NC legislator can't back up anti-gay claims when pressed on them

This is so sad that I almost feel sorry for NC legislator James Forrester. Earlier today, he was on the Michelangelo Signorile radio show attempting to justify his support of the ballot amendment in that state which would outlaw marriage equality.

Earlier this month, Forrester made the claim that gay men have shorter lifespans than heterosexuals. Signorile challenges him on this (starting at 6:11) and when push comes to shove, Forrester can't back this up. Forrester initially says that his claim came from the Centers for Disease Control, but this is not true.

And Signorile ain't having none of it. Forrester then tries to pull up Frank Turek's name and Signorile calls him out for citing a phony expert. And that's just one of the gold nuggets of the interview. According to Think Progress:

The senator also couldn’t explain how same-sex marriage undermined the institution and even threatened to end the interview when Signorile asked if Forrester would be introducing legislation to ban divorce. “I can’t answer all these questions you have,” he conceded:

SIGNORILE: Why don’t you ban divorce, why not?

FORRESTER: That wasn’t my intent of the legislation.

SIGNORILE: Is divorce a good thing? I’ll ask you some yes or nos, how’s that? Divorce a good thing?

FORRESTER: I think I’m going to end this conversation right now because I see you’re completely negative, on the other side, trying to set me up.

There was no set-up, Mr. Forrester. The simple fact is that you don't know what the hell you are talking about.

The interview in general  is a bit long but is a joy to listen to. It also underscores that when anti-gay folks are up against those who are schooled in refuting homophobic lies, they crumble like a new cookie:






Hat tip to Think Progress.

Student's story of suspension for speaking against homosexuality may not be true

The gay community has allowed ourselves to be bamboozled again.

Last week, a controversy erupted over a student, Dakota Airy,  at a Fort Worth High School who claimed that he was punished for merely stating in class that homosexuality is a sin. The student was allegedly suspended for his comments, his family retained the services of the anti-gay Liberty Counsel, and both the student and the Liberty Counsel made the round of right-wing blogs and sites claiming that what happened to him is the end result of "persecution by the gay community."

And on some pro-gay sites, some folks flocked to the student's defense, declaring that his First Amendment rights were being violated and that the situation hurts the gay community by demonstrating that we are as "intolerant" as those on the right.

Some of us flocked to the student's defense even though we had seen this situation play out before - a controversy happens involving someone supposedly oppressed by the gay community, the person in question retains the services of a right-wing group who makes a media blitz, thereby getting publicity for the person. And when everything at its peak, the other side of the story comes out. Usually the supposed "victim" of the gay community did not tell the entire story, which when told, makes him or her look less like a victim and more like someone who got what they deserved.

Well you can file this story of the "oppressed student" in that category. According to Marvin Vann, a member of the group LGBTQ S.A.V.E.S, in an interview with the Dallas Voice, the suspension may have been due to a history of harassment against the teacher who called out Airy for his comment.

Bigot's anti-gay press conference fails and other Tuesday midday news briefs

What happened at Rev. Lou Sheldon’s press conference opposing the FAIR Education Act - Hate group leader (Traditional Values Coalition being the group) has a HUGE fail of a press conference.

Video: An 'ex-gay' pushing governor? Better know your candidates, NH! - Pushing someone who support "ex-gay" crap as New Hampshire's governor? How nauseating.

Timothy Dolan Claims He’s Not Anti-Gay, Compares Same-Sex Marriage To ‘Polygamy, Adultery, Forced Marriage’ - Uh Mr. Dolan . . . I got news for ya. Comparing marriage equality to adultery, polygamy, and forced marriage DOES make you anti-gay.

Related post - Will the Catholic Church declare war on Obama over gay equality?

Land: Gay Activists Seek Full-Blown "Sexual Paganization Of Society" - Okay, who told him? Can't us gays stop revealing "our plans?"

Hate group angry at Republican for wanting to repeal DOMA

The anti-gay hate group, the Family Research Council is furious that a Republican in Congress is co-sponsoring a bill which would repeal DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act).

On Friday, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) became the first Republican to co-sponsor the legislation that would repeal DOMA and yesterday, FRC attacker her position, claiming that she is harming children:

Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) has joined the dark side by becoming the first Republican to co-sponsor bills that boost counterfeit marriage while effectively closing down most Christian adoption services.

. . . What the Stark/Ros-Lehtinen bill, (deceptively named "The Every Child Deserves a Family Act") would do is shutter Christian adoption agencies nationwide, despite the large number of lives these organizations impact. Put in a dramatic but truthful way, supporters of the bill would rather see orphans kept without parents than to see them placed in loving homes with a mother and father!

Of course FRC fails to mention that the problem is that these "Christian adoption agencies" receive tax dollars while specifically barring gays from adopting children - a position having to do more with religious beliefs than with actualities. And it's not that these agencies are "forced" to close down, it's that they refuse to function without these tax dollars.

But the most ironic statement with FRC's attack is the following:

The GOP leadership has done a lot to protect marriage, mostly by appointing a top-notch lawyer to defend DOMA . . .

FRC omits the fact that this "top-notch" lawyer (Paul Clement) has been called to the carpet by Democratic legislators for his use of junk science in defending DOMA.

In all honesty, however, seeing that FRC itself is no slouch when it comes to utilizing junk science, maybe not mentioning that Clement is doing the same is an "innocent oversight."

