Rick Warren may not 'hate' gays, but he displays a lot of ignorance

Rick Warren

I predicted it and it happened just like clockwork.

After his interview with Piers Morgan in which he compared being gay to eating arsenic, megachurch pastor Rick Warren is now playing the victim:

"If you disagree with somebody today you're often called a hater," Warren told HuffPost Live host Marc Lamont Hill. "I don't really hate anybody. Or you're called 'phobic.' I'm not afraid of anybody. I have many, many gay friends."

 That said, Warren added that he might not agree with certain actions, and said that there is a moral difference between love and sex. "It's not a sin to love somebody," he said. "It might be a sin to have sex with them."

If you ask me, his explanation is worse than the original statement, which was the following:

Here’s what we know about life. I have all kinds of natural feelings in my life and it doesn’t necessarily mean that I should act on every feeling. Sometimes I get angry and I feel like punching a guy in the nose. It doesn’t mean I act on it. Sometimes I feel attracted to women who are not my wife. I don’t act on it. Just because I have a feeling doesn’t make it right. Not everything natural is good for me. Arsenic is natural. 

Let me break this down for Mr. Warren and I feel extremely safe in saying that I speak for the vast majority of the lgbt community when I say this:

Dear Mr. Warren,

I don't give a rat's ass whether or not you hate me. I don't lay up awake at night wringing my hands or crying about whether or not you hate me. What I don't like . . . what the gay community does not . . .  like is when folks like you who have an enormous platform manipulate it to trivialize us, to demean our lives, our loved ones, and our families. I don't know about any other group, but I as a gay man I don't like being compared to punching someone in the nose. And I certainly don't like being compared to the poison arsenic.

What you said about gays is no different than slurring women, or Jewish people, or African-Americans. It's not about hatred. Most of the time, it's never about hatred. It's about ignorance fueled by egotism disguised as religious beliefs and fevered imaginations about sexual intercourse. And by the way, just where in the heck are you coming from when you started talking about sex? Is that what it's about to you when it comes to gays? Those gay friends you speak of, is that what you think of them? Cases of flesh engaging in wanton sexual activity?

You are not talking about fictional characters here when you talk about gays. You are talking about real people. You are talking about mothers and fathers and children. Nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts, grandparents.

The gay community don't care about your hatred. We have had to deal with worse things than an odious pastor who may or may not hate us.

But your ignorance . . . now that's the problem. If you do have gay friends, perhaps you should converse more with them. Maybe then you wouldn't be so quick to use your platform to demean them and the rest of us gays.

Remember, there are some of us who don't have a platform like you do, therefore don't you think you have a major responsibility not to come across as an ignoramous?

You have every right to believe what you want in accordance to your religious philosophy but if you think that you will insult the gay community and expect us to smile about it, think again.

We don't want your tolerance and we certainly don't need your acceptance.

AND we will NOT put up with your ignorance.

 (The sound you are now hearing is this queen dropping the microphone.)

'Keith Ablow proves that bigotry makes you stupid' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

My gosh, what in the hell does Fox News pay so-called psychiatrist Keith Ablow for? Just listen to this non-answer he gives to an email from a woman who doesn't like how her sister-in-law allows her son to play with dolls and action figures. Other than verbally attacking the mother, he really gives no answer:


I repeat. Just who did Ablow have to sleep with to get his job at Fox News? And speaking of the sister-in-law, I personally think girlfriend should mind her own business because the children are not being harmed.

In other news: 

Rios: Penn State Child Abuse Scandal Part of the 'Whole Fabric' of Gay Rights - Apparently we are to blame for the Penn State molestation tragedy. How? Does it really matter to these folks?

Lexington Human Rights Commission Rules Against Discriminating T-Shirt Company - Cue the religious right horns of whine about . . . now.  

U.S. officials dispute media reports on Uganda anti-gay bill - Let's all keep our eyes on this one.

