Tomorrow is the day!!!!

My mother came home from the hospital yesterday and is doing much better. Thank you all for your concern and prayers.

Well tomorrow is the day of my first book signing and I am naturally spooked. I haven't written down a game plan or anything.

Therefore I apologize for not posting anything new today. But I do want to direct your attention to a few items:

My buddies at Box Turtle Bulletin have instituted a new award, one which I hope that I am never the recipient of:

A lot of groups and individuals put out piles of misrepresented statistics and bogus research. Few can match Paul Cameron’s audacity, but from time to time we run across something that surely must put a smile on Cameron’s lips. One such email blast reached my inbox yesterday, and it was so good I thought it might be time to inaugurate a brand new award.

And so I’m announcing the Cameronesque Award, given for the individual or group who engages in the most egregious manipulation, misuse, or misrepresentation of research or statistics that would make Paul Cameron proud.

The first recipient of the award, The Christian Defense Coalition, truly deserves it.

Also, I rarely talk about the ex-gay movement on this blog. Mainly because there are many other excellent resources about the ex-gay movement, including Ex-gaywatch.com and this excellent book by activist Wayne Besen.

And now here is another good resource to add. The Southern Poverty Law Center has written two articles on the ex-gay movement. One dissects the lies of the movement and the other focuses on Scott Harrison, a man who survived the ex-gay movement.

Lastly, I would remiss if I didn't point out this article by the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. It focuses on something that our media should be talking about but for some reason refuses to: the lives of lgbts of color.

Huckabee shows how to manipulate the script

I dare anyone to tell me that the recent incident with presidential candidate Mike Huckabee wasn't timed.

Almost two weeks after Janet Folger's ridiculous wannabe Terminator fantasy of a future without Huckabee as president, someone "discovers" that Huckabee said some controversial things about AIDS sufferers as well as lgbts.

Leading of course to rebukes from folks on my side, but defenses by so-called "pro-family" figures.

A nasty way to shore up one's base indeed. I am expecting an article about the entire controversy (one-sided, of course) to come out soon in One News Now.

It wouldn't surprise me if the entire incident was planned. Huckabee is slowly but surely getting popular with the so-called "pro-family" groups. Therefore any rebuke he receives from the lgbt community can only make him look like a saint in their eyes.

So I would ask that while us lgbts get angry over Huckabee's comments, let's also recognize that we may be getting manipulated in order for Huckabee to get in the good graces of the anti-gay industry.

Let's recognize the game so that we are not pawns in it.

It's all coming together

Now I would usually talk about the anti-gay industry and I will later.

But today is too much of a good day to spoil with thoughts of Peter LaBarbera, Matt Barber, and the rest of the liars.

For today, I got my first royalty check. And of course I am giddy.

My books also came today. Last Friday, I got my business cards and poster. So I am now set for my first book signing on Thursday.

Also, my book jumped up a couple of spaces on amazon.com

And that is a good thing.

So I am now going to take this time to rest a little bit. Tonight, I am going to enjoy WWE Raw, eat, and give myself a psychological exfoliation.

Talk to you again tomorrow. I will be raring to go.

Will the David Parker lie ever die?

Yes, I know what happened today.

The Senate killed hate crimes legislation. I don't like it but I am not that angry over it.

Recently I bought a book giving the pictorial history of the African-American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. And reading it gave me perspective.

I figure if people like John Lewis, Fannie Lou Hamer, Viola Luizzo, C.T. Vivian, etc. can withstand beatings and the like for their basic rights then lgbts can withstand a little legislative setback without going all to pieces.

We moved this legislation farther than it has ever been before. So let's just take a small breath and get ready to move it even farther to completion.

The anti-gay industry has hindered us just a little bit but they can't stop us. Time and progress is on our side.

Now onto other issues . . .

I see that our friend Peter is basking in all of the attention his appearance on Fox News last night gave him. Never mind the fact that Alan Colmes made him look like a nut (yeah THAT Alan Colmes - I am as shocked as you). It is obvious that Peter defines the word "narcissist."

