Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Religious right groups can't make up their minds when lying about ENDA

Fast on the heels of the Traditional Value Coalition claiming that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would "force" children to be held hostage in classrooms by "drag queen" teachers comes this email from the Family Research Council:

ENDA should be called The Discrimination Against Christian Workers Act. Why? Just ask ...

Jon and Elaine Huguenin, who were saddled with legal costs that could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars because they politely declined to take "commitment ceremony" photos of two lesbians.

Rolf Szabo, who was fired by Kodak after 23 years of faithful service because he declined to participate in the company's "Coming Out Day" celebration of bisexual, and transgender (cross-dresser) employees.

The Christian employees at Sandia National Laboratories, who were ordered to take down their family photos when homosexual co-workers complained that "traditional family" images were demeaning.

If the federal ENDA law passes, what happened to the Huguenins ... and Rolf Szabo ... and the Christians at Sandia Laboratories . . . could happen to any Christian or person of moral conviction, anywhere. Working together, we can protect your religious liberty.

ENDA will give Washington liberals virtually unlimited power to force every business with more than 15 employees to embrace immoral sexual behavior as normal and worthy of celebration . . . or face harsh federal sanctions.

Yes, Even Churches!

So which is it? A "cross-dressing teachers bill?" or the "Discrimination Against Christians Act?"

ENDA is neither. While the Family Research Council pulls out anecdotes claiming to show how ENDA could potentially discriminate against Christians, the organization fails to mention that the religious exemption of the 2009 version of ENDA (Section 6) is the same as the Civil Rights Act of 1964:

This Act shall not apply to a corporation, association, educational institution, or society that is exempt from the religious discrimination provisions of title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 pursuant to section 702(a) or 703(e)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 2000e-1(a); 2000e-2(e)(2)).

And of course the anecdotes the FRC pushes gives only one side of the story. For example Szabo's letter was not THAT polite:

"Please do not send this type of information to me anymore, as I find it disgusting and offensive.

"Thank you,

"Rolf Szabo."

To make matters worse, Szabo sent this email out to ALL employees. The company deemed that his email was unnecessary and offensive to its lgbt employees and fired him, just like it would probably do if he had sent an email out that the company would deem to be offensive towards African-Americans, or women, or yes even Christians.

While someone who calls himself a Christian has a right to not participate in an event he deems as a sin, he has NO right to demean other employees and that's why Szabo was fired.

FRC's email is another example of fear tactics used by religious right groups to claim that gays and lesbians want to either harm children or silence Christians.

And it proves yet again the similarity between racism and homophobia - they both involve fear, stereotypes, and ignorance.

Related posts:

No wonder the Traditional Values Coalition is considered a hate group

Family Research Council exploiting Amanda Simpson's appointment to stop ENDA

Family Research Council head misrepresents credible information to hurt ENDA

Bathrooms, Church Exemptions, and Lies: Five ways the religious right misrepresents ENDA

American College of Pediatricians trying to work anti-gay web site into the schools

Last night I wrote what I call an "emergency post" on a new web page (Facts About Youth) by the phony medical organization, the American College of Pediatricians.

This web page repackages standard anti-gay junk science as legitimate research.

This morning, I've learned, according to the Family Research Council, that 14,800 school district superintendents in the country were sent a letter by the American College of Pediatricians introducing them to the site and encouraging them to peruse it.

That's 14,800 school district superintendents encouraged to read and pass along information such as:

1. Gay men are disease ridden animals who enjoy playing with feces,

2. Lesbians are equally diseased and irresponsible,

3. and that there is proof that homosexuality is just a changeable condition.

And we wonder why it was so easy for Constance McMillen's school to treat her the way it did.

And we wonder why it's so hard for lgbt youth to accept their God-given sexual orientations. It's bad enough when wanton homophobes such as Peter LaBarbera tell lies about the lgbt community.

But when people who purport to be medical professionals pass along these lies, it should be criminal.

Monday, April 05, 2010

American College of Pediatricians, NARTH pushes new site featuring old anti-gay lies

Last night, for a brief second, I reached "the other side of the mountain," so to speak. I reached a moment where I was, in the words of an old saying, a little north of where I wanted to be.

In short, I went ballistic.

Those who know me and my work can probably guess why. There is another religious right web page purporting to give the so-called true facts about the gay community. And these true facts are the same old lies. Even worse, this site is directed to children and adults working in the school system.