Rick Warren compares gays to taking arsenic, will soon play victim

Here we go again. We've seen this so many times. A national figure disrespects the gay community. That's the first act and today,  it features nationally known pastor Rick Warren:

Transcript: 

WARREN: Here’s what we know about life. I have all kinds of natural feelings in my life and it doesn’t necessarily mean that I should act on every feeling. Sometimes I get angry and I feel like punching a guy in the nose. It doesn’t mean I act on it. Sometimes I feel attracted to women who are not my wife. I don’t act on it. Just because I have a feeling doesn’t make it right. Not everything natural is good for me. Arsenic is natural.

Now allow me to predict what will probably happen next:

Act II - The gay community, justifiably insulted by the comments, will make our displeasure known.

Act III - Rick Warren will play the victim by either whining about how the gay community is intolerant of his opinion of them as arsenic. Groups like the Family Research Council will hail  him as "standing on Biblical principles," and the entire situation will be looked at as us gay folks not being accepting of "someone else's point of view."

What always gets my goat is how when public figures attack the gay community, they are always quick to be technically dishonest and plead ennui. They refuse to acknowledge that they are attacking an actual group of people. Not a lifestyle, not state of being, but real people with real families.

Gays are not puppy dogs who should be "tolerated" or "condoned."

 Gays are not hypothetical entities.

Gays are not streams of arguments in a philosophy class.

It's insulting enough when folks like Warren make such awful statements about our lives. It's even worse when after their attacks, they dismiss our basic and normal reaction of righteous indignation as "intolerance."

It's as if they don't think we are human beings and should take their insults with a good natured smile.

NOM - 'Head for the hills! Gays are getting political power!'

The National Organization for Marriage is obsessed/disturbed/consumed with the fact that the gay community is obtaining a degree of political power:

Politically Powerless? HRC's Griffen Demands Obama Appoint "First Openly LGBT Cabinet Secretary, G-8 Ambassador" and "Judges as Well"

NOVEMBER 27, 2012 AT 9:00 AM

Are gay and lesbian people politically powerless, i.e. a suspect class who deserve strict scrutiny under the law?

Chad Griffen, president of the $40million-per-year Human Rights Campaign, fresh from four state vote victories and the re-election of a pro-gay marriage president, claims the political power to demand more appointments of lesbian and gay people to the highest political offices in the land:

"...The Human Rights Campaign's Chad Griffin, president of the largest LGBT equality-rights advocacy group and political lobbying organization in the US, is calling for inclusion in the cabinet and other positions.

'We made historic progress with President Obama in terms of our openly LGBT appointments across the board,' Griffin tellsBuzzFeed. 'We now have the opportunity, and I hope this president and this White House will seize the opportunity to have the first openly LGBT Cabinet secretary, the first openly LGBT G-8 ambassador, and across the board with administrative appointments and judges as well." -- GayStarNews

Politically Powerless? "Openly Gay Leaders Will Control Legislative Chambers in Five States"

NOVEMBER 26, 2012 AT 11:00 AM

Gay advocates often claim that lesbian and gay people should be considered a "suspect class" that deserve strict scrutiny. One of the criteria used to determine whether a class of people qualify for this designation is if they are widely considered to be "politically powerless".

Here is one example that would suggest that gay and lesbian people are not politically powerless:

Rep. Tina Kotek of Oregon will become the first out lesbian to lead a state legislative chamber after being elected House Speaker by her Democratic colleagues Thursday.

The Associated Press reports on the vote, which needs to be formally ratified in January. Kotek told the AP that she knows her success as an openly lesbian official has inspired other LGBT people.

"We all look for people out there who look like us," she said. "I have had emails and text messages from people who are very excited."

Openly gay leaders will control legislative chambers in five states, according to the AP, up from two before the election last week. -- The Advocate

No doubt NOM is implying that when our community speaks out regarding the need for measures to ensure gay equality, we are simply "gaming the referee" in an attempt to gain an advantage.

The way NOM claims it, gay equality laws are not necessary because gays have a degree of power as evidenced by the above blog posts.

The grand irony is that NOM won't acknowledge that its actions against marriage equality and other pro-gay measures is the very thing which is fueling the gay community's desire for political power.

