Human Rights Campaign: Anti-gay group is exporting homophobia to foreign countries

The Human Rights Campaign has come out with an explosive report on the World Congress of Families, an anti-gay group which seems to be operating by exporting homophobia under all of our noses:

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, today released a new report that exposes one of the most influential groups in America promoting and coordinating the exportation of anti-LGBT bigotry, ideology, and legislation abroad: The World Congress of Families.

Labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and active in several nations across five continents, the Rockford, IL-based World Congress of Families (WCF) has organized large international “pro-family” conventions that bring together the most fringe activists engaged in anti-LGBT extremism since 1997.  In July, WCF announced that its next annual international convention will take place in Salt Lake City, making it the first ever hosted on American soil.

“The World Congress of Families coordinates a dangerous group of activists spreading anti-LGBT rhetoric and promoting laws and policies that criminalize LGBT people and the speech of those who support them,” said Ty Cobb, HRC Foundation’s Director of Global Engagement.  “They praise Vladimir Putin as the standard-bearer for traditional ‘family values’ and honored a Nigerian activist who claims LGBT advocates conspire with the terrorist group Boko Haram with a “Woman of the Year” award.  Their advocacy abroad harms LGBT people from Russia to Nigeria and beyond.  Hate is not an American value, and we must expose and work to stop the World Congress of Families and their extremist allies.”

HRC Foundation’s report documents: WCF’s origins and founding members; a timeline of its major international events; affiliations with prominent American officials, political groups, and religious organizations; engagement and lobbying with leaders and lawmakers abroad; and the primary regions in which the group has been most active.

Uganda, Russia, and Nigeria have enacted horrific anti-LGBT laws within the past year, and LGBT people in those countries have suffered vicious and violent backlashes in their wake. This includes harassment, discrimination, prosecution, public beatings, and murder. WCF and its affiliates are connected to anti-LGBT advocacy in each of the three countries, among many others.

WCF affiliate Scott Lively traveled repeatedly to Uganda claiming that LGBT people are responsible for the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide and the spread of HIV/AIDS.  Some Ugandan officials credit Lively with the idea of introducing new legislation to further criminalize homosexuality in the country, and prominent Ugandan LGBT activists say the "bill is essentially his creation."  WCF also forcefully advocated for the draconian anti-LGBT Russian law, met with the law’s author in the Russian Duma, and released a public letter in support of the measure. WCF has also repeatedly hosted events in Nigeria with “pro-family” activists from Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa.

'An amendment to put gays in jail . . .' & other Monday midday news briefs

From Jeremy Hooper comes this above "gem" - Video: Preacher Michael Wilson calls for amendment to imprison gay people. Anti-gay preachers are like reality tv shows. They are large in number and each is more crappier than the last.  

Joseph Farah: Being Against Same-Sex Marriage Is A Sexual Orientation - When I began this blog in 2006, my biggest concern was how anti-gay spokespeople and groups was pushing cherry-picked science and junk studies in order to demonize the lgbt community. Now my biggest concern is that these folks are just plumb crazy.

 Mike Huckabee Pleads With Australia To Stop Canceling Anti-Gay Hate Group Conference Venues - My heart bleeds for him AND them (HUGE sarcasm alert). 

 Gay firefighter seeks equal benefits - And she deserves them. 

Lodge agrees to pay for gay couple's wedding after initially refusing to host it - The sweet smell of justice in a Monday afternoon . . .

Family Research Council continues pushing flawed, outdated anti-gay study

FRC president Tony Perkins

Editor's note - I've written about following Family Research Council study, Comparing the Lifestyles of Homosexual Couples to Married Couples, several times. However the fact that the organization continues to push it as "trending" on its webpage gives me another opportunity to show how FRC distorts and cherry-picks information in order to demonize the lgbt community. So much for "Christian" values.

On the Family Research Council's webpage, this study, Comparing the Lifestyles of Homosexual Couples to Married Couples,  is supposedly "trending."  That's not necessarily a good thing because it is flawed on so many levels. The headline should give you an indication of one flaw, i.e. the comparison of  homosexual couples to married heterosexual couples.The study ignores the simple fact that lgbts can now marry in several states. 

 

Another flaw is that the study is highly out-of-date. Its author, Timothy Dailey, hasn't been employed by FRC for a number of years now. As a matter of fact, I pointed out several flaws in Comparing the Lifestyles of Homosexual Couples to Married Couples as far back as 2009.

Allow me to do a recap. Amongst the errors, Comparing the Lifestyles of Homosexual Couples to Married Couples contains:

 

- A citation of the book Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity Among Men and Women by Alan Bell and Martin Weinberg as a correct generalization of lgbt sexual habits despite the fact that it was published in 1978 and was not meant by the authors to be a correct assessment of the lgbt community in general.  A passage from Homosexualities clearly says:

“. . . given the variety of circumstances which discourage homosexuals from participating in research studies, it is unlikely that any investigator will ever be in a position to say that this or that is true of a given percentage of all homosexuals.”

- A citation of the book The Male Couple: How Relationships Develop by David P. McWhirter and Andrew M. Mattison despite the fact that the book was written 1984 and was not meant to be a correct assessment of the lgbt community in general.  A passage from The Male Couple says:

“We always have been very careful to explain that the very nature of our research sample, its size (156 couples), its narrow geographic location, and the natural selectiveness of the participants prevents the findings from being applicable and generalizable to the entire gay
male community.”

'Gay Christians making religious right crazy' & other Friday midday news briefs

Liberty Counsel: Acceptance Of Gay Christians May Be A Sign Of The End Times - For Pete's sake, a Christian singing star comes out of the closet and some folks lose their cookies. 

A Year Later, "Nothing" Has Changed Since Transgender Woman Islan Nettles Was Killed - Lest we forget . . .

 Emails Reveal School Canceled Musical For ‘Homosexual Themes,’ Then Lied About It - In case you need to keep score - homosexuality = ultra big MEGA sin. Lying - eh as long as its about them homosexuals.  

These Little Boys Are Quashing Gender Stereotypes Without Even Trying - Excellent piece!

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean Comes Out for Marriage Equality - Good for him!

Two awesome videos spell out argument for marriage equality

I was looking on youtube last night and found these two old, but stunning videos supporting marriage equality. In the future, we need to take a cue from them:

 

Bryan Fischer hates gay sex but loves talking about it . . .

For someone who claims to not like homosexual sex, why does Bryan Fischer keep talking about it. I'm just saying . ..

'APP shows real victims of anti-lgbt discrimination' & other Thursday midday news briefs

LGBT Customers Sound Off On Their Experiences With Anti-Gay Discrimination At Restaurants, Businesses - With the religious right attempting to make those who discriminate against lgbts look like victims, this new app lets America see just WHO is really hurt by anti-lgbt discrimination.

AFA's daily prayer equates homosexuality with incest, bestiality, pedophilia - One would think that those who call themselves Christians would pray for peace and love. God don't want to know your kinks, AFA.  

Evangelical Hatemonger Scott Lively Qualifies For November Ballot As Independent: VIDEO - Lord, hammercy! Don't let me down, Massachusetts!  

Randy Thomasson Claims LGBT-Inclusive Schools Make Students 'Enemies of God' - Oh brother! Not another "children aren't learning the real risks of homosexual behavior" lie. Sorry Mr. Thomasson but children will not be taught such things like gays stuff gerbils up our patooties.  

Department Of Labor Extends Employment Protections To Transgender Workers - GOOD!