Trying to pass brings negative consequences regardless of what some people think

Now I would be the last brotha' to constantly harp on the ignorance of a certain religious right member by the name of Peter LaBarbera . . . .

Oh who am I kidding? Other than exposing the lies of religious right groups, I live for demonstrating just how clueless he is.

I mentioned twice today I have been having ongoing email conversation with LaBarbera (who, according to his own words, has spent over a decade tracking the so-called gay agenda) on his claims about the lgbt community.

We tend to go back and forth because we both refuse to give an inch. There have been, however, many times when LaBarbera has shown himself to be a complete ignoramous.

Our original email conversation was about Anita Bryant. This morning, it drifted to the African-American community and sexual orientation. LaBarbera continued to push the broken record talking point about not being able to choose race while being able to choose sexual orientation.

I pointed out a parallel between how light-skinned black folks tried to pass for white years ago to how some gays try to pass as heterosexuals. This was my exact comment:

I prefer to say that just as some blacks have tried to pass as white, some gays try to pass as straight - both of these actions have negative consequences.

This was LaBarbera's answer to me:

Alvin, you are a twit . . . That is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read. You CANNOT become ex-Black. Period. You can change your sexual behavior.

Seems to me that if LaBarbera wants to be the best friend of the black community, he should be up on black history a little bit.

Some light-skinned African-Americans in the past did try to pass as white because of the racial climate. The ability to pass for white kept them free from violence and made available to them certain opportunities usually not given to African-Americans.

However, being exposed could have meant several things, from violence to loss of home or job to complete rejection from both communities.

And then there were the feelings of guilt and self-hatred felt by many of those who did successfully pass.

Unfortunately while blacks trying to pass as white is a nonexistent occurrence in this country now, gays trying to pass as heterosexuals is still an unfortunate happening.

The negative consequences are the same - the possibility of violence or rejection, the self-hate, and the guilt.

It doesn't matter if we are talking sexual orientation or color. When you feel that you have to hide your true self, it means nothing but trouble.

It's a shame that folks like LaBarbera can't see this simple parallel. And it's an even bigger shame that they do what they can to keep others from seeing it also.

Tuesday midday news briefs

I'm still having those email conversations with our friend, Peter LaBarbera. However, I don't think our exchange is going well for him. He called me a "twit." I'm offended. He called Pam Spaulding and Jeremy Hooper much worse.

Gay marriage will pass state Senate, says Manhattan Sen. Thomas Duane - We can only hope.

Cheney Comes Out for Gay Marriage, State-by-State - Emperor Palpatine comes out for marriage equality? Paging Rod Serling!

Indiana removes gay white men from HIV/AIDS funding priorities - What the hell!

REMINDER: First-ever UAFA Senate Hearings this Wednesday 10:00am - Keep your fingers crossed on this one.

Obama declares June 'LGBT Pride Month' - Okay I know I'm going to catch a bit of hell for being so late on this. Other blogs covered this yesterday. However, my blog is different. I'm focusing on the issue from the lying perspective of One News Now. The comments are a hoot!

Interracial dating and homosexuality - two health risks?

I've been having a very interesting email exchange with Peter LaBarbera regarding his stigmatization of the lgbt community.

For LaBarbera, every lie he tells is justifiable because of his belief that gay men have "health risks" greater than that of heterosexuals. In fact, it's something he likes to highlight every chance he gets:

“Barack Obama’s homosexual agenda is beginning to take shape – but he has no election mandate to impose GLSEN’s radical vision of celebrating homosexuality, bisexuality and gender confusion (transsexuality) in U.S. schools,” LaBarbera said. “Anti-religious bigots should not be setting policy for schools — and promoting dangerous sex and gender identities to youth is the antithesis of ‘safety.’ (Men who have sex with other men (MSM) suffer from much higher rates of sexual diseases – including anal cancer, HIV, syphilis, and gonorrhea — than non-MSMs.)

Also:

LaBarbera also argues that many liberal school districts teach false facts about AIDS. He says they imply that everyone is at equal risk for contracting the disease -- even though in 2005 71 percent of U.S. male AIDS cases involved homosexuals. He contends that many American young people are not being informed about other health risks associated with homosexuality either -- such as increased infections of the Hepatitis B or C virus and the herpes virus. "We have all this evidence out there that homosexual behavior is dangerous," the activist point out, "and yet our politically correct elites are promoting gay identity" to teens and children.

And he is not the only one to assert this "gays are dangerous because of their behavior" claim:

If there was ever a clarion call for our entire society to say with one united voice that homosexual behavior is a danger to health and should be discouraged at all costs, this is it. We've found one voice as a society with regard to drug use and drunk driving; it's time we find it with regard to homosexual behavior. - Bryan Fischer

In fact, multiple studies have established that homosexual conduct, especially among males, is considerably more hazardous to one’s health than a lifetime of chain smoking. - Matt Barber

The "homosexuality is a health risk" factoid is a popular talking point in religious right circles. It stems from manipulating legitimate medical information regarding disease and the lgbt community. Rather than go into detail about just how this information is manipulated, I'm going to take another route.

