Howard University students want to boycott black gospel singer's concert

Here is something you probably won't hear too much about because - and while I hate to say it, it's true - lgbt news tends to be too Eurocentric:

Tonex has been no stranger to controversy in past years. From his flamboyant interviews with any television crew willing to interview him express his homosexual behaviors and how he claims he is “finally free,” to outrightly bashing many Christian artists who he claims are wolves in sheep’s clothing. His new concert, set for September 15 at The Howard Theatre, is causing many students at the school to become quite upset. With a Facebook page created entitled “Don’t support Tonex concert” and a Twitter handle, @BoycottTonex (which as of this morning has been removed), students at Howard believe the same negative words he spoke about many current Christian artists are his exact behaviors.

Angela Powell said, “He’s confused. One second he says he’s not gay then does a tour and says he is. He said he quit gospel but then comes out and says he’s not finished with Christian music yet. He needs to sit down somewhere.”

 . . . Students have posted signs throughout Howard University asking people not to support the concert and to return their tickets for a full refund.

On a personal level, I feel this way. If the students want to boycott, that's their right. However, none of them own the patent to Christianity. If this is how Tonex wants to express his faith, then more power to him. It's refreshing to see an openly gay black gospel singer, especially in light of the rumors that so many black male gospel singers are in the closet.

'Anti-gay propaganda book reaches 50,000 reads as author announces plan for biographical series of posts' and other Tuesday miday news briefs

Editor's note - This is not necessarily a news brief but an announcement. Last night, my booklet, How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America crossed the 50,000 reads threshold. Thank you everyone for your supporting, your criticism, and your reading and passing along this very important booklet, which as far as I am concerned, is a minor lgbt cult classic. If you hadn't read it yet, please do so and also RT it on twitter and pass it to your friends. If you desire a personal copy, email me at Charlekenghis@aol.com and write 'anti-gay propaganda book' in the subject line. It is crucial that the lgbt community and our allies receive this information so we can deconstruct religious right anti-gay propaganda.

I feel that because of your support and patience, I owe everyone something. Therefore, I am announcing that starting in late October, I will be publishing a series of biographical posts on Saturdays. These posts will explain how the idea for 'How They See Us'  formulated in my mind two decades ago while I was a student at Winthrop University. And I intend to be very candid, talking about how I dealt with being one of the few openly black gay men not only on campus, but also in a predominantly white fraternity. I will also talk about my first "love," my first boyfriend, and even my suicide attempt in my senior year.  Why am I doing this? Because I want you all to understand my urgent feelings about exposing anti-gay propaganda. It was this propaganda which served as an albatross around my neck during those years. Look for these posts under the title - "Ghouls, Vampires, and Gay Men."

In other news:

How Homophobic Do You Have To Be To Get Fired From Fox News? - Pick yourself up from the floor on this one. This article answers your question.  

AG Greg Abbott to challenge San Antonio nondiscrimination ordinance - Apparently they won't let gays in San Antonio fight their hard fought victory even a little bit. 

 James Franco: 'I Wish I Was Gay' - Tell you what, James. Schedule an appointment and we will "talk" about it. 

 Elena Kostyuchenko, Russian LGBT Journalist, Threatens To Out Closeted Politicians - DO IT! We didn't start this, but it's on!

Is the 'hate group' label worrying the Family Research Council?

The Family Research Council recently sent out a fundraising letter to its supporters (none of your business how I received one). Naturally the letter followed the usual pattern of claiming that America is in danger of losing its so-called Judeo-Christian heritage and that Christian families are also in danger of being attacked by the nonexistent homosexual "agenda."

But one part caught my eye:

We are not haters as the same-sex lobby would have the public believe. We are not intolerant or self-righteous. We are defined and liberated by the grace of God. Jesus told us to "love your neighbor as yourself."

The Family Research Council has a strange idea of love if this is the case. Remember the following from its leaders:

 



 Of course it's relatively easy to refute the FRC leaders when they claim that they aren't filled with malice against the lgbt community, but here is the thing which I find interesting.

FRC now has to assure its followers, those who support the organization's efforts, that its not a hate group, that it does not attack gays because of malice or intolerance.

That doesn't strike me as something you have to do if you are "preaching to the choir."

But it is something you have to do if efforts to label you as a hate group have been successful.

'American Family Association BUSTED in lie about Home Depot' and other Monday midday news briefs

American Family Association Ends Home Depot Boycott With Nothing To Show For It - Oh look. Claims by the American Family Association that its boycott against Home Depot ended in success is refuted by none other than Home Depot. Don't you guys know that lying is a sin. BUSTED! 

The top 12 strangest arguments against equal marriage from Scotland’s first day of Committee stage - And I thought the religious right in America were screwy!  

Sochi Olympic Chief to IOC: Make the Criticisms Stop. IOC to Athletes: Stop Criticizing When in Sochi - It's your own problem, Russia. When you pass a draconian anti-gay law, you really don't expect people to be silent about it, do you?  

Video: How to sell an organization based 100% around gay (youth) discrimination - Ah yes, the organization which supposedly be the alternative of the Boy Scouts. Proceed watching this video at your own risk.

  Coming Out Of The Closet: 12 People Who Should Always Know You're Gay - This is a damn good article.

