No bashing

On this anniversary of the worst attack to take place on American soil, I want to make something clear about my book.

I did not write it to bash Christians.

Believe it or not, I think it is perfectly okay for someone to believe that homosexuality is a sin. I personally do not believe it. I think that being gay is a blessing from God, as is being lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

But that does not mean anyone has to believe as I do. And it is possible for people who have two different views of this issue to not only co-exist, but be friends.

I have a dear friend with has four children whom his wife home schools. He is conservative. He also knows that I am gay.

However, he does not bristle when I ask about his children. He knows there are no hidden motives when I ask about their health. And when they come to visit him at his office, he makes it a point, whenever he has time, to bring them to my office for them to say hello.

When he heard I was writing this book, he said, "Alvin, I may not agree with you or believe in the same thing you do, but I believe in you."

We remain friends and I continue to inquire about his family from time to time.

I guess I am saying that to make a point.

And that point is I don’t want anyone to come away from reading my book with the belief that lies and deception are indicative of the Christian faith or any other faith.

I wrote this book to point out the exploitation of faith and religious beliefs, something unfortunately as old as the Earth itself.

Lastly, my book is not meant to push the notion that faith, love of God and love from God are the enemies of the lgbt community.

Because if you really look at it, those three things are the reasons why lgbts have survived thus far.

Americans for Truth are curious about my book

I got an email two days ago from someone at Americans for Truth.

It was nothing spectacular. Apparently the group had heard about my book and requested an "advance copy."

My first impulse was to go ahead and send them a copy of my final galleys. However, something did not sit right with me so I consulted a friend.

He said why should I bother to send them the galleys when I know full well that they are most likely going to bash it. This was not to say that I should not send them anything at all.

He advised me to just send them a link where they can purchase the book. After all, why give them a special preview when others who will respect my work are going to pay for their copy.

This was sound advice so I took it.

It is interesting though.

Americans for Truth (in name only) and other anti-gay industry groups no doubt are now aware of my book.

I am curious see if they can refute my observations.

Lawd I got them ENDA blues!!!!

I had a small problem today with my book designation.

Someone pointed out that my publisher had my book designated as juvenile fiction.

When I called to correct the error, my publishing representative instantly knew who I was. This means one of two things.

Either my book is selling excellently or I call her too much.

I have my fingers crossed but it will be a while before I find out the answer to that question. My book sales statement won't come out for a while.

Meanwhile . . .

On Capital Hill, Congress is in the middle of hearings on whether or not to pass the Employee Non-discrimination Act (ENDA).

It looks good for us. Of course this means that we can expect to see the anti-gay industry spinning lies of how ENDA will allow 330-pound linebackers dressed in drag with "five o’clock shadow" to demand jobs at churches.

Or how wildly dressed "she-males" (their words, not mine) will demand jobs at a daycare centers.

I thought I had heard it all, but the following wins the prize for vulgar originality. In Oregon, local anti-gay industry figures are working to overturn the nondiscrimination laws there. According to them, the laws will lead to the following:

Your daughter may pull her panties up to discover a man in the Women's Restroom!

Men's and Women's Restrooms, a thing of the past?

After January 1, 2008 anyone will have access to Men's and Women's Restrooms, no questions asked. Your daughter may pull her panties up to discover a man in the Women's Restroom. He can claim that he felt like a woman that day and be protected by a law passed by the Oregon legislature and signed by the Governor. He may not be homosexual, just out trolling for a good time. It's true! And after January 1, unless you sign the petition to stop this bill, the predator will be protected by Oregon law! …

On January 1, 2008 - unless we ACT - Benson, and others will be free to do the same thing in any public or business restroom or locker room in the State of Oregon! He can claim that he felt like a woman that day and according to Senate Bill 2 he will be protected should you protest!

Thanks to our enlightened legislature, if you protest, he can sue YOU and claim the protections of his behavior under SB 2. He may not be homosexual, just out trolling for a good time! And you and your daughter or son, or your wife, will no longer be protected by current law.