I found this video on youtube. I dare anyone to tell me the difference between it and the nonsense about the supposed "health risks of homosexuality" factoid pushed by the religious right:

'Fistgate' and President Obama - religious right pushes a pitiful attempt of guilt by association

Members of the religious right are upset today over the appointment of GLSEN(Gay Straight Lesbian Education Network) founder Kevin Jennings as Assistant Deputy Secretary in the Office of Safe Schools.

This means a huge smile has crossed over my face. Anything that drives the religious right nuts is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. And for the longest time, Jennings and GLSEN has been the unremovable pebble in the religious right's shoe.

GLSEN deals with the safety of lgbt students and also helped to found the Day of Silence, an annual event commemorating the struggles of our lgbt youth in America's schools.

The Day of Silence has been an annual humbling event for the religious right. They have tried many times to undermine the event from creating an unsuccessful counterpart event (the Day of Truth) to encouraging parents to keep children out of school during the Day of Silence; a bigger flop than the Day of Truth.

Today, One News Now published an article criticizing the appointment via the words of anti-gay activist and Mission America head Linda Harvey:

A conservative activist says the appointment of the founder of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network to head the U.S. Education Department's Office of Safe Schools is the equivalent of putting O.J. Simpson in charge of women's safety.

Harvey, who by the way is a former advertising executive before forming Mission America - meaning she has no credibility to make any comments about Jennings's appointment, referred to an alleged event that took place under the auspicies of GLSEN:

Harvey finds it ironic that President Obama's new "safe schools" czar is a leading proponent of an extremely unsafe, destructive lifestyle.

"They are the people involved in the infamous 'Fistgate' programs in Massachusetts where public health officials were describing dangerous, high-risk behaviors to very young teenagers," she says. "Again, this was a GLSEN-sponsored program."

Our favorite anti-gay spokesperson, Peter LaBarbera, made a comment about the same event:

GLSEN founder who presided over ‘Fistgate’ scandal; Jennings’ group has corrupted and endangered students by exposing them to “queer” perversions

I've heard about this "Fistgate" several times when trolling anti-gay sites. Apparently religious right supporters reference the event as proof that gays are allegedly trying to lead children into dangerous acts.

Like all claims of the religious right, "Fistgate" is a huge lie.

The first thing you need to know is that this situation was blown out of proportion by a familiar person - Brian Camenker of Mass Resistance.

Mass Resistance was the group behind the David Parker controversy, in which a parent, David Paker, falsely claimed that he was arrested for trying to keep his son from being taught homosexuality.

The truth was a bit more complicated. If you want to read the full story, go here.

But the story in a nutshell is that Parker and Camenker worked together to orchestate a situation in which Parker was arrested and Camenker was there to take pictures and spread his version of the story.

"Fistgate" was not as complicated but it is still a nasty situation.

First of all, Jennings did not "preside over" the so-called "Fistgate" scandal. He wasn't even there.

In 2000, Mass Resistance, entered unauthorized in a state conference, "Teach-Out," that was sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Education, the Governor’s Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth, and the GLSEN. This conference was held at Tufts University.

Included among the conference-goers were preadolescents, some as young as 12, who were (like the rest of Teach-Out's attendees) allowed to ask questions about sex in a safe environment.

One student asked what fisting was, and was answered with an explanation. This led the incident to be dubbed "Fistgate" by Camenker and others. A person working for Camenker's organization, Scott Whiteman, taped some of the students without their knowledge. As a result of the outcry that was generated when parents heard tapes of the event, Margot Abels, a state employee who participated in the discussion, and two other state employees were fired.

Abels later sued the Massachusetts Department of Education, Camenker, and Whiteman for "violating her civil rights and the state's antiwiretapping law."

In 2001, she was not only reinstated but was also given back pay via arbitration. The arbitrator, Marc Greenbaum ruled that:

Abels was not acting on behalf of the Department of Education, but said the department had knowledge of and "supported" her participation in the presentation.

He also said:

that her participation was "authorized by her superiors, and her conduct, while controversial, did not violate then-established department guidelines."

And here is my favorite part, regarding the tape:

He also said that the tape was "misleading" because portions of it, which contained "important messages about AIDS prevention, abstinence, postponement, alternative forms of sexual intimacy and the need for students to enforce their own boundaries of personal security," were missing.

So what this all boils down to is a case of guilt by association perpetrated by members of the religious right on Jennings. And if you don't pardon me for saying so, a very bad case of guilt by association.

Pitiful, pitiful, pitiful.

Is this the best they can do?

Monday midday news briefs

Hey Maine: Do you really want to lend your name to gay 'conversion'? - As soon as we win Maine, here come the wolves.

Compromise reached on NH gay marriage bill - Sometimes you have to chop a tree a few more times before it falls.

Lawmakers reject veto of partnership bill - Two words - HOT DAMN!

Join Us! Today Is Blogging for LGBT Families Day - Let's celebrate and support our families.