Stolen document underscores the need to expose anti-gay propaganda

Nothing I have ever written or read about in regards to religious right propaganda could prepare me for what you are about to see. I apologize beforehand but this needs to be seen:

According to the Washington Blade, a British journalist was able to nab a document from the Ugandan Parliament. What that document showed blows away any and everything I have ever seen on anti-gay propaganda:

The document he stole is titled: “Protect our young people from homosexuality: Debate and pass the anti-homosexuality bill now!”

Smith took the document from the Press Office at Parliament when the secretary wasn’t looking. It contains morbid images, such as one that may be posed or altered to depict a human figure lying on a bed with his or her intestines literally extruding onto a bed from his or her rectum.

The photo purports to be of a young man named Turyamureeba Wycliffe, who supposedly died from complications of “fisting” and tuberculosis (supposedly also brought on as a result of his homosexuality).

Mercifully and perhaps manipulatively, the document also includes a photo of Wycliffe in far happier and healthier days sitting in a decidedly effeminate posture. The juxtaposed imagery more subtly drives home the same point the brief hammers out in writing as, “Attention Ugandan MPs and parents: If you don’t do something about your gay (or gay-acting) kid, he’ll end up in a grave with his guts hanging out, just like this one did in Katungu Village."

CAMOVA Anti-homosexuality Brief Uganda - Washington Blade exclusive by WashingtonBlade

This is why it is so important that the lgbt community shine the spotlight on anti-gay propaganda. What's funny to us is deadly to lgbts in other countries.

San Antonio vote reveals the hard truth about anti-gay propaganda

The passage of the pro-lgbt non-discrimination ordinance in San Antonio on Thursday brings to my mind yet again the urgency of the lgbt community needing to call out the propaganda spread about  us via deliberate liars such as Todd Starnes and Fox News and funneled by ignorant folks blinded by their interpretations of Biblical truth.

Before San Antonio voted for the ordinance, members of the lgbt community had to sit through demeaning testimony which cast gays as "abominations" or went into grotesque detail in regards to how we supposedly engage in intercourse. I personally felt nauseated when I read the tweets of testimony. I felt as if I was strapped down into some time machine and transported back to when Anita Bryant was trumpeting the false idea that gays recruit children.

It was such a long time ago since that happened but here we are decades later hearing the same lies. The problem is we don't take this junk seriously until after the fact. We laugh at the outrageous comments uttered by Bryan Fischer and the rest but in doing so, we underestimate these comments. We forget that they do in fact move a significant part of the population either due to their religious beliefs or when Fischer and company can infuse fear of a gay takeover into their minds.

We are under the false belief that addressing this propaganda gives it power, but we have the entire idea backwards. NOT confronting this propaganda is the thing which gives it power.

 Until the lgbt community and our leaders declare war against the lies and liars and makes a serious effort in confronting this propaganda head on, America will have serious problems seeing the real lgbt community:

Instead, the lgbt community will have to contend with this:

And this:



Make no mistake about it. Those who spread anti-gay propaganda are only part to blame when that propaganda successfully hinders gay equality. The other part of the blame has to go to the powers-that-be in the lgbt community with the power to educate  about this propaganda beforehand but will do nothing but gripe and groan after it does its work.

To hell with being reactive. We need to be proactive.

Related post: How They See Us: Unmasking the Religious Right War on Gay America - a short, but definitive guide in calling out and refuting homophobic propaganda.

Know Your LGBT History - The Lion In Winter

Richard confronts Philip in "The Lion in Winter" by 123lucyfur

One of my favorite plays and movies. The Lion In Winter, (1966 play) has been performed several times, the most famous being the 1968 motion picture in which Katherine Hepburn won an Oscar for Best Actress. It's a somewhat complicated play based upon English history mixed with a little fiction.

Henry II of England has let his wife, Eleanor of Acquitane, out of prison to spend Christmas with him. She had been imprisoned for constantly plotting to overthrow him. Also present are Henry's three sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John. And let's not forget Alais, Henry's mistress and Richard's one-time fiance. She is also the half-sister of the last guest, King Philip of France. The entire play is an intense gamemanship as Henry attempts to keep his throne while verbally jousting with Eleanor. Eleanor, for her part, is plotting with Richard to overthrow Henry. Geoffrey and John are plotting to overthrow Henry also, but need the help of Philip. Meanwhile, Henry is torn between leaving his throne to John, who he thinks loves him the most out of all of his sons, and gaining a new heir with Alais.

You got all of that? The Lion in Winter is a serious wild ride in which alliances are formed and broken within seconds. Where characters express their love for each other in the middle of verbally slashing each other to ribbons. For the purpose of this blog, there is just one more interesting point.

 It would seem that Richard had an affair with Philip when Philip was younger. That is the subject of the above clip featuring Andrew Howard as Richard and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Philip in the 2003 movie . Be forewarned, however and remember what I said. In spite of the tender moment at which the clip ends, there is a vicious betrayal on the part of Philip.   Philip exposes Richard as his lover in front of his father and reveals that the only reason why he started the affair was to be able to rub it in Henry's face in the future. Nasty!

 In reality, Henry did have several sons, including Richard and John, who continued to plot against him with the help of their mother. Their rebellions earned them the name of the "Devil's Brood."  As for the supposed affair between Richard (who was later named as Richard The Lionhearted) and Philip, historical details are rather sketchy.

Past Know Your LGBT History Posts: