading ideological claims about abortion. From new website:
Some teen pregnancies end in abortion. Abortions can have complications. There may be emotional consequences, as well: some women say that they feel sad and some use more alcohol or drugs than before.
The previous version of the site contained factual information about the rates of teen pregnancy. But these new “facts” on the site are misleading. As the Guttmacher Institute’s May 2006 report noted:
[T]he APA [American Psychological Association] found that “women who are terminating pregnancies that are wanted or who lack support from their partner or parents for the abortion may feel a greater sense of loss, anxiety and distress. For most women, however, the time of greatest distress is likely to be before an abortion; after an abortion, women frequently report feeling ‘relief and happiness.’”
. . . This is not the first time 4parents.gov has put forth misleading information. When the site launched in 2005, it told parents “to convince their teens to stop having sex by telling their children that they are ‘worth it.’” But no resources were provided for “parents whose teen remains sexually active, implying that these youth are not ‘worth it.’” It also referred to a “fetus” as an “unborn baby.”
UPDATE: In 2005, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent Leavitt a letter with reviews by scientific experts who concluded that 4parents.gov’s content appeared “to have been guided by ideology.” He also noted that the website was not created by government scientists, as the administration claimed, “but rather through a no-bid contract to the National Physician’s Center for Family Resources, an obscure organization that has taken positions against scientific agencies on important matters of public health.”
So why is this signficant? Because the National Physician's Center for Family Resources also pushes incorrect information about the lgbt community.
The following is a passage from my upcoming book (with information taken from the article, Specter seeks review of teen health site, The Washington Blade, July 29, 2005):
In July 2005, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter asked that the national Health and Human Services look at a certain web site because it allegedly showed inaccurate information about homosexuality and contraception.
The web site, 4parents.gov, received information from an organization called the National Physicians Center for Family Resources. The chairman of the National Physicians Center for Family Resources board, John Whiffen, said the organization was correct regarding what it had printed about homosexuality.
He said:
“It’s fairly well-accepted that smoking is not a good idea. It takes seven years off of your life. It appears that male homosexuality takes more than that off your life."
That claim, as many of you know, comes from a Paul Cameron study. Our discredited friend strikes again.
With former Surgeon General Richard Carmona claiming that the Bush Administration impeded him from doing his job combined with James Holsinger's hearing tomorrow, I can't help but to wonder about this administration's commitment to health care not ruled by psuedo-Christian ideology.
James Holsinger hearings
Tomorrow begins the James Holsinger hearings. Hopefully there will be an explanation regarding his anti-gay biased study that doesn't involve him clinging to the cross like a martyr.
I can only wish that my esteemed Senator Lindsay Graham doesn't repeat his behavior from the Supreme Court hearings and ask Holsinger strictly tongue-in-check:
"Mr. Holsinger, you don't hate gay people, do you?"
The issue is not about whether or not Holsinger hates gay people. The issue is about his credibility. Can he be trusted as the head physician of the United States and not let his personal religious beliefs warp his professional ethics?
He certainly failed that test when writing the Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality and he needs to answer for it.
For an excellent critique of that piece of rot, go to Box Turtle Bulletin.
Hate crimes legislation
And now this from HRC. I urge everyone to take action because the anti-gay industry will be out in numbers against it:
Today Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) offered the Senate hate crimes bill, the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, as an amendment to the Department of Defense Reauthorization bill currently being debated on the Senate floor. The House of Representatives version of the bill passed with strong bipartisan support on May 3. The Senate bill, S. 1105, could be voted on as early as today. Joe Solmonese issued a statement on today's filing.
The right wing is in high gear on Capitol Hill today to fight the bill's passage and Senate leaders need to hear strong - and repeated - messages of support for the hate crimes bill from our side.
Call your senators ASAP at 202/224-3121 and urge them to vote in favor of the Matthew Shepard Act, S. 1105.
Cheap personal attack courtesy of Americans for Truth (in name only)
Lastly, I see that my friend Peter and the Americans for Truth (in name only) has stooped to a new low, proving that there are more than nine circles in hell.
The group is personally attacking Amy Andre, Manager of Training and Professional Development for Out & Equal. Out & Equal is a group devoted to issues of lgbt in the workplace.