George Tiller and the DHS Report - Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for the religious right to raise hell about this report after all.

GLSEN founder overseeing safety of nation's schools? - Based on the first sentence of this piece, One News Now hasn't learned anything from George Tiller's murder: "A conservative activist says the appointment of the founder of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network to head the U.S. Education Department's Office of Safe Schools is the equivalent of putting O.J. Simpson in charge of women's safety."

Hatred never rests

I received this lovely bit of trash in the mail this weekend via the Family Research Council. I took the liberty to bolden a few words:

Stop the Attempts to Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act
May 29, 2009 Share with Friends

"If You and Others Protect This Law, National Same-Sex Marriage Is Impossible . . ."

Dear Alvin,

In the past few months, the Left has launched an angry, intolerant rush to try to destroy America's resolve to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

They've attacked a Christian young lady in a beauty pageant for speaking out for marriage. They've been whipped into a frenzy as radicals on the Iowa and Connecticut supreme courts and in the Vermont , Maine and New Hampshire legislatures have moved to legalize counterfeit marriage in those states.

They rejoiced when the Washington , DC city council voted to recognize same-sex "marriages" from other states.

They're trying to make homosexual marriage seem "inevitable."

But it's not inevitable.

That's largely because of a 1996 law called the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). With leadership from Family Research Council and our allies, it passed Congress with 85 percent majorities and was signed by President Clinton.

Please stand with FRC Action to stop President Barack Obama and radicals in Congress from their attempt to repeal or weaken the Defense of Marriage Act.

The Defense of Marriage Act stops radical judges from forcing all of America to accept counterfeit marriage just because extremist officials in five states have legalized it.

But if the President Obama and extremists in Congress like Nancy Pelosi abolish or weaken DOMA, then counterfeit marriages will spread and become the law of the land-whether you and a majority of Americans like it or not.

They don't want to awaken pro-family Americans, so they may not use one bill to destroy DOMA. They may dismantle it piece by piece via stealth tactics such as amendments to other bills or federal regulations. There are no less than 15 bills currently in Congress that seek to undermine DOMA, many of them have been fastracked.

That's why I'm asking you to send a donation to support FRC Action's tireless efforts on Capitol Hill to stop Barack Obama and his extremist allies from repealing or weakening DOMA.

And I need to hear from you immediately.

Pro-family Americans like you passed DOMA. It was your victory-for your values. Don't let the angry forces of the fringe Left take it away.

If DOMA is abolished or weakened and counterfeit marriage is spread nationally by radical judges, then:

Children in elementary school will be required to learn that homosexual marriage and same-sex behavior are normal and good ... and that their parents or pastors are bigots if they oppose it. It's happening where counterfeit marriage is legal.

Religious charities that oppose homosexual marriage could be forced to close -it happened to Catholic Charities' adoption services in Massachusetts because they refused to hand over innocent orphans to "married" same-sex couples.

Their goal is to silence the moral voices of America. Our social fabric will unravel.

With your donation, FRC Action will work faithfully to protect marriage in Washington and the states. We'll also remind members of Congress that

the vast majority of Americans oppose homosexual "marriage"

30 of 30 states where citizens have voted have upheld marriage as between a husband and a wife

45 states currently favor keeping marriage between a man and a woman

even the radicals in Iowa , Vermont and Maine could be overruled by voters.

But we must act now to counter the propaganda. Thank you for your prayers, petitions, and contribution to stop this immediate threat.

Standing (Ephesians 6:13),

Tony Perkins
President


This email was sent out before the murder of Dr. George Tiller, but it still is food for thought. True Christians don't need to stoop to such ugly rhetoric to get their points across.

Insane rhetoric that led to George Tiller's death needs to stop

This is not an lgbt issue per se, but it can be seen as related to us in a way:

Dr. George Tiller, a Kansas doctor whose clinic received national attention for performing late-term abortions, was shot to death as he entered his Wichita church on Sunday.

"Members of the congregation who were inside the sanctuary at the time of the shooting were being kept inside the church by police," the Wichita Eagle reported, "and those arriving were being ushered into the parking lot."

Media reports said the suspected killer fled the scene in a blue Taurus. Police described him as a white male in his 50s or 60s.

Tiller was not necessarily a favorite person of the religious right, especially the folks at One News Now. The news site ran a plethora of articles about Tiller; none of which were exactly unbiased:

George Tiller, a man many pro-lifers call "Tiller the baby killer," received a standing ovation at the Feminist Majority Foundation's annual Women's Leadership Conference held recently at the NEA's headquarters in Washington, DC. During his talk, Tiller attempted to justify his work by showing the approving audience pictures of babies he had aborted who had fetal abnormalities. The Feminist Majority Foundation then announced it was launching a new campaign designed to keep Tiller's Wichita, Kansas, abortion mill open. - Tiller's appearance at NEA-hosted event draws pro-lifers' attention, March 26, 2008

Calling it a tragic injustice for all law-abiding Kansans, a pro-life activist is dismayed that a grand jury in Wichita has failed to indict infamous abortionist George Tiller on criminal charges related to performing illegal late-term abortions. - Abortionist Tiller off the hook, May 7, 2008

A Kansas jury has found notorious abortionist, George Tiller, not guilty on all counts. - Tiller found not guilty: Pro-life forces vow to continue fight, March 28, 2009

And the comments by its readers, no doubt instigated by these articles, were equally horrendous:

Tiller should should be executed for these deaths. If the babies had been live births and full-term babies, he would have the death penalty. God knows how many he actually murdered in his career

Kansas people: you are not powerless to elect better government leaders and judges!! Do your job! I know there are Christians in Kansas-speak up! If you don't, God will continue to bring His wrath upon you. Do you think it is by shear coincidence that your state is going bankrupt?

