Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Truth Wins Out catches the 'attention' of anti-gay news source

It looks like one of my mentors, Wayne Besen, and his group Truth Wins Out has hit the "big time."

The organization has the American Family Association's One News Now spinning horror stories about it:

A radical homosexual group, "Truth Wins Out," is calling for the termination of Dr. Mike Rosebush, who has been named as the chief of Character and Leadership Coaching at the Colorado Springs school. Air Force cadets at AF Academy.

Rosebush is a former homosexual who has successfully come out of the lifestyle and has been an advocate for reparative therapy. Peter LaBarbera, founder and president of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, calls "Truth Wins Out" a "vicious homosexual activist group."

 "Ex-gays are now one of the most politically incorrect groups in American, one of the most persecuted groups," says LaBarbera, noting that reparative therapy counseling is being banned in two states, California and New Jersey.

Homosexuals want so badly to convince the public that their lifestyle is acceptable, they want to do damage to those who have left because it proves their spin is simply not true, LaBarbera claims. He adds: "For the homosexual movement that demands respect, it's pretty odd that they are leading the hateful charge against ex-gays and ex-lesbians, people who are mostly Christian, who left the homosexual lifestyle through the grace of God. But, boy, do they catch the hatred and the intolerance from the liberal left and the homosexual lobby."

Despite the claims of groups like "Truth Wins Out," many people have come out of the sinful homosexual lifestyle and now live normal healthy lives. 

Isn't always so "odd" how religious right groups and activists seem to brand every gay group as "radical." And of course One News Now didn't even seek out any comments from Besen or Truth Wins Out.  If One News Now had acted like an actual news organization, it would have been informed of the following, which is included in Truth Wins Out's press release on the matter:

Rosebush served as a vice president for Focus On The Family, as a professional member of NARTH, and was the director of the Professional Counselors’ Network for Exodus International. He also co-authored a handbook on “unwanted homosexual attractions” with NARTH’s Joseph Nicolosi and George Rekers, the longtime “ex-gay” activist who was infamously caught taking rent-boys on European vacations. Rosebush has devoted his life to disproven, harmful junk science, and with such credentials, has no place serving in a counseling role in the United States Military.

 . . .  Rosebush’s former employer, Exodus International, closed its doors this year, acknowledging that “reparative therapy” and other efforts to change a person’s sexual orientation do not work and often do damage. Every major professional medical and mental health organization concurs with this assessment. However, NARTH and Focus On The Family have not taken steps to acknowledge this truth, and there is no evidence that Dr. Rosebush has decided to embrace real science and ethical counseling methods. As such, cadets at the Air Force Academy are in danger of being counseled in ways that violate all the accepted tenets of the counseling profession. Though the Air Force Academy claims that Rosebush does not directly counsel cadets, the organizational nature of his job — which seems very similar to his role with Exodus International — puts them at risk just the same.

The fact of the matter is that with  gays and lesbians being allowed to serve openly in the military coupled with the fact that "ex-gay" therapy has no basis in truth or accuracy, Truth Wins Out's concern in this matter is genuine and sincere. In other words, this is not a case of a so-called radical gay group targeting an man because he is supposedly ex-gay. This is a case of a group bringing attention to the fact that a man with a long history of embracing anti-gay junk science now being put in a position where he could potentially place the well-being of some of our service members in jeopardy.




Monday, November 25, 2013

Homophobic, racist haters will hate (because that's all they can do)

I was looking for a video of President Obama awarding Bayard Rustin's partner, Walter Naegle, with Rustin's Medal of Freedom.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find video footage of it. However, check out what I did find. Some bozo who doesn't even deserve to be identified attacking Rustin and the Civil Rights Movement.

So why am I posting it? Simple. Bayard Rustin got his due last week and he will be remembered as one of the greatest men this country has ever known.

This fool on the video won't be remembered even if his name was on the Hollywood sign.

So I take GREAT satisfaction in watching this video. Haters will hate because that's all they can do:

'After repeal of DADT, rough patches still confront gay troops' and other Monday midday news briefs

After Repeal Of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Pockets Of Difficulty For Equality - After the repeal of DADT, we still have rough patches to smooth out.  

Calif. trans law ‘unlikely’ to qualify for referendum - Keep your fingers crossed but it's looking for our transgender children.  

School Board Member: Trans Students Should Be Castrated Before They Can Use Restrooms - Vile, disgusting woman to say this.

Wisconsin Governor Defends Ban On Same-Sex Marriage As ‘Healthy Balance’ Of LGBT Rights - Is Scott Walker for real? Unfortunately yes.  

Alex Newell, Actor Who Plays Transgender Character On 'Glee,' Responds To Bill O'Reilly - Handle yo' business, my friend!

Lgbts should start calling the shots against the anti-gay right

Maybe it's just me but the following debate on Crossfire between S.E. Cupp and Ralph Reed depresses the hell out of me:



Ralph Reed's talking points drives me crazy like nails on a chalkboard and find myself asking why does the issue continue to be danced around?

Ultimately the issue of lgbt equality goes beyond marriage. If lgbts do attain marriage in all 50 states, we will continue to deal with the lies and distortions thrown at us by folks like Reed. My question is why is this never part of the conversation?

Why can't we ask folks like Reed about the myriad of times they have compared gay men to pedophiles or why they have claimed that "homosexuality is an unhealthy lifestyle?"

Why isn't there some type of national conversation regarding the constant times people like Reed have cherry-picked actual science or relied on junk science to give a false view of the lgbt community?

But no. We are constantly fighting this battle on their terms, using their words and phrases even though we know words like "religious liberty" and "religious freedom" are a cynical dodge.

We will never fully attain equality unless we combat the anti-gay right, not on their terms, but the terms they refuse to address.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Know Your LGBT History - The Story of Miss Atlanta Lively

Professional wrestling has had a lot of strange storylines and angles, many of them covered here because of how they exploited or played off of the lgbt community.

However, probably the strangest and most violent had to be the story of Miss Atlanta Lively.

This is the story. The bad guys in this angle was manager Jim Cornette and his team, the Midnight Express (Loverboy Dennis and Beautiful Bobby):


In 1985 in the Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Association, the three kept attacking the Boogie Woogie Man Jimmy Valiant and his girlfriend, Big Mama:


That is until a very mysterious woman, who never spoke a word came, in and knocked out members of the Midnight Express with one punch. Who was she? She was called Miss Atlanta Lively. This led to a trio of Valiant, Big Mama, and Miss Atlanta Lively vs. The Midnight Express in an Atlanta Street Fight at Starrcade 85: The Gathering. Two things you need to know about this match: It was not a comedy match and this was the old days of pro wrestling where they bled extensively. The match in question begins at 1:48:22




Of course you probably realized that although Miss Atlanta Lively didn't break character, she was a man. This man in fact - "Hands of Stone" Ronnie Garvin:



No commentary here. Just an observation. Isn't pro wrestling strange?

Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

'Useless anti-gay group angry over Jingle Bells commercial' and other Friday midday news briefs


One Million Moms Reacts to the 12 Balls of Christmas - And the 2013 edition version of the ridiculous "War on Christmas" has an opening salvo as this useless religious right group complains about the above commercial. I personally fail to see what the problem is. And where was this group when the following commercial ran:

 

Come on. A white guy forced to show the size of his butt to his African-American boss. They could have blamed it on the election of President Obama. Megyn Kelly and Fox News would have. 

And in other news:  

Air Force Academy Defends Employment Of Ex-Gay Therapist - This ought to be an epic defense. At least it had better be.  

Ugandan Minister of Ethics Conjures Up GAYS in Schools to promote Anti-Gay Legislation - Oh God. A witch hunt!  

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin Cuts Off All Spousal Guard Benefits In Stunning Display Of Childish Bigotry - I fail to see how being mean-spirited is a Christian value.

Stephen Colbert takes on, annihilates Russia's anti-gay laws


Comedy can sometimes be the best weapon against homophobia