But I think it reveals a little bit of desperation on his part. Wasn't Folsom Street Fair held in September? Why is he still ruminating on it now in December.

Could it be that his recent requests for donations need a jolt in the arm?

Mmmmmm Could be.

Seriously though, I read something today that is the theme of this post.

Sometimes, the press can act as an unofficial ally of the anti-gay industry. This happens when a reporter is too lazy to do any actual reporting and prints the soundbites of the anti-gay industry without the courtesy of an investigation.

Case in point is this November 26 piece regarding David Parker and King and King.

I talked about Parker extensively in my book, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, and on this blog. He is that parent in Massachusetts who was arrested for not leaving his child's school when asked to. Parker claimed that he did this because the school would not give him assurances that his child wouldn't be "exposed" to talks of homosexuality.

He subsequently sued the school, joined by another set of parents who objected to the fairy tale King and King (in which a prince falls in love with the brother of his intended bride) being read to their child (who was in the second grade.)

The lawsuit was dismissed earlier this year. However, Parker and company continues to pursue the situation.

Anyway, Cybercast News Service interviewed Parker for an article about the Presidential candidates' views of King and King. So I am going to take what was said and play that lovely game of truth vs. lie that I played earlier this week:

Distortion: The article said: Parker was jailed in 2005 after he insisted Lexington school officials follow Massachusetts' parental notification law and assure him they would not read such books (like King and King) to his then-kindergartner without prior notice.

Truth: Parker's individual situation had nothing to do with King and King. His son brought home what was called a "diversity bookbag." In the bookbag was a book that had included one same sex family. Parker complained about this. He received assurances that "learning about homosexuality" was not a part of his child's curriculum. However, he was told that some students attending his child's school lived in same sex households and mentioning these households did not violate the Massachusetts parental notification law. The school had checked and was told that the notification law dealt with matters of sex education, and not necessarily differing families.

Distortion: Parker said the following in the article - "We went into a meeting with the administration, they said they were not going to tell us, and I basically made the statement, 'I'm prepared to sit here all night until I get some form of accommodation for our little boy.' Then they called the Lexington police, who put me in handcuffs, and they took me to the Lexington jail. I opted out of paying bail, so they put me in jail over night."

Truth: According to a press release jointly issued by the interim superintendent of schools and area chief of police, Parker was informed of these things during the meeting. The press release also said that Parker was told that he could appeal this decision. Parker decided to take another form of action, i.e. not leaving until he was arrested.

I don't think any malice was intended on the part of the journalist who wrote this article. But his laziness still damages truth.

Okay, maybe I care a little bit . . .

There will be a short post today.

Peter had his press conference this afternoon and he brought friends. Matt Barber from Concerned Women for America and another person spoke.

From what I hear, it was sparsely attended. But for more information, check out The Washington Blade. Online Editor Rebecca Armendariz attended. Click on her name to read her thoughts about it.

Meanwhile, my mother is still in the hospital and I am still working to get everything ready for my first book signing next week. Wish me luck.

But all isn't frivolity and worry. I just found out some good news today.

It seems that my favorite actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, is doing a nude scene in the new motion picture Before the Devil Knows You Are Dead.

I know what I am going to see this weekend.

So I like chubby pasty white men. Sue me already.

It's one of THOSE tuesdays

1. First of all, please pray for my mother as she is going to the hospital for yet another bout with diverticulitis.

Between her problems and mine, we channel Judy Garland and Liza Minelli. Of course I get to be Liza (the younger one).

2. I liked yesterday's game. In fact, I am going to play it again a few more times in the future.

3. A little over a week away from my first book signing and not only have my books not come yet but I haven't written down word one of my small speech.

And I hate the design of the poster that I am due to email to Kinko's tonight.

Can you say panic?

Well at least the sales from amazon.com are coming in. Very slowly, that is.

4. And I have a small conundrum. I am thinking about reconnecting with a dear friend of mine (shut your dirty minds, he is straight) whom I haven't seen or spoken to in over 10 years. Of course I would then have to tell him why I am 36 and have yet to meet the woman of my dreams.

