Family Research Council clearly ducking debate over hate group charge

"The people who avoid a debate are the ones afraid of losing."

This statement by Family Research Council head Tony Perkins was meant to smear the lgbt community in regards to the recent debacle of the law firm King & Spalding's decision not to defend the DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) in court.

Of course this decision was a bit more complicated than the narrative of a bullying lgbt community, as this Huffington Post article clearly shows.

But I find that Perkins's statement about cowardice relating less to the lgbt community and more to his organization, the Family Research Council.

In November of last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center officially named FRC  - and several other religious right groups - as anti-gay hate groups because they

have continued to pump out demonizing propaganda aimed at homosexuals and other sexual minorities. These groups’ influence reaches far beyond what their size would suggest, because the “facts” they disseminate about homosexuality are often amplified by certain politicians, other groups and even news organizations.

In response, FRC  launched a huge "Start Debating, Stop Hating" campaign which claimed that SPLC's accusation was a plot to attack FRC's "Christian" stance on gay marriage and homosexuality:

The surest sign one is losing a debate is to resort to character assassination. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a liberal fundraising machine whose tactics have been condemned by observers across the political spectrum, is doing just that.

The group, which was once known for combating racial bigotry, is now attacking several groups that uphold Judeo-Christian moral views, including marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

How does the SPLC attack? By labeling its opponents "hate groups." No discussion. No consideration of the issues. No engagement. No debate!

Perkins said an interview with Tucker Carlson's Daily Caller:

“We’re not afraid to debate the issues,” Perkins said in a phone interview. “We are not running from the debate. We are confident on the issues we advocate for based on empirical, peer-reviewed research.”

The comment is highly ironic seeing that the last time Perkins did have a debate on the issue - on the news program Hardball with the SPLC's Mark Potok - he distorted data to make the inaccurate claim that pedophilia and homosexuality is connected. He also cited an organization, the American College of Pediatricians. It was later discovered that the ACP is not a legitimate medical organization but a sham group created to push religious right distortions about the lgbt community.

Hardball's host, Chris Matthews, was forced to give a clarifying statement regarding the ACP on a later broadcast.

Since that time, Perkins has pretty much avoided debates, appearing on "friendly" news programs such as  Fox and Friends.  Nor has he been directly addressing SPLC's charges.

Now in December of last year, FRC spokesperson Peter Sprigg said the following:

"We will be preparing a more detailed response to (the) charge that FRC spreads “falsehoods” in our well-documented research, which does show that certain harms are associated with homosexual conduct."

Sprigg referred readers to two pieces he wrote - Getting It Straight: What the Research Shows About Homosexuality and The Top Ten Myths About Homosexuality. However, both of those pieces contained serious problems with distorted data and studies taken out of context and included studies that FRC admitted removing from its web page because of outdated sources.

Matt Barber uses Bin Laden's death to be disgustingly homophobic

Comments are coming in from all over regarding Osama Bin Laden's death. Probably the most repugnant comes from a familiar source:

We can always count on the Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber to make one feel morally superior. Remember this tweet on the night of President Obama's State of the Union address:

It would be easy to say something about Barber's obsession with gay sex, but something else needs to be said. It's really sad when someone who claims to represent Christianity and the "love of Jesus" exploits this occasion to make a crass joke about the lgbt community.

Granted this is the same guy who whines about how the lgbt community are anti-Christian bullies.

Barber's conduct leaves me to ask him a question:

The lgbt community are not anti-Christian bullies, but if we were, what would it have to do with you because if one were to judge you on your behavior, you are as Christian as the man whose recent death led to your crass comment.

Hat tip to Truth Wins Out.

National Organization for Marriage exploiting black people in New York and other Monday midday news briefs

Higher HIV risk in black gay men linked to partner choice, risk perception - Last week, Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council blamed the problems lgbt teens face on the fact that they are "forced" to identify as lgbt. Uh Sprigg, here is what can happen when gay men try NOT to identify themselves as such.

NOM involvement in Bronx rally is racially motivated - Meanwhile, the National Organization is exploiting black people in New York in order to play them against lgbts just like they did in Maryland.

