Sorry Family Research Council, but the American people want DADT overturned

I got an odious email from the Family Research Council whining about the possible (and I use the term "possible" very loosely) overturn of DADT. Particularly annoying is this part:

The President and Congress need to hear the voice of Americans on this issue. Our military is for national defense, and is no place to advance a liberal political agenda. The time to act is now, as the House and Senate are voting this week. Please join me today in signing the petition to help keep our troops from being used to advance a liberal political agenda.

Well how is this article via CNN regarding the voice of Americans:

Most Americans say people who are openly gay should be allowed to serve in the U.S. military, according to a new national poll.

A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday indicates that 78 percent of the public supports allowing openly gay people to serve in the military, with one in five opposed.

"Support is widespread, even among Republicans. Nearly six in ten Republicans favor allowing openly gay individuals to serve in the military," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "There is a gender gap, with 85 percent of women and 71 percent of men favoring the change, but support remains high among both groups."

The poll's release comes just hours after Congressional Democrats reached an agreement Monday with the White House and possibly the Pentagon on a key legislative step toward repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bars openly gay soldiers from the military.

In a letter to President Barack Obama obtained by CNN, three congressional sponsors of legislation to repeal the policy outlined the proposed agreement that would set contingencies based on completion of a military review of the matter already under way and subsequent final approval from the president and military leaders.

Specifically, the proposed agreement calls for repeal to become final only after completion of the military review expected by the end of 2010, followed by a review certification from Obama, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen.

The Pentagon released a statement Tuesday saying that "Secretary Gates continues to believe that ideally the DOD review should be completed before there is any legislation to repeal the Don't Ask Don't Tell law. With Congress having indicated that is not possible, the Secretary can accept the language in the proposed amendment."

The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll was conducted May 21-23, with 1,023 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

If FRC had any integrity and dignity, the group would hush up and recognize that it's on the wrong side of history here.

Of course who am I kidding? FRC has been on the wrong side of history since its inception.

Why should it change direction midstream?

Related post:

Family Research Council refuses to acknowledge lgbt servicemen and women

Anti-gay marriage group HAS to show its financial records and other Tuesday midday news briefs

White House Seeks To Speed Up 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal - We will see. I'm not breaking out any champagne as of yet.

Judge rules in Maine gay marriage case - Anti-gay marriage group NOM has to open its books and reveal its finances. This ought to be interesting.

Ex-Gay Promotes African Fundie Re-Education Camps, Prison, and Government Surveillance of Bedrooms - Holy $!@*! Scott Lively strikes again.

Louisiana Panel Rejects Gay Adoption Ban Repeal Effort - Minor setback. Keep pushing, brothers and sisters!

High school: We did not stage a 'sham prom' for Constance McMillen

While we are encumbered by other issues, let's not forget past situations which, while seemingly fading from the public eye, still deserves our undivided attention.

Such as the situation regarding Constance McMillen and her fight for lgbt respect:

A rural Mississippi school district that was sued by a lesbian student who wanted to bring a same-sex date to the high school prom is denying accusations it routed her to a "sham prom" at a country club while most of her schoolmates partied elsewhere.


The Itawamba County School District addressed the claims made by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Constance McMillen in papers filed Friday with the U.S. District Court in Aberdeen.


It's been nearly two months since McMillen attended a prom at the Fulton Country Club that drew fewer than 10 other students from Itawamba Agricultural High School. Most of her classmates attended a separate event at the nearby Evergreen Community Center, to which McMillen was not invited, and later posted pictures from the dance on Internet sites.


At the time, McMillen had already sued the district over its policy banning same-sex prom dates and for canceling an April 2 school-sponsored prom after the teenager pressed to bring her girlfriend to the event and wear a tuxedo.


U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson ruled in March that the district had violated McMillen's rights, but he didn't force the district to reinstate the prom. District officials had told the judge that McMillen was free to attend a parent-sponsored prom.


School District Superintendent Teresa McNeece and Attorney Michele Floyd have said little publicly about the issue despite numerous calls seeking comment.


The ACLU alleged that McNeece and Floyd attended a meeting March 29 with parent organizers, where the decision was made to hold separate proms. In court documents, the school district said McNeece and Floyd did attend a meeting, but officials "deny that the parents decided instead to hold two proms, one for the plaintiff and one for her classmates."

This situtation is far from over.

