CWA's Janice Crouse crams a bunch of anti-gay lies in one statement

The following is from Concerned Women for America's Janice Crouse:

"In actuality, homosexual unions have a very short lifespan; many of the same-sex “marriages” in Massachusetts are already being dissolved. Further, the health risks associated with homosexual practice are very real and very much in evidence in the emergency rooms of hospitals. There is no denying: Homosexual sex is dangerous and destructive to the human body. Both HIV and HPV are epidemic among homosexual men. Domestic violence is a common problem — twice as prevalent among homosexual couples as in heterosexual ones.

I miss the good old days when folks like Crouse used to try and back up their nonsense with "actual proof." Who knows? Maybe the lgbt blogs which look at how religious right groups distort statistics have scared them.

You will notice that Crouse doesn't even supply any proof to her statements.

Allow me to point out a couple of things:

1. Domestic violence is not twice as prevalent among gay couples as in heterosexual couples. Crouse doesn't even provide proof of this. But it is known that this lie stems from a distortion of a book by gay author Patrick Letellier called Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them: Battered Gay Men and Domestic Violence. Letellier has gone on record  complaining about how his work was being distorted.

2. Crouse is also wrong about gay marriages dissolving in Massachusetts. According to writer Bruce Wilson, not only is gay marriage not dissolving but Massachusetts on a whole "retains the national title as the lowest divorce rate state, and the MA divorce rate is about where the US divorce rate was in 1940, prior to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor that triggered the US entrance into World War Two."

3. Where is Crouse's proof regarding her inference about gay sex causing folks to rush to emergency rooms. Her tale reminds me of the lie that gays stuff gerbils up their rectums. And the sad thing is that I suspect she meant for her statement to have that connotative effect.

4. While HIV does affect the gay community in ugly numbers (of course Crouse omits how homophobic attitudes stand in the way of HIV prevention), she is not totally honest about HPV. HPV is not an STD totally indigenous to the gay community. According to STD Facts:

Genital human papillomavirus (also called HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of males and females. These HPV types can also infect the mouth and throat. Most people who become infected with HPV do not even know they have it.

 . . . Most people with HPV do not develop symptoms or health problems from it. In 90% of cases, the body’s immune system clears HPV naturally within two years

. . . Approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV. Another 6 million people become newly infected each year. HPV is so common that at least 50% of sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives.

What's more pathetic than the distortions which Crouse tells is the fact that some people actually consider her as some type of "expert."

Modesty and a respect for my elders precludes me from stating what I think about her "expertise."

Related post:

How religious right groups distort legitimate research to demonize the gay community



Hat tip to People for the American Way

 . . . 

Celebrate DC's First Same Sex Weddings!

Today was the day that the first same-sex couples were married in DC and brought to you by the Human Rights Campaign is the video. If it's a little long for your tastes, feel free to skim through.

And I know I am probably going to offend some folks by saying this but I don't care . . . I get a kick out of the fact that the couples are African-American.

It's so rare that lgbts of color see positive images of ourselves, especially in the fight for marriage equality, that the fact that these are black couples is as welcomed as ice cream on a slice a pie to me.

Janet Porter demands that God gives the religious right control of the media

Historically, people have prayed to God for peace, love, and guidance. But the prayer issued last week by religious right mainstay Janet Porter enters a new territory which can only be described as coming from the mind of the late Rod Serling while writing an episode of The Twilight Zone.

Porter, who has done many bizarre things such as claiming that anyone voting for Obama is going to hell and writing a fictional account of Christians forced into "re-education camps" had Hilary Clinton won the 2008 presidential election, actually prayed for the "Christian takeover" of the media. Apparently amongst other things, she wants "more influence than Oprah Winfrey, " and desires "to make CBS 'the "Christian Broadcasting System.'"

I would be remiss if I didn't point out that Porter gave this prayer in front of a huge multitude during one of those dreary we have to save American values from the forces of secular evil conferences which religious right organizations seem to hold more often than World Wrestling Entertainment hosts wrestling pay-per-views.

This one was called "Convergence 2010: A Cry to Awaken A Nation," and it was attended by such luminaries as Rev. Harry Jackson who was called a "modern day Martin Luther King, Jr" because of his failed attempt to keep marriage equality from coming to D.C. and Cindy Jacobs who took it upon herself to "cast out demons" during her speech.

But despite all of this, its Porter's prayer which stands out because it was just so surreal. And it begs the question that if Porter and her allies are successful in "saving America" then who is going to save America from them?

This just goes BEYOND any criticism I can give against Porter and the groups whom she aligns herself with. This is more than insane. It's scary. Whatever Jesus would do, I feel safe to say that He wouldn't support such madness.

While gays suffer in Uganda, the Pope stays silent on homophobic bill

Time magazine has published an excellent piece on the persecution gay Ugandans face even if that awful "Kill The Gays" bill isn't passed by focusing on one lesbian couple:

Pepe Julian Onziema looks great in a suit. Tall and lanky, she doesn't slouch to hide her height and doesn't apologize for her boyish figure. Or for anything else. She's got at least 10 suits: pinstripes, white linen, black, gray, navy and others. She buys them from a guy who runs a shop on Entebbe Road, a major Kampala thoroughfare. He knows her build, and he knows what she likes.