In other words, we are seeing the need to work within a system that would ordinarily be closed to the gay community in order to change that system and ensure a positive future for ourselves and gay generations to come. There is really nothing wrong with this because other groups of Americans have followed this plan and continue to do so.

But if NOM is worried about the idea of gays working our way into the political system, then the group has  should look to its own actions to blame.

We probably won't get a serious discussion on HIV/AIDS in the media

I hate it for so many reasons when the Centers for Disease Control announces HIV rates. It is a reminder - yes we need the reminder - that AIDS is not anything to play with and we must be diligent. This particular announcement brings that point home:

Of the estimated 12,200 new HIV infections that occurred in 2010 in the 13-to-24 age group, 72 percent were in young men who have sex with men (MSM) and 57 percent occurred in black Americans.

More than half of all youths infected -- 60 percent -- don't even realize they have the disease, the new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.

"That so many young people become infected with HIV each year is a preventable tragedy," CDC director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, said in a written statement. "All young people can protect their health, avoid contracting and transmitting the virus, and learn their HIV status."

 . . .  Many young people also are not getting tested for HIV, the report found. Only 35 percent of U.S. 18 to 24-year-olds have been tested, and only 22 percent of sexually experienced high school students have taken an HIV test.

The reduced likelihood in youth to get tested may lead to worse treatment once infected: Those with HIV who are younger than 25 are significantly less likely to get and stay in HIV care that controls their virus than older infected adults.

The numbers spotlight how the spread of HIV/AIDS is heavily concentrated in young males who have sex with other males. The remaining quarter of new infections in this age group are from injecting drugs or heterosexual sex.

Overall, new U.S. HIV infections have held steady at around 50,000 annually. There are currently more than 1 million Americans living with HIV.

Religious right groups and spokespeople will be sure to exploit these numbers. And the mainstream media will most likely aid these liars, making sure to invite someone like Tony Perkins or Peter Sprigg from the Family Research Council - neither having any medical degrees - to attack the lgbt community for our supposed promiscuity. And of course they will advance the "homosexuality is an unhealthy lifestyle which leads to ruin" lie which they have perfected so well.

And everyone will omit the following detail as they always do when these things come up:

 The CDC said several factors contribute to the disparities in infection rates. Some communities have higher HIV rates to begin with, increasing the chances for infection with each sexual counter. Additionally, socioeconomic factors such as poverty, lack of access to health care, stigma, and discrimination may contribute.

Which means while we will endure all sorts of comments and questions regarding the supposed promiscuity of gays, I sincerely doubt someone will ask a question regarding what needs to be done to combat the socioeconomic factors which lead to high HIV rates.

No one will ask any questions about poverty, how can young gays get access to good health care, and how can young gays receive higher self-esteem so that they are not so desperate to engage in negative behaviors in hopes of feeling better about themselves. Most of all, no one will discuss how can we eliminate the stigma of being gay, which continues affect our lgbt youth.

In other words, there will be no serious discussion as to how we can combat this problem of HIV rates with regards to our children.

Until we start, expect nothing to change.

'SPLC suing 'ex-gay' group for fraud' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

SPLC files groundbreaking lawsuit accusing conversion therapy organization of fraud - The Southern Poverty Law Center just filed a lawsuit against an ex-group on the grounds of fraud. Oh this is going to be GOOD!

  SPLC Files First-Ever Consumer Fraud Suit Against An Ex-Gay Group - A breakdown of the lawsuit by Zach Ford of Think Progress. 

 NOM's 'anti-defamation' guy rails against 'idiot' Chris Kluwe - NOM spokesman attacks Minnesota Vikings player and marriage equality supporter Chris Kluwe.  

Chris Kluwe responds to NOM's Damian Goddard - And Kluwe proceeds to dismantle him on twitter. Good fun!

 Cleveland Browns linebacker Tank Carder Tweets ‘faggot,’ doesn’t agree with being gay - Oh for crying out loud!

 Hagee: Gays Defiling America's Purity - There are just so many FUN ways to respond to that headline. 

Morgan Freeman, HRC team up to support marriage equality

Stunning ad from the Human Rights Campaign featuring Morgan Freeman