Headless monsters citings courtesy of Box Turtle Bulletin
It's been a slow day that picked up when I logged onto Box Turtle Bulletin.
Box Turtle Bulletin is a site that creates reports detailing anti-gay industry deceptions. It has been very useful to me in writing my book.
The newest study is yet another excellent report. The Family Research Council (yet another so-called "pro family" group) has filed an amicus brief in a Maryland case involving same sex marriage. One guess as to who said they aren't on.
According to Box Turtle Bulletin, FRC's brief is filled with distortions, including out-of-date citations and convenience sample study manipulations such as:
As the FRC describes heterosexual married couples, they are using research that really is probability sampled and statistically representative of married couples. (Notice, too, that the data that they have presented so far excludes all cohabiting couples.)
Now the FRC is ready to contrast heterosexual marriage to gay male relationships. This is where their arguments get really dicey, as they carefully cherry-pick poorly-constructed and out-dated studies based on convenience samples and other non-representative populations.
First, the FRC turns to a 1984 book by Joseph Harry, Gay Couples to claim that 66% of gay men in relationships had sex with someone other than their partner within the first year, and that 90% had sex outside the relationship if it lasted five years. But Gay Couples is based on a casual survey that was printed in a Chicago gay newspaper, with the response rate being well below 10%. With a response rate so low, it is important to ask why so few chose to participate. No reasonable public opinion pollster would rely in a survey with such a low response rate. Response rates below 50% raise eyebrows; 10% is pathetic.
The FRC also turns to Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen’s After The Ball: How American Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 90s for this juicy quote: “the cheating ratio of ‘married’ gay males, given enough time, approaches 100%.”4 It’s a very pithy statement, but it’s not based on a single shred of evidence — no surveys, no samples, no studies. It’s just the authors’ own opinions offered more for amusement than enlightenment. This is hyperbole, not science.
FRC and other anti-gay industry groups just don't stop. They continue to lie about the gay community. And they are able to do this because hardly anyone calls them on it.
That has got to stop.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Saturday, December 02, 2006
All hell breaks loose
What a weekend I have been having.
On Thursday night, my computer went home to Jesus, causing me to have to get another one. That one, a loaner, died also. I am finally back online after feeling like I have literally been to the other side of the mountain. (It's an old movie reference.)
Meanwhile, some people have lost their damned minds while I was away. Let's take each situation one by one.
Apparently conservative Dennis Prager has an axe to grind about newly appointed Minnesota Congressman, Keith Ellison.
Congressman Ellison pissed Prager off by wanting to use the Koran to be sworn in come January. Ellison is the first Muslim ever to be elected to Congress but Prager feels that he should be forced to use the Bible because it's tradition.
Sorry, Mr. Prager but that's bullshit. (Sorry, my computer calamities has led me not to put up with the excesses of silly behavior with sang froid like I usually do.)
Mr. Prager has laid out his points in a nasty screed, American, Not Keith Ellison decides what book a congressman takes his oath on - link
Prager's comments are rude and very unintelligent. He has been skewered by people from the left and the right, and rightfully so, for such un-American tripe. I am not even going to waste my time rehashing his comments.
Unfortunately this is not the first time Congressman Ellison has had to deal with nasty innuendos because of his religion. On November 14, CNN commentator Glenn Beck had the nerve to ask him:
" . . . I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, "Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies."
And I know you're not. I'm not accusing you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way." - http://mediamatters.org/items/200611150004
I don't know if a lot of Americans do actually feel that way. Putting that in his comments as some sort of excuse for him asking the question is a cop-out. It was a totally uncalled-for question to ask a man who was elected by his peers to Congress and Mr. Beck should have shown some discernment.
Beck only proves that any Tom, Dick, or Doofus can be given his own show. All you have to do is be loud and say outrageous things.
Prager's comments are a bit more sinister because they reveal a mindset that too many people in this country and throughout history have.
Prager and those who agree with him (unfortunately based on the comments page on Town Hall and Free Republic, there are quite a few) seem to think they are entitled to tell others what to believe. Christianity to them is not a way that God connects with us but a caste system. It is this mindset that makes Prager and others believe that even though Congressman Ellison was born in this country, he is somehow not conforming to American culture and tradition.
Congressman Ellison is not on the outside of American culture because he is an American, and therfore his beliefs as an Islamic American counts just as much as those who consider themselves Christians or Jews. Congressman Ellison is America personified and to me, that's pretty damned cool.
And don't give me that crap about 9-11. That awful day is a tragedy that will live with this country forever, but I am so damned tired of people using 9-11 or "the terrorists" as an excuse to show their asses, phobias, and to forget what this country was founded on; liberty and freedom for everyone.