Considering the abortion industry is all about the almighty dollar! I am really suprised the funeral directors & owners are not having a fit about all the revenue they are losing buy these abortionists, just throwing these bodies away with out a proper buriel(spel?). Can you believe all the revenue being wasted? Why doesn't Obama tax the heck out of abortions to balance the budget?

Would someone please explain to me how this man was acquitted and still has a license to practice medicine??? I am absolutely mortified!! I cannot believe that anyone/any judge, would/could let this man get away with these crimes. I know this man will pay for his crimes in eternity, but I will be praying for him to pay for his crimes here on earth as well.

Tiller needs to face the death penalty.

I live in Kansas. Thank God that someone is finally able to stick it to Tiller. Kline tried his best. Now that Gov. Sebelius will be off to Washington, she won't be able to protect Tiller to get his donations. Still, I don't understand how mass murder can be deemed a misdemeanor?

You see, this is the reason why I get spooked when One News Now publishes misleading articles and columns accusing President Obama of being a socialist or helps to sponsor those awful "tea parties" designed to demonize him.

This is why the hair on the back of my neck stands up when One News Now publishes article after article falsely saying that hate crimes legislation will lead to pastors getting arrested, or scaring their readers with the lies about gays "trying to indoctrinate" children.

This rhetoric will always sooner or later lead to something. It's like a car speeding towards a cliff.

I am not suggesting that One News Now actually told readers to murder Tiller, but in all honesty, the rhetoric emanating from the site contributed to a climate that made someone think that it was perfectly acceptable to gun down a man at his church.

When you create monsters, you also create those who want to kill the perceived monsters.

The site's rhetoric needs to be toned down. And there needs to be less of a bias from its articles. One News Now no doubt sees itself as representing the Christian point of view in America but how it is Christian to get people so worked up that they advocate violence as an ethical solution?

It's definitely something to think about.

Last, but certainly not least, my prayers go out to the Tiller family. And I hope that the authorities find whomever committed this awful crime.

UPDATE - It's just as bad on Free Republic.

Know your lgbt history - I Got Da Hook Up

Sometimes one doesn't have to look far in the past to find hideous images of lgbts in movies and television. This monstrosity (which I won't even dignify with a back story) came out in 1998

The scene in question (beginning at 2:37) just defies description. And the sad thing about it is that BET (Black Entertainment Television) was showing this movie Wednesday with the scene included. Of course the network blocked out the profanity and racial slurs.

Too bad it didn't do the same thing with the disrespetful lgbt images.

Friday midday news briefs

Gay Teen Receives Prom Queen Crown - It's the story everyone is talking about (it's driving the folks at Free Republic nuts), so I figure what the heck.

Black Leaders Step Up for Equality - I love this story, particularly what Maya Angelou did. Her actions should send a message on how we should fight for not only marriage equality but lgbt rights in general in the black community.

Widespread Acceptance of Gay Marriage Just a Matter of Time - And I hope it comes in time for me to buy my outfit and pick my groom.

Plane silly: Kick and screaming for bias - This is a damn shame. I usually emulate crazy sistas. I don't think I will emulating this one (okay except for the part about being carried by two hunky men).

Palin's Hometown Newspaper Declares the Antichrist Will Be Homosexual - Okay who told them my secret? Well if something should happen to anyone involved with that newspaper (such as hanging themselves at a birthday party, getting staked in front of a church, getting thrown out of a hospital window, getting decapitated, having a crow pecking out their eyes right before getting hit by a truck on a lonely highway, getting caught between two freights of a train, getting cut in half in an elevator) I didn't do it. Editor's note - if you saw The Omen and Damien Omen II then you should get this joke

LaBarbera, Americans for Truth having money problems

One of our favorite anti-gay activists, Peter LaBarbera and his group Americans for Truth seem to be having money problems.

Now before you continue to read this, stop your laughing and get that smile off of your face. It's not that I feel sorry for LaBarbera. I just don't want anyone to take what's happening lightly. If LaBarbera's group is truly having money problems, then I'm glad because it's one less liar the lgbt community has to worry about.

For years, LaBarbera via various groups (Americans for Truth is only the latest) has unfairly attacked and maligned the lgbt community under the guise of Christian values. This situation is truly a case of karma biting him in the ass.

However, I am reluctant to talk about it. I don't our reaction to elicit sympathy for LaBarbera and thereby generate a way for him to get out of his alleged financial hole.

But since this blog is mostly geared on the lies of the religious right, I will steer towards this story, albeit slightly cautiously.

LaBarbera's piece was supposed to be about civil unions. But apparently he included a rambling plea for money by saying the following:

Dear Readers,

I am writing to ask your help to lift Americans For Truth about Homosexuality (AFTAH) out of a financial crisis, but also to you to do your part to lift America out of her moral crisis. If you support Americans For Truth, it’s probably because you appreciate our direct approach to the problem of homosexual activism. We at AFTAH don’t play politically correct games by trying so hard not to offend anyone that we water down Truth. No, we just tell it like it is, and the homosexual activists hate us for it.

Every day, I receive vicious letters like this from an e-mail containing the name Seth Yatovitz (who gave his e-mail name as “Jesus”) [WARNING: VULGAR]:

Thank You ….For letting me know who you are so I can ream you in your ass even though I am straight. Burn in Hell Father [F–ker]! God loves everyone, even gay people like Jesus! I will be saying prayers for your enlightenment even though you disgust me more than any deviant sexual act ever could. Gays are NOT child molesters, they are the children of God.

Day in, day out, Americans For Truth gets bashed by hate-filled bloggers who strangely see themselves as “tolerant.” Of course, there is the childish name-calling (”Porno Pete”) and the lies (I’m a self-loathing, secret homosexual, you know). One godless “leatherman” was so angered by AFTAH’s role in exposing and closing down a homosexual “pig sex” orgy in a Washington, D.C. hotel that he posted a piece titled, “Peter LaBarbera Wants to Have Sweaty Mansex with Every One of You”

Someone should tell LaBarbera that Maggie Gallagher has already cornered the market on the "gays are unfairly calling me names" talking point.

LaBarbera then continues to play the victim and accuses the lgbt community of "destroying" people who speak out against us:

. . . it’s hard to stay committed to truth and principle knowing that a tiny but powerful army of homosexual militants will target you as a “homophobe” and a “bigot” — and try to destroy your career — if you publicly disagree with them. This is precisely what they did to Rick Warren (who appears to be caving), Dr. Laura Schlessinger, and – back in the 1970’s – a brave Christian woman named Anita Bryant.

Maybe that statement reveals why Americans for Truth is having monetary problems. Anita Bryant was a homophobe and a bigot.

For the benefit of the young folks who may not know, Bryant led a successful repeal of a pro-gay ordinance in Florida during the 1970s. Calling the campaign, Save our Children, Bryant used fear and ignorance to unfairly link gays to pedophiles. She consistently said statements like the following:

"As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must recruit our children"

Bryant villified thousands of lgbts through her ignorance and hatred. Some of us are still angry over what happened as we should be. For LaBarbera to call her a brave Christian doesn't get me angry. It makes me sad that he considers the standard for being a Christian to be so low.

I guess LaBarbera thinks the commandment about not bearing false witness is irrelevant when fighting the alleged gay agenda.

LaBarbera even promises a gift to those who send money:

If you will help Americans For Truth with a tax-deductible gift of $25 or more, we will send you a free copy of the hard-cover book Homosexuality: A Freedom Too Far, by the late Charles Socarides, a man who dedicated his life to understanding homosexuality and helping people overcome it.

He would have done better to offer a free album like Jim Bakker used to do at PTL. At least that would have been more credible.

For the record here are a few facts about Socarides that LaBarbera will never tell you:

- he helped to found NARTH (National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality) which is mostly ignored by the scientific community because of its advocacy of reparative therapy (i.e. ex-gay therapy) and its members' tendency to distort credible information.

- he had suggested that serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was an extreme example of a gay man, writing "Every homosexual who wants to incorporate the body of his male lover is utilizing the same mental mechanism: incorporation. Most homosexuals are content to do this symbolically. Dahmer was psychotic; he took his homosexual disorder beyond the limits."

- for all of his talking about "curing lgbts," Socarides's son was not only openly gay but also special assistant to President Bill Clinton and White House liaison to the gay community.

In short, no one took Socarides seriously.

Something LaBarbera can no doubt empathize with.

Thursday musings

This is a slow, lazy day so I'm going to make a few quick comments regarding lgbt issues and world issues in general

- First, a word to President Obama:

Dear President Obama, please address the situation regarding Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Proposition 8, or any of the promises you made regarding lgbt rights. I mean really -I'm starting to feel like Bart Simpson in that episode of about Camp Krusty.

And stop cracking side jokes. You screw up every time you attempt it.

- I'm convinced that Maggie Gallagher and NOM is a sleeper organization for lgbt rights. I haven't gotten the latest memo from national headquarters but I will stake all of my Bette Davis and Joan Crawford movies on it.

- Matt Barber of Liberty University - since I suspect that you google your name from time to time to see how many webpages have mentioned you (don't be ashamed because I do it too), this is for your benefit. Despite the fact that you are absolutely morally wrong on the issue of lgbts and have told many lies, you are a cutie . . . SIKE!!!!! I may be gay but I will never be desperate . . . in daylight hours that is.

