Oh stop it, Paul! Just stop it!

I am all Obamaed out.

And luckily for me, an old "friend" has come to my rescue.

Paul Cameron has come out with yet another "new" study:

Teacher-Pupil Sex Across the World: How Much Is Homosexual?

Paul Cameron, Ph.D.

Family Research Institute

PO Box 62640, Colorado Springs, CO 80962

Abstract: In news stories in English across the world for 1980-2006, 902 teachers engaged in sex with 3,457 pupils. Teachers engaging in same-sex sex constituted 63% of perpetrators in Ireland, 62% in New Zealand, 60% in Canada, 54% in Scotland, 48% in Australia, 47% in England, and 35% in the U.S.; in smaller samples, homosexuals accounted for 71% of perpetrators in mainland Europe, 26% in Africa, and 13% in Asia.

Proportionately more same-sex sexual activity with pupils occurred in the West as compared to Asiaand Africa.Most (54% of 810 male, 83% of 92 female) teachers violated only opposite sex pupils; 43% of perpetrators engaged in homosexuality; and 55% of victims were boys. Findings for each country or set of countries were consistent with U.S. studies based on superintendent report, principal report, self-report, and convictions indicating that a male homosexual is the most and a female heterosexual the least apt to have sex with pupils.

This nothing more than Cameron's usual "gays are diseased freaks" spiel that he has been doing since the early 1980s. I have documented Cameron's lies on many occasions on this site and my book that it tires me out to do it this time.

Thank you again Barack Obama.

But you gotta give Cameron points for persistence. He apparently loves to bang his head against that brick wall.

No matter how you try, Paulie, you will never get your credibility back.

And for those who will claim that I am attacking Cameron without showing how his study is wrong, I encourage you to check out past posts here or on www.boxturtlebulletin.com

There goes that ugly juxtaposition again. Thanks a lot Senator Obama

In an attempt to quell the controversy over putting on a concert with anti-gay gospel singer Donnie McClurkin, Barack Obama has recruited Columbia Pastor Andy Sidden to take part.

Sidden is openly gay and the pastor of Garden of Grace United Church of Christ.

He is also white.

I know folks are getting uncomfortable because I made that observation. Well don't waste good uncomfortability because I am about to put you more ill at ease.

Inviting Pastor Sidden is a huge faux pas. Why couldn't Obama's people have found an openly gay black pastor?

Yes, I know. I sound racist. But I don't care. I am just one of many people who have voiced this concern. In fact, there has been a lot of justifiable anger over it. However, I don't think folks have correctly articulated the reason for the distress.

Allow me to break it down.

When Obama first included McClurkin in his campaign, he made himself look like a hypocrite. Here is a man who onced addressed homophobia in the black church now inviting a purveyor of it to raise money for him via a series of black gospel concerts.

And when he is criticized for this decision, he seeks to soothe wounded feelings by inviting an openly gay white pastor to take part.

So on one side of Obama is Donnie McClurkin, who represents the black church. On the other side is Pastor Sidden, who represents the lgbt community.

That is the wrong symbol to put forth.

Inviting an openly gay black pastor would have been an excellent way to demonstrate the commonalities between the lgbt and African-American struggles for self-determination.

Obama's clumsy invitation to Pastor Sidden only perpetuates the myth that being black and being gay are two separate identities that don't overlap.

Furthermore, it means that folks like myself (lgbts of color) are once again shown how invisible we are.

No. More than that.

We have been given the hook, pushed to the side, had the trapdoor to the alligator pit released under our feet.

LGBTs of color haven't been just pushed to the back of the bus in this controversy. We have been kicked off of the bus and told to find our own way home.

Perhaps Obama's people couldn't find an openly gay black pastor in time for the event? I don't know. I guess I will give them a little slack.

But I won't give slack to the Human Rights Campaign. In their statements regarding this issue, I don't think the group even once addressed the fact that lgbts of color exist. And whether anyone wants to admit it or not, we are the ones who will suffer the most from this controversy.

We already know that the mainstream African-American community doesn't give a damn about us. Now we see that the mainstream lgbt leadership may feel the same.

