National Organization for Marriage continuing to spread false claim about gay marriage and children

It is obvious that in its zeal to stop gay marriage in Maryland, the National Organization for Marriage is going full throttle for the jugular even at the expense of truth.

According to The Washington Blade:

The National Organization for Marriage has launched a series of attack mailers in Maryland, as a House committee gears up for a key vote on a measure to legalize same-sex marriage.

Several mailers target Sen. Jim Brochin, a Baltimore County Democrat and member of the Judicial Proceedings Committee, which approved the bill last month. Brochin initially supported civil unions instead of marriage equality. But he said he changed his position and supported the bill, in part, because of the harsh and intolerant-sounding testimony against the measure by some of its opponents at a public hearing in Annapolis on Feb. 8. NOM’s Maggie Gallagher testified at that hearing.

 One of the mailers is as follows:

One of the claim on the mailer reads:

Massachusetts public schools teach kid as young as kindergartners about gay marriage. Parents have no legal right to object!

However according to the Pulitzer Prize-winning news site PolitiFact, this claim is misleading.

During an investigation of the claim earlier this year, PolitiFact talked to:

• Christopher C. Plante, executive director of the Rhode Island Chapter of NOM,
• Kris Mineau, executive director of the Massachusetts Family Institute,
• Jonathan Considine of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education,
• the Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum,
• the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and
• Thomas Gosnell, president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts.

PolitiFact's conclusion about NOM's claim of kindergartners being taught gay marriage in Massachusetts is as follows:

Bottom line: The National Organization for Marriage mailing says that Massachusetts public schools teach kindergartners about gay marriage. The wording, including the present tense verb, gives the impression this is happening now, in many schools.

But the group’s only evidence is two incidents five years ago. It’s possible that somewhere, in one of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, other kindergartners have been taught about same-sex marriage. But NOM couldn’t cite any other examples. We find its statement False.

Clearly the NOM is following the same game plan it played in California and Maine, i.e. spooking people by claiming that  "the gays are coming for their children."

If the organization's efforts bear success, expect NOM leaders Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown to step on the mantle of self-righteousness and falsely claim that they are helping people "stand up for marriage,  when in reality they are getting them to cower in fear at the thought of fictional gay boogeymen.

Related post:

Yes Maggie Gallagher, you are bigoted and NOM is homophobic. Here's why.

Media Matters catalogs Mike Huckabee's history of homophobia

Whatever our grievances are with President Obama, one person who the lgbt community does not need in the White House is Mike Huckabee.

I've written on his subtle yet nasty homophobia on several occasions. And now, Media Matters has catalogued Huckabee's sly way of interjecting his homophobic point of view into the conversation.

One thing the report makes clear - if Huckabee gets anywhere near the White House, the lgbt community had better learn how to moonwalk because that's how fast he will set back our struggle for equality. Some tidbits of the report include:

Politico reports that when running for U.S. Senate in 1992, Fox News host Mike Huckabee called homosexuality "aberrant, unnatural and sinful." Huckabee does not appear to have changed his anti-gay rhetoric since becoming a Fox News host, comparing homosexuality to drug use and incest, claiming that same-sex marriage is a threat to a "stable society," and promoting virulently anti-gay guests.

Huckabee Made Virulent Anti-Gay Comments As A Public Official

As A Public Official, Huckabee Called Homosexuality An "Aberration" And Condemned The Government For Supporting It Along With Pedophilia, Sadomasochism, And Necrophilia. In a 2007 appearance on Meet the Press, Tim Russert asked Huckabee about his assertion in a 1998 book claiming "it is now difficult to keep track of the vast array of publicly endorsed and institutionally supported aberrations - from homosexuality and pedophilia to sadomasochism and necrophilia." Huckabee responded that "all of these are deviations from what has been considered the traditional concept of sexual behavior." Russert also asked Huckabee about his assertion in 1992 that "I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural and sinful lifestyle." Huckabee responded that "all of us are sinners." [Towelroad.com, 1/2/08]

In 1992, Huckabee Came Out Against Additional Funding For AIDS Research And Called For U.S. Government To "Isolate" AIDS Patients. From a December 9, 2007 Politico article:

Huckabee wrote on [an Associated Press] questionnaire that AIDS research was receiving an unfair amount of federal money. Instead, he said celebrities should pay for the research.
"In light of the extraordinary funds already being given for AIDS research, it does not seem that additional federal spending can be justified," Huckabee wrote, according to the AP.
"An alternative would be to request that multimillionaire celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna and others who are pushing for more AIDS funding be encouraged to give out of their own personal treasuries increased amounts for AIDS research."
[...]
Huckabee also wrote that he wanted to quarantine AIDS patients, according to the AP:
"If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague.... It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents." [Politico, 12/8/07]

 . . .

