Maggie Gallagher receives 'Anita Bryant' Bigotry Award and other Friday midday news briefs

NOM's Gallagher testifies at House 'Defending Marriage' hearing; given 'Bigotry Award' by GetEQUAL - And personally, I can't think of a more deserving recipient.

Maggie's #DOMA testimony: We got CSPAN Maggie, not Christian radio Maggie - Now if you want to know WHY Gallagher is deserving, check out this piece from Jeremy Hooper. Compare the ducking and dodging written testimony to the committee to what she has said on "Christian" radio. Don't get me wrong. There are only really two things I dislike about Gallagher - her face.

On Anti-Bullying 'Day of Silence,' the Religious Right Cheers on the Bullies - An excellent piece by People for the American Way President Michael B. Keegan.

"Ex-Gay" Activists Want To Crash The Day Of Silence - And I am happy to report that they have been unsuccessful. Now the Day of Silence, on the other hand, so far has been massively successful today.

Gay ex-NBA player Amaechi: What Kobe said just as bad as ‘the N-word’ - Yes I specifically sidestepped the Kobe Bryant controversy because the entire black vs. gay thing wearies the hell out of me (especially in this situation when it doesn't even need to be pulled out. What Bryant said was ugly, period). I will just let John Amaechi's words speak for themselves

California Senate Passes Bill Requiring Teaching of Gay History in Public Schools - And what, pray tell, is wrong with this? Our lgbt children need to know their history. And so do heterosexual students. It has NOTHING to do with sexual intercourse.

Day of Silence and Maggie Gallagher's 'testimony'

Just a quick word about the National Organization for Marriage's Maggie Gallagher and her testimony at the "Defending Marriage" charade of a hearing today held by hate group supporter Rep. Trent Franks. To paraphrase Americablog Gay - she is all ready to testify here but it's interesting that she didn't choose to testify at the Prop 8 trial. 

The lgbt blogs will be watching you today, Maggie. As well as the other "witnesses." And any mistake you make, any error you make, and especially any lie you tell will be put on display and spotlighted.

We wait in anticipation of your "words."

But to more important issues, today is the annual Day of Silence where hundreds of thousands of students nationwide take a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in their schools.

Now I could go into an amusing expository about how the attempts to derail this day by the religious right have descended over the years from a righteous yell to a pitifully weak mew for attention (chiefly seen by the sad attempted frame-up this week by Peter LaBarbera and company).

But I won't. Today is about the children. Not just our lgbt children but all children. Today is the day we let them teach us about love, tolerance, and respect for all people, lgbts included. Have a successful day, guys:




Related post:
  
Day of Silence - THIS is what it's all about

Day of Silence - THIS is what it's all about

Tomorrow marks the annual Day of Silence, the student-led national event that brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools.

The religious right HATES this event and have told so many lies about it. They claim it's about indoctrination, sexual intercourse, the corruption of innocence.

They are LIARS. And don't pay so much attention to them that you ignore the real voices who matter.

Like these New Jersey students:



For more information, go to dayofsilence.org

Santorum thinks states should allowed to 'criminalize' gay sex (again) and other Thursday midday news briefs

Santorum To Beck: States Should Be Allowed To Criminalize Gay Sex - Again, this fool wants to be President. He is only encouraging folks to make fun of him. I say don't disappoint him.

CA: anti-bullying bill Seth's Law passes key legislative committee - Awesome news!


NOM Rhode Island's Chris Plante: Gays' marriages 'turn children into little teacup dogs -- it's an accessory to put in my purse'- Tell me AGAIN how NOM isn't full of bigots, Maggie Gallagher.

Victory: Illinois Kills Anti-Adoption Bill - Good for Illinois!


Hear Me Now? - Apparently the guy on the Verizon commercial has come out. Well I knew that.

Stinky Santorum wants to be President

Look who wants to be President:

Former senator Rick Santorum announced the launch of a presidential exploratory committee for the next election cycle on Wednesday night during an appearance on Fox News.

Earlier in the day, Santorum alerted his supporters that he would be addressing the next step of his decision-making process ahead of 2012 on the network.

"Over the past two years, I have traveled our great nation listening to people express their concern for the future of America," he wrote in an e-mail.

"Throughout this journey, my wife Karen and I have been incredibly humbled by the encouragement I have received to run for President in 2012."

While recent polls haven't shown Santorum running toward the front of the potential GOP presidential pack, the former senator came out on top of a straw poll taken at the Greenville County Republican convention in South Carolina last weekend.

The fact that this clown actually won any straw poll in South Carolina is an embarrassment to the Palmetto State period.

But I will say one thing for Santorum. When it comes to lgbt equality, he isn't a flip-flopper like another Republican candidate, Tim Pawlenty. Pawlenty supported lgbt equality and now suddenly doesn't think it's a good idea.

No, Santorum never liked the idea that lgbts are equal from the beginning. Of course the most infamous time he expressed this is in 2003 when he compared our relationships to incest, polygamy, and bestiality. As we all know, that led Dan Savage to take the word "santorum" and use it to coin a phrase describing a byproduct of anal sex (which I am too much of a gentleman to repeat).

That, I am hoping, will be Santorum's enduring legacy to this country.

But the following clip in which Santorum just totally disrespects lgbt families is a moment I hope lgbt voters won't forget, particularly those lgbt voters who don't like President Obama:



Just imagine having someone like that in the White House. I'd rather have a snake I can work with rather than one who would put me in a titanium steel closet.

Analyzing the religious right's war on lgbt children

Editor's note - I apologize to those who were expecting my daily midday news briefs. But as you can see, religious right groups and figures are especially ornery today. It must be the beginning of a season.

The People for the American Way has come out with an excellent report on the ways religious right groups are attempting to undermine efforts to protect lgbt children in schools.

The report, Big Bullies: How the Religious Right is Trying to Make Schools Safe for Bullies and Dangerous for Gay Kids, should be mandatory reading for all of us who care about keeping our lgbt children safe.

Among the highlights is a detailed table of contents listing a host of religious right distortion techniques used to derail anti-bullying efforts:

• Introduction
• Facing the Problem
• The Indoctrination Myth
• The “Special Rights” Smear
• Playing the Victim
• Blaming the Victims
• Conclusion

The introduction says it all:

Students deserve an education that is free from bullying and harassment, and in many districts parents, teachers, principals, community members and students are working together to create a safe and welcoming environment for all children. Bullying can impede learning and ruin lives. As Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said, “bullying is doubly dangerous because if left unattended it can rapidly escalate into even more serious violence and abuse.” Close to nine in ten Americans believe that bullying is a “serious problem,” and many communities are directly challenging harassment and violence in schools.

However, many Religious Right activists want to derail efforts to combat bullying. An increasing number of conservative leaders and organizations have fiercely opposed anti-bullying programs developed by schools and education groups for the sole reason that such programs identify and attempt to combat the widespread bullying of LGBT youth.

Rather than recognize and address the problem of bullying against students who are gay or perceived to be gay, Religious Right groups want schools to embrace a policy of inaction. Many resort to repeating discredited lies about sexual orientation and vilifying the LGBT community and its allies to back up their opposition to anti-bullying programs that mention anti-gay bullying. Concerned students, families, teachers, education professionals, and public officials should not be fooled by the far-right’s attempt to smear anti-bullying programs, and should instead ensure that schools address bullying with a direct, honest and comprehensive approach.

So apparently that nonsense we saw this morning from Peter LaBarbera about GLSEN only scratches the surface of religious right chicanery and lies.

Again, read this report, save it, and send it out to as many people as possible.

Peter Sprigg accuses Perez Hilton of having 'a known interest in children'

Gossip columnist Perez Hilton

Those who read this blog know that I'm not necessarily that much a fan of gossip columnist Perez Hilton.

I will admit that at times I look at his site, but mostly he is a bit too juvenile for my tastes. And his unnecessarily crude comments towards beauty pageant contestant Carrie Prejean started a controversy which made Prejean a religious right cause celebre (that is before those pictures came out).

However it seems that in light of the situation involving lgbt teen bullying, Hilton is attempting to soften his image. And that includes writing a children's book entitled The Boy With Pink Hair.

The news of this has elicited many comments - some positive, others negative.

But for my money, none are more negative than that of Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council. Sprigg, who usually busies himself manufacturing inaccurate studies about lgbts, took the time to make a sly suggestion in The Washington Times regarding Perez and "an interest in children:"

Peter Sprigg, Family Research Council

“He does have a known interest in children,” says Peter Sprigg, a senior fellow for Family Policy Studies at the Family Research Council, “having published a photo of teen star Miley Cyrus that could have been considered child pornography.

The picture Sprigg is speaking of is that of Cyrus which Hilton published in 2010 while she was getting out of a car while supposedly not wearing any underwear. Cyrus at the time was 17.

Hilton asserted that she was in fact wearing underwear and he published the picture "to teach her a lesson about getting out a car in a ladly-like fashion."

For all of the talk  about Hilton and "child pornography," the controversy died out. And that's because it was a stupid controversy pushed by a stupid need by Hilton to gain attention for his blog.

And I am by no means defending Hilton's actions. But for Sprigg to assert in any fashion that Hilton is a pedophile is nasty. Of course Sprigg never came out and said the word "pedophile," but we all know what he means by "interest in children."

Hilton is a gossip columnist and subsequently he publishes salacious items and pictures regarding celebrities. The credibility of him writing a children's book is definitely subject for discussion. But Sprigg's assertion of pedophilia seems to be more directed towards Hilton's sexual orientation rather than his vocation.

It only goes to prove that no matter what the situation may be regarding the lgbt community (like this morning's post about GLSEN), members of the religious right just have to work in a dig about lgbts wanting to "harm children."

It's like a sickness. They can't seem to help themselves.