Family Research Council spokesman defends countries which persecute gays

FRC's Peter Sprigg defends countries persecuting gays.

This morning, I wrote about how the Family Research Council exploited actual cases of anti-Christian persecution in the Middle East in order to showcase phony anecdotes of anti-Christian persecution in this country.

In an irony which would be funny if it weren't so vile, FRC spokesman Peter Sprigg yesterday actually criticized the Obama Administration for its work against countries which persecute gays.

According to Right Wing Watch:

 . . . on yesterday’s edition of “Washington Watch,” FRC senior fellow Peter Sprigg — who once called for the U.S. to “export homosexuals” — criticized Randy Berry, the Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBT Persons, for reportedly traveling to travel to Uganda and Jamaica, where homosexuality is also criminalized. Sprigg said that Berry and the Obama administration are trying to “force this American-style homosexual agenda down the throats of other countries” such as Uganda, “which is one of the countries which has been most bitterly attacked by homosexual activists around the world.”

For the record, Sprigg is actually defending anti-gay persecution in Jamaica where, according to a Human Rights Watch report entitled Not Safe at Home:

LGBT citizens in Jamaica are often driven from their communities by neighbors and sometimes even family. Some health professionals stigmatize them by casting judgment on their sexuality when they seek care. Police protection against bias and physical attacks is generally poor.

And in Uganda, where laws and persecution against gays have been the subject of international unrest for a number of years.

But to Sprigg and the Family Research Council, gays and the Obama Administration are at fault for attempting to put an end to this persecution.

I guess that makes one thing clear -  we know that the Family Research Council supports the persecution of gays in foreign countries, but its obvious that the group doesn't care about anti-Christian persecution in foreign countries, that is unless it can exploit the cases for its own benefit.

'Fox News tiptoed around the Duggar scandal' & other Thursday midday news briefs

Fox News Devoted Less Than Two Minutes To The Duggar Controversy - It's not that I want Fox News to go buckwild on the Duggars scandal, but we all know that if this situation involved a prominent lgbt activist, the network would have probably devoted several shows and a prime time special to it. 

Rick Santorum's 5 Worst Smears: Attacking Gay Rights, Working Women & Church-State Separation - Like some sentient fungus, Rick Santorum just won't go away. He is taking another chance at running for president. Just in case he tries to "retool" his image, let's not forget his past positions, particularly on lgbt equality. 

Family Research Council exploits true victims of religious persecution to fundraise - A reminder of this morning's post. The Family Research Council is so sleazy, it would blame Job's calamities on the lgbt community in order to make a little money.  

Divisive anti-gay marriage bill falls in Texas Legislature - And another one bites the dust. The problem is that there are so many others in waiting.  

Why The Assault On LGBT Rights In The Texas Legislature Failed - The Texas legislature in general was seriously "jonesing" to kick lgbt equality square in the teeth. But it looks like the anti-gay bills all failed, leaving the Texas lgbt community feeling like Buster Keaton in that movie where the house fell on him, but left him unharmed because he stood in the path of an open window.

Family Research Council exploits true victims of religious persecution to fundraise

Leave it to the Family Research Council to sink to a new low in order to fundraise. I received the following email from FRC president Tony Perkins:


Please Take a Stand for Persecuted Christians In America . . . and Everywhere!

When I testified before U.S. Senators about religious persecution, I wore it.

When I testified before the United Nations about religious persecution, I wore it.

When I travel around the country wearing it, people ask me what it stands for—and it helps open their hearts to Christ and His people.

"It" is a simple lapel pin.

The pin features the Arabic letter "N" (which looks like a "U" with a dot above it).

ISIS uses this, "N" when wanting to identify Nasrani, or Nazarene, followers of Christ.

In the Middle East today . . . it means persecution and death for your fellow Christians.

But I'm asking you today to let me send you a Nasrani Pin to show you stand with persecuted Christians overseas . . . to show you stand for Jesus and His people anywhere . . . and to show you stand with FRC against the growing persecution here as well.

When ISIS terrorists—Islamic jihadist radicals—enter towns in northern Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East, they find out where the Christians live and work.

The terrorists issue a three-way ultimatum: Convert to Islam . . . or pay a crushing religious tax that many can't afford . . . or be brutally executed.

And if the Christians won't renounce their faith?

Their home or business is marked with the "N." They are marked as Nasrani: followers of Jesus of Nazareth. And they pay a heavy price.

Christian children, moms, dads, the elderly are being massacred. Some are crucified. Some are beheaded. Some are shot. Some are bled to death by having their throats cut as they are held still. Some are tortured before enduring any of these deaths.

They are the Nasrani martyrs.