Huckabee Hosts Virulently Anti-Gay Guests In Segments On LGBT Issues 

Matthew Staver 

Huckabee Hosts Matthew Staver From Liberty Counsel. In his January 24, 2009, segment attacking Obama for including LGBT issues in the civil rights section in his website, Huckabee hosted Matthew Staver from Liberty Counsel and Liberty University.

Staver's Group Suggests Schools Should Encourage Students To View Homosexuality As "Temporary Sexual Confusion." From an April 7, 2010 post on Staver's website titled "Pediatrician Sets the Facts Straight about Sexual Orientation and Gender Confusion":

The letter reminds school superintendents that it is not uncommon for adolescents to experience transient confusion about their sexual orientation and that most students will ultimately adopt a heterosexual orientation if not otherwise encouraged. For this reason, schools should avoid developing policies that encourage nonheterosexual attractions among students who may merely be experimenting or experiencing temporary sexual confusion. Such premature labeling can lead some adolescents to engage in homosexual behaviors that carry serious physical and mental health risks.

There is no scientific evidence that anyone is born homosexual. Therefore, the College further advises that schools should not teach or imply to students that homosexual attraction is innate, always life-long, and unchangeable. To the contrary, research has shown that therapy to restore heterosexual attraction can be effective for many people.

It is not the school's role to diagnose or attempt to treat any student's medical condition, and certainly not the school's role to "affirm" a student's perceived personal sexual orientation. The "Facts About Youth" website counters the propaganda published by the pro-homosexual pamphlet called "Just the Facts," which is riddled with inaccuracies.

Mathew D. Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law, commented: "Public schools can harm students by suggesting that same-sex attractions are natural and unchangeable. Research shows that youth who experience sexual confusion often do so only for a temporary period. To suggest to a student that temporary sexual confusion means the person is homosexual can be damaging and harmful. The information provided by the 'Facts About Youth' website is invaluable for anyone who works with children." [Liberty Counsel, 4/7/10]

Staver Attacked Janet Napolitano For Appointing Gay Judges. In 2009, Staver's group announced an "Adopt A Liberal" program that "encourages people to pray for those in leadership to restore poor leaders to right thinking." One of the people targeted by Staver was Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. One of his major criticisms of Napolitano was that "Twenty percent of the state judicial appointments Napolitano made as governor were of homosexuals, reflecting her pro-homosexual agenda." [Liberty Counsel, 10/5/09, 10/5/09]

Staver Suggested Washington Mutual Collapse Was Related To The Company's Support For Gay Rights. In a September 29, 2008 post attacking Google for putting out a statement against California's Proposition 8, Staver's group stated "Of course, Google is not the only search engine available to consumers. Washington Mutual became an active supporter of the homosexual agenda. But today, it is no more. Corporate America has learned the hard way that anti-family policies are bankrupt in more ways than one." [Liberty Counsel, 9/29/08]

Janet Porter 

Huckabee Hosted Janet Porter To Criticize Anti-Proposition 8 Activists. Huckabee hosted Janet Folger (now known by her married name, Janet Porter) on the November, 15, 2008, episode of Fox News' Huckabee.

Porter Suggested "Homosexual Activists," Abortion-Rights Activists And The ACLU Are "Enemies Of God." From a WorldNet Daily column by Janet Porter:

To those who still believe that we should stay out of the cultural war, I have a question: How is that working out for you?

We now have two generations who are lost in the lies of humanism, evolution and homosexuality, facilitated into fornication and abortion, trapped in pornography and devastated by divorce. Congratulations.

If you're still having a hard time discerning what to do, here's a helpful hint: if you find yourself on the same side as the ACLU, homosexual activists, the baby killers and the enemies of God, chances are, you're on the wrong side .