So what did Andre do?
Nothing. Apparently on her own time, Andre has a site devoted to and has written articles regarding bisexual health and sexual health.
But leave it to our friend Peter to make it sound sleazy:
You might be interested in understanding the philosophy and politics of this woman who is pressing for radical change in employer-paid benefits – especially if you happen to be a corporate executive or a human resources director dealing with the Out & Equal agenda in your company. Consider whether your employees and customers share Amy Andre’s perspective…
Amy Andre is one of four co-authors credited with authoring the report entitled “bisexual health,” published Mar 13, 2007, by the Task Force. Here are a few quotes excerpted from Amy Andre’s own website:
My mission in life, and the goal of this website, is to encourage the safe exploration of pleasure and create political change. Are these two separate things? I think they’re one and the same.
My philosophy on pleasure is that consenting adults should be able to engage in whatever activities they desire to do safely with one another.
But, whether you find pleasure in watching – or making – pornography, taking a sex ed class in college, being able to express a sexual minority identity, or having hot safe sex with your lover(s), in reality, going for any of these is a political act.
Peter infers that Andre is linked to introducing all sorts of wild sexual activity to children. Strange how he does not provide any concrete proof of these charges.
Whatever the case maybe, it has nothing to do with her work at Out & Equal. And I personally think what she is doing is no different than the actions of Dr. Ruth or any other sex advice columnist.
There is nothing wrong with advocating good healthy sexual behavior, which is possible irregardless of your sexual orientation.
So is this the next step in attacking the gay community, Peter?
Is trolling online and finding things you can spin as "smut" against someone a Christian principle all of the sudden?
Please show me where in the Bible did Jesus advocated such trash?
Tomorrow begins the James Holsinger hearings. Hopefully there will be an explanation regarding his anti-gay biased study that doesn't involve him clinging to the cross like a martyr.
I can only wish that my esteemed Senator Lindsay Graham doesn't repeat his behavior from the Supreme Court hearings and ask Holsinger strictly tongue-in-check:
"Mr. Holsinger, you don't hate gay people, do you?"
The issue is not about whether or not Holsinger hates gay people. The issue is about his credibility. Can he be trusted as the head physician of the United States and not let his personal religious beliefs warp his professional ethics?
He certainly failed that test when writing the Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality and he needs to answer for it.
For an excellent critique of that piece of rot, go to Box Turtle Bulletin.
Hate crimes legislation
And now this from HRC. I urge everyone to take action because the anti-gay industry will be out in numbers against it:
Today Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) offered the Senate hate crimes bill, the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act, as an amendment to the Department of Defense Reauthorization bill currently being debated on the Senate floor. The House of Representatives version of the bill passed with strong bipartisan support on May 3. The Senate bill, S. 1105, could be voted on as early as today. Joe Solmonese issued a statement on today's filing.
The right wing is in high gear on Capitol Hill today to fight the bill's passage and Senate leaders need to hear strong - and repeated - messages of support for the hate crimes bill from our side.
Call your senators ASAP at 202/224-3121 and urge them to vote in favor of the Matthew Shepard Act, S. 1105.
Cheap personal attack courtesy of Americans for Truth (in name only)
Lastly, I see that my friend Peter and the Americans for Truth (in name only) has stooped to a new low, proving that there are more than nine circles in hell.
The group is personally attacking Amy Andre, Manager of Training and Professional Development for Out & Equal. Out & Equal is a group devoted to issues of lgbt in the workplace.
So what did Andre do?
Nothing. Apparently on her own time, Andre has a site devoted to and has written articles regarding bisexual health and sexual health.
But leave it to our friend Peter to make it sound sleazy:
You might be interested in understanding the philosophy and politics of this woman who is pressing for radical change in employer-paid benefits – especially if you happen to be a corporate executive or a human resources director dealing with the Out & Equal agenda in your company. Consider whether your employees and customers share Amy Andre’s perspective…
Amy Andre is one of four co-authors credited with authoring the report entitled “bisexual health,” published Mar 13, 2007, by the Task Force. Here are a few quotes excerpted from Amy Andre’s own website:
My mission in life, and the goal of this website, is to encourage the safe exploration of pleasure and create political change. Are these two separate things? I think they’re one and the same.