They will not renounce their Lord.

Will you stand with them today? Will you claim the same Nasrani mark? Will you stand with FRC's efforts to wake up the slumbering U.S. government and United Nations to their plight . . . even as FRC also stands against persecution of Christians in America?

When you support FRC's efforts to stand for religious freedom—in other words, to stand for persecuted Christians in the United States as well as overseas—I will send you a Nasrani Pin as my thank you.

So far so good. I don't believe anyone should be physically attacked, murdered, or terrorized simply because of their faith. I actually commend FRC for bringing attention to this. BUT then the letter adds the following:

Clemson coach disassociates himself from anti-gay group after backlash from SC lgbts, allies

Dabo Swinney

In terms of lgbt activism, states like New York and California or the cities therein seem to grab all of the attention.

It's easy to forget that other states have lgbt activists who fight the good fight and generally win.

Take South Carolina for example, where folks got together and convinced Clemson's football coach Dabo Swinney not to attend an event held by an anti-gay group:

After protests over Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney's scheduled attendance at an event for a conservative group that opposes gay marriage, Swinney said Wednesday he is not taking part.

"After much thought, in order to avoid a distraction for the team and the entire football program, I've decided it is in the best interests of all involved that I not attend the event on June 2," he told The Huffington Post in a statement.

 . . . Swinney was scheduled to be honored June 2 at a fundraiser in Columbia, South Carolina, by the council, which says its "vision is to transform the culture in South Carolina by promoting the values and virtues of marriage, the traditional family model, and sexual purity."

GLAAD Vice President of Programs Zeke Stokes said in a statement: "Coach Swinney has an obligation to the players he leads and all students who attend Clemson to use his considerable profile to promote causes that bring us together, not tear us apart. The Palmetto Family Council's values are out of line with the values of love and acceptance for all people, and I hope the Coach will reconsider the message that his alignment with them sends."

Earlier, LGBT supporters, led by student William Ta'oma, launched a Change.org petition calling for Swinney to reconsider the invitation 

Even a state legislator, Todd Rutherford, called for Swinney to turn down the invite:

“I find it highly inappropriate that Coach Swinney would appear at a fundraiser for an organization that is so openly discriminatory and politically motivated,” the House Minority Leader said in a statement published by The State. “I cannot fathom why Coach Swinney or anyone else would knowingly assist a group whose mission is to fight against equal rights and equal treatment of others.”

Jeffy Ayers, interim director of SC Equality, praised Swinney's decision to withdraw.  “We commend Coach Swinney for having the courage to stand up and show this respect for diversity," he said. “Clemson students, alumni, faculty, and staff come from all walks of life, and we rely on role models like Coach Swinney to show the world that South Carolina’s community leaders will not stand for intolerance and hate.”

So this is somewhat of a victory, but I have a caveat.

The Palmetto Family Council goes way beyond opposing marriage equality. It also pushes totally inaccurate information about lgbts. On the portion of its webpage talking about "sexuality," PFC links to a Family Research Council brochure entitled The Top Ten Harms of Same-Sex Marriage. This brochure is filled with errors, including distortions of legitimate scientific work and studies deliberately taken out of context.

In addition, PFC also links to the discredited organization NARTH, or the  National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality. This group promotes the unproven idea that people can change their sexual orientation. This theory has been condemned by many legitimate scientific groups, such as the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Psychological Association.

Those protesting against Swinney's appearance at the PFC event actually did him a favor. He would have been helping to promote the above mess by his appearance.

And what message would that send to lgbt football players he could potentially coach?

'Ireland vote for marriage equality affirms religious beliefs' & other Wednesday midday news briefs

Why Thousands Of Catholics Voted For Marriage Equality In Ireland - Marriage equality being passed via a referendum in Ireland was not a repudiation of the Catholic Church but an affirmation of the Catholic religion. Discuss.  

Ireland Gay Marriage Vote Is A 'Defeat For Humanity,' Vatican Official Says - Speaking of the Catholic Church, they aren't exactly pouring champagne over the passage of marriage equality in Ireland. 

Don't fall for Marco Rubio's phony fear of so-called 'intolerant' gays - Repeating my post from last night because it just sticks in my craw that Marco Rubio can get away with labeling gays as intolerant on a program owned by a man who falsely blamed gays for 9/11 (Pat Robertson) and NO ONE in the media notes the irony. 

 Audio: Will you please stop 'attacking' NOM president for saying your sexual orientation, family are 'disordered'? - Yeah, cause that sort of thing is . . . "intolerant" . . . I guess. 

 More Advertisers Drop '19 Kids And Counting' In Wake Of Child Molestation Scandal - Cash. Rules. Everything.  

