Church leader disgraces his integrity to run interference for NOM

Bishop McKinney

Today the National Organization for Marriage is trumpeting a column written by Bishop George McKinney, a member of the board of the Church of God in Christ, in The Daily Caller. The column seeks to refute NOM's recent race-baiting scandal.

However, Bishop McKinney's column will probably raise eyebrows seeing that he went out of the way to avoid addressing the scandal head-on, even to the point of  attempting to distract folks from what NOM's internal documents actually said in regards to driving a wedge between the black and gay communities. This the first paragraph of Bishop McKinney's piece:

On March 30, an MSNBC news anchor accused the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) of “race-baiting” for (among other charges) writing in a 2009 in-house document, “We … need to … interrupt the attempt to equate gay with black, and sexual orientation with race; we need to make traditional sexual morality intellectually respectable again in elite culture.”

McKinney is citing another part of NOM's internal documents. In his piece, he did not cite the part of the internal documents which talked specifically about driving a wedge between the black and gay communities. It was this part which led to the scandal:

“The strategic goal of this project is to drive a wedge between gays and blacks — two key Democratic constituencies,” reads one document. “Find, equip, energize and connect African American spokespeople for marriage; develop a media campaign around their objections to gay marriage as a civil right; provoke the gay marriage base into responding by denouncing these spokesmen and women as bigots. No politician wants to take up and push an issue that splits the base of the party. Fanning the hostility raised in the wake of Prop 8 is key to raising the costs of pushing gay marriage to its advocates and persuading the movement’s allies that advocates are unacceptably overreaching on this issue. Consider pushing a marriage amendment in Washington D.C.; Find attractive young black Democrats to challenge white gay marriage advocates electorally.”

And I have a feeling that what Bishop McKinney did was not by accident. He then proceeds to go on a tangent in his column by using talking points that we have heard Maggie Gallagher and company use before, i.e. "you can't equate race with sexual orientation," "marriage is for men and women to come together to create the next generation," gays are trying to redefine marriage," etc.

However for me, the fact that Bishop McKinney felt the need pull attention away from the specific portion of NOM's internal document, the portion which talked about exploiting the gay and African-American difference of opinion on marriage equality, says a lot more his motivations and his integrity.

Actions do indeed speak louder than words. And no matter how Bishop McKinney tries through words to make NOM's cause - and thus his cause - sound noble, his actions (in this case, a deliberate attempt at misdirection) betray him.

By all means, please go to The Daily Caller piece and point this out in a respectful manner.

'What the heck is sodomy-based marriage anyway?' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

The folks in North Carolina are pulling out all of the stops to defeat that awful anti-family amendment, Amendment One. The following videos are two former mayors of Charlotte, Harvey Gantt (a Democrat) and Richard Vinroot (a Republican) speaking on how Amendment One is a bad idea:



For more information about the video, see Pam's House Blend.

In other news:

No Special Rights PAC, Maine Anti-Gay Marriage Group, Seeks End To 'Sodomy-Based Marriage' - It's always about sex with these anti-marriage equality folks. They think more about sex than 100 cloned horny 18-year-olds.

White House Kicks Off LGBT Heroes Video Contest - I totally agree. There are a myriad of unsung lgbt heroes who do not get their due. Plus this will totally tee off the religious right (sorry, that last part was the b*^%tch in me coming out.)

HRC & Freedom to Marry to Cardinal Dolan: End Support of NOM - For all of the criticism they get, the Human Rights Campaign has been batting a thousand with their aggressive pushes on NOM. And let's not leave out Freedom to Marry either.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to Prevent Same-Sex Couples Hospital Visitation Rights - Go ahead, Walker. You got almost everyone in Wisconsin angry at you. By all means, do what you can so that the gay community doesn't feel left out.

National Organization for Marriage begs for money while blaming media for scandal

Editor's note - It's one of those two post mornings. After reading this, pan down and read how actor Kirk Cameron forgets about his so-called Christian principles in order to promote his movie.

Knowing fully well that attempts to explain its race-baiting scandal is failing, the National Organization for Marriage is attempting to use the scandal in order to raise money. From its blog today:

Dear Marriage Supporter,

Will you please make one URGENT gift right now to help protect marriage?

When the New York Times and other media outlets ran with a ridiculous narrative about NOM being racially divisive and politically poisonous, I have to admit, I was angry—but not surprised.