My philosophy on pleasure is that consenting adults should be able to engage in whatever activities they desire to do safely with one another.
But, whether you find pleasure in watching – or making – pornography, taking a sex ed class in college, being able to express a sexual minority identity, or having hot safe sex with your lover(s), in reality, going for any of these is a political act.
Peter infers that Andre is linked to introducing all sorts of wild sexual activity to children. Strange how he does not provide any concrete proof of these charges.
Whatever the case maybe, it has nothing to do with her work at Out & Equal. And I personally think what she is doing is no different than the actions of Dr. Ruth or any other sex advice columnist.
There is nothing wrong with advocating good healthy sexual behavior, which is possible irregardless of your sexual orientation.
So is this the next step in attacking the gay community, Peter?
Is trolling online and finding things you can spin as "smut" against someone a Christian principle all of the sudden?
Please show me where in the Bible did Jesus advocated such trash?
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Hypocrisy is so un-Christian
I hope no one thinks that I am attacking Christians, but I ran across a few things today that has to be commented on. The following is from People for the American Way:
Recently we noted the blatant double standard exhibited by religious-right groups in the case of Albemarle County, Virginia schools’ "backpack mail" program: Last year, Liberty Counsel told the school that if it distributed secular materials by giving them to students to take home, it had to allow religious materials as well. The school complied. But when a summer camp for "atheists, freethinkers, [and] humanists" used the "backpack mail" program, Rick Scarborough’s Vision America pounced, directing its supporters to flood the school superintendent’s e-mail account and eventually causing the school to drop "backpack mail" altogether.
Scarborough declared a "major victory" for Vision America, but lamented that the victory was only partial: He would prefer that the school reject material from atheists while continuing to distribute material from Christian programs. Scarborough explained:
People for the American Way says we’re hypocrites who want to establish a different standard for Christians and atheists. Hypocrites, no. Different standards? Yes. Again, the court said the district didn’t have unbridled discretion, not that it shouldn’t exercise any discretion.
Why should a fringe minority have the same status as Christians? This country was not established by secular humanists. The Declaration of Independence appeals to the "Creator" and the "Supreme Judge of the World" -- not to Buddha or Mohammad or Madalyn Murray O’Hair. Christians constitute 90% of the American people. The people whose taxes pay for the Albemarle County School System are overwhelmingly Christian.
It gets worse.
Apparently the readers of One News Now are upset because for the first time, the US Senate will open with a prayer from a Hindu minister. Some of their comments are as follows:
The invocation of idolatrous gods is inherently offensive to members of the Judeo-Christian majority of the United States. The Second Commandment states, "You shall not make for yourselves and idol." Therefore, we should let our senators know that while we defend the right of others to practice their religions, we do not accept the imposition of minority religious practices upon us and our elected representatives.
"God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7). The same goes for a nation.
Inclusiveness NEVER was a part of God's will for His people. When the Israelites assimilated other religious beliefs, God turned a deaf ear to their crys. It cost Solomon his soul. Christianity likewise is an EXCLUSIVE religion. There is One God and One Savior. He is the Creator.
Are you serious? Why is it in this nation founded on Christian truth is prayer mentioned in Jesus' name the only one that offends? Now we must kowtow to a pagan false religion by allowing prayer to hindu gods? What is happening here? Why is our senate sticking a finger in the Most Holy God's eye? Doesn't anyone fear God anymore? One more big step on that slippery slope to divine judgement.
Sorry majority rules in this country and Christians are the majority. Please take your seat now.
And these some of the same people who claim that adding lgbts to hate crimes legislation discriminates against Christians?
So perceived discrimination against Christians is wrong but actual discrimination by Christians is okay.
Kind of hypocritical, don’t you think?
But unfortunately the mindsets of these folks are the reason why the anti-gay industry have been so successful in their lies about an alleged gay conspiracy to undermine American values.
Many people reading the comments of Scarborough and the commentators of One News Now will think that what was said is totally appropriate.
And that is a serious problem. Not for us so-called "Godless activists" but for those who call themselves people of faith.