Put the rocks down. Come out of the closet and bring your manger scene with you. Spend more time reading the Bible (and the news) than all those rock-throwing slander sites. Because all the people that they're targeting? They're the ones fighting to keep the Internet, the airwaves and the public square free. And if they're successful, they're also the ones who will keep the padlock off your closet door. [WorldNetDaily, 6/8/10]

The entire report is here. Read only if you have a strong stomach and a high tolerance to quick anger.

The lgbt community has to stop shooting itself in the foot and other Wednesday midday news briefs

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Military Funeral Protesters - I never really followed this case because I could see the conclusion a mile away.

When protesting for my rights, please try not to be incredibly stupid and counterproductive - How the lgbt community tends to do counterproductive things Exhibit A. This is burning up the comment line on Box Turtle Bulletin. And please don't start with me about Stonewall and the Civil Rights Movement. My problem isn't the public protest in this case but more with the lazy belief that "gaining attention" by itself is a suitable tactic when we are up against groups who do a lot of strategizing and work behind the scenes. Everyone seems to want to figuratively show our asses in public but VERY FEW wants to do the hard work, the meeting with legislatures, the formulating of talking points, the smack down of religious right talking points and the educating in our community (which is sorely needed) in terms of why our issues are important. Oh wait. Let's wait for Lady Gaga to do it, then we will follow along.

Tempers flare over anti-gay bullying at Anoka-Hennepin school board meeting - Not bragging (oh yes I am) but some of my information was used during this meeting.

Bill that bans bullying of gay students stalls in Kentucky House - Ugh.

Someone call homophobe Robert Knight a waaaaaambulance

Okay, I admit it. One of the side benefits of the Obama Administration's decision not to defend DOMA in the courts is how it has sent the religious right into orbit.

One person in particular who doesn't seem to be happy is one of the original crafters of DOMA, Robert Knight. When he helped to craft DOMA,  Knight allied himself with the so-called major religious right groups like the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America.

But now, as a senior fellow of the American Civil Rights Union (what exactly is that anyway), Knight isn't too happy with the Obama Administration's decision.

I mean we're talking practically apoplectic:

Allow me to take off the gloves. As one who helped draft the first version of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), I regard Obama's order on Feb. 23 to Attorney General Eric Holder to abandon DOMA's legal defense as lawless, reckless, arrogant and a violation of his oath of office. I think it is an impeachable offense.

I'm just warming up.

Obama, like Hillary Clinton and countless other prominent Democrats -- and some useful idiot Republicans -- have been pretending to support marriage while doing everything in their power to undermine it.

First of all, I am so sure that the Obama Administration is shaking in its boots that Knight "took off the gloves" to get nasty.

Knight's piece gets funnier:

If you doubt what they intend, check out Brian Camenker's shocking exposé, "What same-sex 'marriage' has done to Massachusetts." Mr. Camenker, who heads the group MassResistance, is warning the nation that there will be no quarter for those who think homosexuality is wrong and that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. Putting Catholic Charities out of the adoption business was just the beginning, followed quickly by brainwashing children in government schools and denying people jobs

Way to Knight. Cite a known anti-gay hate group - Mass Resistance - and include some nonsense about brainwashing. The subtlety of  the brainwashing statement is hilarious, seeing that Knight has, on more than one occasion, accused the lgbt community of "going after children." And not necessarily to "brainwash" them if you catch my drift.

Obama's decision on DOMA not alienating the black community

There is a religious right meme going around that the Obama Administration's decision not to defend DOMA in the courts has alienated him from the African-American community.

Well the Washington Post did something "amazing" and "absolutely astounding" to see if this theory as accurate.

It actually talked to African-Americans and created a story from what it found.

And the results are just as many black folks knew - it doesn't make that much of difference:

Some say the decision is dismaying, though not damning. Others may be rethinking their views, given the influence Obama has in the African American community. And there are those who don't seem to care much at all.

"I don't think that this is a deal breaker in terms of whether we are going to support the president . . . but it doesn't help," said Cheryl Sanders, pastor of a small church in Washington, D.C.t, who described herself as fairly conservative theologically.