And I don't know how he is going to take the news that I am gay. I hope if I tell him that he does not ask me did I ever look at him naked.

Well I can always say technically no. I never looked at him naked. Only certain parts of his body. And to answer your question, it looked spectacular.

All jokes aside, regardless of what anyone tells you, the rejection from a friend who finds out you're gay is like your soul getting sliced. And frankly, I am too old to be a victim of soul slicing. The wound may take longer to heal than it would if I were younger.

5. I hear our friend Peter LaBarbera is going to hold a press conference where he will show footage he took of Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco.

Please pardon me for not giving a shit.

6. Lastly (and yes this is a shameless plug), I encourage those who haven't already to check my site http://www.holybullies.com/ and buy a copy of my book, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Exposing the Lies of the Anti-Gay Industry.

Trust me when I say that it is THE book to have when you are forced to do battle with the anti-gay industry.

Now forgive me for leaving. I have two boxes of ice cream sandwiches with my name on them.

After all, who needs sex when one has chocolate?

A teachable moment in Kentucky

An anti-bias ordinance was recently passed in Jefferson County School Board in Kentucky. It was supposed to pass easily but ended up going through by one vote. And this is because of an interesting incident that took place during the hearing.

In speaking for the ordinance, Kat Crawford of Highland Middle School told of a situation where a person in her class said a derogatory comment about lgbts. According to Crawford, she talked to the young lady and told her how hurtful such comments could be. Possibly in attempting to prove her point further, Crawford came out to the young lady:

Crawford said she heard a girl tell other kids while on her way to scoliosis screening that "there are going to be lesbians working this," prompting snickers.

"I called the girl over and talked with her privately," Crawford told the board. "… I asked her what she said … and why she said it. I told her that I took offense to it (and said), 'How do you think that comment makes this lesbian feel?' "

Unfortunately, a board member used Crawford's story as an excuse to change her vote:

To me, that was the deal breaker," Linda Duncan said shortly after she voted against the policy.

"When I saw that this language could possibly protect those conversations, it was chilling to me. I could not support something (that) would put kids at risk," she said.

Duncan also said teachers "can't cross the line and discuss (their) sexual preference with a student -- it's just like religion, you can't take a moment and discuss it in school, it's not appropriate."

Unfortunately, others in the article also played the "teacher telling students their sexual preference" card. Luckily, there were folks who spoke to the media and told the difference between sexual orientation and sexual preference.

Personally, I am for the teacher. She had every right to do what she did. What if the student had said something negative about a certain religion that the teacher happened to be a believer in? It would have been totally appropriate for her to act in the same manner she did in this case.

But no one would be trying to accuse her of trying to "convert" the student, as they have in this case.

But I want to use the incident in order to play a game. I am going to pretend that I am Peter LaBarbera (I know, I am retching too) or some other anti-gay industry talking head. Taking that form, I am going turn this story into a series of talking points. After each talking point, I am going to point out the truth of the matter:

Anti-gay industry talking point 1 - The teacher was in the wrong because she talked about her sex life with the student.

Truth - No she did not. She did not mention anything regarding sexual activity to the student.

Anti-gay industry talking point 2 - The teacher embarrassed the student by calling her out simply because the student was giving her "deeply held religious beliefs" about homosexuality.

Truth - The student's comments had nothing to do with her religious beliefs.

Anti-gay industry talking point 3 - The student had a right to free speech.

Truth - The student had a right to free speech up to a point. Teachers and instructors have a responsibility to monitor the words of students in cases of profanity and derogatory language. The teacher was well within her rights to call the student out because the student's language was derogatory.

Anti-gay industry talking point 4 - The teacher should not be trying to force the student to accept homosexuality

Truth - The teacher was not trying to force the student to accept anything. She was simply telling the student that her language was hurtful, as was her responsibility as an instructor/teacher.

You see how the anti-gay industry works? That is why is it so important for us to know when incidents like this happen so that we can analyze how they distort the truth.