Wednesday mid-day news briefs
Gainesville votes to keep open washroom policy for transgenders - And now, the One News Now version of the article, which is really the Associated Press article with hilarious reader comments added below.
Incidentally, drinking Pepsi makes foxes pee - As this post from Goodasyou.org and my recent run-in with James MacDonald proves, the ex-gay movement is a sham. The spokespeople claim that they just want to be left alone. But by their actions, they intentionally work to undermine lgbt progression and rights.
The Peter doesn't like being called a bigot (or Satan's Lover) - LaBarbera makes it his life's work to attack the lgbt community and then wonders why we consider him a bigot. By the way, his version of the events surrounding his "speech" conveniently omits the man calling protesters the "f" word.
Haggard suggested divorce after scandal - Ted Haggard keeps staying in the spotlight. Geez!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Good news out of Gainesville, FL!!!
This came out last night but I wanted to wait and post it this morning - nothing like good news to start the day:
Gainesville, Fla.’s Amendment 1 -- which, if passed, would have repealed a number of antidiscrimination protections for LGBT residents in the college town -- failed at the polls Tuesday. With the majority of precincts reporting, results have the amendment failing with 61% voting no and 39% voting yes.
The repeal movement began last year after the city commission revised the antidiscrimination law to include protections for transgender people in employment, housing, and public accommodations -- including restrooms.
Opponents using scare tactics about mixed-sex public bathrooms gathered enough signatures to place a referendum of the protections on the ballot. Charter Amendment 1 would have eliminated not only transgender protections but also protections for gays and lesbians in the North Florida city. It also would have forbade the city to add protected categories that are not included in the Florida Civil Rights Act, which does not recognize sexual orientation or gender identity.
If I know the religious right (and I do), this isn't the end of the "bathroom" lies. As some of the voters in this link clearly demonstrates, you can fool some of the people some of the time.
But it's still nice to see such a smackdown at the ballot box.
This came out last night but I wanted to wait and post it this morning - nothing like good news to start the day:
Gainesville, Fla.’s Amendment 1 -- which, if passed, would have repealed a number of antidiscrimination protections for LGBT residents in the college town -- failed at the polls Tuesday. With the majority of precincts reporting, results have the amendment failing with 61% voting no and 39% voting yes.
The repeal movement began last year after the city commission revised the antidiscrimination law to include protections for transgender people in employment, housing, and public accommodations -- including restrooms.
Opponents using scare tactics about mixed-sex public bathrooms gathered enough signatures to place a referendum of the protections on the ballot. Charter Amendment 1 would have eliminated not only transgender protections but also protections for gays and lesbians in the North Florida city. It also would have forbade the city to add protected categories that are not included in the Florida Civil Rights Act, which does not recognize sexual orientation or gender identity.
If I know the religious right (and I do), this isn't the end of the "bathroom" lies. As some of the voters in this link clearly demonstrates, you can fool some of the people some of the time.
But it's still nice to see such a smackdown at the ballot box.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Anti-gay writer boon for lgbt community
Yes the debate is still going on between me and you know who, but I want to talk about something else.
Robert Knight is back to doing what he likes to do best - smearing the lgbt community.
Knight has made a career out of trolling around various right-wing conservative groups as some sort of "culture analyst."
He was involved with the Family Research Council. Then he moved to Concerned Women for America. His last gig was with the Media Resource Center.
And now he is a writer at Coral Ridge Ministries.
The news of Knight's newest position was met with a huge amount of eye rolling by those who know of his history and a scratching of the head by those not familiar with him.
I personally met the news with a little bit of glee.
The way I see it, the religious right have been pushing hard the propaganda image of them being innocent Christians who are beset by an angry mob of radical homosexual activists when all they are trying to do is perserve so-called American values.
Knight's very presence shoots that image right out of the park.
A perfect way to describe him would be Truman Capote without the wit, the charm, the intelligence - all of the stuff that made Capote's verbal venom so palpable to many.
In other words, he makes Peter LaBarbera and Matt Barber look like Sunday school teachers.
My guess is that in today's climate if you put this nut on television for five minutes, you would have Michelle Bachman voting for gay rights (farfetched I know but bear with me).
I had the "privilege" of meeting Knight in 2004 when he came to the University of South Carolina as a part of a debate with former HRC head Elizabeth Birch.
He is a lot shorter in person. Shorter than me, even. But his audacity was gigantic.
I was able to ask him after the debate about why he continuously referred to the discredited research of Paul Cameron in many of his past writings.