She is among the 68 per cent of churchgoing African Americans who oppose same-sex marriage and among the 90 per cent who support Obama.

As a question on its own, churchgoing African Americans are against same-sex marriage. But when the issue is wrapped up into a larger political context, it becomes just one of many and generally not the deciding one, said the Rev. Al Sharpton, an Obama ally.

"I remember in 2003 when I said I was for gay marriage. I got a lot outrage from my fellow ministers," Sharpton said. "I've been on my radio show and on conference calls with other pastors, and I haven't heard any outrage on this position."

The only person in the article who voiced an outright rejection of Obama was Anthony Evans of the the National Black Church Initiative,. I never even heard of this group.

But I especially liked this part:

Sharon Lettman-Hicks, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, which advocates for gay rights, praised Obama's decision, saying it makes clear "there is not just one moral authority in the black community."

Rev. Joseph Lowery, the civil rights leader who prayed at Obama's inauguration, has long supported civil unions and predicted black churchgoers will continue to support Obama even if he backs same-sex unions.

"The president has overwhelming support from the black church because people are looking at the bigger picture," Lowery said. "He will not be hurt by one issue."

Isn't it amazing what happens when folks actually talk to black folks about our likes and dislikes rather than trying to predict them?

Mike Huckabee continues his war on same-sex families and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Huckabee: Icky things happen in the bedrooms of same-sex couples - Geez, what is Mike Huckabee's problem? Again he reduces the quality of lgbt families through his fevered homophobic imagination.

What's with African American opposition to gay marriage in Maryland? - A great divide which needs to be delved into further. One of the groups mostly affected by pro-gay marriage legislation are lesbians of color raising children.

Elton John to Host "Saturday Night Live." Expect Gay Jokes. Probably Bad Ones - Lord, give me strength.

Video: Even AFA's General Counsel finds DOMA indefensible! - Trouble in American Family Association land?

The Family Research Council's deceptive use of social science to defend DOMA

With news coming out of Washington  from Speaker of the House John Boehner that Congress may take up the defense of DOMA and recent comments from the Family Research Council stating that they are in talks in helping with that possible defense, one has to ask will the propaganda and anti-gay points in yesterday's post and today's post be a part of that strategy.

On its Defend DOMA web page, the Family Research Council has another link, Ten Arguments From Social Science Against Same Sex Marriage which supposedly speaks against gay marriage. While this piece isn't as guttural as Q&A What's Wrong With Letting Same-Sex Couples Marry?, there still remains a number of misdirections.

In the piece, Family Research Council is basing the argument against gay marriage on the claim that "children need both a mother and a father."

FRC makes the claim that lesbians household "raising children without a father" is wrong because according to them:

Among other things, we know that fathers excel in reducing antisocial behavior and delinquency in boys and sexual activity in girls.

And gay households "raising children without a mother" is wrong because:

fathers exercise a unique social and biological influence on their children. For instance, a recent study of father absence on girls found that girls who grew up apart from their biological father were much more likely to experience early puberty and a teen pregnancy than girls who spent their entire childhood in an intact family.

However, very little (if any at all) of the literature/studies FRC cites to make these conclusions have anything to do with same-sex households.

When the organization does address the studies involving same-sex households, it throws out an insulting addendum:

A number of leading professional associations have asserted that there are "no differences" between children raised by homosexuals and those raised by heterosexuals. But the research in this area is quite preliminary; most of the studies are done by advocates and most suffer from serious methodological problems. Sociologist Steven Nock of the University of Virginia, who is agnostic on the issue of same-sex civil marriage, offered this review of the literature on gay parenting as an expert witness for a Canadian court considering legalization of same-sex civil marriage:

Through this analysis I draw my conclusions that 1) all of the articles I reviewed contained at least one fatal flaw of design or execution; and 2) not a single one of those studies was conducted according to general accepted standards of scientific research.

This is not exactly the kind of social scientific evidence you would want to launch a major family experiment.

There is a huge problem with FRC citing Nock's testimony. He gave it in 2001. Since that time, there have been numerous other studies , as well as personal stories from children in same-sex households which back up the conclusion that same-sex households are a perfectly fine place to raise children.

Also, Nock's testimony was rejected by other researchers. (*see below)