Church members support pastor's call to imprison gays behind electrified fence

By now, we all know about Pastor Charles Worley of Providence Road Baptist Church, NC and his sermon advocating imprisoning gays within an electrified fence so that we may die out.

But here is another sad part of the story. Members of his congregation support him:



Mark my words. Gays and lesbians are not the destroyers of Christianity. Some of these folks are doing an excellent job of it themselves and if those Christians who are shocked by this just simply stand aside and say nothing, then they are cowards.

It's easy to get angry at this madness but just remember one thing. The more ignorant people talk about destroying others, the more they destroy themselves. Hang tight brothers and sisters!

Hat tip to Towleroad

NAACP attacked by 'The Vultures' for its support of marriage equality

Alveda King is a sad woman living off her uncle's name.

When the NAACP passed a resolution support marriage equality, I knew that THEY were coming.

By "THEY," I am talking about a group of wannabe black leaders who I like to refer to colloquially as "The Vultures."

These folks claim to lead "big time" organizations with important sounding names. Something like "The High Impact Leadership Coalition" or "Brotherhood for a New Destiny" or "Center for Urban Renewal and Education."

I should tell you right now that these organizations are astroturfed. They don't speak for the black community because a vast majority of us have never heard of them. And why should we? Whenever there needs to be a true voice in the black community addressing issues such as poverty or socio-economic equality, these groups are never around.

They exist only as convenient black faces to be trotted out by conservatives or the religious right when it comes to issues of race. These so-called black leaders don't care about the black community because they are too busy telling some whites what they want to hear about the black community.

That's all they do. That's the only reason why they exist.

And in the case of the NAACP accepting marriage equality, these folks are in rare form. Religious Right Watch covers what several of them had to say:

Stephen Broden, a Republican politician who has said that the violent overthrow of the government should be “on the table,” dubbed the NAACP “irrelevant”:

Stephen Broden, pastor of Fair Park Bible Fellowship in Dallas, notes that the black community is suffering from soaring unemployment, an extraordinarily high rate of abortions, a high school drop out rate among black teenagers that is breathtaking, an exploding rate of single parent households and the decimation of black families.

Yet, Broden says, the NAACP is making statements about same-sex marriage. “The NAACP has proven again to be an irrelevant organization as it relates to issues of survival for the black community,” says Broden who co-authored Life at All Costs with King and Gardner. The book addresses issues such as abortion and homosexuality.

Domestic violence perpetrator turned “pro-family” activist Timothy Johnson called on African Americans to ditch the NAACP and join his own group, the Frederick Douglass Foundation:

"When you recognize that the black community is strongly a Christian-based group of people, conservative in most of the things they believe, the NAACP has gone diabolically the opposite direction of tradition of the black community," he states. "[The NAACP] really is doing this in order to stay relevant and in order to build up their revenues as it relates to what they can get from the gay community."


"... I think those individuals who call themselves Christian or call themselves Jewish who are members of the NAACP should denounce the organization, should cancel their membership, and really look for something else or another organization such as the Frederick Douglas Foundation to be affiliated with," he states.

Religious Right Watch also mentions comments by the "Queen Mother" of the group, Alveda King, Martin Luther King, Jr's niece:

Alveda King, as always, tied the topic to the question of abortion rights and claimed to speak for her uncle and other relatives in claiming that the King family has always opposed the “homosexual agenda”:

"Neither my great-grandfather an NAACP founder, my grandfather Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr. an NAACP leader, my father Rev. A. D. Williams King, nor my uncle Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. embraced the homosexual agenda that the current NAACP is attempting to label as a civil rights agenda," says King, founder of King for America and Pastoral Associate for Priests for Life.

"In the 21st Century, the anti-traditional marriage community is in league with the anti-life community, and together with the NAACP and other sympathizers, they are seeking a world where homosexual marriage and abortion will supposedly set the captives free.”

Alveda King is a sad fraud. Practically her entire career has been reaping off of her famous uncle, a man who lived and died when she was a child. I doubt she knew anything about King. I doubt very much that she is aware that one of King's advisers, Bayard Rustin, was an openly gay man. It was Rustin who not only coordinated the March on Washington, but also introduced King to the idea of non-violent resistance.

