Religious right distortion techniques - a reposting

In the ongoing battle over hate crimes legislation, religious right organizations and their allies claimed that pedophiles are protected under the legislation. They continued to claim this irregardless of the fact that the assertion had been refuted.

This repetition of an inaccurate talking point is one of six distortion techniques that religious right groups use to stigmatize the lgbt community.

As the battle over lgbt rights get more intense, I thought it would be appropriate to repost all of the six distortion techniques that I outlined in my book Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters.

See how many of them you recognize from recent battles:

1. Using nonrepresentative or out-of-date studies to make generalizations, or distorting legitimate studies to give misleading conclusions

Example 1 - Anti-gay industry talking point - Same sex marriage and gay adoption are bad ideas because research shows that the best places to raise children are in homes with a mother and a father.

The truth - The research only looked at heterosexual two-parent households as opposed to single parent heterosexual households. Same-sex households were never included.

Point of fact - The following researchers, physicians, and Ph.D.s have complained about how the anti-gay industry has misused their work - A. Nicholas Groth, the six researchers of a Canadian study (Robert S. Hogg, Stefan A. Strathdee, Kevin J.P. Craib, Michael V. Shaughnessy, Julio Montaner, and Martin T. Schehter), Dr. Robert Garofalo, Lisa Waldner, Patrick Letellier, Dr. Kyle Pruett, Dr. Joanne Hall, Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc, Carol Gilligan, Dr. Robert Spitzer, Dr. Francis Collins, Gary Remafedi, Professor Michael King, and Professor Lisa Diamond.

2. Repetition - Despite the fact that several physicians and researchers complain about the distortion of their work by the anti-gay industry, corrections are usually not made.

3. Conspiracy Theory - Claiming that gays and lesbians are consistently plotting to "erode traditional values"

Example - “The agenda of homosexual activists is basically to change America from what they perceive as looking down on homosexual behavior, to the affirmation of and societal acceptance of homosexual behavior. It is an agenda that they basically set in the late 1980s, in a book called After the Ball, where they laid out a six-point plan for how they could transform the beliefs of ordinary Americans with regard to homosexual behavior—in a decade-long time frame." - Craig Osten, Q&A: The Homosexual Agenda, Focus on the Family, July 25, 2003

4. Dire Consequences - Claiming that a pro-gay law or ordinance will lead to negative consequences without proof that the consequences will take place:

Example 1 - “Imagine, if you will, a 280 lb linebacker who likes to wear a dress and high heels and lipstick, you know comes to church wanting a job at the front desk as a receptionist and they turn him away because they don’t feel that that represents their values or the image that they’re trying to hold at that church, under ENDA they could be held accountable for
discrimination against that individual.” - Matt Barber, Concerned Women for America, 2007

Example 2 - “H.R. 254 elevates one group of Americans above others, creating a special class of victims. All things being equal, it means that if a 5-foot-2-inch grandmother is violently attacked on the street, she is less worthy of justice than the 6-foot-4-inch homosexual man who is attacked by the same assailant.” - Matt Barber, Concerned Women for America, 2007

5. Phony Experts - Creating their own "experts" on the gay and lesbian community.

6. Dehumanizing Semantics - Consistently using language (i.e. demonstrative verbs and adjectives) in their talking points, sound bites, and press releases to make gays and lesbians seem like impersonal, threatening outsiders

Example 1 - “But unfortunately, the evangelist observes, many Christians have been bullied into submission on the aggressive homosexual agenda in public schools.”—Evangelist Proposes to Combat Homosexual Agenda in Public Education, Agape Press, May 11, 2005

Example 2 - “Elsewhere in the battle against the homosexual agenda, the Broward County School Board in Florida has voted to allow a pro- homosexual group to indoctrinate its teachers on tolerance.”— Children Adopted by Homosexuals Suffer, Family Advocate Says, Agape Press, April 25, 2002

Example 3 - “The ACLU continues to use a law license to bully school districts and harass parents in order to brainwash their kids abut the ‘normalcy’ of homosexuality.”—Jan LaRue, ACLU Seeks Mandatory Homosexual Sensitivity Training, Concerned Women for America press release, July 14, 2005

It's all up to the Donald

Well today's press conference will lead to tomorrow's press conference:

Officials of the Miss California USA pageant strongly criticized some of the actions of titleholder Carrie Prejean on Monday but said it's not their decision whether she should be stripped of her crown.