Apparently we don't exist except when it is convenient to fit someone's agenda.

But back to Pastor Sidden. Of all the parties involved, he is the least guilty (by that I mean he has done nothing wrong.)

I implore the blogging community as well as the lgbts angry over this situation not to sharpen their knives on him or his reputation.

I know Pastor Sidden. He is a good guy who probably jumped into the middle of this situation because he wants people to know that God loves them no matter what orienation they are.

The ironic thing is this entire controversy could have been avoided if Donnie McClurkin had practiced that same principle.

Things I have learned from the Barack Obama/Donnie McClurkin controversy

How is this for a wild juxtaposition:

Rod McCullom (thank you Pam Spaulding) is noticing that the African-American media have been conveniently silent about the Obama/McClurkin controversy:

The black non-response is to be expected, given the hisoric black church's uneasy relationship with the many black gays who pack the church choirs on Sunday mornings. "I long for the day when blacks gays and lesbians stop supporting their music," Darian Aaron writes in his post on the McClurkin backlash. Aaron is a young black gay activist, blogger, and contributor to Clik, and also grew up in the Pentecosal Church. "And find the courage to walk out of the churches that turn a house of prayer into a house of pain." It's a good that chuches such as Kendal Brown's Church of the Open Door and Kevin E. Taylor's Unity Fellowship Church have welcomed black gay men and lesbians.

At the same time, a gay man posting on a blog site (which shall remain nameless) took it upon himself to call black people in general "un-intellectual" as well as "uneducated, unrestrained homophobes."

Dealing with homophobic black people and racist gay people is standard occupation when you have an identity in both communities.

But we should learn from the Obama/McClurkin mess. I know I have:

4. Senator Obama's people are either very stupid (or very shrewd).

3. "I was misquoted" is becoming a more popular excuse than "we were just following orders."

2. I love my black ministers but some of them have a habit of saying stupid shit (this point is further illustrated by the comment of Pastor Gregory Daniels featured in the template under my profile).

1. Donnie McClurkin is a stone cold liar.

This just in: Donnie McClurkin evades the issue

Donnie McClurkin has finally gone on record regarding the controversy with presidential candidate Barack Obama's concert this weekend in South Carolina. Obama has come under fire for inviting McClurkin, who has claimed that he is an "ex-gay."

McClurkin addresses the situation in the Chicago Tribune. But, at least in my mind, Mr. McClurkin's statements raises more questions. I think he is evading the issue:

"I don't believe that even from a religious point of view that Jesus ever discriminated toward anyone, nor do I," McClurkin said in an exclusive interview with the Tribune. "Most of the things that were said were totally out of context and then other things weren't true."

. . . For years, McClurkin has talked from the pulpit about how he was raped by a male family member as a child. It was that act, he has said, that sent him into living as a gay man for the better part of 20 years. He now says he is straight and that his ministry is open to those who say they no longer want to live as a gay person. What he doesn't do, he says, is crusade against homosexuality.

McClurkin conveniently did not mention his statements on the 700 Club that accused gays of harming children. As far as I know, he has never repudiated the following comment:

"The gloves are off and if there's going to be a war, there's going to be a war. But it will be a war with a purpose? I'm not in the mood to play with those who are trying to kill our children."

Mr. McClurkin, as they say in the street, you need to recognize.

Your evasions are foul and they put your credibility in serious jeopardy.

Does Donnie McClurkin still believe gays are trying to hurt children?

It was just a matter of time before the other side of the "cultural war" starts lying to defend Donnie McClurkin.

The following comes from a PFOX press release:

"Ex-gays have the same right to participate in the political process as other Americans and should not have to endure this type of abuse because they chose to leave homosexuality," said Regina Griggs, PFOX executive director. "Gay rights groups demand hate crimes laws and sexual orientation non-discrimination legislation, but would deny the same protection to ex-gays who want full inclusion in society at the same level that gays currently enjoy."

"This irrational behavior towards those who have overcome unwanted same-sex attractions perpetuates misunderstanding and harm against ex-gays. It also demonstrates a disregard for diversity and a refusal to respect a basic human right to dignity and self-determination," said Griggs.