After all, in the middle of this artificially created media flurry, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and their allies at the Huffington Post published stolen IRS documents from NOM that are protected by federal laws.

This is what we're up against...every single day. I don't know if there is a limit to how low radical same-sex marriage activists will go to get what they want—no matter what you and I think.

Our coalition of Americans from every walk of life, regardless of race or religion has won tremendous victories for marriage. And with 2012 being such a critical year, our opponents are desperate to divide us.

We must stand up and fight back...we must make our voices heard...we must make sure the lies of radical same-sex marriage activists don't become commonly accepted "truth" because nobody is working to expose their lies.

And that's exactly why I launched this campaign to raise $200,000 by April 17.

Won't you please make an IMMEDIATE gift of $1,000, $500, $100 or even $50
to help protect marriage—knowing that your donation will be matched by another
to double its impact?

So according to NOM, the scandal was created by the media, most specifically The New York Times and The Huffington Post teaming up with the Human Rights Campaign.

And of course NOM's plea for money wouldn't be complete without the photo of various functions highlighting the African-Americans and members of the Hispanic community who supports NOM's efforts have been exploited by NOM:

The only thing that comes to mind is I hope those folks didn't sign a release. That way, maybe they can get NOM to pay them for the use of their images.

Surprise! Kirk Cameron is a hypocrite

Recently, Kirk Cameron received a lot of flack - deservedly so - for his claim that homosexuality is "destructive." And like so many others, when faced with criticism when making such ugly comments, Cameron played the victim.

And unfortunately, people bought that junk. I wonder if folks are going to buy this meeting of Cameron and high profile Mormon Glenn Beck. From Religious Right Watch:

 (Kirk) Cameron featured Beck at the kickoff event for his movie Monumental, about how America needs to return to its theocratic Pilgrim roots, where Beck told Cameron that God confirmed to him in prayer that what they are doing is right and wants them to warn the country about America’s impending collapse.

Beck’s appearance and discussion of his talks with God in Cameron’s Religious Right “documentary” may raise eyebrows since Cameron in 2006 co-hosted an anti-Mormon film with evangelist Ray Comfort. In the show, Cameron said that it was likely Satan who appeared to Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, as the Angel Moroni and led him to golden plates that became the Book of Mormon, and even said that Mormons are “following a false Jesus” and “will end up in Hell forever.” “If you’ve ever spoken to a Mormon, sometimes you know how frustrating it could when they use the same words you do but they mean something different and you’re not sure how to finish the conversation,” Cameron said.

And if you need proof of Cameron's anti-Mormon video, check this out:

Vote for MarriageNC ad filled with misrepresentations and false views

Vote for MarriageNC has come out with another ad in an attempt to push that awful anti-marriage equality amendment, Amendment One, in the state:




These folks sound reasonable, don't they? Especially the African-American pastor Patrick Wooden.

Don't buy it.

Wooden's comments is sprinkled throughout the video, but I took note to 1:13 - 1:55 of this video when he claims that those on his side of the argument aren't trying to impose their views on anyone. He also attempts to make it seem that gays do not face discrimination. And he also claims that he is not opposed to gays doing well in America.

Wooden's "I don't have any animus against the gay community" inference is a total misrepresentation. Remember his comments in January about gay men needing diapers:

Transcript:

Wooden: The God of the Bible made the human sperm, the God of the Bible designed it and it was not designed to be emptied into an area that is filled with feces, there is nothing for it to germinate with, it will most certainly mean the extinction of the human race. My belief is that if the medical community would just step forward and just would share with the American people what happens to the male anus, the problems that homosexuals have with their rectums, the damage that is done, the operations that are needed to sew up their bodies if you will, and how many of the men don’t even give these stitches time to heal before they are back out there practicing that wicked behavior. Some are bleeders, men who are not turned off by ingesting the feces of other men.

Not only did he not back off that statement, but he made the following claim about gay men, cell phones, baseball bats, and gerbils:

Transcript:

Wooden: I do not back off or back down from my statements at all. I was giving anecdotal examples that I am personally aware of that have happened as a result of men who have given themselves over to this lifestyle. One man past away, a friend of mine shared this information with me, that where what used to be his anus had become a gaping hole and he literally died in diapers, he literally lost control of himself. There are examples of men who have stretched their anuses, their sphincter muscles so that they could fit objects into themselves that once the sphincter muscle is stretched too much it will not contract. Because the truth is, despite the anger of the homosexual community, the anus is not a vagina. A vagina, a woman can give birth, God so designed it, the hips release can give birth to babies and things return back to normal. The anus doesn’t work that way; this is one of the reasons why many male homosexuals place larger and larger objects in their rectums.