His exact words to me were: “Yes we have used his research. So what?”
I can't say I was surprised. After all, I didn't expect him to drop to his knees and beg my forgiveness.
And that uncaring attitude about lying and being verbally ugly could work for us, if we take proper advantage of it
So I greet Knight's return by commemorating a few of his "best" comments against the lgbt community:
“If you look at the footage from Operation Rescue, um, vigils outside abortion clinics, you will see that the anti Operation Rescue demonstrators invariably have a pink triangle on and they are usually pretty big heavy set women who look like they’ve been over working October Fest for the last six years . . .” - Reclaiming America For Christ Conference, “Homosexuality” panel, February 28, 1999
“(Robert) Knight feels the festival organizers’ excuse that the kids’ films were being shown in a separate part of the theater is not good enough. He says there is a cavalier attitude on the part of pro-homosexual advocates, who believe there is nothing wrong with homosexual sex, and therefore, if the kids happen to get exposed to it, their response is ‘So what? Maybe some of them might be gay, and maybe this will inspire them.’” - Parents Warned Against ‘Family-unfriendly’ Film Festivals - Agape Press (One News Now) December 13, 2004
“Instead of being lionized,(sex researcher Alfred) Kinsey’s proper place is with Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele or your average Hollywood horror flick mad scientist.” - Associated Press, Nov. 10, 2004 (Knight did retract this comment. Too bad he has never done so with comments he says about lgbts)
“Just look at the human body . . . You can’t fool nature. The rectum was not made for sexual activity. It is an exit ramp, not an entry ramp.” - Rolling Stone, March 18, 1999
“Few public officials and businessmen realize that when they allow the addition of ‘sexual orientation’ to their nondiscrimination codes, they are tying their own hands when it comes to objecting to:
A man in a highly visible sales job coming to work in a dress and high heels;
A woman in a highly visible position coming to work in men’s clothes;
A person of indeterminate sex who insists on using either the men’s
room or the women’s room;
A person of either sex who indulges a taste for extreme sexual promiscuity and pornography during working hours despite being charged with representing the company’s tone and character;
A man who frequents prostitutes while on business trips and claims that it is none of the company’s business, regardless of the company’s public image.” - Why Nashville Should Reject the ‘Sexual Orientation’ Law, Concerned Women for America, March 4, 2003
“One pro-family advocate feels the ACLU, in its efforts to force the homosexual agenda in American schools, is using the bullying tactics of Chairman Mao to ‘reprogram’ staff and students on the issue of homosexuality.” - Knight: ACLU’s Pro-Homosexual ‘Bullying’ Tactics Reminiscent of Chairman Mao, Agape Press (One News Now), July 21, 2005
Yes the debate is still going on between me and you know who, but I want to talk about something else.
Robert Knight is back to doing what he likes to do best - smearing the lgbt community.
Knight has made a career out of trolling around various right-wing conservative groups as some sort of "culture analyst."
He was involved with the Family Research Council. Then he moved to Concerned Women for America. His last gig was with the Media Resource Center.
And now he is a writer at Coral Ridge Ministries.
The news of Knight's newest position was met with a huge amount of eye rolling by those who know of his history and a scratching of the head by those not familiar with him.
I personally met the news with a little bit of glee.
The way I see it, the religious right have been pushing hard the propaganda image of them being innocent Christians who are beset by an angry mob of radical homosexual activists when all they are trying to do is perserve so-called American values.
Knight's very presence shoots that image right out of the park.
A perfect way to describe him would be Truman Capote without the wit, the charm, the intelligence - all of the stuff that made Capote's verbal venom so palpable to many.
In other words, he makes Peter LaBarbera and Matt Barber look like Sunday school teachers.
My guess is that in today's climate if you put this nut on television for five minutes, you would have Michelle Bachman voting for gay rights (farfetched I know but bear with me).
I had the "privilege" of meeting Knight in 2004 when he came to the University of South Carolina as a part of a debate with former HRC head Elizabeth Birch.
He is a lot shorter in person. Shorter than me, even. But his audacity was gigantic.
I was able to ask him after the debate about why he continuously referred to the discredited research of Paul Cameron in many of his past writings.
His exact words to me were: “Yes we have used his research. So what?”
I can't say I was surprised. After all, I didn't expect him to drop to his knees and beg my forgiveness.
And that uncaring attitude about lying and being verbally ugly could work for us, if we take proper advantage of it
So I greet Knight's return by commemorating a few of his "best" comments against the lgbt community:
“If you look at the footage from Operation Rescue, um, vigils outside abortion clinics, you will see that the anti Operation Rescue demonstrators invariably have a pink triangle on and they are usually pretty big heavy set women who look like they’ve been over working October Fest for the last six years . . .” - Reclaiming America For Christ Conference, “Homosexuality” panel, February 28, 1999
“(Robert) Knight feels the festival organizers’ excuse that the kids’ films were being shown in a separate part of the theater is not good enough. He says there is a cavalier attitude on the part of pro-homosexual advocates, who believe there is nothing wrong with homosexual sex, and therefore, if the kids happen to get exposed to it, their response is ‘So what? Maybe some of them might be gay, and maybe this will inspire them.’” - Parents Warned Against ‘Family-unfriendly’ Film Festivals - Agape Press (One News Now) December 13, 2004
“Instead of being lionized,(sex researcher Alfred) Kinsey’s proper place is with Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele or your average Hollywood horror flick mad scientist.” - Associated Press, Nov. 10, 2004 (Knight did retract this comment. Too bad he has never done so with comments he says about lgbts)
“Just look at the human body . . . You can’t fool nature. The rectum was not made for sexual activity. It is an exit ramp, not an entry ramp.” - Rolling Stone, March 18, 1999
“Few public officials and businessmen realize that when they allow the addition of ‘sexual orientation’ to their nondiscrimination codes, they are tying their own hands when it comes to objecting to:
A man in a highly visible sales job coming to work in a dress and high heels;
A woman in a highly visible position coming to work in men’s clothes;
A person of indeterminate sex who insists on using either the men’s
room or the women’s room;
A person of either sex who indulges a taste for extreme sexual promiscuity and pornography during working hours despite being charged with representing the company’s tone and character;
A man who frequents prostitutes while on business trips and claims that it is none of the company’s business, regardless of the company’s public image.” - Why Nashville Should Reject the ‘Sexual Orientation’ Law, Concerned Women for America, March 4, 2003
“One pro-family advocate feels the ACLU, in its efforts to force the homosexual agenda in American schools, is using the bullying tactics of Chairman Mao to ‘reprogram’ staff and students on the issue of homosexuality.” - Knight: ACLU’s Pro-Homosexual ‘Bullying’ Tactics Reminiscent of Chairman Mao, Agape Press (One News Now), July 21, 2005
Tuesday mid-day newsbriefs
The war of words between me and David MacDonald continues. I swear if that man spins his head any faster in order to explain away his inaccuracies, I'm going to call the Exorcist. Or at least move out of the way so that the pea soup doesn't get on my shoes.
IL: The Peter's anti-gay speaking gig in Arlington Heights brings out demonstrators - Our friend Peter LaBarbera is speaking at a Christian Academy. I say why protest comedy events. Seriously though from the pictures, it looks like we turned out and turned it out in a good way.
Today Is The Day - President Obama's people meets with the religious right. I should have sent him my rosary beads.
VT Senate approves homosexual 'marriage' bill - The One News Now version of the story, complete with hilarious comments.
Coral Ridge Ministries Back In The Culture War Business - I say this is good news. Robert Knight is our Newt Gingrich - guaranteed to make us look good.
The war of words between me and David MacDonald continues. I swear if that man spins his head any faster in order to explain away his inaccuracies, I'm going to call the Exorcist. Or at least move out of the way so that the pea soup doesn't get on my shoes.
IL: The Peter's anti-gay speaking gig in Arlington Heights brings out demonstrators - Our friend Peter LaBarbera is speaking at a Christian Academy. I say why protest comedy events. Seriously though from the pictures, it looks like we turned out and turned it out in a good way.
Today Is The Day - President Obama's people meets with the religious right. I should have sent him my rosary beads.
VT Senate approves homosexual 'marriage' bill - The One News Now version of the story, complete with hilarious comments.
Coral Ridge Ministries Back In The Culture War Business - I say this is good news. Robert Knight is our Newt Gingrich - guaranteed to make us look good.
Fallout from Canadian ex-gay piece
Yesterday, I posted an entry about how ex-gay Christian singer James MacDonald manipulated a complaint by gay rights groups in Canada to give an inaccurate picture of lgbts.
He used the statistics of gay health in the complaint to blame the lgbt orientation for negative behavior such as alcohol abuse and depression (although in his defense, he is saying that he was talking about "gay sex" and not gay people).