And the first rule of observing liberty and freedom for everyone should be an elimination of the mindset of entitlement. Under the root of racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, and yes homophobia is the idea by a group of people that somehow they are superior or divinely chosen to set the standard that the rest of us must follow.
Mr. Prager, America has already decided which book Congressman Ellison has a right to give his oath of office on. We have decided by the Constitution. You need to get your ass with the program.
And speaking of homophobia, I see that our friend Peter LaBarbera has banded with a group of others like him in some sort of "Legion of Doom" type group, The AIDS Truth Coalition - link
If they actually believed in truth, they would have never formed. Of course it's the same mess they always put out - blah blah blah, evil oversexed homosexuals, blah, blah, blah.
Then what makes it worse, LaBarbera posted this hot mess - link
For the benefit of those who do not wish to read it (but I advise that you do) it is the same nonsense that I have refuted, Joe Brummer has refuted, Jim Burroway has refuted, and every scholar who knows how the anti-gay industry likes to demonize our community has refuted. The piece is filled with out-of-date sources, Paul Cameron references, and made up medical terms, such as "gay bowel syndrome."
Now I cover all of these lies in my upcoming book, so rather than go step by step and demonstrate the lies, I want to do something different but that will still show the point I am trying to make.
A very intelligent man, John Aravois, created a page that compares lies told about Jewish people to lies told about the gay community. It is one of the best pages I have ever seen. It contains comparisons such as:
Jews are Diseased -
Insidious Jews spread disease like rats"In this way, they (the rats) spread disease, plague, leprosy, typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, and so on. They are cunning, cowardly, and cruel, and are found mostly in large packs. Among the animals, they represent the rudiment of an insidious and underground destruction - just like the Jews among human beings."- Nazi propaganda film, "The Eternal Jew," http://www.holocaust-history.org/der-ewige-jude/stills.shtml
Gays are Diseased -
Disgusting gays are diseased"The disgusting details of the homosexual lifestyle explain why so many diseases are present in the homosexual community." - American Family Association, http://www.afa.net, Homosexuality in America: Exposing the Myths.
Gays disproportionately diseased"Homosexuals account for a disproportionate number of America's most serious STD's, including syphilis, gonorrhea, genital warts, and hepatitis A and B." - Family Research Council, http://www.frc.org/insight/is95d1hm.html
Many STDs linked to gays"the many sexually transmitted diseases linked to unnatural homosexual practices" -10-8-98, news release from Americans for the Truth About Homosexuality, quoting Peter LaBarbera, who is the organization's head and also an employee at the Family Research Council, http://www.americansfortruth.com/Ncod2808.html
Gays more diseased than straights"Lesbians and homosexual men are 19 times and 14 times more likely, respectively, to have had syphilis than heterosexual men and women" - NARTH's Joseph Nicolosi, Ph.D. (a top psychologist of the "ex-gay" movement), the footnote reads: "P. Cameron, K. Proctor, and W. Coburn, 'Sexual Orientation and Sexually Transmitted Disease,' Nebraska Medical Journal, Vol. 70 No. 8, August 1985, pp. 292-299." - http://www.frc.org/insight/is93g2hs.html
I invite everyone to look it over - http://www.hatecrime.org/subpages/hitler/hitler.html .
Especially you, Mr. LaBarbera
What a weekend I have been having.
On Thursday night, my computer went home to Jesus, causing me to have to get another one. That one, a loaner, died also. I am finally back online after feeling like I have literally been to the other side of the mountain. (It's an old movie reference.)
Meanwhile, some people have lost their damned minds while I was away. Let's take each situation one by one.
Apparently conservative Dennis Prager has an axe to grind about newly appointed Minnesota Congressman, Keith Ellison.
Congressman Ellison pissed Prager off by wanting to use the Koran to be sworn in come January. Ellison is the first Muslim ever to be elected to Congress but Prager feels that he should be forced to use the Bible because it's tradition.
Sorry, Mr. Prager but that's bullshit. (Sorry, my computer calamities has led me not to put up with the excesses of silly behavior with sang froid like I usually do.)
Mr. Prager has laid out his points in a nasty screed, American, Not Keith Ellison decides what book a congressman takes his oath on - link
Prager's comments are rude and very unintelligent. He has been skewered by people from the left and the right, and rightfully so, for such un-American tripe. I am not even going to waste my time rehashing his comments.
Unfortunately this is not the first time Congressman Ellison has had to deal with nasty innuendos because of his religion. On November 14, CNN commentator Glenn Beck had the nerve to ask him:
" . . . I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, "Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies."
And I know you're not. I'm not accusing you of being an enemy, but that's the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way." - http://mediamatters.org/items/200611150004
I don't know if a lot of Americans do actually feel that way. Putting that in his comments as some sort of excuse for him asking the question is a cop-out. It was a totally uncalled-for question to ask a man who was elected by his peers to Congress and Mr. Beck should have shown some discernment.