Kwa-Thema Brutal Corrective Rape Murder of 24 Year Old Lesbian - Let's not forget that the worldwide struggle - or war - for lgbt equality still exists. Caution beforehand - this story is graphic. I momentarily had second thoughts of including it.

Tea Party Nation: Obama Only Killed Bin Laden To Help His Reelection - Did you really think that those SOBs would give President Obama credit for anything?


Republican and Truther Commenters Are Outraged That Obama Announced Osama bin Laden's Death - They just can't help themselves.

Now do you believe that Obama is legitimately the President?

Today everything is preempted with the news that Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind 9-11, had been killed in a U.S. raid on his mansion.

Just think. Days before, the media was consumed with the nonsense of Obama's birth certificate with Donald Trump leading them by the nose and Fox News (and various other right-wing entities) striking them on the rear with a cattle prod just in case they veered away from the course.

And even before then, suspicion about President Obama and his motives had been stoked by folks like Glenn Beck, Congressmen like Allen West, faux news organizations like Fox, and assorted fools like Andrew Breitbart and Sarah Palin.

"He's a Muslim." "He's a Kenyan." "He hates America." "He is always apologizing to our enemies." "He is trying to destroy the United States." "Obama's  Justice Department is lenient on black people." "Obama is an empty suit."

Have I left anything out? Am I missing any barb or sling thrown at Obama since he was elected?  If I have, you must forgive me because there have been so many.

Nevertheless, through it all, Obama never forgot that he was elected President and he had a job to do. That's why we have something to celebrate right now.

Granted, this piece is not to praise Obama. Some folks on the left and the right don't like many of his policies - and justifiably so. And also, we have a long way to go in terms of grappling with the economic problems this country faces But Osama Bin Laden's death sends a message to all of the naysayers and folks who make it their business to stoke up negative noise about Obama.

He is the President, elected legitimately and has America's best interest at heart.

Perhaps sometimes you should just shut your mouths and let him do his job.

Finally !!! Black journalists weigh in on the birther nonsense

Finally something I like but never see - a majority of black journalists discussing this birther crap. And notice WHO didn't show up. Via Media Matters:


From the May 1 edition of TVOne's Washington Watch with Roland Martin



Related posts:

N @&!%r, show me you papers!

And how do African-Americans feel about this 'birther' mess?

Religious right lies - everything you wanted to know and then some

On this lazy Sunday, I am reposting what I feel is an important piece regarding detailing main religious claims about the lgbt community.

In this so-called cultural war over lgbt equality, the one of the biggest problems facing the lgbt community is a certain degree of intellectual laziness.

Allow me to explain:

Chinese general Sun Tzu in The Art of War once said:

It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles . . .

With that thought in mind, I have tried to educate myself and others on the manipulations of the religious right. You see it's not enough to call them "homophobes" or "haters" anymore than it is not enough for a prosecutor in a trial to point at a defendant and call him guilty.

There must be some proof of the charges.

I have a theory that in this so-called cultural battle, our fight isn't totally with those who have a personal religious belief that homosexuality is a sin. It's not an idea that I prescribe to but I am of the opinion that people with differing beliefs can co-exist up to a point.

Granted there are some people who are rabidly anti-gay, but this piece isn't about them.

My theory and all of my focus have been on the religious right organizations who manipulate people's religious beliefs and personal fears to make the lgbt community the boogeymen or the "big nasty other" in American society.

I've talked in the past about their distortion techniques. Earlier, I talked about discredited researcher Paul Cameron and his relation to the religious right as to how these groups continue to use his bad data.

Today, I want to show how these groups have their own ways of distorting credible research.

I have read countless religious right papers and studies and have discovered that in many if not all of them, many of the same studies are being distorted.

It’s as if the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, the American Family Association and other affiliate groups have some type of file cabinet with an assortment of legitimate studies that they can pull out and distort. I want to show you just a few. Some you have already seen these before but a refresher course never hurts anyone:

Distortion - Lgbt homes are not ideal homes to raise children because gay supportive researcher Judith Stacey said so in her study:

“A study conducted by Judith Stacey and Timothy Biblarz, sociologists at the University of Southern California, revealed that children raised by homosexual couples ‘seem to grow up to be more open to homoerotic relationships.’ The study showed that 12 percent of girls raised in lesbian homes became active lesbians themselves—increasing the likelihood of lesbianism by more than 400 percent.” - Fast Facts, Gay Adoption, Coral Ridge Ministries

Researcher Judith Stacey thinks that children do well in homosexual homes. She says her study found that girls brought up by lesbians show greater interest in masculine activities and dress and seek non-traditional female jobs. Boys in lesbian homes are more feminine and more nurturing. Children in these homes also become sexually active with same-sex partners. - Children In Homosexual Homes Become Sexually Confused, Traditional Values Coalition

Truth - Judith Stacey had gone on record numerous times decrying how her research in lgbt homes have been distorted. According to respectmyresearch.org:

. . . Stacey and Biblarz noted preliminary evidence of some “modest and interesting” differences between children raised by heterosexual parents and children raised by lesbian and gay parents, but they affirmed that “parental sexual orientation has no measurable effect on the quality of parent-child relationships or on children’s mental health or adjustment.”


In addition, via this link, she calls Focus on the Family to the carpet for distorting her work.

Distortion - Lesbian and gay relationships are generally violent Part 1:

A study in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence examined conflict and violence in lesbian relationships. The researchers found that 90 percent of the lesbians surveyed had been recipients of one or more acts of verbal aggression from their intimate partners during the year prior to this study, with 31 percent reporting one or more incidents of physical abuse.” - Comparing the Lifestyles of Homosexual Couples to Married Couples, Family Research Council

There is a higher rate of violence in lesbian and homosexual relationships than in married, heterosexual relationships. A study in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence examined conflict and violence in lesbian relationships. The researchers found that 90% of the lesbians surveyed had been recipients of one or more acts of verbal aggression from their intimate partners during the year prior to this study, with 31% reporting one or more incidents of physical abuse. - Same-Sex Parenting is Harmful to Children Says REAL Women of Canada, Lifesite News

Truth - According to the Journal of Interpersonal Violence’s own web page:

The Journal of Interpersonal Violence offers the most up-to-date information on domestic violence, rape, child sexual abuse and other violent crimes . . . Focusing on both victims and perpetrators, the journal examines theoretical links between all types of interpersonal violence, exploring the similarities and differences between these types of crimes.

In other words, the Journal of Interpersonal Violence tracks domestic violence, as well as other violent crimes.

Those surveyed in journal articles are the victims of violence, verbal or otherwise, because this is what the journal is designed to track.

However, what religious right groups are doing here is the equivalent of taking a study of domestic violence in the African-American community published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence and using it to allege that black relationships are indicative of violent behavior.

'Porno' Peter LaBarbera called ME an 'extremist'

 Earlier this month, noted homophobe Peter LaBarbera had some awful things to say about me.

He was talking to Linda Harvey (another homophobic individual who just recently blamed the lgbt community for the mortgage crisis) about his recent pathetic attempt to smear GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) days before its annual Day of Silence event via a fake controversy involving pictures on a facebook page not even associated with GLSEN:

. . . homosexual bloggers led by Alvin McEwen – an AFTAH-hating extremist with a penchant for twisting facts – began speculating that Americans For Truth might have placed the photos on GLSEN’s Facebook page as a “homophobic smear” to “frame” this homosexual activist organization! Just one more lie from a movement built upon lies…

While Peter's attack on my character is amusing, I believe in never letting an opportunity to rag on the religious right go by without taking full advantage.

To whit, it is true that I do not like AFTAH (Americans for Truth About Homosexuality). And that's because it is a hate group.

AFTAH is not a pro-family group. It is not a morality group. It certainly is not a Christian group.

AFTAH is an officially declared hate group.

AFTAH disseminates propaganda and vicious lies about the lgbt community. It is a hate group forged from  the mind of a man (LaBarbera) whose body may be in the present, but mind is stuck in some lurid fantasy world where gay men are leather encased sexual boogeymen, lesbians are baba yaga-type monsters, transgenders are "confused" self mutilators, and same-sex families are entities with lobotomized children trained to believe that they are not being harmed.

And all of these groups assemble together at least once a day in a secret underground chamber where their leader - a bald white man with a scar wearing a neat white Nehri jacket- barks out orders of world domination while lovingly stroking his pet Persian cat.

Any person with a shred of decent common sense would despise AFTAH.