MacDonald omitted the fact that the complaint placed the blame on homophobia and a lack of interest in lgbt health care for the negative behaviors.
Since last night, MacDonald and I have been going back and forth about what the complaint said, what he meant to say, and what he was actually saying.
I still say that he is not being honest and of course he disagrees.
Our exchange is in the comments section of the entry and it's an interesting read.
Yesterday, I posted an entry about how ex-gay Christian singer James MacDonald manipulated a complaint by gay rights groups in Canada to give an inaccurate picture of lgbts.
He used the statistics of gay health in the complaint to blame the lgbt orientation for negative behavior such as alcohol abuse and depression (although in his defense, he is saying that he was talking about "gay sex" and not gay people).
MacDonald omitted the fact that the complaint placed the blame on homophobia and a lack of interest in lgbt health care for the negative behaviors.
Since last night, MacDonald and I have been going back and forth about what the complaint said, what he meant to say, and what he was actually saying.
I still say that he is not being honest and of course he disagrees.
Our exchange is in the comments section of the entry and it's an interesting read.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Monday news briefs
Gay marriage bill passes Vermont Senate - Yaaaay!!!
Yea, 'Wash Times'? It's only his donation that bears mentioning? - Oh look - the pro-Proposition 8 folks are lying (again).
Most of the Seventh Grade Will Be at the Commitment Ceremony - This is an excellent article.
Notre Dame Unleashes a Fury - Some people don't want President Obama to speak at Notre Dame. In their defense - just does Obama think he is? The president?
UK PREACHER: STONING GAYS IS OK - But if he is punished for it, then he is a victim of "political correctness."
Gay marriage bill passes Vermont Senate - Yaaaay!!!
Yea, 'Wash Times'? It's only his donation that bears mentioning? - Oh look - the pro-Proposition 8 folks are lying (again).
Most of the Seventh Grade Will Be at the Commitment Ceremony - This is an excellent article.
Notre Dame Unleashes a Fury - Some people don't want President Obama to speak at Notre Dame. In their defense - just does Obama think he is? The president?
UK PREACHER: STONING GAYS IS OK - But if he is punished for it, then he is a victim of "political correctness."
They lie in Canada too : ‘Ex-gay’ Christian singer misrepresents statistics
Today comes a reminder that religious right lies about the lgbt community don't take place solely in America.
Over a week ago, Canadian "ex-gay" and Christian recording artist David MacDonald published a piece entitled Gay Sex is Downright Dangerous and Abstinence Won't Kill You: I Should Know
Be forewarned, however. The piece does not contain any salacious details on his past sexual history. MacDonald chooses to repeat the inaccurate mantra that "homosexuality is a deadly lifestyle."
And he has statistics to "prove" this assertion. An added feature of these "statistics" is that they come from gay advocates in five Canadian cities.
The statistics are as follows:
Life expectancy of gay/bisexual men in Canada is 20 years less than the average; that is 55 years.
GLB people commit suicide at rates from 2 to 13.9 times more often than average.
GLB people have smoking rates 1.3 to 3 times higher than average.
GLB people have rates of alcoholism 1.4 to 7 times higher than average.
GLB people have rates of illicit drug use 1.6 to 19 times higher than average.
GLB people show rates of depression 1.8 to 3 times higher than average.
Gay and bisexual men (MSM) comprise 76.1% of AIDS cases.
Gay and bisexual men (MSM) comprise 54% of new HIV infections each year.
GLB people are at a higher risk for anal cancers.
I emailed MacDonald and he generously supplied me with where he received the statistics.
They came from a complaint by Canadian gay rights groups who were demanding that the government do more for lgbt health issues.
MacDonald seems to be under the mindset that since pro-gay groups are saying these things, then it proves his point.
Wrong.
While MacDonald was somewhat accurate with his citations, he still misrepresented them.
In his piece, MacDonald claimed that the lgbt orientation is a dangerous lifestyle and the statistics he cited proves this. But that’s not what the complaint said.
From page two of the complaint:
The health status of GLB Canadians is among the poorest of any population in Canada. These health and wellness issues have been linked through research to the experience of living in a homophobic and heterosexist culture that undermines the dignity of GLB people and impinges on their ability to strive for success and happiness. We assume that Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada will tend to reflect the homophobic and heterosexist culture from which their personnel are drawn. On that basis, we insist that they have a responsibility to rise above that tendency in order to achieve their Mission and Vision as they apply to GLB Canadians. Research into the causes and nature of health and wellness of GLB people is limited and needs to be supported at levels that will allow the appropriate catch-up relative to similar research aimed at the general population. What research exists to date clearly demonstrates that GLB people are significantly impacted by homophobia and heterosexism.