Beck only proves that any Tom, Dick, or Doofus can be given his own show. All you have to do is be loud and say outrageous things.
Prager's comments are a bit more sinister because they reveal a mindset that too many people in this country and throughout history have.
Prager and those who agree with him (unfortunately based on the comments page on Town Hall and Free Republic, there are quite a few) seem to think they are entitled to tell others what to believe. Christianity to them is not a way that God connects with us but a caste system. It is this mindset that makes Prager and others believe that even though Congressman Ellison was born in this country, he is somehow not conforming to American culture and tradition.
Congressman Ellison is not on the outside of American culture because he is an American, and therfore his beliefs as an Islamic American counts just as much as those who consider themselves Christians or Jews. Congressman Ellison is America personified and to me, that's pretty damned cool.
And don't give me that crap about 9-11. That awful day is a tragedy that will live with this country forever, but I am so damned tired of people using 9-11 or "the terrorists" as an excuse to show their asses, phobias, and to forget what this country was founded on; liberty and freedom for everyone.
And the first rule of observing liberty and freedom for everyone should be an elimination of the mindset of entitlement. Under the root of racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, and yes homophobia is the idea by a group of people that somehow they are superior or divinely chosen to set the standard that the rest of us must follow.
Mr. Prager, America has already decided which book Congressman Ellison has a right to give his oath of office on. We have decided by the Constitution. You need to get your ass with the program.
And speaking of homophobia, I see that our friend Peter LaBarbera has banded with a group of others like him in some sort of "Legion of Doom" type group, The AIDS Truth Coalition - link
If they actually believed in truth, they would have never formed. Of course it's the same mess they always put out - blah blah blah, evil oversexed homosexuals, blah, blah, blah.
Then what makes it worse, LaBarbera posted this hot mess - link
For the benefit of those who do not wish to read it (but I advise that you do) it is the same nonsense that I have refuted, Joe Brummer has refuted, Jim Burroway has refuted, and every scholar who knows how the anti-gay industry likes to demonize our community has refuted. The piece is filled with out-of-date sources, Paul Cameron references, and made up medical terms, such as "gay bowel syndrome."
Now I cover all of these lies in my upcoming book, so rather than go step by step and demonstrate the lies, I want to do something different but that will still show the point I am trying to make.
A very intelligent man, John Aravois, created a page that compares lies told about Jewish people to lies told about the gay community. It is one of the best pages I have ever seen. It contains comparisons such as:
Jews are Diseased -
Insidious Jews spread disease like rats"In this way, they (the rats) spread disease, plague, leprosy, typhoid fever, cholera, dysentery, and so on. They are cunning, cowardly, and cruel, and are found mostly in large packs. Among the animals, they represent the rudiment of an insidious and underground destruction - just like the Jews among human beings."- Nazi propaganda film, "The Eternal Jew," http://www.holocaust-history.org/der-ewige-jude/stills.shtml
Gays are Diseased -
Disgusting gays are diseased"The disgusting details of the homosexual lifestyle explain why so many diseases are present in the homosexual community." - American Family Association, http://www.afa.net, Homosexuality in America: Exposing the Myths.
Gays disproportionately diseased"Homosexuals account for a disproportionate number of America's most serious STD's, including syphilis, gonorrhea, genital warts, and hepatitis A and B." - Family Research Council, http://www.frc.org/insight/is95d1hm.html
Many STDs linked to gays"the many sexually transmitted diseases linked to unnatural homosexual practices" -10-8-98, news release from Americans for the Truth About Homosexuality, quoting Peter LaBarbera, who is the organization's head and also an employee at the Family Research Council, http://www.americansfortruth.com/Ncod2808.html
Gays more diseased than straights"Lesbians and homosexual men are 19 times and 14 times more likely, respectively, to have had syphilis than heterosexual men and women" - NARTH's Joseph Nicolosi, Ph.D. (a top psychologist of the "ex-gay" movement), the footnote reads: "P. Cameron, K. Proctor, and W. Coburn, 'Sexual Orientation and Sexually Transmitted Disease,' Nebraska Medical Journal, Vol. 70 No. 8, August 1985, pp. 292-299." - http://www.frc.org/insight/is93g2hs.html
I invite everyone to look it over - http://www.hatecrime.org/subpages/hitler/hitler.html .
Especially you, Mr. LaBarbera
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
The return of an old adversary
Ever since I started my blog, this person has been missing. It was unfortunate too because I was hoping to focus at least one post about him.
But he is back now and I am kinda happy.
Robert Knight of the group Concerned Women for America is probably the most ostentatious member of the anti-gay industry. He lacks Peter LaBarbera's verbal immaturity, Lou Sheldon's visual meanness and Fred Phelps' basic lunacy.