Co-executive directors Keith Lewis and Shanna Moakler told a press conference that only Miss USA pageant owner Donald Trump can make that decision. He plans to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Tuesday in New York City.

The officials said Prejean has been "unavailable" and so in the meantime they have appointed the state pageant's runner-up, Tami Farrell, as a "Beauty of California Ambassador" to fulfill any duties the winner normally would handle.

Lewis said that if Trump allows Prejean to retain her crown, state pageant officials would welcome her back and encourage her to take part in her normal duties.

"We're still going to be able to fulfill our duties no matter if Mr. Trump offers a second chance or utters his famous line from `The Apprentice,'" Lewis said (meaning, of course, "You're fired").

Prejean, 21, of San Diego, created controversy during the Miss USA pageant when she answered a judge's question by saying she believes marriage should only be between a man and a woman.

The state pageant has been investigating whether she violated her contract by making public appearances with groups opposed to same-sex marriage. Prejean also failed to reveal that she posed in her underwear as a teenager.

Personally I think that Donald will be a nice guy and allow Prejean to keep her crown. And I hope he does, with a strong admoninition that the crusade against same-sex marriage is not a part of her duties as Miss California. If she refuses, then get rid of her. Many may want Prejean to lose her title but for her to lose it now takes attention off of the fact that it was her actions, not words, that forced the situation to this point. By giving her a chance to conduct herself in a better fashion, Trump would help to remove the "she is being persecuted because of her beliefs" factoid.

For now, that factoid is being milked to its fullest extent by religious right groups.

And why not? It generates a lot of controversy and no doubt it's a good fundraising tool for the religious right. Who cares if she has broken her contract and have been derelict in her duties as Ms. California? Why let a good angle be spoiled by truth.

But something bothers me

I keep hearing that "the left" is trying to destroy Prejean. Just who are these people on "the left" who are trying to allegedly destroy Prejean?

Of course the lgbt community is angry at Prejean's comments but it's too much of a generalization to call all lgbts members of the left.

Perez Hilton? Come on now. The man draws doodles on pictures of celebrities.

TMZ? Please. It's a celebrity sheet and Prejean is a celebrity. The only plan TMZ has is to make money.

Prejean's situation illustrates the laziness of American culture. My journalism professors always told me to look deeper when looking at issues. But it seems that many in the media haven't gotten the same instructions. It's easier and sexier to talk about how "the left" or "the right" is after someone; to make false generalizations instead of exposing complex truths. It's easier to hire a pundit to tell people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear.

Basically it all comes down to cotton candy journalism - it's sweet and tasty but melts before you know it. Then all you are left with is hard gummy junk that you can't get rid of.

And speaking of religious right groups - Miss California Director Indicts Maggie Gallagher

Monday midday news briefs

Man, this is a slow news day. I guess everyone is resting before THE PRESS CONFERENCE

Harry Jackson: Carpetbagger? - You mean Harry Jackson is being deceptive about his place of residency when he attacks same sex partnership in DC? I'm shocked.

Boycotted hotel gives gays gigs - Trying to get back in lgbts' good graces.

New ads from Cali. rights group - In anticipation for the possible Proposition 8 challenge loss, send that sucker back to the voters!

Maine Bishop Richard Malone: "Same Sex Marriage is Dangerous" - No Catholic priests jokes!

Wanda and Carrie makes the beginnings of a wild week

Today I am at home because of a bizarre agreement in the SC Legislature. In order to pass a holiday commemorating Martin Luther King Jr., legislators also agreed to pass a holiday commemorating the Confederacy.

This is that day - Confederate Memorial Day. While I'm not necessarily cottoning a holiday honoring the Confederacy, the pragmatist in me says "shut up and enjoy a day off from work."

So the pragmatist wins.

Anyway, Wanda Sykes, who has still yet to make the cover of the Advocate magazine, killed this weekend at the White House Correspodents Dinner. While some may not have liked what she said about Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity, I say deal with it. It was funny.

And yes I am saying that partly because I am biased. It was a great moment in gay and black history because Sykes was the first openly gay person to be the featured entertainer at this dinner.

Now in the territory of "God won't this thing just end," Miss California Carrie Prejean will probably lose her crown today:

Miss California USA co-directors Shannon Moakler and Keith Lewis are to hold a news conference in Beverly Hills today, presumably to discuss the controversy surrounding Prejean. While Prejean is not on the list of expected attendees, Tami Farrell, the first runner up to Miss California USA 2009, is.