These appeals to fear is an anti-gay industry tactic I talk about in my book: dire consequences,which, for lack of a better definition, is an appeal to fear.

Appealing to fear and lying in the name of God.

Is it just me or is there something wrong with this picture?

And so another one meets his maker

There are so many things going on today, but the one subject everyone is talking about (other than Congressman Craig) is the passing of James Kennedy.

Kennedy is the second prominent member of the religious right to die this year after Jerry Falwell. While he was probably not as prominently known as Falwell, Kennedy was equally effective when it came to opposing lgbt rights:

Kennedy’s recently-shuttered Center for Reclaiming America for Christ sponsored a series of television commercials in 1998 promoting gay conversion featuring Michael Johnston. Johnston, who is HIV-positive, was later found to have been secretly hosting orgies, taking drugs and practicing unsafe sex without disclosing his HIV status.

In 2004, Kennedy co-wrote What’s Wrong With Same-Sex Marriage with Jerry Newcombe which quotes extensively from discredited “researcher” and Nazi apologist Paul Cameron. In 2005, Kennedy published another book titled Why the Ten Commandments Matter, which features distortions from Cameron’s influential pamphlet, “Medical Consequences of What Homosexuals Do. And Kennedy’s Center for Reclaiming America posted at least one other article citing Cameron’s “research.”

The Miami Herald adds this reaction from Wayne Besen:

Fort Lauderdale gay-rights activist Wayne Besen calls him something else: “a source of great pain for gays and lesbians, distorting our lives on a national level. The whole ‘ex-gay’ movement we see nationally was jump-started by Coral Ridge Ministries … Kennedy popularized this idea that has caused a lot of suffering for gay people,” that homosexuality could be “prayed away.”

My prayers are with his family and I mean no one any disrespect but let’s be real about this.

James Kennedy, like the late Jerry Falwell, was a two-bit liar of the first order.

He helped the anti-gay industry highjack words like "family" and "values."

It is not my place to say where he is now, whether it be Heaven or Hell.

But I am totally in the right to say that while he was on this Earth, Kennedy was far from an angel or saint.

No doubt, Peter LaBarbera, Matt Barber, and other members of the anti-gay industry will scour the internet to find and post the nastiest comments from lgbts in an attempt to portray the entire community as mean-spirited.

Kennedy would probably be proud. His "influence" lives on.

This and that, Odds and ends

Since announcing the publication of my book, I have received an outpouring of support and congratulations.

And I find that very gratifying for one reason.

I self-published this book and I don't really expect to make money off of it. I have no publishing house behind me working publicity. I have no salacious story to tell that would reel in readers.

All I offer is truth; plain truth.

I have often heard that the battle for lgbt rights can be compared to that of the African-American civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s. This overview is correct but the devil is always in the details.

Racists back then primarily used violence to keep African-Americans in place. The forces who attack lgbts are a bit more covert. They don't use physical violence, but ideological violence.

They use lies and distortions to rob us of our spiritual and psychological well-being. And the way to defeat them is the beat them down with the truth as often as possible.

So I wish to thank everyone who ordered my book so far and registered a note of support to me for my efforts.

And speaking of the anti-gay industry, I did something unorthodox yesterday. I mass emailed a press release publicizing my book. Various folks such as Americans for Truth (in name only), the Traditional Values Coalition, Concerned Women for America, Kevin McCullough, etc were included in this mass emailing.

Why did I do it? Because I wanted them to know about my book. I really don't expect them to answer me back or address my book.

But at least they can't claim that they weren't aware of it.

And one more thing.

In a show of distorted vision that served him well when he was with Concerned Women for America, my ole pal Robert Knight wrote a column whining that the Congressman Craig controversy is taking attention away from the Jim Naugle situation in Florida:

Knight says the Larry Craig scandal is a "perfect" story for the mainstream media because the senator has a pro-family voting record, yet engages in behavior he ostensibly opposes. Senator Craig resigned from the U.S. Senate on Saturday amidst the bathroom sex scandal.