Roy Moore: Impeach Ruth Bader Ginsburg Over Gay Marriage Case - And in similar news, I want that hot movie writer and producer Mike White to come knocking on my door with wedding ring in hand. Doesn't mean it's going to happen.

Don't fall for Marco Rubio's phony fear of so-called 'intolerant' gays

Sen. Rubio exploits his faith to obscure bigotry.

"Claiming that gays are intolerant on a television show owned by the man who falsely blamed gays for the worst terrorist attack on American soil strikes me as something an actual Christian couldn't do with a straight face.But Rubio did with not only a straight face but also with a figurative fake halo over his head."

There is no polite way to put this so I am just going to come out and say it.

Senator Marco Rubio is a liar. He is a charlatan. He is a fraud who is no different than so many so-called Bible-believing Republicans who exploit religion and "their faith" in an effort to provide cover for their homophobia.

Today, he was given a friendly interview on Pat Robertson's 700 Club in which he played "the game" pretty good. Amongst other things, he said:

“We are at the water’s edge of the argument that mainstream Christian teaching is hate speech,” he explained, “because today we’ve reached the point in our society where if you do not support same-sex marriage, you are labeled a homophobe and a hater. So what’s the next step after that, after they’re done going after individuals? The next step is to argue that the teachings of mainstream Christianity, the catechism of the Catholic Church, is hate speech. That’s a real and present danger.”

The "game" I speak of  has been played on many occasions and by many people from one-note politicians to two-bit media hacks with badly researched books to sell. It's the claim that gays are actually the intolerant ones and that we are automatically labeling "Christians" as haters and bigots if we don't agree with their speech or beliefs.

It's a deliberate tactic used by those against marriage equality  and it is designed to take attention away from the actual folks we should be concerned about, i.e. same-sex families and their children.

And the tactic also has a much more nefarious purpose. It also takes attention away from a crucial part of the battle over marriage equality and lgbt equality in general. Rubio and those on his side can take about their "faith" continuously, but note that while they do this, they never talk about their tactics.

Tactics like deliberately playing the African-American and gay community against one another,

or implying that marriage equality will corrupt and indoctrinate children, even while one of their leaders said that this idea was a deliberate lie,

or attempting to deceive the Supreme Court with a phony study speaking about the so-called negative effects of same-sex households.

Even if you didn't talk about these things, one shouldn't forget whose program on which Rubio chose to espouse his faith. The 700 Club, owned by Pat Roberston, i.e. the same man who (along with the late Jerry Falwell) blamed 9/11 partly on gays.

Claiming that gays are intolerant on a television show owned by the man who falsely blamed gays for the worst terrorist attack on American soil strikes me as something an actual Christian couldn't do with a straight face.

But Rubio did with not only a straight face but also with a figurative fake halo over his head.

And even if one ignored all of those things, Rubio still has some explaining to do regarding the host of one of his fundraisers who has ties to an African dictator who endorsed gay beheadings.

Naturally, Rubio won't mention these offenses committed by those on his side of the argument or himself.  He will just drone on and on about his faith and how he feels that his beliefs are in danger of being labeled as "intolerant." Meanwhile, people will ignore the tactics those on his side commit, which are the reasons why they are referred to as bigots or homophobes.

It's not Rubio's beliefs which are the problem. It's what he may be deliberately omitting that's the problem. That is crux of the matter. That is the reason why Rubio is such a fake Christian  in a congregation of evangelical and ecclesiastical liars. He is the epitome of what religious right conservatives are in contrast to what they claim to be.

Don't be deceived by people like Rubio. Their eyes may be looking towards heaven, but you can't mistake the smell of brimstone on their bodies.

'Conservatives, religious right learn NOTHING from Josh Duggar scandal' & other Tuesday midday news briefs

Marco Rubio: Gay Rights 'A Real And Present Danger' To Freedom - Conservatives, religious right learn NOTHING from Josh Duggar scandal Part 1 

Religious Right Groups Warn Gay Boy Scout Leaders Will Sexually Molest And Recruit Boys Into Homosexuality - Conservatives, religious right learn NOTHING from Josh Duggar scandal Part 2.

Texas House To Consider Horrific Anti-LGBT Adoption Amendment - It never ends with these people . . . 

Pastor’s Wife Says Josh Duggar Was Just ‘Playing Doctor’ And Blames Victims - Guuuuurrrllllllll!

 Graduation to Womanhood: Being Transgender at a Southern College - Awesome story!! 

Inside Out: Portraits Of Cross-Gender Children' Beautifully Documents Transgender Kids - Wonderful!