- I suspect that pretty soon, Republicans will be blaming hopefully soon-to-be Supreme Court justie Sonia Sotomayor for the American Idol/AT&T scandal. I happen to know for a fact that she didn't do it. She was busy plotting against Carrie Prejean.

- Food for thought: This is one of the comments from the One News Now phony story, TX 'hate crimes' bill targets children:

Do we not remember the story of Saddam and Gomorrah?

And here I thought we were just blaming him for weapons of mass destruction

Finally, the following is too funny for words. Just watch it:

NOM blows it again and other news briefs

National Organization for Marriage blows it again!



This is funny. Not only did the National Organization for Marriage distort the facts in this commercial (i.e. the situation in California where students went to the same-sex wedding of their teacher got permission from their parents to be there - the commercial conveniently omitted that fact), but at the end of the commercial, there are several typos:



Hat tip to Goodasyou.org - Sorry Jeremy but I had to borrow it. It's just too funny to keep on one site.

Okay stop laughing and pay attention to the other news briefs:

Footage From May 26, 2009 California Marches And Rallies - This footage is awesome. There is nothing like a galvanized community working to change things the right way.

RI poll: 60% support marriage - They support it in Rhode Island. The elected officials need to get with it.

TX 'hate crimes' bill targets children - A new lie about hate crimes protections courtesy of One News Now.

Matt Barber - no hate crimes protections for ANYBODY

The question that always seems to be ignored by the religious right is if hate crimes legislation is not a good idea for the lgbt community, then what about in cases of religion and race - two categories that do have hate crimes protection.

Liberty Counsel's Matt Barber has finally answered that question via a column in Town Hall.

Apparently he believes in a scorched earth policy, i.e. if sexual orientation and gender identity have to be protected under hate crimes legislation, then there should be no hate crimes legislation at all:

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle - in Washington and around the country - should not only reject S. 909, but should also begin working toward repeal of all state and federal hate-crimes laws.

. . . When the 1968 federal hate-crimes bill passed, there were multiple and verifiable cases of local prosecutors refusing to indict whites for violent crimes committed against blacks. This was the justification for the law at the time.

We've moved well beyond those days, and FBI statistics bear out that reality. In today's America, every citizen, without fail, is both guaranteed and granted equal protection of the law regardless of race, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, dominant hand, favorite color or "American Idol" pick. This renders all extraneous hate-crimes laws woefully obsolete and fatally discriminatory.

And he, of course, continues to repeat that lie that Matthew Shepard was not targeted and murdered because of his sexual orientation.

It's not a challenge anymore to refute Barber on this point. His constant inaccurate statements about Shepard's death is like someone saying that the sky is not blue during a sunny day.

In layman's terms - NO ONE BELIEVES YOUR LIES, MATT! Every time you tell that lie about Shepard's death, you lose the little bit of credibility that you do have.

Heck, even the commentators aren't interested in Barber's bleatings. Usually Town Hall columns elicit a plethora of responses. Barber's column at last count has only 12.

I wonder if the rest of the religious right will echo Barber's scorched earth policy.

Hat tip to People for the American Way's Religious Right Watch. Also, check out how the site refutes Barber's lie about the number of hate crimes perpetrated against lgbts.

My column on black prides to run in The State newspaper

This is the good news I hinted about last night:

Last week, I received word that a column I wrote regarding black prides will run in the State newspaper. Most likely the column will appear next month just in time for SC Black Pride (June 18-21). The column will run as either a daily Online Extra or part of the State's online Saturday Opinion Extra package.

I have told only a few friends and was going to announce it on this blog last week. But then the Proposition 8 thing happened and I held back.

The last thing I needed was someone to spoil my good news by saying that my column running in the State is not as important as the Proposition 8 case.

But it is important. As far as I know this will be the first time that the State newspaper will address lgbt issues from an African-American gay man's perspective on its editorial pages.

They also wanted a picture of me to appear with the column. And I should tell you that it's not one of my best but I like it for that reason. I don't look like the usual gay activist one sees in the magazines and on television. My glasses are huge, my hair is wild and I don't look "All-American," so to speak.

Another thing that's important about this column is that it totally avoids the distractive issue of comparing the black civil rights movement to the gay rights movement. It focuses solely on how lgbts of color are ignored in the mainstream African-American community and how this endangers us. I made it a point to address this issue several times, including calling out hypocrisies and expressing the "Native Son" theory of community self esteem made by black author Richard Wright.

So despite the Proposition 8 decision, I continue to be in a good mood. I personally think a step forward has been made.

I will let you all know when the column is published.

Wednesday afternoon news briefs

This is what happens when I miss a day of work. I get waaaay behind and have to catch up. Oh well, I apologize for the lateness of these news briefs

Prop 8 crazy in the Blend mailbag - Now I'm never one to pay attention to the opposition gloating in my face but in light of how the religious right exploited the Proposition 8 anger in November, take a look at what some folks had to say to us. Gloating is so un-Christian.