According to its web page, Facts About Youth:

is a resource created by health professionals to provide policymakers, parents and youth with the most current medical and psychological facts about sexual development.

Amid debate in the medical and mental health fields concerning the causes and proper approaches to youth with non-heterosexual attractions, Facts is a non-political, non-religious channel presenting the most current facts on the subject. Facts is committed to advancing a school environment in which all students will experience the opportunity to achieve optimal health and safety, even in the midst of differing worldviews. Facts is intended to be a resource to promote the factual and respectful discussion of these potentially divisive issues. This is a web site for and about youth and their needs.

You want to now who these "health professionals" are? Again according to the web site, Facts About Youth:

is a project of the American College of Pediatricians, in coalition with other organizations who share a concern for the well-being of all youth. Unfortunately, some medical organizations, influenced by political correctness, have misrepresented science in order to affirm unhealthy lifestyles as normal behavior. Facts presents science-based information to clarify the medical and psychological discussions concerning this important aspect of a child’s life. Facts will not engage in the polemics of opinion, but will objectively offer the facts for all to see and assimilate. Facts is interested only in the welfare and protection of children and their families.

The College has received support and assistance for this project from the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), the Pediatric Psychosocial Development Committee, other like-minded organizations, and parents and individuals with a personal perspective on issues related to gender identification and how they impact children.

*The Pediatric Psychosocial Development Committee is an exterior sub-committee of the American College of Pediatricians and consists of the following members, all experts on the sexual development of youth:
Dean Byrd, PhD
Rick Fitzgibbons, MD
Arthur Goldberg, JD, CRS, BCPC
Trayce Hansen, PhD
Joe Nicolosi, PhD
John Raney, MD
George Rekers, PhD

I've talked about the lies of the American College of Pediatricians before. Also, those of us familiar with the inner workings of the industry of phony religious right studies know some of those names of these folks behind Facts About Youth. Joseph Nicolosi is a man who has made it his life's work to peddle the inaccurate notion that homosexuality is a changeable condition. According to the site Truth Wins Out:

Nicolosi is also known for his strange theories, such as encouraging his male clients to drink Gatorade and call friends “dude” to become more masculine. He also believes that “Non-homosexual men who experience defeat and failure may also experience homosexual fantasies or dreams.”

And George Rekers is a former professor at the University of South Carolina and a founder of the Family Research Council who has testified against the lgbt community in adoption cases.

So to say that this web site is nonpolitical is the first lie. And it's certainly not the last.

Facts About Youth contains the same tired lies and misinformation about the gay community found on almost every religious right web page and repeated by almost every religious right talking head. The following are just a few:

No wonder the Traditional Values Coalition is considered a hate group

While our friend Peter LaBarbera kicks up a futile tantrum about his "Americans for Truth" web site being declared a hate site by the Southern Poverty Law Center, let's not direct so much attention and laughter towards him that we forget about the other officially declared anti-gay hate groups, such as California's Traditional Values Coalition:

Children Targeted in 38 States

President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and their homosexual and transgender allies are secretly plotting to rush through the so-called Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the next few weeks.

ENDA – aptly described as the “cross-dressing teacher’s bill” – will force every American public school to hire men who dress like women as teachers.

Currently, 38 states do not consider men dressed as women (cross-dressing heterosexual men, gay drag queens, or transsexuals) as protected minorities under anti-discrimination laws. All of this will change under ENDA when it becomes illegal to re-assign transgender teachers out of the classroom.

In the next few weeks, if President Obama signs ENDA into law, your children will be trapped in classrooms taught by men who dress as women.

ENDA also forces every state and local government (including public schools), and every business with more than 15 employees to treat men who dress as women as federally protected minorities.

Thus, ENDA will:

* Impact critics and faith-based objectors who will be called bigots and troublemakers in school districts
* Allow men who dress as women to enjoy these special rights
* Elevate a serious mental disorder to protected class status

When I read this, I was thinking (strictly tongue in cheek of course) that this was a step up because it was the first time that I didn't read the Traditional Values Coalition refer to transgendered women as "she-males."

But lest we forget, a step up in manure still leaves mess on your shoe.

Of course the Traditional Values Coalition is lying about ENDA, but to put this lie in perspective, take a look at the following flyer from a racist group, the National Alliance:

So a racist group says that interracial romances are a bad idea because black men would "infect white women with HIV."