Naturally neither Knight's column nor the article quoting him cited comments from the area police (who said that public gay sex is not a problem in Naugle's area) or Florida lgbt activists.

Should we really be surprised?

Apparently for Knight, old habits of lying die hard.

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters on sale now!!!

I am pleased to announce that my book, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Exposing the Lies of the Anti-Gay Industry, just went on sale. I have already sent out many press releases announcing this.

As you all know, this has been a long process for me. I originally wanted to write this book in 1992 while in college.

Coming out is a difficult process. Realizing that there are people out there who, through lies, will try to convince you that you have a negative future as a gay man only makes the process worse. Hearing people cite the work of Paul Cameron and other lies did much damage to my psyche at that time. I have since gotten over it, but I will never forget it.

So I finally sat down three years ago and began the process of writing this book. My purpose is to show how the anti-gay industry distorts studies to prove the lie that "homosexuality is a dangerous lifestyle."

I also outline their propaganda techniques and give examples of how they distort current events to lie on the lgbt community.

This book is my way of striking back not just for myself but for the next generation; the next young lgbt who will be forced to listen to the standard lies about the supposed gay life span or gay men molesting children.

I am smarter than I was in 1992 and my community is more pro-active. In that spirit, I hope this book answers a lot of questions, exposes a lot of lies, and turns this "cultural battle" into one in which the anti-gay industry has to answer for their tactics rather than us lgbt having to explain our lives.

Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters or reading an excerpt can go here.

And one more thing - thank you all for your suppport.

Don't we ever learn?

In an excellent show of guts, officials in Broward County, Fla., voted unanimously Tuesday to boot Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle from their tourism board.

I am happy about that but I read something about an event in another state that got me sad.

In Tennessee, Congressman Steve Cohen finally met with a group of black ministers who have been after him because of his voting for the federal hate crimes bill.

The meeting got ugly and will best be remembered for the following:

"He's not black and he can't represent me, that's just the bottom line," said Rev. Robert Poindexter of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. "I don't care how people try to dress is up, it always comes down to race and he can't know what it's like to be black."

It always saddens me as an lgbt of color when I see the gay and black community played against one another. Unfortunately since Bush's re-election, there has merged a wannabe army of black ministers who march in lockstep with the propaganda of the anti-gay industry, eager for the rewards of faith based money and notoriety that comes with their stances.

But with their stances comes ugly realities. No matter how hard they try, their prejudices are coming through. And these prejudices are embarrassing them.

Before their meeting, these black ministers were successful in putting Representative Cohen on the defensive. Now, they are on the defensive:

Comments and outbursts like that caused leaders to say the group will send Cohen a letter of apology.

"We didn't control it well, but it was never our intention to offend anybody," said Rev. Stanford L. Hunt, the group's secretary and pastor at Beulah Baptist Church. "Things definitely got out of hand."

Cohen agreed.

"I was not treated the way a congressman or an elected official or an invited guest should have been treated," Cohen said afterward. "It was supposed to be my time to come and address this issue. I never expected anything like this."

From reading the comments below the article, these ministers have done more damage to themselves. Not only were they unable to change Representative Cohen's mind, but their credibility as leaders in the black community has been questioned.

I have heard many white lgbts wonder how can heterosexual African-Americans stand for discrimination against gays when they have a history of being the victims of intolerance.

The answer is easy: because they are human and must be educated.

We would like to think that the victims of discrimination develop some sort of compassion that would enable them to not take on the role of oppressors. But such a thought is purely idealistic.

The fact of the matter is that human beings are not infalliable creatures. We are like cars; we need tune ups from time to time. Or in other words, we need consistent reminders.

We need to be reminded of what happens when a group of us are attacked and discriminated against for just being different. We need to be reminded that prejudice and hate should not be determined by actions but the reasonings behind those actions.

And we need to be reminded that in the long run, we all want the same thing: comfort, love, and the right to self-determination.

Without these reminders, we fall into chaos.