In other words, he is incredibly genial. But he is probably the most vitriolic spokesperson in the anti-gay industry. With a pleasant smile on his face, Knight has said some of the most ugly things about the gay community, like the following:
"If you look at the footage from Operation Rescue, um, vigils outside abortion clinics, you will see that the anti Operation Rescue demonstrators invariably have a pink triangle on and they are usually pretty big heavy set women who look like they’ve been over working October Fest for the last six years . . ." - Reclaiming America For Christ Conference, "Homosexuality" panel, February 28, 1999
Where has Mr. Knight been for the past months? I don't know, but apparently he is attempting to make up for lost time by speaking out on two issues affecting the gay community and pulling no punches in his zeal to malign us:
Knight believes homosexual activists and their supporters realize that the homosexual lifestyle is so empty and devoid of meaning that the best they can do is to continue shocking people. - (http://www.wdcmedia.com/newsArticle.php?ID=2327)
You've got the NHL, which is the epitome of masculinity, being used to try to validate first the homosexual relationship and then extending it to transgenderism," Knight asserts. However, the culture and media analyst suggests, this is typical of the tactics used in liberal activism. - (http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/292006f.asp)
I really shouldn't be so hard on Bobby, because I actually had the pleasure of meeting him in 2004 when he came to the University of South Carolina to take part in a debate. I say pleasure because I was able to question him directly on some of his claims about the gay community.
Our encounter is covered in the first chapter of my upcoming book and serves as a template as to how the anti-gay industry knowingly exploits the beliefs of people of faith.
I will reveal one thing about Mr. Knight though.
When I asked about the usage of Paul Cameron's junk studies, his exact words to me were "yes we have used his research, so what?"
I then listed several of Cameron's deceptions and bad research tactics. Knight refused to talk me further, telling me that I need to stop asking him questions because (exact words again) I was "obsessed with Paul Cameron."
So Robert Knight knowingly uses bad studies to malign the gay community, but I am unhealthily obsessed because I want him to own up to it.
Oh yeah! Welcome back Mr. Knight.
Ever since I started my blog, this person has been missing. It was unfortunate too because I was hoping to focus at least one post about him.
But he is back now and I am kinda happy.
Robert Knight of the group Concerned Women for America is probably the most ostentatious member of the anti-gay industry. He lacks Peter LaBarbera's verbal immaturity, Lou Sheldon's visual meanness and Fred Phelps' basic lunacy.
In other words, he is incredibly genial. But he is probably the most vitriolic spokesperson in the anti-gay industry. With a pleasant smile on his face, Knight has said some of the most ugly things about the gay community, like the following:
"If you look at the footage from Operation Rescue, um, vigils outside abortion clinics, you will see that the anti Operation Rescue demonstrators invariably have a pink triangle on and they are usually pretty big heavy set women who look like they’ve been over working October Fest for the last six years . . ." - Reclaiming America For Christ Conference, "Homosexuality" panel, February 28, 1999
Where has Mr. Knight been for the past months? I don't know, but apparently he is attempting to make up for lost time by speaking out on two issues affecting the gay community and pulling no punches in his zeal to malign us:
Knight believes homosexual activists and their supporters realize that the homosexual lifestyle is so empty and devoid of meaning that the best they can do is to continue shocking people. - (http://www.wdcmedia.com/newsArticle.php?ID=2327)
You've got the NHL, which is the epitome of masculinity, being used to try to validate first the homosexual relationship and then extending it to transgenderism," Knight asserts. However, the culture and media analyst suggests, this is typical of the tactics used in liberal activism. - (http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/292006f.asp)
I really shouldn't be so hard on Bobby, because I actually had the pleasure of meeting him in 2004 when he came to the University of South Carolina to take part in a debate. I say pleasure because I was able to question him directly on some of his claims about the gay community.
Our encounter is covered in the first chapter of my upcoming book and serves as a template as to how the anti-gay industry knowingly exploits the beliefs of people of faith.
I will reveal one thing about Mr. Knight though.
When I asked about the usage of Paul Cameron's junk studies, his exact words to me were "yes we have used his research, so what?"
I then listed several of Cameron's deceptions and bad research tactics. Knight refused to talk me further, telling me that I need to stop asking him questions because (exact words again) I was "obsessed with Paul Cameron."
So Robert Knight knowingly uses bad studies to malign the gay community, but I am unhealthily obsessed because I want him to own up to it.
Oh yeah! Welcome back Mr. Knight.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
My guilty pleasure
I can't begin to tell you how tiring this process of completing my book is. The thing that makes it bad a lot of the times is having to go on sites like Concerned Women for America or Americans for Truth and read all of the lies put out about us.
But I have learned to embrace something that makes things easier.