Some Christians claim that they are viewed negatively in this country. If is a problem regarding people having a negative view of Christianity, it has nothing to do with gays, "secular humanists," the ACLU or the usual boogeymen called out by James Dobson and company.
The blame is solely on the lap of those Capitalistic Christians who have tied the Gospel of Jesus to the world view of success and conquest.
That is the type of Christian who, as demonstrated by the above examples, can speak out both sides of their mouths about discrimination and not feel the least bit guilty.
Why should they?
God blesses them above everyone else. They know this for sure because people like Rick Scarborough, James Dobson, James Kennedy, One News Now and so many others tells them so on a daily basis.
Well, this has never been a Christian country.
I don’t care how many Founding Fathers you find who claimed to have practiced the Christian religion, this country hasn’t necessarily been that close to God.
Those who cite the fallacy of a Christian nation seem to always forget slavery and segregation of African-Americans, as well as the grand scale genocide of Native Americans; practices that were many times aided and abetted by people of faith willing to either look the other way or rationalize these offenses.
And let’s not forget the Salem Witchcraft Trials, which is a perfect example of how some self-righteous people of faith ignored the voice of God and spiritually cannibalized each other.
So I question the idea that the United States is a Christian nation. I view this notion as an egotistical flight of fancy.
And, with all due respect, allow me to address those Christians in this country who seem to think that God mandated for them to replace the Israelites as the "chosen people:"
I hope no one thinks that I am attacking Christians, but I ran across a few things today that has to be commented on. The following is from People for the American Way:
Recently we noted the blatant double standard exhibited by religious-right groups in the case of Albemarle County, Virginia schools’ "backpack mail" program: Last year, Liberty Counsel told the school that if it distributed secular materials by giving them to students to take home, it had to allow religious materials as well. The school complied. But when a summer camp for "atheists, freethinkers, [and] humanists" used the "backpack mail" program, Rick Scarborough’s Vision America pounced, directing its supporters to flood the school superintendent’s e-mail account and eventually causing the school to drop "backpack mail" altogether.
Scarborough declared a "major victory" for Vision America, but lamented that the victory was only partial: He would prefer that the school reject material from atheists while continuing to distribute material from Christian programs. Scarborough explained:
People for the American Way says we’re hypocrites who want to establish a different standard for Christians and atheists. Hypocrites, no. Different standards? Yes. Again, the court said the district didn’t have unbridled discretion, not that it shouldn’t exercise any discretion.
Why should a fringe minority have the same status as Christians? This country was not established by secular humanists. The Declaration of Independence appeals to the "Creator" and the "Supreme Judge of the World" -- not to Buddha or Mohammad or Madalyn Murray O’Hair. Christians constitute 90% of the American people. The people whose taxes pay for the Albemarle County School System are overwhelmingly Christian.
It gets worse.
Apparently the readers of One News Now are upset because for the first time, the US Senate will open with a prayer from a Hindu minister. Some of their comments are as follows:
The invocation of idolatrous gods is inherently offensive to members of the Judeo-Christian majority of the United States. The Second Commandment states, "You shall not make for yourselves and idol." Therefore, we should let our senators know that while we defend the right of others to practice their religions, we do not accept the imposition of minority religious practices upon us and our elected representatives.
"God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows" (Galatians 6:7). The same goes for a nation.
Inclusiveness NEVER was a part of God's will for His people. When the Israelites assimilated other religious beliefs, God turned a deaf ear to their crys. It cost Solomon his soul. Christianity likewise is an EXCLUSIVE religion. There is One God and One Savior. He is the Creator.
Are you serious? Why is it in this nation founded on Christian truth is prayer mentioned in Jesus' name the only one that offends? Now we must kowtow to a pagan false religion by allowing prayer to hindu gods? What is happening here? Why is our senate sticking a finger in the Most Holy God's eye? Doesn't anyone fear God anymore? One more big step on that slippery slope to divine judgement.
Sorry majority rules in this country and Christians are the majority. Please take your seat now.
And these some of the same people who claim that adding lgbts to hate crimes legislation discriminates against Christians?
So perceived discrimination against Christians is wrong but actual discrimination by Christians is okay.