Related posts:

Reasons why the 'sanctity' of proms MUST be preserved from Constance McMillen

Constance McMillen's classmates learn the costs of gloating

McMillen: I Was Sent to Fake Prom 

Ugandan anti-gay bill documentary has Scott Lively playing defense

Wednesday night, Current TV’s Vanguard series will be talking about the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill in a documentary that, if it's as powerful as its trailer, needs to be seen, sent to members of Congress, all of the media, lgbt included, and remembered for posterity.

The press release is as follows:

CURRENT TV’S VANGUARD PREMIERES “MISSIONARIES OF HATE” WEDNESDAY, MAY 26 AT 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

Episode Chronicles Increasing Strength of Anti-Gay Movement in Uganda, and the American Influence on Uganda’s Laws and Attitudes

New Bill Would Increase Penalties Against Homosexuality, Make Homosexuality Punishable by Imprisonment or Death

LOS ANGELES – May 21, 2010 — The fourth season of Current TV’s Vanguard continues with “Missionaries of Hate,” premiering Wednesday, May 26 at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to Uganda to delve into reasons behind the increasing strength of anti-gay sentiment spreading throughout the country, which prompted the creation of a proposed law that would severely increase penalties against homosexuality, making the practice punishable by imprisonment or death.

“Missionaries of Hate” explores the impact American Evangelicals have had on the movement, and features exclusive video of American Evangelical Lou Engle’s visit to Uganda on May 2 to support the major backers of the proposed legislation. Mariana van Zeller also interviews Pastor Martin Ssempa, one of the most famous religious leaders in Uganda and an anti-gay crusader, whose preaching methods include showing gay pornography in church. She also talks to Ugandan citizens (both gay and straight) about their feelings on homosexuality, the new proposed law, and the effect it will have on their lives.

It hasn't even aired yet and there is already speculation that it has Scott Lively, one of the people who led Uganda to consider this awful bill, trying to push up a defense. The following is from his webpage:

Friends,

I’m looking for a good Christian media source to interview me on film on the Uganda issue for posting online. I intend to get off defense and counter-attack the false witnesses with hard facts about Uganda and the dishonest way the media has addressed the story. Please forward this to any pro-family journalists you know and ask them to contact me at sdllaw@gmail.com.

Personally  I want to see who takes up his request.

Based upon his past actions, I'm  curious to see who fits his definition of the word "pro-family."


Big hat tips to Truth Wins Out and Professor Warren Throckmorton.

Related posts:

UK Times: Anti-gay laws in Africa are because of anti-gay Americans

Scott Lively demonstrates how to throw gasoline on an anti-gay brush fire

Scott Lively advocated 'criminalizing homosexuality' as far back as 2007

More proof that Scott Lively knew exactly what he was doing in Uganda

Scott Lively practiced 'pink-baiting' in Uganda

'I would kill a gay son'

Martin Ssempa claims to be misunderstood
 
'Kill the gays' bill supporter reduced to showing gay porn in church

Martin Ssempa talks about 'poop' to demonize lgbts

World Net Daily writer evokes Martin Luther King, Jr. in support of Ugandan 'kill the gays' bill

Rachel Maddow annihiliates 'ex-gay' Richard Cohen over Uganda bill

Sex scandal hits South Carolina governor's race and other Monday midday news briefs

 A vote is coming up on DADT. Here is what you can do (hat tip to Jeremy Hooper):

Step 1) Call the DC offices of each of your state's two Senators. http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

  

Step 2) Call the DC office of your district's federal Representative.
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.shtml

 

Step 3) Post a comment on this page letting [folks] know how it went:
Give 'Em Hell - Congressional Call Swarm for DADT

And in other news . . .


Source: Folks Admitted to Haley Affair a Year Ago - Nikki Haley WAS in the lead for the Republican nomination in the South Carolina gubernatorial race after that Sarah Palin endorsement. Amazing, this is the SAME state which won't allow gay marriage. Watch they blame this one on Obama.

Fine, social conservatives: Then we expect you to forfeit all religious protections by end of day - Homophobia makes people so stupid that they tend to cut their own throats.


The Family and Uganda's Anti-Gay Legislation - Another piece about how American homophobia is hurting lgbts in Uganda. And the most important part about it? How a seemingly innocent act by a U.S. legislator (and member of the right-wing group the Family) probably added to the conditions which led Uganda to consider passing that hateful bill. I haven't seen manipulation that skillful since Noah Cross in Chinatown.

UK Times: Anti-gay laws in Africa are because of anti-gay Americans

A recent article by the UK Times underlines and emphasizes a point already made about the recent bunch of homophobic laws in Africa. They are because of American religious right figures:

After a 16-month investigation, during which he interviewed scores of witnesses in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria, Mr(Kapya)Kaoma (an Anglican priest from Zambia who is project director of Political Research Associates — a Massachusetts-based progressive think-tank) concluded that Africa’s anti-gay crackdowns are, at least in part, “made in the USA”.

“Through their extensive communications networks in Africa, social welfare projects, Bible schools and educational materials, US religious conservatives warn of the dangers of homosexuals, and present themselves as the true representatives of US evangelicalism,” he wrote in Globalising the Culture Wars: US Conservatives, African Churches and Homophobia, a damning report on the issue.

He told The Times: “We are not dismissing the fact that some of the money they send for Africa is going to good use. What we are concerned about is that the people who receive it are being trained in a conservative ideology. It will be like, ‘If I give you this, you must dance to my tune’.”

The results are becoming clear. In Malawi, where this week an openly gay couple were sentenced to 14 years in prison with hard labour, and across the continent, gays and lesbians face lives of increasing dread. It is hard to underplay the depth of anti-gay sentiment expressed in Africa. “Everyone is looking over their shoulders,” said Mwangi, a gay man from Nairobi, who did not want his family name published. “People don’t even want to come to this bar now because they know it has a reputation as a meeting place for gays. Before, no one gave a damn. Everyone came here, prostitutes, straights, the lot,” he said.

The article goes on with comments from anti-gays Scott Lively and Richard Cohen, who, in one form or another, ducks and dodges their homophobic influence in African nations.

The reason for me posting this piece is this: too often when points are made about the negative effects of homophobia, these points are left alone when they should be repeated continuously or drilled into everyone's consciousness if you will.

The fact of the matter is that self-righteous American homophobes are responsible for a lot of pain and hatred in African countries

And that's something we must never forget and make sure that no one else forgets either.

Also, something else has been nagging at me regarding this entire situation for a while now.

Just where in the hell has the African-American community been throughout all of this. I can't help but to compare this situation to when apartheid was prevalent in South Africa and there seemed to have been constant attention about it in the black community, especially the black media.

Unfortunately in this situation regarding African-on-African hatred fueled by white outsiders, there seems to be an omission of information. .

I think that's a real shame.

Baptist minister: 'We need hunt-a-homo week'

Yesterday, I talked about the hilarity of homophobia.

Today, I'm taking a different tone.

The following is not an easy video to listen to, but it's necessary not only to the lgbt community, but for those who claim that we are being too pushy, that we are trying to "redefine" American values, that we hate Christianity, etc.

The video is an audio sermon by Shenandoah Baptist Church Pastor Jeff Owens. According to Dan Savage:

Jeff Owens "is a man of great expression, compassion, and wisdom," who currently leads the Shenandoah Bible Baptist Church, "one of America's most exciting churches," a church located in a part of West Virginia that serves as a suburb of Washington D.C. Pastor Owens is "a soulwinner, fervent preacher, and takes an uncompromising stand against sin; but the hallmark quality of Dr. Owens is his genuine love and concern for people." In this sermon Pastor Owens lovingly and compassionately calls on his flock to terrorize and murder gays and lesbians:

Shenandoah Baptist Church's Pastor Jeff Owens: BURN AND SHOOT FAGS! from Joe Jervis on Vimeo.


Among the highlights of this "lovely sermon" is the following:

"We need to stop burning flags and start burning fags. We need hunt-a-homo week. We need to take 'em all out and shoot 'em with a scatter shotgun"

Now a video of Owens's sermon was featured on youtube. Naturally it was taken down after its message became public. But let's thank Joe Jervis of Joe.My.God for saving the sermon and making sure that no one forgets what Owens said.

There are no words which I can say that would properly convey my absolute disgust. But I think Savage says it best:

Now for all you moderate Christians offended by this sort of thing—by Owens' sermon, by my posting about it—if you want to tell anyone that Owens doesn't speak for all Christians, go tell Owens. I'm sick of hearing it,

In other words, don't get angry at the lgbt community for merely reacting when some fool advocates our destruction in the name of Christianity.

Seems to me that any anti-Christian comments made by the lgbt community isn't a proof that the community wants to destroy the religion. It simply shows that we have worries that some who claim to practice Christianity want to destroy us.

UPDATE - Owens sent out a message apologizing for the sermon. He claims that he preached the sermon 15 years ago and that he no longer feels that way about those in the "gay lifestyle."

While it is all well and good that Owens no longer believes in violence against the lgbt community, I still have a problem with his condescending tone.

Also, why in the world was this 15-year-old sermon saved to be placed on youtube anyway?