Democratic lawmakers not happy with Boehner's DOMA defense

Hot damn! This is BIG!:

Democratic lawmakers don't like the "harmful and unreasonable arguments" being used by House speaker John Boehner's lawyer to keep the Defense of Marriage Act on the books.

A contingent from Congress, including all four of the gay members, wrote to Boehner demanding a chance to confront the lawyer with what they say is "discredited" and "biased" research on homosexuality that was used in a legal brief representing Congress in court.

 . . .several Democrats — Tammy Baldwin, David Cicilline, John Conyers, Barney Frank, Jerrold Nadler, and Jared Polis — say Clement doesn't represent them or even the scientists he cites in his legal arguments.

 . . . They cite, for example, professor Lisa Diamond's complaint that Boehner's lawyer has "completely misrepresented my research." A lot has changed since DOMA was passed 15 years ago, they say, but Clement's ideas on why it should remain "do not withstand the test of time or scrutiny."

The representatives are asking Boehner, for the second time, to grant them a briefing about the case so they can hear more about a court strategy they say isn't based in fact.   

Why is this big? Because a while back, not only did Diamond complain that Clement was distorting her work, but at the same time, I published a post clearly showing that Clement was also using junk science and bad studies in his defense of DOMA.

In his defense of DOMA, Clement cites the work of Case Western Reserve University law professor George W. Dent, Jr.

But Dent's work - which Clement uses -  cited both Paul Cameron and George Rekers, two discredited researchers. Cameron has been censured or rebuked by several organizations for his bad methodology in his studies and Rekers lost a lot of credibility for last year's scandal when he was caught coming from a European vacation with a "rentboy."

Also, Dent cited the work of Walter Schumm's study Children of Homosexuals More Apt To Be Homosexuals? A Reply to Morrison and to Cameron Based on an Examination of Multiple Sources of Data.

Schumm's study was criticized for using the same false methodology as Cameron's work. i.e. citing sources "from general-audience books about LGBT parenting and families, most of which are available on Amazon.com"

Furthermore, Dent cited a book called Straight & Narrow by Thomas E. Schmidt to make criticisms about gay health. However, Schmidt is not a credible researcher in the field of gay health. He is a professor of New Testament Greek at Westmont College in Santa Barbara and according to Rev. Mel White of the group Soulforce, Schmidt cited Cameron's discredited studies many times in Straight & Narrow (5th letter to Jerry Falwell.)

And last, but not least, Dent cited the work of the American College of Pediatricians. The American College of Pediatricians is not a credible organization, but an organization created to give credibility to junk science about the gay community. Last year, over 14,000 school district superintendents in the country were sent a letter by ACP inviting them to peruse and use information from a new site, Facts About Youth. The site claimed to present "facts" supposedly not tainted by "political correctness."  Of course these were not facts, but ugly distortions about the gay community, including:

Some gay men sexualize human waste, including the medically dangerous practice of coprophilia, which means sexual contact with highly infectious fecal wastes

As for now, it is not known how or if Boehner will respond to the Democratic legislators. But still, their actions of questioning Boehner on the material that his lawyer is using is a good thing because it puts a spotlight on the distortions those on the right use to defend anti-gay laws.

And it's about time. 

President Obama condemns booing of gay soldier and other Monday midday news briefs

Obama: Booing of Gay Soldier 'Not Reflective of Who We Are' - Thank you, Mr. President.

Toledo Pastor Erects 9 Gay-Hating Billboards, Says He Loves Everyone - Cause we all know that it's not The Church's duty to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and provide comfort, but waste a bunch of money on anti-gay billboards.

NEW YORK: Gov. Andrew Cuomo Signs Landmark Bill Aiding LGBT Seniors - Way to go, Gov. Cuomo.

Retailers Are Put on the Spot Over Anti-Gay Aid - I like what the Southern Poverty Law Center said about this - "Calling out groups for their hatred isn't offensive. Claiming bigotry as a Biblical value is."

Rep. Ros-Lehtinen’s Opposition To DOMA May Be Guided By Personal Experience, Transgender Son - Fascinating piece on Republican representative who opposes DOMA.

Bigot - gays are winning 'culture war' and taking prisoners

Scott Lively

"Many Christians are only now awakening to the seriousness of the threat to our society posed by the homosexual movement. But, unfortunately for us all, it is only the sounding of the victory trumpets by "gay" activists that has stirred Christians from their slumber. The watchman's walls have been broken and breached, the village is in flames, and triumphal "gay" culture warriors are leading a long string of young prisoners by their necks into the woods. Most disturbingly, many of the captives, including some of the children of these still sleepy-eyed Christian parents, seem happy to go."

The above ramblings is paranoid homophobic bigotry of the highest order. And it would be hilarious except when one realizes who it is coming from.

Scott Lively, head of the SPLC-declared hate group Abiding Truth Ministries and author of the discredited piece of garbage, The Pink Swatiska (a book claiming that gays were responsible for Hitler's Nazi Party), wrote the piece which appeared last week in World Net Daily.

And it is pretty much the same vein of trash which Lively has made a living in declaring - i.e. claiming that gays are secretly plotting to take over America, "indoctrinate children," and cause all sorts of mayhem.

It's the same trash one would hear from folks like Matt Barber and Peter LaBarbera, except for one thing. As odious as LaBarbera and Barber are, neither person has the death of an innocent on their heads.