As a child of the South, one of my guilty pleasures is pro wrestling. Yeah I know it's fake but the love of that sport entertainment has been instilled in me since I was a little boy.
I have a huge collection of wrestling tapes from the older days, when the men were ugly and the women didn't know what silicon meant, and I watch them constantly. I make it a point to watch them specifically when I have to go trolling on one of those anti-gay sites.
And no, I don't have dreams of body slamming Peter LaBarbera or dropkicking Lou Sheldon; although I did meet Robert Knight (Concerned Women for America) once and seeing that I was taller than him, a Little Rascal short subject in which Spanky wished for a bully to be his height so that he could jump him came to mind.
But I digress.
I grew up watching pro wrestling and not only that, I can remember family outings in which we all went downtown and rooted for our favorite wrestlers and shouted at the ones we hated.
I liked those times best of all and maybe that's why I can work better on my book whenI have a wrestling tape in the VCR. It reminds me of the things I am fighting for; the true belief that being a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender does not mean you have to surrender your dreams of comfort, love, or decency.
That realizing your orientation has no bearing on your ability to have a family. And finally you do not have to reduce your basic human needs to that of carnal desires.
The anti-gay industry tells us that we are devoid of love other than that of a physical sense.
That's a lie. And not buying into that lie will be the thing that will ultimately save us.
I can't begin to tell you how tiring this process of completing my book is. The thing that makes it bad a lot of the times is having to go on sites like Concerned Women for America or Americans for Truth and read all of the lies put out about us.
But I have learned to embrace something that makes things easier.
As a child of the South, one of my guilty pleasures is pro wrestling. Yeah I know it's fake but the love of that sport entertainment has been instilled in me since I was a little boy.
I have a huge collection of wrestling tapes from the older days, when the men were ugly and the women didn't know what silicon meant, and I watch them constantly. I make it a point to watch them specifically when I have to go trolling on one of those anti-gay sites.
And no, I don't have dreams of body slamming Peter LaBarbera or dropkicking Lou Sheldon; although I did meet Robert Knight (Concerned Women for America) once and seeing that I was taller than him, a Little Rascal short subject in which Spanky wished for a bully to be his height so that he could jump him came to mind.
But I digress.
I grew up watching pro wrestling and not only that, I can remember family outings in which we all went downtown and rooted for our favorite wrestlers and shouted at the ones we hated.
I liked those times best of all and maybe that's why I can work better on my book whenI have a wrestling tape in the VCR. It reminds me of the things I am fighting for; the true belief that being a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender does not mean you have to surrender your dreams of comfort, love, or decency.
That realizing your orientation has no bearing on your ability to have a family. And finally you do not have to reduce your basic human needs to that of carnal desires.
The anti-gay industry tells us that we are devoid of love other than that of a physical sense.
That's a lie. And not buying into that lie will be the thing that will ultimately save us.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Sex education and other things . . .
Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas season is here. I am happy to report that Operation Save America's boycott of Wal-Mart was a big bust. From what I understand, they only boycotted in a few places and many were not responsive to their message.
They didn't even bother to boycott at any Wal-Mart in South Carolina, which I am kinda upset about. This state seems to always miss the fun.
Now the Christmas season is here, which means it is time for the phony "War on Christmas," brought to you by the anti-gay industry in yet another attempt to spin a conspiracy theory that "nameless, Godless hordes" are attempting to take the "Christ" out of Christmas.
For a good perspective on what utter nonsense this is, I turn to my friend Joe Brummer - (http://joebrummer.com/WordPress/)
Now in Maryland, there is a situation that has been taking place for a long time regarding objections to sex education. The Washington Blade gives a good cover to this story - (http://www.washblade.com/2006/11-24/news/localnews/curriculum.cfm)
But to make a long story short, it is basically the same problem when it comes to sex education and homosexuality. Anti-gay industry groups do everything they can to see that homosexual orientation is either not covered in sex education classes or covered in a way that they see fit, which generally is:
homosexuality is a "dangerous lifestyle" that should be avoided because gay men have lots of anal sex and it causes them to get diseases, take drugs, and engage in all sorts of evil behavior.
In this particular case, anti-gay industry members have helped some form a group called Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum.
CRC is yet another group attempting to force their negative view of the gay community on others. A good look at their resource page tells the entire story - (http://www.mcpscurriculum.com/resources_related_links.shtml)
The grubby hands of our friend Peter LaBarbera and other assorted so-called "pro family" groups are there. Some of their links are filled with errors. For example:
A. 15 Good Reasons to Oppose ‘Sexual Orientation’ (Homosexuality) Codes in Schools.
This piece, linked from the CRC webpage is from our friend Peter LaBarbera. Even the title is a distortion. No school operates a "sexual orientation" code. I am not even certain that this phrase even exists. From the onset, it is plainly seen that LaBarbera is engaging in propaganda and fear tactics. This is further demonstrated when one reads the piece.