I am sure that Peter and Americans for Truth (in name only) won’t be far behind saying the same thing.

To me, the situation is not what Donnie McClurkin chooses to refer to himself as. I don’t care what he calls himself whether it be "ex-gay" "super 'ex-gay'," or "super duper 'ex-gay.'"

My post yesterday was a way to tell folks to know the intricasies of the entire situation. The fact of the matter is that this controversy could still turn into a divide and conquer against lgbts and the mainstream African-American community.

Maybe one way to prevent this is to be clear on why we are angry at Senator Obama for his embracing of McClurkin.

McClurkin used his personal story to demonize the lgbt community as a whole. During an appearance on the 700 Club in 2003, he accused the lgbt community of wanting to harm children:

From GayWired:

McClurkin has accused gays of “trying to kill our children” and has called homosexuality “a curse”. The gospel singer who says he is a "reformed homosexual" in a 700 Club interview said he was ready to declare war on homosexuality.

From Wayne Besen:

McClurkin, currently a senor pastor at Perfecting Faith in Freeport, N.Y., was particularly outspoken against New York's funding of Harvey Milk, a gay high school in New York, suggesting that the school will lead to molestation of children.

"The gloves are off," he said on the Sept. 23, 2003 episode of Rev. Pat Robertson's 700 Club. "And if there's going to be a war, there's going to be a war. But it will be a war with a purpose. This is not a privately funded school. It is a public school funded by taxpayers' money. Why isn't anyone else speaking out? Everyone knows that everyone at the high school is homosexual. That makes for an easy target."

World Net Daily:

HRC condemns Mr. McClurkin . . . for the sin of publicly laying out the threat that the homosexual agenda poses to families and children

. . . But what really sticks in homosexual activists' craw is Donnie McClurkin, who, they say, on "The 700 Club" "has accused gay Americans of trying to kill our children." Mr. McClurkin, an accomplished gospel singer and author, overcame homosexuality himself.

Was McClurkin misquoted? Did he say those comments but later repudiated them?

I don't know, but one thing is for sure.

He certainly isn't a victim in this matter.

And he needs to clarify his beliefs on gays and children.

Mess and stuff for Monday

Let's get the small stuff out of the way first.

My book has been available on amazon.com for a few weeks now and it is looking good. If you do not want to order Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters via xlibris then by all means go to amazon.com

Secondly, how do you all like the new look of my blog? I needed a change in something and since I don't have a man and can't get my hair done (black men generally have two choices with hair - to cut or not to cut), I figured why not give my blog a change.

Now onto the important stuff - and the fact that Dumbledore is gay does not rank up there as "important stuff:

We need to support ENDA

Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202.224.3121 to be connected to your representative based on your zip code. Here is a suggested message:

Hello, my name is _____ and I live in your district. I am calling to ask the representative to support the Baldwin amendment to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. The Baldwin amendment adds gender identity protections back into ENDA and it is critically important to me that all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are protected by this legislation. This amendment is the only way to fix this bill, and I only support passage of H.R. 3685 if the amendment passes

Donnie McClurkin was wrong, but let’s think before acting

Apparently presidential candidate Barack Obama may be stepping into a big pile of manure due the selection of Donnie McClurkin as a performer at one of his campaign events.

The Grammy-award winner has in the past claimed to be "delivered from homosexuality." Following this tone, he has written a biography and made appearances on programs such as the "700 Club."

So naturally many of us aren't happy that Obama seems to be having dealings with him, so to speak.

But let's use some savvy about the situation before we read the riot act.

I think when McClurkin began speaking out against us, he was yet another Christian who let his ego overtake his humbleness.

I also think that Mr. McClurkin may have regretted some of his wannabe "righteous indignation." He realized that he did not know what the hell he was talking about.

This isnt' the first time this sort of thing has happened. I remember two gospel singers by the names of Angie and Debbie Winans writing a song, "It's Not Natural," in which they protested Ellen DeGeneres's coming out and homosexuality in general.