 I also seriously doubt she knew what was in King's heart when it came to the gay community. However, we do know what she thought of Coretta Scott King, MLK's wife and the person who did know his heart and was also a very vocal ally of the gay community.

Two years ago, when she was asked about Coretta Scott King's support of the gay community, she made a highly inappropriate comment:

"She (Coretta) was married to him (Martin Luther King, Jr.). I've got his DNA. She doesn't. She didn't. She's passed away."

That comment alone gives a great indication of Alveda King's mindset and lack of integrity.

But generally speaking, anyone using Alveda King or any of these other spokespeople or groups as proof that the black community has turned on the NAACP for the organization's support of marriage equality is lying to their readers.

Neither these groups nor their spokespeople never really cared for the NAACP in the first place.

Because to them, it's all about the spotlight.
 

'Astroturfed group of black pastors attacking Obama over marriage equality' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Happy Harvey Milk Day everyone!

North Carolina Anti-Gay ‘Electrified Fence’ Pastor Faces National Backlash - Awwww the poor baby. SOCK IT TO HIM!!!!!!!! And I DARE anyone from the religious right to defend this man.


  Harry Jackson: God punishes marriage supporters, NAACP next; you're not taping this, are you? - Harry Jackson, it seems to me that if your words are Godly, you shouldn't worry about whether or not you are being taped.  

Commentary: Pastor Invokes Bible to Attack Obama - Some may call me racist for this but I don't give a crap. Seems to me that if you are taking a picture of a group of black pastors who are supposed to be standing against President's Obama support for marriage equality, then shouldn't the majority of folks be black pastors rather than two blacks pastors already affiliated with the religious right and NOM (William Owens  and Harry Jackson) and people like Tony Perkins? Can you say fraud? BET socks it to them. Not for that point, but still, it's an excellent commentary.

Justice for Maverick! Student Wins Right to Wear Shirt - Score one for the First Amendment!

Home Depot stands up to the American Family Association during shareholders meeting

Sometimes a simple declaration is all one needs to turn aside a bigoted statement.

Home Depot has been on the "shit list" (so to speak) of the religious right, particularly of the American Family Association because of its participation in gay pride parades and its donations to GLAAD, The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

AFA is presently boycotting the company, demanding that Home Depot "stay neutral" in the so-called culture wars. Of course the irony is that if Home Depot was on AFA's side in the argument, the organization would be defending "it's right to participate."

Recently, AFA spokesman Randy Sharp made a statement to Home Depot chairman Frank Blake, Home Depot's board of directors, and its shareholders during the company's annual shareholder meeting.

Blake's answer to Sharp was neither long nor was it drawn out, but it made things clear how Home Depot stands on the matter. Blake's response to Sharp starts at 3:18 and also hear the voice of support of Blake's statement from a self-identified "married lesbian from Massachusetts:"

Crazy North Carolina pastors? Blame the Amendment One vote

It's been said that during an argument, the first person who accuses the other of being a Nazi is automatically the loser. I think whoever said that would make an exception in the case of North Carolina pastor Charles Worley of of Providence Road Baptist Church:

Transcript:

"I figured a way to get rid of all the lesbians and queers, but I couldn't get it passed through Congress. Build a great, big, large fence — 150 or 100 mile long — put all the lesbians in there, fly over and drop some food. Do the same thing for the queers and the homosexuals and have that fence electrified so they can't get out…And you know what, in a few years, they'll die out."

Now the most creative of my lgbt brothers and sisters would accuse this pastor of slyly talking about concentration camps and unfortunately they aren't off the mark.

However, I think the old man thinks too much of himself. For centuries the gay community have withstood violence, hatred, and ignorance wrapped up in a religious package. We have withstood scorn, ridicule, and also disease. I hardly think that the silly plans of a backwoods preacher can bring us down.

But sadly, I don't solely blame Worley for his outrageous comments. I also blame the National Organization for Marriage and its recent successful Amendment One campaign. I've always said that wherever the organization goes, it leaves destroyed communities in the wake of its anti-marriage equality campaigns with people having to make amends with each other for voicing negative opinions about gays that were brought to the forefront.

Now in the case of North Carolina, NOM's sickness has infected several pastors.

Patrick Wooden and a cell phone?

Worley is just one. Let's not forget the diaper pastor Patrick Wooden who, because of NOM's Amendment One campaign, claimed that gays have so much sex that we require stitches and diapers. He later doubled down on that lie and also claimed that gays use cellphones a sexual instruments.

That's Wooden right there on the right at the Amendment One victory party. Doesn't that look like a cell phone in his hand? If it is, I don't want to know where he got it.

And let's not forget about Pastor Sean Harris of the Berean Baptist Church Fayetteville, who advised parents to use violence against their potentially gay children:



What it comes down to is that NOM's campaign against marriage equality made it permissible for some of these folks to let their freak flags fly. But now they can't seem to pull them back down.

North Carolina's gay community will survive the Amendment One vote. But I am seriously worried about some of the state's pastors. If another pastor pulls another outrageous outburst, I'm going to be calling the guys with the white coats.

'The most nauseating picture of anti-gay violence you will ever see' and other Monday midday news briefs

This awful scene is Svyatoslav Sheremet, head of Gay Forum of Ukraine, is beaten as he met with members of the media to inform them that a scheduled gay-pride parade was cancelled. (Anatolii Stepanov, Reuters/Landov)

Kiev Pride Cancelled, Two Beaten - Box Turtle supplied the picture and details of this awful scene. You see this is what the Obama Administration was talking about when it made its stance against anti-gay violence. No matter how the religious right tries to bamboozle the situation, let this picture provide the truth of the situation for you.

NAACP Endorses Marriage Equality - The resolution not only helps gay equality but it also helps the NAACP in that it indicates that the organization is growing in a positive manner to encompass the universal struggle for equality.

 NOM pushes extreme video; pushes away remaining stake in political moderation - The National Organization for Marriage is now embracing a fraudulent video pushed by the Family Research Council. For more information on this fraudulent video, see Family Research Council pushing another video of anti-gay lies 

Civil rights group says school censored students - Rainbow symbols promote gay sex. Who knew?

Will the Family Research Council acknowledge error of using recanted study?

Spitzer

Editor's note -  It's one of those two post mornings. After reading this post (and hopefully tweeting Tony Perkins and/or Peter Sprigg, check out my other post below regarding elected officials attacking the gay community - Why do some American Christians anoint the lazy and ignorant as their 'heroes?'

On Friday, something monumental happened.

Dr. Robert Spitzer announced plans to officially apologize to the gay community for a 2001 study he published which claimed that gays can change their sexual orientation.

This apology is a boon for the gay community and closes the book on a long controversy. I detailed it in my 2007 book Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters:

Robert Spitzer is one of the psychiatrists who was instrumental in getting the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in the early 1970s.

In 2001, he published a controversial study that seemed to claim that small number of people can change their orientation from gay to heterosexual. In 45-minute individual telephone calls with 143 “ex-gays” and 57 “ex-lesbians,” Spitzer asked them 60 questions dealing with their feelings and behavior before and after they allegedly changed their orientations. They also talked about their strategies, feelings and motives for changing.

Many of these individuals were referred to Spitzer by “ex-gay” groups. When Spitzer’s findings were made public, the anti-gay industry lauded him, making sure to mention that he was one of the principle people who led the American Psychiatric Association’s 1973 decision to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses.

They also made sure to portray him as a martyr of political correctness, making it sound as if some sort of gay Mafia was attempting to suppress his study. Concerned Women for America even sent out a press release claiming that Spitzer’s life and livelihood was being threatened.

The Traditional Values Organization published its own press release of Spitzer’s study. Like other so-called “pro-family” groups, it manipulated the findings without going into detail about how Spitzer came to his conclusion, but making sure to emphasize his support of gay rights.

Over the years, Spitzer has denounced how the religious right used his study for its own agenda. In a 2006 interview with The Los Angeles Times, Spitzer said that he believed that some of those he interviewed for his study may have been either lying to him or themselves. In that same year, he teamed up with Dr. Judith Stacey, Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc and Soulforce, a group that combats “spiritual violence” against the gay and lesbian community, in a press release demanding that Focus on the Family another religious right group, stop distorting research.

Why do some American Christians anoint the lazy and ignorant as their 'heroes?'

Gipson

I am simultaneously amazed and disappointed in how some American Christians choose their heroes these days.

Mississippi state lawmaker and minister Andy Gipson recently cited a Biblical passage that condemns gays to death as his way of speaking against out President Obama's support of marriage equality. And in the face of criticism, he says that he is not backing down.

To put it succinctly, I hate when these incidents happen. A lawmaker says something homophobic while hiding behind the Bible, our community demands an apology, the lawmaker refuses to back down and finally the lawmaker is looked upon by some as a hero for supposedly standing up for Biblical principal.

Gipson is not a hero. He is lazy.

If you want to talk about true heroes of the Christian faith, then let's talk about those who spent their lives fighting injustice like Desmond Tutu or Mother Teresa. Let's talk about those who gave their lives for the sake of equality like Oscar Romero or Maximilian Kolbe.

All Gipson did was to sit on his ass and repeat Biblical verses in an attempt to bash a group of people who, to my knowledge, has never done him any harm a day of his life.

Just when were the requirements of heroism of the American Christian faith reduced to lip service designed to tear people down based on assumptions of sin?

Know Your LGBT History - Josephine Baker

The legendary Ms. Josephine Baker is a perfect example of why I post a "Know Your LGBT segment" on my blog. I try to tell my lgbtq brothers and sisters, particularly the younger folks to not allow ignorant people to get them down, steal their glory, or mar their potential. We all have the potential for greatness and those of us who are lgbtqs can soar just as high, regardless of those who try to weigh us down with their ignorance.

Josephine Baker did in spite of racism and ignorance.

AND she was family, as one of her 12 children attested to:

Baker was bisexual. Her son Jean-Claude Baker and co-author Chris Chase state in Josephine: The Hungry Heart that she was involved in numerous lesbian affairs, both while she was single and married, and mention six of her female lovers by name. Clara Smith, Evelyn Sheppard, Bessie Allison, Ada "Bricktop" Smith, and Mildred Smallwood were all African-American women whom she met while touring on the black performing circuit early in her career. She was also reportedly involved intimately with French writer Colette. Not mentioned, but confirmed since, was her affair with Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Jean-Claude Baker, who interviewed over 2,000 people while writing his book, wrote that affairs with women were not uncommon for his mother throughout her lifetime. He was quoted in one interview as saying:

"She was what today you would call bisexual, and I will tell you why. Forget that I am her son, I am also a historian. You have to put her back into the context of the time in which she lived. In those days, Chorus Girls were abused by the white or black producers and by the leading men if he liked girls. But they could not sleep together because there were not enough hotels to accommodate black people. So they would all stay together, and the girls would develop lady lover friendships, do you understand my English? But wait wait...If one of the girls by preference was gay, she'd be called a bull dyke by the whole cast. So you see, discrimination is everywhere."

Past Know Your LGBT History posts:

'Obama creating much needed discussion about gay issues in the black community' and other Friday midday news briefs

President Obama Is Ending Black America's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy - Good because it is so difficult to have a decent conversation about lgbtq issues in the black community.

 The Obama Effect: Growing Number Of African Americans Come Out For Marriage Equality - The religious right knows this and they are pissed.  

Breaking Down The '31 Out Of 31 States' Talking Point - The religious right is quick to claim that when given the chance to vote on marriage equality, 31 states voted against it. Equality Matters demonstrates why that talking point is simple crap. 

 Video: Lou Dobbs hosts negligent LGBT panel (w/ Ablow, Perkins, and no dissent) - PLEASE pay attention to this, folks. If you thought Chris Matthews was bad when he was lauding over Tony Perkins, then you will absolutely freak over this one. Imagine a network giving anti-gay talking heads the chance to tell their lies with no dissent whatsoever. It's happening on Fox News and it will most likely become worse.  

Obama Administration Implements LGBT-Inclusive Prison Sexual Assault Protections - Good move by the Obama Administration. 

The true story of same-sex families and how they are raising children

Richie and John are a UK couple who have been together for 15 years. The video showcases them and their very adorable children, Justin and Jasmine.