His first point is a distortion:
"Homosexual behavior is wrong (and illegal in some states) . . ."
The first problem with this is that LaBarbera has not established what exactly is "homosexual behavior." Secondly, he is incorrect about the legality of it. Clearly LaBarbera is leading the reader to think that "homosexual behavior" is a description involving solely sexual behavior. His piece was written in 2002 (before Lawrence vs. Texas) made sodomy laws illegal. But even if somehow Lawrence vs. Texas had ruled the other way, his assertion of homosexual behavior being illegal is incorrect. Most of the sodomy laws had to do with sexual acts, heterosexual or homosexual, and not whom the acts were being committed with.
LaBabera continues his distortions with point two:
"Homosexual actions are unhealthy - especially for males. Like smoking, alcohol, and drug abuse, they should be discouraged. Dangerous behavior that shortens a person’s life should never be promoted to impressionable students."
Again, LaBarbera does not give a description of what exactly are "homosexual actions," leading the reader to think that "homosexual actions" can only be defined by sexual behavior by two people of the same gender. Also, his second point regarding "homosexual actions" shortening a person’s lifespan is an out and out distortion. No legitimate researcher has ever said that homosexuality shortens someone’s lifespan. The Centers for Disease Control has gone on record saying that they have never conducted studies saying that homosexuality "shortens" someone’s lifespan. - The Washington Blade, June 17, 2005
The only two sources LaBarbera and his groups can cite comes from a distorted Oxford study (http://ije.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/30/6/1499) and a discredited researcher by the name of Paul Cameron (remember him). Among other things, Cameron had his membership in the American Psychological Association taken away because he was found guilty of distorting the work of other researchers.
The rest of LaBarbera’s piece is just pure propaganda. He throws out incredibly bizarre hypothetical situations but does not quantify them with proof as to whether or not they will ever take place.
This is the caliber of "responsible curriculum" that CRC wants to force on Maryland.
Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas season is here. I am happy to report that Operation Save America's boycott of Wal-Mart was a big bust. From what I understand, they only boycotted in a few places and many were not responsive to their message.
They didn't even bother to boycott at any Wal-Mart in South Carolina, which I am kinda upset about. This state seems to always miss the fun.
Now the Christmas season is here, which means it is time for the phony "War on Christmas," brought to you by the anti-gay industry in yet another attempt to spin a conspiracy theory that "nameless, Godless hordes" are attempting to take the "Christ" out of Christmas.
For a good perspective on what utter nonsense this is, I turn to my friend Joe Brummer - (http://joebrummer.com/WordPress/)
Now in Maryland, there is a situation that has been taking place for a long time regarding objections to sex education. The Washington Blade gives a good cover to this story - (http://www.washblade.com/2006/11-24/news/localnews/curriculum.cfm)
But to make a long story short, it is basically the same problem when it comes to sex education and homosexuality. Anti-gay industry groups do everything they can to see that homosexual orientation is either not covered in sex education classes or covered in a way that they see fit, which generally is:
homosexuality is a "dangerous lifestyle" that should be avoided because gay men have lots of anal sex and it causes them to get diseases, take drugs, and engage in all sorts of evil behavior.
In this particular case, anti-gay industry members have helped some form a group called Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum.
CRC is yet another group attempting to force their negative view of the gay community on others. A good look at their resource page tells the entire story - (http://www.mcpscurriculum.com/resources_related_links.shtml)
The grubby hands of our friend Peter LaBarbera and other assorted so-called "pro family" groups are there. Some of their links are filled with errors. For example:
A. 15 Good Reasons to Oppose ‘Sexual Orientation’ (Homosexuality) Codes in Schools.
This piece, linked from the CRC webpage is from our friend Peter LaBarbera. Even the title is a distortion. No school operates a "sexual orientation" code. I am not even certain that this phrase even exists. From the onset, it is plainly seen that LaBarbera is engaging in propaganda and fear tactics. This is further demonstrated when one reads the piece.
His first point is a distortion:
"Homosexual behavior is wrong (and illegal in some states) . . ."
The first problem with this is that LaBarbera has not established what exactly is "homosexual behavior." Secondly, he is incorrect about the legality of it. Clearly LaBarbera is leading the reader to think that "homosexual behavior" is a description involving solely sexual behavior. His piece was written in 2002 (before Lawrence vs. Texas) made sodomy laws illegal. But even if somehow Lawrence vs. Texas had ruled the other way, his assertion of homosexual behavior being illegal is incorrect. Most of the sodomy laws had to do with sexual acts, heterosexual or homosexual, and not whom the acts were being committed with.
LaBabera continues his distortions with point two:
"Homosexual actions are unhealthy - especially for males. Like smoking, alcohol, and drug abuse, they should be discouraged. Dangerous behavior that shortens a person’s life should never be promoted to impressionable students."
Again, LaBarbera does not give a description of what exactly are "homosexual actions," leading the reader to think that "homosexual actions" can only be defined by sexual behavior by two people of the same gender. Also, his second point regarding "homosexual actions" shortening a person’s lifespan is an out and out distortion. No legitimate researcher has ever said that homosexuality shortens someone’s lifespan. The Centers for Disease Control has gone on record saying that they have never conducted studies saying that homosexuality "shortens" someone’s lifespan. - The Washington Blade, June 17, 2005
The only two sources LaBarbera and his groups can cite comes from a distorted Oxford study (http://ije.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/full/30/6/1499) and a discredited researcher by the name of Paul Cameron (remember him). Among other things, Cameron had his membership in the American Psychological Association taken away because he was found guilty of distorting the work of other researchers.
The rest of LaBarbera’s piece is just pure propaganda. He throws out incredibly bizarre hypothetical situations but does not quantify them with proof as to whether or not they will ever take place.
This is the caliber of "responsible curriculum" that CRC wants to force on Maryland.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Boycott dropped?
The word of the day is that the American Family Association has dropped their boycott of Wal-Mart. Apparently Wal-Mart has made some sort of promise to the AFA.
However, it is obvious that Wal-mart's promise to AFA to "avoid unrestricted donations that might be used for causes Wal-Mart did not endorse" is just a ridiculous conglomeration of words that really doesn't change the store's position. (http://www.localnewswatch.com/benton/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=28303)
That lovingly radical group, Operation Save America is obviously still not happy. (http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/384701564.html)
Take a tip, Operation Save America. Obviously AFA realized that it was biting off more than it could chew and is trying to exit this situation gracefully.
It's not working but still, it's nice to watch.
God and Us
I wish all of my readers all of the joy and happiness this Thanksgiving season.
I also want to give you all food for thought.
One of the most dangerous lies that is spread by the anti-gay industry is the idea that God disapproves of our community.
Supposedly we are an abomination and a stench in His nostrils.
What nonsense.
It took me years to reach my point of clarity regarding my God and my sexual orientation. I know the Biblical verses by heart that supposedly condemns homosexuality and I know what has been said publicly.
I, like so many of us, have gone through the wringer wondering whether or not God hates me. I have wondered many times that if God hates homosexuals, then why did he make me one.
It all stopped one day when I did something I should have done from the start.
I simply asked him.
Part of the problem with religion, particularly Christianity in the United States, is that it is conducted like a typing class.
In typing class, the location of the alphabet keys are drilled into your head until you could reach them without looking at them.
Like typing class, Christianity is done the same way.
We follow a set of rituals until they are drilled in our head. We are told not to question what we are being taught. But how can you have answers to questions without asking?
I think we lose perspective when it comes to who we are supposed to ask. The pastor of your church don’t have the answers. God does.
It is He who we should ask.
I think that when we let others, be it the pastor of a church, a family member, or a televangelist, tell us what God thinks, we are just setting ourselves up for a fall.
My homosexuality taught me to have a closer relationship with God. Dealing with my sexual orientation forced me to close out all other voices who was telling me what God felt about me because only He could give me the correct answer.
And he told me that I am His creation and delightful in His sight.
So when someone throws the Good Book at you, do what I did.
Consult the original author.
The word of the day is that the American Family Association has dropped their boycott of Wal-Mart. Apparently Wal-Mart has made some sort of promise to the AFA.
However, it is obvious that Wal-mart's promise to AFA to "avoid unrestricted donations that might be used for causes Wal-Mart did not endorse" is just a ridiculous conglomeration of words that really doesn't change the store's position. (http://www.localnewswatch.com/benton/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=28303)
That lovingly radical group, Operation Save America is obviously still not happy. (http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/384701564.html)
Take a tip, Operation Save America. Obviously AFA realized that it was biting off more than it could chew and is trying to exit this situation gracefully.
It's not working but still, it's nice to watch.
God and Us
I wish all of my readers all of the joy and happiness this Thanksgiving season.
I also want to give you all food for thought.
One of the most dangerous lies that is spread by the anti-gay industry is the idea that God disapproves of our community.
Supposedly we are an abomination and a stench in His nostrils.
What nonsense.
It took me years to reach my point of clarity regarding my God and my sexual orientation. I know the Biblical verses by heart that supposedly condemns homosexuality and I know what has been said publicly.
I, like so many of us, have gone through the wringer wondering whether or not God hates me. I have wondered many times that if God hates homosexuals, then why did he make me one.
It all stopped one day when I did something I should have done from the start.