These days, though, Onziema doesn't wear suits nearly as often as she used to. As one of a dozen or so publicly out Ugandan homosexuals, Onziema knows that even a trip to a local shop is risky. Wearing a suit can be a death wish.

. . . Onziema and her partner met playing rugby at a local Kampala club a couple of years ago. Onziema knew "within five seconds" that she had met the one, she says. It took her partner a bit longer. Onziema has known her whole life that she's gay, but her partner is not out publicly, and the process of coming to terms with who she is took a little longer.

After they'd been friends for a few months, Onziema made her move. "There was a kiss," she grins. "She wasn't expecting it."

It's an excellent article on how the purity of love endures even in hostile settings. And it's a reminder for us lgbts in America, as we strive for equality, to not take the freedoms we do have for granted.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that Pope Benedict XVI met with the Roman Catholic hierarchy of Uganda at the Vatican last Friday and delivered a speech but said nothing about the anti-gay bill.

Supposedly there are several reasons why the Pope made no mention of the bill:

There are several reasons why Benedict may not have mentioned the anti-gay bill -- or rather the broader issue of human rights and protections for homosexuals and love of the sinner, since for diplomatic reasons the pope would not target a specific piece of legislation. One is that he may not be aware of the legislation or the controversy. Another is that his aides know that if he raised the issue it would become the lead of every story. There is also concern that having religious leaders outside Uganda speak out against the popular bill would backfire and ensure its passage.

Moreover, the bishops themselves may have asked the Vatican to refrain from addressing the issue (though that has not always stopped the pope from speaking his mind) since they are in the tricky position of trying to maintain the church's position in Uganda in the face of serious challenges from conservative evangelicals and Pentecostals, as well as Muslims, who are far more severe in their approach to homosexuals than the Catholic Church is.

Of course maybe he felt it was a little too close to home. After all, the creators and supporters of the bill falsely claimed that the bill was in response to gays targeting children.
And we all know the real situation regarding molestation in the Catholic church.

Whatever the case may be, the Pope's silence on this potential genocide of gays and lesbians in Uganda reveals a serious lack of courage in a someone who is supposed to be possibly the top religious leader in the world.

There is only one word for it - sad.

South Carolina House of Representatives votes to cut ALL HIV/AIDS funding

What the hell is wrong with South Carolina?

Last Thursday, the SC House of Representatives did something so wrong that words cannot convey how I feel about it:

The South Carolina House voted Thursday to cut all HIV/AIDS funding from the budget, a funding issue that could affect thousands of South Carolinians.

The South Carolina HIV/AIDS Care Crisis Task Force reports there are more than 14,000 people living in the state who have tested positive for HIV or AIDS. About 3,000 people rely on government funds for medications.

 . . . Dr. Bambi Gaddist of the South Carolina HIV/AIDS Care Crisis Task Force says when state funding began in 2006, more than 600 people were on a waiting list for medicine. Four of those people died.

Currently South Carolina ranks 8th in newly diagnosed HIV cases and that is up from last year when it ranked  number nine. And new infections are hitting young black and bisexual gay men at an ugly rate.
But none of these things seem to be a matter of concern to the South Carolina Legislature.

Apparently it's not enough for South Carolina to be nationally embarrassed by our "Argentinian trailwalking" Governor, our Lt. Governor who doesn't know the difference between stray animals and poor folks and our national Congressman who mistakes the President's speech with Showtime At The Apollo.

We are now entering territory where thing aren't funny anymore. I sincerely doubt that The Daily Show can find anything funny about this dereliction of duty by South Carolina's government to its constituents.

Let's be honest here. The elimination of HIV funding is the culmination of piss poor management by South Carolina's governing body. And worse, it shows where the state's priorities are. It's an ugly indictment on the hypocrisy of the supposed Bible belt region.

It is written that Jesus healed the sick, but I guess things have changed to the point that those who claim to be his followers have no problems with ignoring the sick.

Big hat tip to Rod 2.0 Beta.

Wanda Sykes - the cure for a blah Monday

Even before she came out, Wanda Sykes was a favorite comedian of mine. Her coming out merely added another dimension to her immense talents. If only other famous lgbts of color who are in the closet would take the hint:

Will and Grace's Sean Hayes states the obvious and other Monday midday news briefs

Sean Hayes: I Am Who I Am - I am more shocked about this one than I was about Clay Aiken (sarcasm alert). But he is right - he was NEVER in the closet. However, cue the "he still should have made some type of statement" backlash in T-minus 10 . . . 9 . . . 8

Lisa Miller Pal/ CWA Member Linda Wall: A Modern Day Harriet Tubman?? - Harriet Tubman only if Harriet Tubman was a hypocritical, lying woman who fought to keep families apart.

Former Santa Cruz lesbian partners settle paternity suit - A happy ending is always good.

Florida Lawmaker Attempts To Deny Tax Credit To Movies Filmed With Gay Characters - Lawd, lawd, lawd!