The point is simple. We've heard people like Maggie Gallagher, Tony Perkins, and even Mitt Romney talk about how a "mother and father" dynamic is the best situation for children to be raised.

We know this isn't necessarily true. Sometimes the mother and father dynamic is a good place to raise a child. And sometimes it's not.

But that's not the point. Everyone seems to miss the point.

Families come into all shapes and sizes. It can encompass one parent or two, or father and mother figures who aren't necessarily biologically related to the child.

Why should there be a competition when it comes to families? We have no business creating a caste system in which we favor one family dynamic over another. All families which provide the basic needs for children, as well as love and support, should be celebrated and looked upon as equal.

Or better yet, look at this video and tell me just what is wrong with this family?

Conservatives throwing tantrums at black community over Obama support

I must say that I am getting a kick out of reading and watching those on the right, particularly the religious right, predict how African-Americans will desert President Obama come election day due to his support of marriage equality.

It's hilarious to me to read the right-wing publications and blogs give room to a supposed angry black pastor/pastors who whines about how Obama has betrayed the black community, of course omitting the fact that said pastor/pastors never really supported Obama in the first place and that these individuals live off of the attention given to them by the religious right.

I get a kick out of the pundits who are predicting the same in their all-white panels (yes I said it) or panels with just one African-American pundit who can't seem to get a word in edgewise. Of course why should the black pundit get a word in edgewise? His words don't matter. Only the fact that he is seen on television as a token so that the news program can claim that they weren't being racist or omitting black folks.

And don't even get me started on the absence of lgbtq of color pundits.

I find it funny because when push comes to shove, these so-called concerned individuals don't give a flip about the black community. They look at us as monolithic Borg type creatures who are motivated by solely by pastors with big titles and even bigger mouths.

God forbid that they actually sit down with a group of us to have a real discussion on the matter. Some are only interested in driving a narrative. And when how we act doesn't suit their narrative, they show their true colors, such as Media Research Center director of media analysis Tim Graham. This is what he said on twitter recently:

So apparently if African-Americans vote for Obama, we are not Christians anymore because Graham sits on the right hand of God. Who would have thought?

And it gets even funnier when one takes into account the words of Harry Jackson, a black pastor who has done really nothing for the black community (consistently sucking at the teat of the religious right doesn't count as something which moves the black community forward,):

"The black community is in an adulterous relationship with President Obama," Jackson said. "He is asking us to stray from the most basic tenets of Scripture – that marriage is an institution made by God for man and woman to become one and procreate. He's telling us it's fine to hold onto our beliefs but that it's also okay to accept his stance on a position that goes against that core belief."

"This is no different than a married person having a relationship with someone other than their spouse," said Jackson.

So according to Jackson, black people who vote for Obama is akin to having a sexual relationship to one who is not your spouse.

All Jackson's and Graham's comments come down to are the real reasons why African-Americans will probably still support Obama in massive numbers. We are not a monolithic community and our actions are not dictated by whomever is the pastor of what church we attend.

We are people who will vote for the person who we feel will do right by our community and country, just like any other voter. And as such, we should be treated like any other voter. Not like people who are dominated by father figures, and not like folks who are willing to cut off our noses to spite our faces in pursuit of a single issue.

Perhaps if we were treated like such by folks like Graham and Jackson, more of us would be inclined to vote their way.

But we all know that's not going to happen. Because they, like so many other conservatives and pundits in general, seem to think that they know us better than we know ourselves.

'Donna Summer now dances in Heaven' and other Thursday midday news briefs

It is sad news that I have to report:

  Donna Summer Dead: Queen Of Disco Dies At 63 - She will be missed BIG TIME:


 


 

 In other news:

 Anti-Gay Virginia Lawmaker Explains His Decision To Block Gay Judge: ‘Sodomy Is Not A Civil Right’ - My God, what is with these people! Why are they constantly reducing the value of the lgbtq community and our lives to sex acts. 

 Tenn. School Must Stop Censoring Students for Supporting LGBT Rights - Go get 'em, Southern Poverty Law Center! 

