Analyzing and refuting the inaccuracies lodged against the lgbt community by religious conservative organizations. Lies in the name of God are still lies.
Produced by a group of Roman Catholic nuns calling themselves the Children of Mary order, "You Deserve to Know the Truth: Contraception” pairs some puzzling statistics with generic clip art. The often unintentionally humorous, low-budget clip also cites a 1970s-era study in which a male monkey became "confused" when female monkeys were injected with birth control drugs, and began to have "sexual interactions" with other males in the tribe.
"With the prevalence of contraception, it's no wonder adultery is on the rise, as is promiscuity, homosexual behavior, and even abortion due to failed contraception," the narrator proclaims.
Matt Birk, Baltimore Ravens Center, Makes Anti-Gay Marriage Ad For Catholic Church - Yesterday, Mr. Birk wrote an editorial and I recognized NOM terminology. Today, he makes a video for the Catholic Church (who many think is funding NOM.) Looks like the organization has found their new spokesmodel. HOWEVER, he isn't going unchallenged:
Kirk's stance quickly drew a response from Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, who has since been in talks with Minnesotans for Equality,
a Minnesota-based LGBT rights advocacy group urging voters to beat back
the state's ballot initiative that could ban marriage for gays and
lesbians in the state constitution this November.
Acknowledging Birk as "a smart, funny person," Kluwe notes, "If you
want us to understand why same-sex marriage is bad for kids, you need to
provide some sort of substantial evidence. Tell us that children from
same-sex couples are more likely to grow up broke and miserable and
alone and will end their days starving in a gutter."
In other words, when folks like Birk go on about the "special relationship between a husband and wife" and misdirect the argument about a supposed fear of being "labeled as bigots," they conveniently omit the following:
The law created by California legislators to ban "ex-gay" therapy for minors (and signed Sunday by Gov. Jerry Brown) is already causing a ruckus.
A perfect example of this is a recent - and satisfyingly contentious debate on the topic by CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin, senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, and “ex-gay” therapist Dan Pickup.
As you will see, the interview got explosive with Pickup snapping at Baldwin:
During the interview, Pickup alluded to the fact that the religious right group, the Liberty Counsel, will be challenging
California's law in court. Liberty Counsel head Mat Staver said the following yesterday:
"The California governor and legislature are putting their own preconceived notions and political ideology ahead of children and their rights to get access to counseling that meets their needs," Staver said in a statement. "A number of minors who have struggled with same-sex attraction have been able to reduce or eliminate the stress and conflicts in their lives by receiving counseling of their choice which best meets their needs and religious convictions."
According to Staver, who is also dean of the Liberty University School of Law, the bill and the ethical codes of the state's licensing boards in California are on an "inevitable collision course." He added that the bill would "harm children, stress families, and place counselors in a catch-22, because they will be forced to violate their licensing ethical codes."
If anyone believes that the Liberty Counsel is filing this lawsuit because they care about minors OR physicians, then they are simply fooling themselves.
The Liberty Counsel is fighting this law because of anti-gay bigotry, pure and simple. One would hope that in the coming media spotlight which the Liberty Counsel will enjoy because of its potential lawsuit, Staver or anyone else from the organization will be asked about the Liberty Counsel's anti-gay animus. This animus is best demonstrated by Staver himself and another member of the Liberty Counsel, Matt Barber:
It's wishful thinking on my part, but wouldn't it be absolutely wild if the Liberty Counsel's suit made it to court and lawyer defending CA's law called Staver or Barber as a witness to talk about the Liberty Counsel's bigotry?
I received the following "comment" from someone who did not appreciate my posts on being black and gay. It's NSFW (not safe for work):
If the choice is between GOD and your fetish you lose. You already know in your heart that homoism disgusts GOD and is an insult to HIS PERFECT DESIGN.
Men were created to mate with women.Design determines function. Homos operate in a dysfunctional manner.they are defective. Homos think they are smarter than GOD.the end for unrepentant folk will be worse than than their imaginations coul(d) ever conceive. Blacks have nothing in common with gays. Really. Some blacks (have) such low self esteem they will even become gay to be accepted. Man go get some pussy.
To my mysterious fan who has a very strange view of language used in defense of God's "perfect design," I have one thing to say.
Educate yourself:
One more thing - If you think that having "relations" with a woman is going to change my sexual orientation, then you've got higher hopes than the ant in that Frank Sinatra song that tried to move that rubber tree plant.
Editor's note - I looked for a video showcasing famous African-American transgenders and unfortunately could not find any. If someone finds such a video, please send it to me and I will post it.
Equality Forum is out with a detailed list of the 2012 Icons for LGBT History Month (October, after all, is LGBT History Month). Check out who was chosen:
As usual when it comes to lists like this, there will be some folks vocalizing about who was or wasn't chosen. In a general sense, I like the list. And I especially would like to see more lgbt children viewing this video so that they can know that their God-given sexual orientation is not a curse, but a blessing. Anything which can inspire lgbt children to know that success is not the enemy of being openly gay is always a plus in my book.
By all mean, please let me know- via the comments section - who you think should have made the list. And why.
This good bit of news needs only to be posted as is. It needs no further additions on my part:
On Saturday California Governor Jerry Brown signed a historic bill
that will protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) minors
from "reparative" therapies administered by mental health professionals
aimed at altering sexual orientation or gender identities and
expressions.
Senate Bill 1172, which the National Center for Lesbian Rights notes
was co-sponsored by the NCLR, Equality California, Gaylesta, Courage
Campaign, Lambda Legal, and Mental Health America of Northern
California, and supported by dozens of organizations, is the first law
of its kind in the United States and will become effective on January 1,
2013.
"Conversion" or "reparative" therapies, which can include a wide
variety of techniques from counseling to shock therapy to -- in extreme
cases -- exorcism, have long been used in an attempt to "cure"
individuals of their homosexual and transgender orientations and
identities. However, in recent years even those who once championed the
idea that someone can convert to heterosexuality have admitted that
viewpoint is flawed.
In April Dr. Robert Spitzer, author of a landmark 2001 study that
claimed gay people could be alleviated of their homosexuality, admitted
that, "In retrospect, I have to admit I think the critiques [of my study] are largely correct... The findings can be considered evidence for what those who have undergone ex-gay therapy say about it, but nothing more.”
SFGate.com notes that Governor Brown said,
"This bill bans non-scientific 'therapies' that have driven young
people to depression and suicide. These practices have no basis in
science or medicine and they will now be relegated to the dustbin of
quackery."