In other words, while the complaint by the pro-gay groups acknowledges unhealthy behaviors in the gay community (although it may be inaccurate about the lifespan claim - that sounds like the 1997 Canadian study that has consistently been distorted by the religious right), it places the blame solely on lgbts having to live in a homophobic society as well as inaction by the Canadian government on lgbt health issues.
And this point is made time and time again throughout the entire complaint.
However, MacDonald doesn't say a word about this point in his piece.
This is a tactic we have seen so many times with members of the religious right - i.e. use statistics to claim that the lgbt orientation is dangerous while omitting the explanation behind the statistics that clearly lay the blame on a third factor (i.e. homophobia, lack of research in the health and well-being of the lgbt community).
In this case, some may say what’s the big deal? It’s just some wannabe Christian singer in Canada?
I say it’s perfect look into the mindset of someone so wrapped up in proving what he thinks the Bible says about homosexuality that he is willing to ignore what it says about truth.
Today comes a reminder that religious right lies about the lgbt community don't take place solely in America.
Over a week ago, Canadian "ex-gay" and Christian recording artist David MacDonald published a piece entitled Gay Sex is Downright Dangerous and Abstinence Won't Kill You: I Should Know
Be forewarned, however. The piece does not contain any salacious details on his past sexual history. MacDonald chooses to repeat the inaccurate mantra that "homosexuality is a deadly lifestyle."
And he has statistics to "prove" this assertion. An added feature of these "statistics" is that they come from gay advocates in five Canadian cities.
The statistics are as follows:
Life expectancy of gay/bisexual men in Canada is 20 years less than the average; that is 55 years.
GLB people commit suicide at rates from 2 to 13.9 times more often than average.
GLB people have smoking rates 1.3 to 3 times higher than average.
GLB people have rates of alcoholism 1.4 to 7 times higher than average.
GLB people have rates of illicit drug use 1.6 to 19 times higher than average.
GLB people show rates of depression 1.8 to 3 times higher than average.
Gay and bisexual men (MSM) comprise 76.1% of AIDS cases.
Gay and bisexual men (MSM) comprise 54% of new HIV infections each year.
GLB people are at a higher risk for anal cancers.
I emailed MacDonald and he generously supplied me with where he received the statistics.
They came from a complaint by Canadian gay rights groups who were demanding that the government do more for lgbt health issues.
MacDonald seems to be under the mindset that since pro-gay groups are saying these things, then it proves his point.
Wrong.
While MacDonald was somewhat accurate with his citations, he still misrepresented them.
In his piece, MacDonald claimed that the lgbt orientation is a dangerous lifestyle and the statistics he cited proves this. But that’s not what the complaint said.
From page two of the complaint:
The health status of GLB Canadians is among the poorest of any population in Canada. These health and wellness issues have been linked through research to the experience of living in a homophobic and heterosexist culture that undermines the dignity of GLB people and impinges on their ability to strive for success and happiness. We assume that Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada will tend to reflect the homophobic and heterosexist culture from which their personnel are drawn. On that basis, we insist that they have a responsibility to rise above that tendency in order to achieve their Mission and Vision as they apply to GLB Canadians. Research into the causes and nature of health and wellness of GLB people is limited and needs to be supported at levels that will allow the appropriate catch-up relative to similar research aimed at the general population. What research exists to date clearly demonstrates that GLB people are significantly impacted by homophobia and heterosexism.
In other words, while the complaint by the pro-gay groups acknowledges unhealthy behaviors in the gay community (although it may be inaccurate about the lifespan claim - that sounds like the 1997 Canadian study that has consistently been distorted by the religious right), it places the blame solely on lgbts having to live in a homophobic society as well as inaction by the Canadian government on lgbt health issues.
And this point is made time and time again throughout the entire complaint.
However, MacDonald doesn't say a word about this point in his piece.
This is a tactic we have seen so many times with members of the religious right - i.e. use statistics to claim that the lgbt orientation is dangerous while omitting the explanation behind the statistics that clearly lay the blame on a third factor (i.e. homophobia, lack of research in the health and well-being of the lgbt community).
In this case, some may say what’s the big deal? It’s just some wannabe Christian singer in Canada?
I say it’s perfect look into the mindset of someone so wrapped up in proving what he thinks the Bible says about homosexuality that he is willing to ignore what it says about truth.
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