Ted Olson, better known as the devil, is now better than our president on gay marriage - And suddenly the world gets crazy.

Back on the ballot in CA in 2010? - This is the way to go!

Calif. high court dug its own hole, jumped in - Courtesy of One News Now, these folks are never happy. Reminds me of an ex.

How the Prop 8 Ruling Will Help Gay Marriage - I know folks will probably resent this piece because they are swept up in self pity and tears. WELL GET OVER IT FOLKS!! Did you think it was going to be easy? The race never belongs to the swift but the one who can stay on course. Keep pushing.

Day after storm yields good discussion on race and sexual orientation

First about President Obama picking Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court - may I never get picked for anything by any sitting president. Folks go through all of your business. I'm not sure I can destroy all of those pictures and videos before they fall into the wrong hands.

Seriously, we are one day removed from the Prop 8 decision and other than a little circular firing, the community seems to be more geared to action. We are galvanized and that ain't a bad thing.

One thing I noticed is how quickly some of us want to get into the intense discussions on the things that hinder our struggle. While I believe that these discussions should take place before something seemingly negative happens, it's still good to have them.

I'm following one on Pam's House Blend that speaks to a problem I know so well:

As someone who is black and lesbian, it's tiring and absurd to encounter the argument that the black civil rights movement somehow exclusively owns the ability to use "civil rights." And the result of that is any challenge to this thinking amounts to stepping on the third rail.

There is no Oppression Olympics that requires a certain level of historic suffering by a group of people to be able to use those words. I refuse to cede them to anyone.

In the Bay State Banner, there is an article by Talia Whyte, "Black gay couples in Mass. mark marriage anniversary," that shows just how black gays, even prominent ones, have had to deal with the issue of being rendered invisible -- but how marriage equality in the state has begun to crack through the wall of homophobia within the black community there.

I've come to the conclusion that any discussions comparing the black civil rights movement and the gay civil rights movement is a distractive argument, i.e. an argument that solves nothing and exists only to make the participants mad at each other.

The problem is that no one is personalizing the lgbt equality struggle in the black community. African-Americans should not support gay civil rights because Dr. King would or Coretta Scott Kng would. And they shouldn't support gay civil rights because Julian Bond and John Lewis would.

African-Americans should support gay civil rights because they have friends and family who would benefit from gay civil rights. Gay rights are a black issue but one would never know that due to the images put out in the media and by our spokespeople.

The gay rights movement is homogenized (i.e. too damn white). Our public image does not speak to the true diversity or the needs of the lgbt community and until someone steps up to change this, we are going to continue to have problems with race in the lgbt community.

Prop 8 ruling is no surprise but no total loss either

My original headline was misleading because I forgot to add one word (total). It's been corrected

The California court has ruled:

The state Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, but also decided that the estimated 18,000 gay couples who tied the knot before the law took effect will stay wed.

The justices rejected an argument from gay-rights activists that the ban revised the California constitution's equal protection clause to such a dramatic degree that it first needed the Legislature's approval.

No surprise there. Those angry at this ruling are calling for protests:

Activists in the San Francisco Bay area, including several clergy members, said they planned to block the street outside the courthouse and to be arrested in a mass show of civil disobedience if the justices did not invalidate Prop 8.

"Words are not enough right now. We believe it's time to put our bodies on the line to show that separate is not equal," said Kip Williams, an activist with One Struggle, One Fight, a group that was launched in response to Proposition 8's passage.

Again not a surprise. I'm all for acts of civil disobedience but only up until the point where they benefit our opposition instead of us. And I continue to cringe to think that people like Matt Barber and Maggie Gallagher are lurking around the blogs to find and exploit comments from righteously indignant lgbts.

But then I'm not totally upset over the ruling. The door of marriage equality has been opened due to the fact that 18,000 lgbt couples remain legally wed. And that door isn't going to close. And I know the religious right isn't happy over that.

Despite the ruling, the momentum is on the side of the lgbt community in this fight. We got good news in several states and several more will follow. This minor setback in California can be alleviated if folks there use their anger to push another referendum that would invalidate Prop 8.

And I think they will.

Meanwhile, the rest of us should continue to fight for our rights to self determination. Remember that marriage equality is only one of many fights that the lgbt community must engage. Down here in South Carolina, we are slowly but surely striving forward.

Most likely next month, the lgbt community here will reach a milestone in communication. It took a long time to reach this point and while I'm not at liberty to say what it is right now (although I may soon), trust when I say that it's a positive step.

The Prop 8 should be seen as a minor negative eruption a huge landscape that can and will be alleviated.

Never forget that regardless of what things look like now, we are going to win in the end.

Tuesday midday news briefs

Mercy this day sucks. I'm home ill and presently having a discussion with one of those Che Guevara types in the community. You know the type - the ones who itching to tell you what they have done for gay rights in the past; all of the marches complete with name dropping of some famous lgbts they feel that you should know.

This day should get really interesting come 1 p.m.

Obama picks Sotomayor for Supreme Court - Gentlemen, hold your noses and start your engines. The conservative bash machine is about to go into overdrive.