. . . I know of a case where in a hospital a homosexual male had a cellphone lodged in his anus and as they were operating on him the phone went off, the phone started ringing! There’ve been instances where men have put bats, baseball bats, in their rectums!

In spite of what he claims in the Vote for MarriageNC video, Wooden is not motivated by a need to "protect marriage."  Wooden is motivated by homophobia disguised as Christian beliefs.

And he is not the only person in the video hiding his true views. Pastor Mark Creech also tries to make faux reasonable arguments with opposing marriage equality. But according to Jeremy Hooper from Goodasyou.org, Creech has said the following about gays:

"In fact, let me go on record with Tim Mertes in saying I also believe homosexuality is "impure," "dirty," and "disgusting." [SOURCE]
…
"Once again the Sodomites press upon the door of restraint to knock it down. America is presently the victim of an attempted sexual assault by the gay agenda — an attempted homosexual gang rape of our culture — the effort to sodomize our society! The great question is whether the majority of Americans who believe homosexuality is wrong and injurious for the nation, will continue to allow for its victimization, or whether they'll use the system of government God has so graciously granted to fight back." [SOURCE]
...
"To contend homosexuality or other sexually alternative practices are as worthy of special protections as religion is like saying feculence is as important to one's person or the culture as food. [SOURCE]
...
"While certain personality traits, familial relationships, early childhood experiences, possible sexual molestation, etc., may provide fertile soil for homosexuality to grow, these factors are not the primal issue. Homosexuality is not the result of biology! It is not caused by a deficit in the relationship with the same-sex parent! It is not caused by a failure to bond with one’s same-sex peers or any other outside influences! It is caused by something radically wrong with the human heart! It is caused by the principle of sin!"
…
"The real cause of homosexual desire or activity is the idolatrous instincts of the human heart." [SOURCE]
...
"Few sins have done more of late to wreak havoc among God's people as homosexuality." [SOURCE]

The fact that these supposed Christian people chose to hide their true views about homosexuality in the ad says volumes about their lack of honesty. Reading and hearing these views says more about why they actually support Amendment One.

Make no mistake about it. Amendment One is not motivated by a need to "protect marriage." Amendment One is motivated by homophobia and ignorance wrapped up in a Biblical shell.

But when you pull off that shell, we are still talking about homophobia and ignorance.

The following posts speak the truth about Amendment One:


North Carolina’s Amendment One: 10 facts you need to know

North Carolina residents - 'Amendment One is a bad idea'

'Mormon students create controversial 'It Gets Better' video' and other Monday midday news briefs

Students from Mormon-run Brigham Young University have created their own "It Gets Better" video and it is causing controversy. According to the Associated Press(by way of Think Progress), by posting the video, the students could face excommunication from the church and expulsion.

And even some in the gay community have voiced a sort of opposition. One viewer of the video wrote me to say:

I find it a disturbing video and am surprised that the Its Get Better people allowed the Mormon church to highjack the project, since I fear that this video is more likely to lead to more suicide than to prevent suicides. One young person, in particular, seem in great pain and needs help--and not the kind of help he is likely to get from a Mormon psychiatrist.

My personal feeling is that anyone can and should be able to benefit from the "It Gets Better" message. But what do you think:




In other news:

Can anyone force National Organization for Marriage to follow the law? - A fellow blogging buddy of mine, Scott Wooledge from Daily Kos pushes the very apt theory that NOM is enters every state fight against marriage equality knowing that it will violate the state's disclosure laws.

‘Bully’ Rating Lowered To PG-13 - Very good news indeed!

Meet Todd Starnes, Fox’s Mouthpiece For Anti-Gay Hate Groups - I read this piece only once because it got me so angry. Just plain demagoguery.

High School Student Finds Strength to Come Out as Transsexual - I love and admire the strength of the next generation.

'Desert Outlook,' New LGBT Magazine, Launched By 'The Desert Sun,' Features Dianne Feinstein And Hank Plante - Good luck to them cause we need more media outlets talking about our issues. The ones we got sometimes get bogged down with frivolous stuff.

PBS spotlights gay persecution in Uganda

Let's not forget the awful situation for our lgbtq brothers and sisters in Uganda:

Watch In Uganda, Gays Face Growing Social, Legal Hostility on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.