Kind of hypocritical, don’t you think?
But unfortunately the mindsets of these folks are the reason why the anti-gay industry have been so successful in their lies about an alleged gay conspiracy to undermine American values.
Many people reading the comments of Scarborough and the commentators of One News Now will think that what was said is totally appropriate.
And that is a serious problem. Not for us so-called "Godless activists" but for those who call themselves people of faith.
Some Christians claim that they are viewed negatively in this country. If is a problem regarding people having a negative view of Christianity, it has nothing to do with gays, "secular humanists," the ACLU or the usual boogeymen called out by James Dobson and company.
The blame is solely on the lap of those Capitalistic Christians who have tied the Gospel of Jesus to the world view of success and conquest.
That is the type of Christian who, as demonstrated by the above examples, can speak out both sides of their mouths about discrimination and not feel the least bit guilty.
Why should they?
God blesses them above everyone else. They know this for sure because people like Rick Scarborough, James Dobson, James Kennedy, One News Now and so many others tells them so on a daily basis.
Well, this has never been a Christian country.
I don’t care how many Founding Fathers you find who claimed to have practiced the Christian religion, this country hasn’t necessarily been that close to God.
Those who cite the fallacy of a Christian nation seem to always forget slavery and segregation of African-Americans, as well as the grand scale genocide of Native Americans; practices that were many times aided and abetted by people of faith willing to either look the other way or rationalize these offenses.
And let’s not forget the Salem Witchcraft Trials, which is a perfect example of how some self-righteous people of faith ignored the voice of God and spiritually cannibalized each other.
So I question the idea that the United States is a Christian nation. I view this notion as an egotistical flight of fancy.
And, with all due respect, allow me to address those Christians in this country who seem to think that God mandated for them to replace the Israelites as the "chosen people:"
Jesus never said "pick up your Cross and follow me and I will give you a nice job, a nice house, 2.5 children and a Republican in the White House every four years.
Not getting a Constitutional Amendment passed outlawing same sex marriage doesn’t exactly rank up there with being crucified, stoned, or being fed to wild beasts.
Having your child go to a school that allows a gay/straight alliance doesn’t exactly put you in the category of "suffering for your faith." In fact even if Hilary Clinton or any other Democrat was elected president and you have to deal with a Democratic Congress to go with said election, you would still rank zero on the martyrdom scale.
Lastly, if Scarborough is correct and you do comprise a vast majority, then are you really being persecuted? Either you suffer from a serious narcissism complex or maybe God is trying to tell you something about your attitudes.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Did you miss me?
Well I’m back online at home via dial up. It’s not DSL and I am hating it. This phone line is slow as hell.
But the important thing is that I’m back online and just in time for the James Holsinger hearings, too.
My book
In the midst of all of this turmoil, I have been steadily working to publish my book. If all goes well, it should be out in the middle of September.
I am currently working on a press packet and would love to send it out to as many people as possible.
The press packet will contain:
press release,
excerpt from Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters,
a one page outline of anti-gay industry tactics and lies
two flyers,
and an interview with me
If you are interested in receiving this packet in the mail or email, please email me at CharleKenghis@aol.com
I am also working on a list who will receive the galleys of my book.
As you all know, the whole point of my book is not to make money but to arm the lgbt community with information and get the anti-gay industry to explain their tactics, rather than us explaining the validity of our lives for a change.
Retreat from hysteria yields a challenge
From the site my online buddy Joe Brummer, one of Bill O'Reilly's sources for his lesbian gang hysteria has retreated from his claims.
That’s good.
But what is bad is one of the comments he posted on his site reportedly coming from one of us. Allegedly a gay person sent him a nasty email attacking African-Americans on the whole.
The racist diatribe does nothing but play into the "divide and conquer" mentality that the anti-gay industry uses against the black and gay communities.
No matter how the anti-gay industry angers us, we shouldn’t stoop to the level of showing our asses more than our inteligence.
That "ACT-UP" mentality of protesting was useful back in the day, but it's wasn't useful all of the time.
And sometimes, like now, it's rather counterproductive.
This is an intellectual battle so any form of visibility is not necessarily a good thing. Let's practice positive visibility.