When one compares this claim to that of the Traditional Values Coalition (ENDA will lead to children being "trapped in classrooms with drag queens"), one finds that there is no difference between them. They are both lies geared to exploit ignorance via alarming calls that a "dangerous group of outsiders" are seeking to corrupt wholesome entities, be they white women or children.

No difference, that is, except for the fact that if the Traditional Values Coalition is pressed on this lie, the organization can fall back on the "we are a Christian group attempting to preserve morality" card.

But the similarity is definitely worth remembering because I'm willing to bet that before this entire thing with ENDA is settled, the Traditional Values Coalition and other like-minded groups will be claiming that gays and lesbians are trying to piggyback on the 1950s/60s civil rights struggle of the black community.

But in the long run, it doesn't matter who had to ride in the "back of the bus" or who gets chased down a street.

As long as there are entities willing to exploit fear and stereotypes, we all suffer.

Related posts:

Interracial dating and homosexuality - two health risks?

Family Research Council exploiting Amanda Simpson's appointment to stop ENDA

Family Research Council head misrepresents credible information to hurt ENDA

Bathrooms, Church Exemptions, and Lies: Five ways the religious right misrepresents ENDA

Religious right groups can't make up their minds when lying about ENDA

Fox Nation attacks lesbian appointee and other Monday midday news briefs

The Fox Nation and its gay-baiting ways - If we thought that Chai Feldblum receiving the appointment to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission put an end to the attacks on her, guess again.

Judge: Transgender inmates have right to therapy - I stand with the transgendered community here.

Child-Raping Priests and Their Protectors = The New Jews - Now I've seen everything and it officially makes me sick.

Gay People: Serving As Your Handy Scapegoat For Fear And Shame For Generations - Bruce Garrett breaks it down perfectly.

Why does William Donohue contradict the Pope while defending the Catholic Church?

In his eagerness to blame the gay community for the problem of child molestation in the Catholic Church, William Donohue of the Catholic League seems to have forgotten one very important thing about his charges.

The Pope already addressed the situation and said in fact that the problem with abuse has to do with pedophilia and not homosexuality.

It took place two years ago when Pope Benedict XVI was addressing the scandal of the abuse of children in American Catholic churches.

Now let's dismiss (for the extreme briefest of seconds) the sad fact that two years later, we are still talking about the abuse of children in the Catholic Church and take a look at what Pope Benedict XVI said (via The New York Times):

“It is a great suffering for the church in the United States and for the church in general and for me personally that this could happen,” he said. “As I read the histories of those victims, it is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betrayed in this way. Their mission was to give healing, to give the love of God to these children. We are deeply ashamed and we will do what is possible that this cannot happen in the future.”

Apparently drawing a distinction between priests with homosexual tendencies and those inclined to molest children, the pontiff said: “I would not speak at this moment about homosexuality, but pedophilia, which is another thing. And we would absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry.”

So why is Donohue trying to push a belief (the priests who molested the children were gay because the crimes were of a "same sex nature," ergo men who molest boys should automatically be assumed to be gay), which not only has been contradicted by the Pope but also (lest we forget) legitimate bodies such as the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Academy of Child Psychiatrists and the Child Welfare League of America?

If I ever find out the answer to that question, I'm going to next ponder why isn't anyone from the Vatican communicating to Donohue that maybe his input isn't exactly helping and that he should talk a flying leap.

Huge hat tip to Box Turtle Bulletin.

Related post:

Expert: Donohue's claim that most abusive priests are gay is "unwarranted"

Friday, April 02, 2010

Know Your LGBT History - Sylvester

No negative portrayals today - only a spotlight on one of my idols/heroes, the late Sylvester James.

For an in depth look at Sylvester's life, go here for the Black History Month spotlight I posted on him.

But to enjoy his music of his television appearances, check out any of the clips below. Sylvester was way ahead of the pack on talent, style, and pride. In the 70s where it was difficult for lgbts to stand up for themselves (to say nothing of lgbts of color), Sylvester was THE MAN. By the way he carried himself, he unashamedly said, "This is me. This is who I am not for your pity or laughter but because I am a child of God blessed with His gifts."

We need more black folks like Sylvester.

The following is favorite clip - Sylvester on American Bandstand with his back up singers Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes who were known then as Two Tons of Fun. We all know them as the Weather Girls, singers of the anthem "It's Raining Men." Rhodes passed years later but Wash continued to persevere, singing on the hits "Everybody Sweat," "Everybody, Everybody," and "Strike It Up":