 Fox News distorts its poll – are they liars or just really stupid? - A little from column A and a little from column B. I've said more than once that Fox News is potentially one of the biggest hurdles the lgbtq community could face to equality in that they would give a voice and microphone to folks like Tony Perkins and Maggie Gallagher to spout their inaccurate homophobic talking points without courtesy of an opposing voice. And we know that many fake journalists on the network are in the tank with the anti-gay industry.  

Harry Jackson Warns 'Radical Gay Activists' are bringing America back to 'the times of Hitler' - Geez what a hyperbolic dumb ass. 

Maggie Gallagher, NOM eyeing new fake victim of the gay community?

Maggie Gallagher

Last night, a Facebook source of mine indicated that the National Organization for Marriage may be eyeing another supposed victim of the alleged gay agenda for its failed Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance project:

This guy posted his blog post on Maggie Gallagher's wall and she asked him to message him with more info. Its about someone in Australia on the EOC allegedly having to resign because he supports 1 man 1 woman marriage. In case any of the bloggers in here want to follow up with the real story, since Mags may be writing about it eventually. Or maybe someone from Australia in here knows the true story?

The piece in question is entitled Equal Opportunities Are Only For Some written by a man named Bill Muehlenberg. Muehlenberg runs a blog entitled CultureWatch.

The piece makes the accusation that member of Victoria's Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC), Professor Kuruvilla George was forced to resign because he was one of 150 doctors who wrote a letter to a Senate inquiry opposing marriage equality. Muehlenberg's piece is filled with innuendo and ad hominem attacks against the gay community:

As one news item reports: “A member of Victoria’s Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission board has resigned after stirring controversy by signing a petition opposing gay marriage. Professor Kuruvilla George is also Victoria’s deputy chief psychiatrist and one of a group of 150 doctors who wrote to a Senate inquiry on marriage equality.

“The doctors’ submission argued children with a mother and father were healthier than children with same-sex parents. The petition has drawn criticism from other doctors and families of same-sex couples and yesterday prompted Victoria’s chief psychiatrist to issue a statement defending Professor George.”

The Greens, the homosexual lobbies, and other militants all demanded his blood, and they have got what they wanted. As but one example, the former head of the AMA, lesbian activist Kerryn Phelps said the doctors should “hang their heads in shame” and that an immediate review of Prof George’s position on the board should be undertaken.

So now he is gone, barely 24 hours after the furor erupted. Yep, another scalp for the gaystapo and their intolerant colleagues in arms. This is yet another example of the pink mafia in action, with yet another good and honourable man forced out of his job.

So no doubt when Muehlenberg placed his post on Gallagher's Facebook wall, one could almost picture her salivating of the chance of pushing false claim yet again of how marriage equality could damage someone's religious liberty and freedom of speech.

Wipe your mouth, Ms. Gallagher. Don't even think about attempting to push this piece.

Like all of the times in the past that NOM has made specious claims about the alleged gay menace, there are extenuating circumstances which refutes the charge.

According to an interview conducted with the World Today, the chairman of the Human Rights Commission, John Searle, said that Professor George was thinking of resigning long before this controversy took place. Searle also defended George's right to sign the letter:

JOHN SEARLE: Today Professor Kuruvilla George has tendered his resignation by way of letter to the Governor. His resignation from the board is something that has been weighing on his mind for some months and indeed he first discussed it with me toward the end of last year because he has time constraints and personal issues that he was dealing with and today he has decided is the appropriate time to tender his resignation.

ALISON CALDWELL: He has only been in the job since June last year.

JOHN SEARLE: I think that's correct and perhaps he didn't quite realise what the time commitment involved was - that is something that you'd need to take up with him - but as I said, he did raise concerns about the time commitments and personal issues with me towards the end of last year.

ALISON CALDWELL: Speaking of timing, the timing of his announcement is rather coincidental given the controversy regarding him signing that letter in the submission from Doctors for the Family about same sex marriage.

JOHN SEARLE: Well, of course he signed that letter in a personal capacity and people are entitled to have their personal views and their private views and the views that he expressed in that letter are obviously not the views of the commission, neither are they the views of the board. But I think the timing has been brought to his attention and the need for him to consider his position on the board. He felt this was the right time to do so.