So I ask that if you feel the need to write and challenge those who oppose us, speak from your mind and with righteous indignation, but don't let their lies reduce you to their level.
If you feel that you have to call the opposition cheap names, then you really need to examine yourself.
Paul Cameron keeps popping up
Check out this diatribe from World Net Daily:
Even school boards, like that in Montgomery County, Md., are urging young students to accept this deadly habit and plying them with the message that anyone who perceives himself/herself as being of a certain sexual orientation is in fact stuck with that orientation and cannot escape. That's tantamount to a group of educators telling smokers that they were born to smoke, can't quit and shouldn't even try.
Of course, the promulgation of knowledge and data concerning the link between alternative sex and disease is hampered by the bullying tactics of the elite. Thus, only a few facts are known at all to some of the public (such as the results of a study in Scandinavia showing that men in same-sex marriages die 24 years earlier than their counterparts in the general population) . . .
As I am sure that many of you know, that claim about a short gay life span in Scandinavia comes from our pal Paul Cameron. It was his latest set of lies.
Gay blogs from my own to Box Turtle Bulletin beat down this latest lie of Cameron's months ago.
And it was fun.
But like a weed, Cameron's lies continue to come up.
And every time weeds come up, we need to knock them down.
Well I’m back online at home via dial up. It’s not DSL and I am hating it. This phone line is slow as hell.
But the important thing is that I’m back online and just in time for the James Holsinger hearings, too.
My book
In the midst of all of this turmoil, I have been steadily working to publish my book. If all goes well, it should be out in the middle of September.
I am currently working on a press packet and would love to send it out to as many people as possible.
The press packet will contain:
press release,
excerpt from Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters,
a one page outline of anti-gay industry tactics and lies
two flyers,
and an interview with me
If you are interested in receiving this packet in the mail or email, please email me at CharleKenghis@aol.com
I am also working on a list who will receive the galleys of my book.
As you all know, the whole point of my book is not to make money but to arm the lgbt community with information and get the anti-gay industry to explain their tactics, rather than us explaining the validity of our lives for a change.
Retreat from hysteria yields a challenge
From the site my online buddy Joe Brummer, one of Bill O'Reilly's sources for his lesbian gang hysteria has retreated from his claims.
That’s good.
But what is bad is one of the comments he posted on his site reportedly coming from one of us. Allegedly a gay person sent him a nasty email attacking African-Americans on the whole.
The racist diatribe does nothing but play into the "divide and conquer" mentality that the anti-gay industry uses against the black and gay communities.
No matter how the anti-gay industry angers us, we shouldn’t stoop to the level of showing our asses more than our inteligence.
That "ACT-UP" mentality of protesting was useful back in the day, but it's wasn't useful all of the time.
And sometimes, like now, it's rather counterproductive.
This is an intellectual battle so any form of visibility is not necessarily a good thing. Let's practice positive visibility.
So I ask that if you feel the need to write and challenge those who oppose us, speak from your mind and with righteous indignation, but don't let their lies reduce you to their level.
If you feel that you have to call the opposition cheap names, then you really need to examine yourself.
Paul Cameron keeps popping up
Check out this diatribe from World Net Daily:
Even school boards, like that in Montgomery County, Md., are urging young students to accept this deadly habit and plying them with the message that anyone who perceives himself/herself as being of a certain sexual orientation is in fact stuck with that orientation and cannot escape. That's tantamount to a group of educators telling smokers that they were born to smoke, can't quit and shouldn't even try.
Of course, the promulgation of knowledge and data concerning the link between alternative sex and disease is hampered by the bullying tactics of the elite. Thus, only a few facts are known at all to some of the public (such as the results of a study in Scandinavia showing that men in same-sex marriages die 24 years earlier than their counterparts in the general population) . . .
As I am sure that many of you know, that claim about a short gay life span in Scandinavia comes from our pal Paul Cameron. It was his latest set of lies.
Gay blogs from my own to Box Turtle Bulletin beat down this latest lie of Cameron's months ago.
And it was fun.
But like a weed, Cameron's lies continue to come up.
And every time weeds come up, we need to knock them down.
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