The controversy led to appearances on radio shows, talk shows, appearing in newspapers ads speaking out for the "ex-gay movement," and finally speaking in front of state Congressional committees against pro-gay ordinances.

The end of the controversy saw the Winans sisters declaring publicly that they were "used" by people they were trying to help.

In short, Angie and Debbie's religious beliefs coupled with their egos led them to make giant homophobic asses of themselves.

So this is nothing new regarding Donnie McClurkin. And maybe he was paying attention to the Winans controversy. He has tried to temper the outrage over his claims about the gay community:

"What I say in the book is simply this: If you're gay, and you're happy, if you don't think you need to change, stay just how you are. But there are some people who are in the gay and bisexual lifestyle that are broken . . ." - Donnie McClurkin puts the focus back on traditional gospel - in secular music, The Associated Press, 2005

But like I said before, let’s use some savvy before rushing to jump at Donnie McClurkin. I don't say this because I feel sorry for him or agree with his statements. When you talk about issues you don't understand and end up saying stupid shit, you deserve almost all of what you get.

However, picture the scenario of what this situation can lead to:

Donnie McClurkin appears on African-American oriented radio talk shows talking about the situation. And who is there to give our side of the issue?

Probably no one because the African-American community as a whole generally don't recognize the existence of lgbts of color.

Remember, the African-American community has no out lgbt leaders gracing the covers of Ebony, Jet, or Essence. The African-American media does not necessarily take it upon itself to present issues indigenious to the lgbt of color experience.

And for the most part, neither does the mainstream lgbt community.

So McClurkin can easily portray himself as a victim and the lgbt community as religious oppressors in these avenues.

And this could lead to another possible distraction to divide the mainstream lgbt and the heterosexual African-American community.

If the scenario sounds familiar, it should.

It was one (with deviations) that led to Bush being re-elected in 2004.

Granted, if this situation was to come to pass like I have just fortold, it won’t be on the same scale as marriage equality.

But divide and conquer tactics have a habit of being destructive on any scale.

The fact of the matter is that McClurkin has extreme popularity in the African-American community. And the lack of lgbts of color to give our side of the issue only makes the entire community look not only anti-religious but racist.

It also underscores how much the lgbt leadership (i.e. HRC, Lambda Legal, GLAAD, etc.) needs to make a serious effort to recruit and train potential lgbt of color spokespeople with enough autonomy to appeal to the heterosexual African-American community.

This is not to give McClurkin any leniency. He may have been speaking of his own experience, but there is no excuse for him to demonize the lgbt community as a whole.

I don’t care how many songs he sings, or how many Bible he reads, McClurkin should have taken it upon himself to learn more about the issues before running his mouth. He should have remembered the verse that says "my people perish for the lack of knowledge."

Busy Thursday - Time for an amusing story

I wrote something this morning that I wanted to post but I decided not to.

At least not the entire thing. Just one item:

I really wish that Ellen DeGeneres kept that dog controversy to herself. I mean it may be sad to her but it's not something that needs a public forum. And you know that with the lack of visibility in our community, if a gay celebrity even accidentally passes gas on air, some of us will be talking about it for an unbearably long time.

So with the fight over ENDA (it passed committee but the transgender community is somewhat left out), hate crimes legislation (we just know the dipstick-in-chief will veto it), and all the other things that inhibit lgbts from full lives, I really don't give a shit about Ellen or the dog.

No offense, but I really don't.

But how about a humorous story regarding me and amazon.com

My book is now available on amazon.com but there was one problem.

The book's description on the site said it was for ages 9-12.

This is not true of course. And corrections have been made. However, you know how things get talked about online and how a story travels all over the web before the truth is discovered.

The last thing I want is to read Peter LaBarbera's or the Traditional Values Coalition's webpage claim that I am trying to "indoctrinate"(I think that's the word they like to use) children "into homosexuality."

So let me say now that my book is not for children ages 9-12. Now if any teenagers happen to want to read it then by all means please do.

Uh oh.

Oh well, I do need that toaster oven national headquarters gives us for meeting the quota of "new recruits."