ALISON CALDWELL: Do you think he has resigned because of the controversy? I mean, it was in the newspapers, it was on the news.

JOHN SEARLE: Oh look, I suspect the controversy helped focus his mind on his issues in remaining on the board, the issues that had been around for some period of time and this was therefore a focusing point that allowed him to come to a conclusion.

ALISON CALDWELL: Yesterday the State Government actually said that he had no case to answer.

JOHN SEARLE: Well, look as I said, he has expressed his personal views, he has expressed his private views and he is entitled to do that.

So basically Professor George was not forced to resign after signing that letter and should NOM attempt to push this idea, we have proof of it beforehand.

This is what you call slaying the dragon before it has a chance to breath fire. And the lgbtq community do this more often.


Editor's note - And to make matters worse, the letter in question is fraudulent, using studies which have nothing to do with same-sex couples raising children (i.e. HIV statistics) and also citing information from Mass Resistance, a known anti-gay hate group in Massachusetts.

Related post - Doctors for the Family – Debunked

Discredited anti-gay researcher Paul Cameron reveals alleged past attraction to men

Paul Cameron

A day after his awesome interview with anti-gay spokesman Michael Brown, radio host David Pakman sat down with another figure from the anti-gay industry, Paul Cameron.

Cameron can be called the religious right's dirty little secret. It was he who in the 80s came up with the idea of aggressively using science to prove that homosexuality is a "dangerous lifestyle." The problem is to do this, Cameron attained a reputation for either distorting legitimate science or distorting his own work to gain the conclusions he wanted from his "studies." He has also been discredited and censured by many group and individuals on the left, the right, and in the middle due to his bad research techniques. Several of his studies have been criticized for such errors as having small sample sizes, showing an anti-gay bias in interviews, and not having enough responses to establish a suitable analysis.

Of course the religious right still cites his work, but are very careful not to mention him by name. Of course there are some, such as Peter LaBarbera, who will deliberately cite Cameron's work, even though he knows that the work is flawed.

And there are others, like the National Organization for Marriage who, when caught citing Cameron, will turn backflips in order to distance themselves from him.

Cameron found himself in the news recently for comments he made regarding President Obama's recently announced support of marriage equality. During an interview with Christian radio station, Cameron asserted that Obama was gay. He also said that one of the prime goals of the gay rights movement was to introduce homosexual sex acts to children.

Naturally, Pakman pressed him on these claims, revealing an interview which is was at times pathetic, infuriating, and sad.  Cameron, in an offhand and flippant manner, reveals a terrible childhood incident which most likely put him on the road to destroying so many lives in the lgbtq community with his lies. And although the interview did not delve into the specificity of these lies in a manner which I would have liked to, it is still an excellent job by Pakman at deconstructing the sad mind of a man consumed with reducing the gay community to wanton sex acts.

I came out of it feeling a twinge of pity for Cameron, but not enough pity to ignore the damage he has done to the lgbtq community over the years:

'Anti-gay group sues to give false information to children' and other Wednesday midday news briefs

PFOX Complains to School Board - Imagine that. Suing a school district so that you can peddle inaccurate and negative information about the gay community to children.

 Video: Pastor treats local sewer to tasty Starbucks - Rule One about boycotting a company - you don't buy the company's product to demonstrate that you are boycotting against it. 

 Talk Honestly to Black Opponents of Gay Marriage - Excellent piece by Keith Boykin. And remember that not every black opponent of marriage equality is a Harry Jackson or Patrick Wooden.

 Obama Confronts GOP’s Anti-Gay Agenda, Threatens Veto Of ‘License To Bully’ Bill - Good for him. The bill needs to include same-sex couples.

 Congressman Maintains It Should Be Legal To Fire Someone For Being Gay, Attacks ThinkProgress - Think Progress got him dead to rights and yet he still says he was unfairly attacked. And now he says he is being threatened. Blah, blah, blah. Bear in mind that I am not trying to trivialize any threats but come on now. That's always the defense of homophobes. - i.e. that they are being attacked for beings "Christians" and then "someone" is threatening them. 