. . . Prejean came under further scrutiny last week after semi-nude photos of her purportedly taken when she was a teenager emerged. Her contract contains a clause that asks participants whether they have conducted themselves "in accordance with the highest ethical and moral standards." For example, it asks if they have ever been photographed nude or partially nude.

. . . The beauty queen may also have violated her contract by working for a group that opposes gay marriage and making publicly speaking out against it. Last week, pageant officials said they were looking into whether Prejean violated the 12-page contract all contestants are required to sign before the November state contest.

The document prohibits whoever holds the title of Miss California from making personal appearances, granting interviews or making commercials without permission from pageant officials and gives the pageant's directors the right to revoke her crown for breaching any of the document's provisions.

If pageant officials decide to strip Prejean of her crown, they had better make damnmed sure that they have their reasons out there and clearly articulated.

Maggie Gallagher and NOM are just chomping at the bit right now. I bet they have already created the new commercial featuring Prejean as the new St. Catherine on the wheel.

The Jeffersons and the transgender community

The first time I ever saw anything about the transgender community was this episode of The Jeffersons.

The main character, George Jefferson, is going to meet his old navy buddy. Little does he know that his friend has had a sex change operation. George acts predictably uncomfortable but finds that he must rely on his friend because Louise, George's wife, believes that he is having an affair.

I personally thought that this episode was well ahead of its time on so many regards. A transgendered woman did not play George's friend but I still loved her performance. While she was definitely wanting to keep George's friendship, she did not take any disrespect.

If there is anything that can be seen as offensive in this episode, it would have to be the sequence where George tries to pass off a male employee as his friend. However, I don't think the sequence was making fun of the transgender community, but people's ignorance of them.

Anyway, I loved the episode, especially the ending. There was one thing I noticed about the character of Louise Jefferson that I particularly liked. See if you can guess what it is.

Funny or offensive? Part 2

As many of you can tell, I seem to be on a tangent today. It could be because it's Friday and all of the other interesting lgbt news have been covered by better blogs such as Pam's House Blend and Good As You.

Or it could that I'm pissed because of an incident last night. I was channel surfing and ran across a movie on Black Entertainment Network called 3 Strikes.

The plot was stupid but a scene really caught my eye and made me wish that I was a member of the NRA.

One of the characters in the movie had been shot in his rear by the police, so he was in a hospital suspended over his bed while wearing a bloody diaper. For some reason, whoever wrote 3 Strikes thought that it would be funny to show a gay black hospital worker lusting after the character (yes even after seeing the bloody diaper) and subsequently attacking him.

This was shown on Black Entertainment Network, a place that is supposed to uplift the race.

Which bring me to the clip above. It is a scene from Soul Plane, a black oriented movie so bad that it set African-American films back to the era before Birth of a Nation.

In the movie is a stewardess called Flame - a chubby oversexed black gay man wearing purple with matching lip gloss. Every time we see him, he is talking about sex (which is funny because he ends up being turned down hard by a blind guy at the end of the movie).

The very "interesting" part of this clip begins at 7:40.

BET continues to show this movie at least twice a month (I am not exaggerating).

Isn't it "nice" to be an lgbt of color and see such "fun" images on a network that is supposed to lift up your self esteem. And isn't it "nice" to be a member of a community who will not even acknowledge your existence.

The black community NEEDS a Mike Rogers desperately.

Friday midday news briefs

Gaywatch - Marion Barry - Go get him, John Stewart!!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Gaywatch - Marion Barry
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

TVC pedo-ing even more offense - You know the whole point of telling a lie is ruined when everyone knows it's a lie.

McDonald's settles gay discrimination case - Get up off the money, Ronald McDonald.

Dan Choi on The Rachel Maddow Show - and the Freepi eruption - I'm quickly changing my opinion on how President Obama should address Don't Ask, Don't Tell. We can't lose good people over a bad policy.

Outrage reviews hit big city papers: New York Times names closeted pols - L.A. Times, too! - God help me for feeling this way but I wish someone would do the same thing to the black gospel community.

Obama urged to appoint first 'gay' to Supreme Court - Via One News Now, those heads are spinning about now ;p.

Obama Mustard Attack Becomes Full-Blown Right-Wing Talking Point - Not an lgbt situation per se but I just had to include it. Every now and then, you get a sign that the lunatics are running the asylum. This is several of those signs.