Religious right spokesman wants to ban gays from serving in public office

Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association doesn't think lgbts - or "practicing homosexuals" as he calls them - shouldn't be able to serve in public office. And he has a logical explanation. Too bad the logic comes from Bizarro land

Lgbts need to get serious in addressing, stamping out homophobic propaganda

Read This Impressively Offensive Anti-LGBT Pamphlet From Ghana - What's distressing about this pamphlet is how it sounds so much like the junk put out in America by religious right groups.  Peter LaBarbera is even cited in it. It simply underscores that all of the stuff we talk about the royal baby possibly being gay or Spiderman being gay or whatever useless fascination we involve ourselves in don't mean crap if we don't get serious and address the rhetoric used against us. It's not just about America now but more susceptible countries. If we don't start talking about the propaganda we are going to have more things like the following from Russia:

or  Montenegro's Gay Pride Parade Debuts Amidst Violence 

or  Haitian Anti-Gay Marriage Protesters Kill Two Men, Threaten To Burn Down Parliament: VIDEO

These people who committed these awful acts were spurred on by something which told them that it was justified to harm their fellow countrymen. My guess is that the rhetoric spread about lgbts had somethign to do with - rhetoric which portrays us as disease-ridden, pedophilic monsters out to destroy society and morality. Homophobia, like racism, is an emotion spurred on by hatred and that hatred is propelled by fear.  Rhetoric designed to exploit this fear should never be ignored or laughed at. Remember that the next time you read an anti-gay pamphlet by the Family Research Council or the National Organization for Marriage. What's funny to you could mean death to someone else.

 Historically, the propaganda used against lgbts is no different than the propaganda against African-Americans or people of the Jewish faith.  Perhaps it's time we start placing this propaganda its proper place rather than laughing it off.

Related post: How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America

Images taken from 36 Photos From Russia That Everyone Needs To See

Religious right, Senator Ted Cruz recycles hate crimes lie against marriage equality

One thing to learn about religious right organizations and their supporters is that they always repeat a lie no matter how many times it has been refuted. In fact, they even apply the lie to new situations. Take Texas Senator Ted Cruz for example. According to Right Wing Watch:

In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody on Friday, Ted Cruz rehashed the false right-wing claims that gay rights advocates intend to pass hate speech laws and force pastors to perform same-sex nuptials. Leading Religious Right activists made the same arguments during their campaign against the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act and in debates over state marriage equality bills. Of course, such laws would be unconstitutional and have never been used to silence religious leaders or limit the freedom of speech:

To defeat ENDA, expect anti-gay groups to use same-old framework of propaganda and lies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Contact: Alvin McEwen
Phone: 803-447-4874

E-mail: charlekenghis@aol.com

To defeat ENDA, expect anti-gay groups to use same-old framework of propaganda and lies

 

 

If passed into law,” says (Americans for Truth about Homosexuality head Peter) LaBarbera, “ENDA would not only impact businesses, but also homosexuals and other gender-confused people could work as teachers and influence children to accept their lifestyle.

How many of you would feel comfortable dropping off your kids in a school that encouraged faculty cross-dressing? At least three Senate Republicans would. Today, those leaders -- Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Ak.) -- threw their support behind a bill that would force sexual confusion on almost every classroom, day care, and summer camp in America. Insisting the legislation is just a harmless little "anti-prejudice" bill, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted 15-7 to make employees' bedroom habits a preeminent consideration in hiring, firing, and promotion decisions – Family Research Council email

COLUMBIA - Recently, the Senate began consideration of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). This burst of progress has redoubled the efforts of anti-gay opponents. And, as author Alvin McEwen notes, they’re ready to double -down on their rhetoric.

“Anti-gay groups are already conjuring up images of drag queens teaching in nurseries, men invading women’s restrooms, and Christians being led away in handcuffs because of ENDA,” McEwen said. “The sad thing is that people take them seriously because they are fooled that these are legitimate concerns. But they aren’t. They are merely part of a very old framework of propaganda and lies dating back to the 70s and 80s.”