I simply asked him.
Part of the problem with religion, particularly Christianity in the United States, is that it is conducted like a typing class.
In typing class, the location of the alphabet keys are drilled into your head until you could reach them without looking at them.
Like typing class, Christianity is done the same way.
We follow a set of rituals until they are drilled in our head. We are told not to question what we are being taught. But how can you have answers to questions without asking?
I think we lose perspective when it comes to who we are supposed to ask. The pastor of your church don’t have the answers. God does.
It is He who we should ask.
I think that when we let others, be it the pastor of a church, a family member, or a televangelist, tell us what God thinks, we are just setting ourselves up for a fall.
My homosexuality taught me to have a closer relationship with God. Dealing with my sexual orientation forced me to close out all other voices who was telling me what God felt about me because only He could give me the correct answer.
And he told me that I am His creation and delightful in His sight.
So when someone throws the Good Book at you, do what I did.
Consult the original author.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Gay Penguins and evolution
It's been a madhouse around here as I work to complete my book. Apparently I am going to have to copy edit myself as the nearest copy editor will charge me up to $200, which wouldn't be a problem except that I have no budget.
Also, this is Thanksgiving week, so all minds are geared to traveling and such. However, I did notice something interesting about a recent incident.
In Illinois, some parents aren't happy about a library book that centers on two male penguins taking care of an egg and the offspring that comes from it. To make them even more angry, school officials are reluctant to remove the book from the shelves. (http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?navpath=/channels/families&date=2006/11/20/2)
Apparently the book is talking about a natural occurence in the animal kingdom and the parents are all geared up to think its "dirty gay sex." Bear in mind, the penguins aren't having sex or anything like that; they are just taking care of an abandoned egg.
What is so interesting about this are the comments I have read regarding the article. I went on Huffington Post and read a few of them. Of course there are some whining about "homosexual indoctrination" and the like.
But the comments that impressed me were from gays who are raising children and felt that there is nothing wrong with book or their families. I liked the way they stood up for themselves with dignity and resolve.
It got me thinking because I remember a time when gays raising families was not talked about or even considered. I remember a time when realizing that you were gay meant whatever dreams you had of raising a family would eliminated from your life's goals.
And you know what? I am pretty damned proud of my people. We are evolving. Many of us are no longer falling for the lie that if you are gay, your life is over or that you are doomed to a selfish hedonistic existence.
Many of us are not falling for the illusion that if you are gay, then you are disqualified from the normal basic functions of humanity; those being civility, love, dignity, and a desire to make a positive impact on the world
Of course we have a long way to go and people like Lou Sheldon and Peter LaBarbera won't make it easy for us, but we are strong and resilient.
And most of all, we have God on our side.
So I guess I am saying that in this Thanksgiving season, I am not only proud of being gay, but I am also proud of my lgbt brothers and sisters.
And I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.
It's been a madhouse around here as I work to complete my book. Apparently I am going to have to copy edit myself as the nearest copy editor will charge me up to $200, which wouldn't be a problem except that I have no budget.
Also, this is Thanksgiving week, so all minds are geared to traveling and such. However, I did notice something interesting about a recent incident.
In Illinois, some parents aren't happy about a library book that centers on two male penguins taking care of an egg and the offspring that comes from it. To make them even more angry, school officials are reluctant to remove the book from the shelves. (http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?navpath=/channels/families&date=2006/11/20/2)
Apparently the book is talking about a natural occurence in the animal kingdom and the parents are all geared up to think its "dirty gay sex." Bear in mind, the penguins aren't having sex or anything like that; they are just taking care of an abandoned egg.
What is so interesting about this are the comments I have read regarding the article. I went on Huffington Post and read a few of them. Of course there are some whining about "homosexual indoctrination" and the like.
But the comments that impressed me were from gays who are raising children and felt that there is nothing wrong with book or their families. I liked the way they stood up for themselves with dignity and resolve.
It got me thinking because I remember a time when gays raising families was not talked about or even considered. I remember a time when realizing that you were gay meant whatever dreams you had of raising a family would eliminated from your life's goals.
And you know what? I am pretty damned proud of my people. We are evolving. Many of us are no longer falling for the lie that if you are gay, your life is over or that you are doomed to a selfish hedonistic existence.
Many of us are not falling for the illusion that if you are gay, then you are disqualified from the normal basic functions of humanity; those being civility, love, dignity, and a desire to make a positive impact on the world
Of course we have a long way to go and people like Lou Sheldon and Peter LaBarbera won't make it easy for us, but we are strong and resilient.
And most of all, we have God on our side.
So I guess I am saying that in this Thanksgiving season, I am not only proud of being gay, but I am also proud of my lgbt brothers and sisters.
And I can't wait to see what the future holds for us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)