Nigel Lythgoe Spews Homophobia on So You Think You Can Dance - On one hand, this could mean something vital. But on the other, it's a diversionary piece of nonsense.

Gov. Schwarzenegger Apparently To Recommend Effectively Closing California State Office Of AIDS - This will be the dumbest thing he has done since The Last Action Hero.

Nevada governor vetoes domestic partnership bill - Nevada governor screws up my Memorial Day holiday.

Nuts to all of this, I'm grabbing a big hunk of chocolate cake and watching a horror movie!

Today is the day so let us pray

This is it. In just a few hours we will know the California court's decision on Prop 8.

I'm hoping for the best but I am prepared for the worst. I've been in prayer about what may happen for several reasons. Regardless of the size of California, I'm not exactly happy that everyone's eyes are on this decision despite the fact that either way it goes down, it won't change anything going on in my state, South Carolina.

I am resentful to a degree of how folks are going to declare the battle for marriage equality either won or loss due to this decision while totally forgetting the fight for lgbt equality in general, especially in the so-called insignificant states such as South Carolina where we recently fought hard to beat back an ugly anti-gay teen dating violence bill.

And I am worried about which way my community will act. If it's a total victory, people are going to spend unnecessary time celebrating while the religious right will be planning their next move.

And if it's not a complete victory, you just know folks are going to act stupid. Anger is good but counterproductive anger is stupid. And I cringe to think of more Phyllis Burgess incidents (i.e. the elderly woman who was pushed at an anti-Prop 8 rally after she began pushing people in order to get in camera. One guess which element of the story folks like Mike Huckabee and Michelle Malkin focused on).

So I await today's news with a degree of indifference and some fear. But my fingers are crossed that good will and intelligence will rule the day.

Not necessarily an lgbt issue but it's funny

As some of us await the Proposition 8 ruling tomorrow, I thought it would be educational and humorous to shine a light on some of our opposition.

This is a forum by that lovely online publication World Net Daily. The forum is devoted to allowing WND readers to ask President Obama questions.

Based on some of these "questions," they seem to like him as much as they like us:

Where is it? Your Live Birth Certificate? I know you do not have one! So how did you get into office? Just because you can read a teleprompter does not qualify you a president! Your arrogance is astounding you say President Bush did not keep us safe and made the terrorists situation worse but were we hit again? Easy yes or no? Answer is NO all you do is apologize for America why? We have done nothing wrong! If you feel the need to apologize so much why are you here in America? You are Muslim so you should go home! As my Grandmother always said your lies will show your true face the one you hide from others.

When I speak on topics at seminars, I know my topic well, if my notes are misplaced or water spills on them, I can keep going, because the topics I speak on are close to my heart; they are friends I want to share with my audience. When your speeches are not properly prompted, you lose your focus and ability to continue intelligently. You should be so well versed in your speeches that you could continue in a typhoon. Do you not know your topics? Or are you speaking someone else's words for them? Who really has your heart?

I would like to know how you turned from Muslim to Christian and now to WHAT??? You have turned your back on Christianity since you took oath. You can lie with that arrogant self righeous attitude with the best of the evil people.
I have not believed one word you said from day one and I am not a Republican!!!

As a "constitutional lawyer", how do you justify holding the office of President of the United States when you have not proven conclusively that you are constitutionally eligible to hold that office?

Mr. Soetoro - my question is by what authority did you assume the office of President? There is no proof that you are a citizen of the United States and certainly not a natural-born citizen as the Constitution requires. What gives you the right to sit in the White House every day NOT upholding your oath of office to support and defend the Constitution? You do remember the Constitution right? The suprewme law of our once-great Republic?

Yo Barry: Since you are the bastard son of a communist whore, and you see yourself as savior of the world, are you going to use your god-like powers to feed the masses after there are no more jobs in which to work to earn money. Or are you going to expect the us stupid Americans to get our food from the foreign aid Saudi Arabia provides? Do we have to cook our rice over open cow dung fires like your ancestors in Kenya? Will your little woman be cooking over cow dung fires?

Hey Hussein,
How is being a usurpin puppet for the Bilderbergs workin for ya??? And how do you sleep at night knowing your days are numbered? Which prison will you pick to live the rest of your joke of a life in?

So Barry, now that you are destroying the nation, murdering babies all over the world, spreading communism to the idiots that voted for you and all in all making yourself the new god, do you have to take a double dose of your anti-psychotic medication in order to reach your happy place? Enjoy it now, Barry. What goes around comes around, the piper always demands payment (and he ain't Allah).

Hey USURPER,
I want you to know you are not my president and wouldn't have been even if you could show proof of citizenship, which we all know now you haven't a snowballs chance..My question to you is, where in the U.S. do you think you'll be able to live after you're escorted out of the White House in cuffs,,you may get your pick of prisons, your a fraud and major law breaking USURPER!!!!!

I think Marge Simpson sent that last one.

And those comments are just from first three pages. There are a lot of people with too much time on their hands.