McEwen is an expert in tracking the rhetoric of the anti-gay industry via his blog Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters. In January, he created an online booklet spotlighting anti-gay propaganda and instead of refuting anti-gay distortions, he allowed the propaganda to refute itself. The booklet, How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America, is a simple, graphics- intensive project whose aim, according to McEwen, seeks to show how anti-gay rhetoric is dangerous to the American discourse.

 

“Over the past several decades, the anti-gay groups have been successfully creating a complex framework of propaganda which stigmatizes the gay community as dreaded outsiders out to indoctrinate children, destroy American values, and imprison Christians,” McEwen said. “Until we address these lies and how they are hidden behind the facade of religious beliefs, our success will not be total. And, we’re going to see these lies in overdrive over the next weeks and months.”

 

A key part of How They See Us involved spotlighting images from a 1986 anti-gay comic book entitled Deathstyle. Deathstyle sought to show the so-called dangers of the so-called “homosexual lifestyle” through stereotypes brought to life via an artist’s pen. Back then, it was a major project which was endorsed by anti-gay groups such as Concerned Women for America and a California Congressman, William Dannemeyer.

 

However, a look at the various cartoons in Deathstyle today would most likely elicit laughs in terms of how stereotypically caricatured and outdated they are. That is, until McEwen compares them with the present-day rhetoric pushed by anti-gay groups.

 

“Showing people a ludicrously drawn picture of an oversexed gay man looking to molest a child would garner many laughs,” McEwen said, “that is until readers looked on the other side of the page and read comments from someone like Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council making the same accusation in the present, albeit in a more sedated tone. It’s not so funny then.”

 

In addition, McEwen also demonstrates how anti-gay group such as the Family Research Council distort information from the Centers of Disease Control to falsely denigrate the lgbt identity as dangerous.  He also lists 11 different examples of professors, researchers, and Ph.D.s who have complained over the years that their work have either been distorted or taken out of context by anti-gay groups.

 

And with Congressional discussions about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) beginning soon, How They See Us is definitely timely.  How They See Us is available on Scribd and can be read or downloaded free of charge. 

'Anti-gay group attacking six-year-old transgender child' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

'Family values' group goes after 6-year-old - Picking on a six-year-old transgender child. Definitely what Jesus would do.

 New Mexico Attorney General Will Not Argue Against Marriage Equality - Sweet!!

Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Transgender People But Were Afraid To Ask - A primer which we all need to read.

Ted Cruz Pushing Religious Right Lies About Marriage Equality- No, Ted. We do not want pastors put in jail for "hate speech." Talk about repeating a lie.

NOM's Brian Brown Pretends Federal Marriage Amendment Might Pass Someday - Give it up, Bri Bri.

The hosts of the View skewers candidate's homophobia

From Think Progress:

The hosts of The View ridiculed Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli for his push to reinstate the state’s Crimes Against Nature law on Monday, a measure that would make felons out of consenting married couples who engage in oral or anal sex in the privacy of their own homes. The act was struck down by federal courts after Cuccinelli blocked efforts to bring it in line with the Supreme Court’s 2003 Lawrence v. Texas ruling:

'Illinois hate group launches ugly attack against same-sex families' and other Monday midday news briefs

 Illinois Equality Opponents: Homosexuality is A ‘Tyrannical, Oppressive, Poisonous Cultural Force’ - Just plain nasty. And desperate. 

Ken Cuccinelli: Gays And Lesbians Still 'Harmful To Society' - What's worse than a homophobe? A consistent homophobe.

Known Exorcist Testifies Against Massachusetts Bill To Ban ‘Ex-Gay’ Therapy - I'm sure THAT'S going to go well.

San Diego County Clerk Asks Court to Block Gay Marriage - Funny how when the Prop 8 vote went their way, opponents of marriage equality chided the lgbt community for not accepting the vote. Yet another notch in the belt of hypocrisy.