Homophobic Maine group may help cause of marriage equality

From Equality Matters:

Earlier this month, the Portland Press Herald announced the creation of a third anti-gay group fighting this November’s voter initiative to legalize same-sex marriage in Maine – the Maine Marriage Allies PAC, which will be a project of the ironically named Maine Equal Rights Center (MERC). On its Facebook page, MERC is described as a “grass roots campaign to educate voters on same sex marriage.”

Equality Matters also points out that while this group is fighting marriage equality, its presence may actually help the cause of marriage equality because of the information it is trotting out to smear the lgbtq community:

MERC’s website, however, is a deluge of misinformation, confused political analyses, and some truly cringe-worthy writing.

The website is organized into a number of tabs meant to provide visitors with information about the proposed marriage initiative. Each tab varies wildly in content and tone; some inexplicably focus on criticizing the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) while another includes an image of President Obama riding a unicorn.

That would be this picture:

Equality Matters also points out that the founder of this group, Erik Bennett, is a failed politician with a penchant for bizarre youtube ads and vicious homophobic slurs:



One wonders what the National Organization for Marriage thinks about Bennett. All in all, it promises to be a very interesting time in Maine.

Anti-gay spokesman can't handle the pressure of serious questions

Chalk another one up for radio host David Pakman.

Pakman, who has interviewed such  anti-gay "luminaries as Peter LaBarbera, Paul Cameron,  Bryan Fischer, and Gordon Klingenschmitt, today interviewed Truth4Time member and wannabe anti-gay activist Michael Brown.

Apparently Brown thought he could boggart the interview, thereby turning it into a monologue of his anti-gay views.

Truth Wins Out breaks it down:

As usual, David’s done his homework, calmly citing, among other things, the oeuvre of prominent Yale historian John Boswell, who wrote prolifically about the intersection of LGBT issues and religion. Brown’s only response is to dismiss Boswell completely, because after all (as Brown says), he “practically died of AIDS.”

And it only goes downhill from there. When Pakman challenges Brown’s tired (and totally discredited) talking point about the immutability of the historical definition of marriage, Brown resorts to condescension. Check out the video below — he tries to lecture Pakman on how to prepare for an interview, seizing the opportunity to hawk his self-published book (which, apparently, must be a respectable source, despite the fact that no publishing house — reputable or otherwise — would print it, because it includes “1500+ endnotes and massive research.” (Hmmmm, overcompensating much?) When Pakman presses Brown further to cite the specific sources he drew upon to formulate his exclusionary “historical definition of marriage,” he suddenly chickens out remembers that he has something else to do, saying that he didn’t realize this wasn’t a “serious interview” and mischaracterizing Pakman as a ‘gotcha’ journalist out to “[set] people up for quotes.” Then, after essentially telling Pakman again to read his book before he interviews him again, Brown hangs up.

It just goes to show that when religious right figures are asked serious questions about their claims, they can't handle the pressure

'Virginia rejects judicial nominee because he is gay' and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Video: How far-right figures like Harry Jackson try to have it both ways - An old nauseating song with the same verses. Religious right figures are all sweet and polite on news programs, but amongst their own followers, they let their real feelings about the lgbtq community be known.

  Virginia House Rejects Judge Because He Is Gay - Why just last week, Rep. Allen West (R-FL) said this thing doesn't happen. I guess he was wrong. 

 Brian Brown and Ex-Con Jahnmaud Lane Celebrate Taking Rights Away From North Carolinians - This is what happens when you take pictures with just anybody, Brian Brown. It always comes back to bite you in the tuckus.

The increasingly obvious danger in mag-bombing black barbershops - Oh look. Matt Barber thinks he knows the black community. Sorry guy, but don't let folks like Harry Jackson fool you. Our beliefs are nuanced and an interloper like yourself will have no bearing on how we vote.

 Gay teen expelled in stun gun school case attacked at Circle Centre, IMPD says - A 34-year-old man has no business wanting "words" with a 17-year-old child.

 Y-Love is Ready for Love - Awesome! A hip-hop artist comes out the closet.

Chris Matthews points out Tony Perkins' errors on the gay community

Right after he and Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) practically teamed up to annihilate the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins on Hardball, Chris Matthews joined MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell to further call attention to Perkins' inaccuracies concerning families and the lgbtq community: