Oct 18
2007
Punted| Category: Action Alert!, Cross-Posted, DADT, Don't Ask, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Don't Tell |
According to USA Today, the Army, Navy, and Air Force have been advertising on the networking site for LGBT professionals, GLEE.com. A sign perhaps? Perhaps good news at a time when military recruiters are having trouble filling the ranks with warm bodies in an ever growing unpopular conflict? Perhaps not. (more…)
Jun 13
2007
JoeBrummer| Category: Cross-Posted, Hate Crime Laws |
Cross posted at Replace the lies With Truth
A new report released today shows that baised related crimes motivated by the individual’s perceieved sexual orientation are just as comparable to other groups who are already protected by Federal hate crime protections.
The Advocate reports:
A new report released by the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School shows that crime rates against lesbians, gay men and bisexuals are comparable to other groups already covered by federal hate crime laws. The “Comparison of Hate Crime Rates across Protected and Unprotected Groups” shows that on average, 13 in 100,000 gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals per year report being the victim of a hate crime, compared to 8 in 100,000 African Americans, 12 in 100,000 Muslim-Americans and 15 in 100,000 Jewish-Americans.
“Often, people try to pass off [the lack of legal protection for gays] as ‘Oh, it’s not as big a problem as race-based hate crimes,’” says Rebecca Stotzer, a research fellow at the Williams Institute. “But when you actually look at the rates and you think of it as a risk per person, you can see that the numbers are actually much more even between groups that are protected versus those that are not.”
The new report was based on a 2004 study by Williams Institute Faculty Chair William Rubenstein, but current hate-crimes legislation before Congress and the availability of more data prompted an update to the report. The U.S. Senate is presently considering the Matthew Shepard Act which would extend legal protections to the LGBT community; an identical bill passed the House of Representatives last month. The bill proposes expanding current federal hate crime laws to include actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability. Current law only defines race, color, religion and national origin as protected categories.
“This report’s findings provide a new perspective that should inform policymakers who are deciding whether to include hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity in federal hate crime laws,” noted M. V. Lee Badgett, research director of the Williams Institute. “The numbers show that hate crimes remain a serious problem for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities.” (Padraic Wheeler, The Advocate)
Apr 15
2007
JoeBrummer| Category: American Family Association, Americans for "Truth", Cross-Posted, Exodus International, Family Research Council, Hate Speech, Lies, Peter LaBarbera |
Crossed posted at Replace the Lies with Truth
A 1933 article published in a German magazine made one of the first calls for the extermination of the Jews. It should have been the first sign for people to be wary of the Nazi’s and what immoral things they were planning. Sadly, we know that over 6 million Jews, Homosexuals, Gypsies and others were in fact exterminated. The last part of the 1933 article states:
The Jewish people is the people of the Devil. It is a people of criminals and murderers. The Jewish people must be exterminated from the face of the earth.
Now here were are in the year 2007 making the same mistakes all over again. Anti-gay activists including Peter La Barbera, Exodus International, the American Family Association, and many others are touting the work of anti-gay propagandist, Paul Cameron. While I think it is great that pro-gay writers like Jim Burroway of Box Turtle Bulletin and RTLWT writer Kevin Kaatz have exposed the most recent study by Dr. Cameron for all its lies, flaws and propaganda like qualities, I can’t help fear that the greater and more alarming issue is that anti-gay activists, much like Nazi supporters of the early part of the 20th century are giving further platform to a scientist who has called for the extermination of gays and lesbians. Paul Cameron, speaking to a 1985 Political Action Conference made the following comments:
“Unless we get medically lucky, in three or four years, one of the options discussed will be the extermination of homosexuals.”
Former US Surgeon General, C. Evert Koop, states that Dr. Paul Cameron has been suggesting the extermination of gays and lesbians since 1983, yet the machine known to us as the anti-gay industry has been using this man’s writings for years and continue to do so even after this has been made public. Aside from the fact Dr. Cameron’s work is flawed; Aside from the fact Dr. Cameron has misrepresented the place he has printed and presented this flawed work, one has to ask: Why is Peter La Barbera and the rest of this machine using the work of a man who is calling for a systematic genocide of gays and lesbians?
Mr. La Barbera has gone as far as to try and defend Dr. Cameron with this statement before printing Dr. Cameron’s latest research:
Homosexual activists reject out-of-hand any research that shows homosexual behavior, generally speaking, is unhealthy compared to normal sexuality.
Homosexual activists, as well as everyone on this planet should reject the work of Dr. Paul Cameron. After any man on this planet calls for the extermination of an entire group of people, we as a human race should reject anything they say further. Why this is past Mr. La Barbera and why he would defend the work of a man calling for murder is beyond my understanding. I would suggest to Mr. La Barbera to retract the statements he has made in support of Cameron’s work, and remove the article promoting the work of the evil scientist.
I would urge all to read the sources and references on any anti-gay science they read on the websites of Americans for Truth, the American Family Association, Stephen Bennett, Concerned Women for America, Matt Barber and others for the name Cameron and reject it. These are all people who have, at one point or another used or help to further through others, Dr. Cameron’s work to dehumanize and demonize gays and lesbians.
If any of them are curious why GLBT people call their speech hate, this is it! This is the reason!
Apr 09
2007
JoeBrummer| Category: Cross-Posted, Ex-Gay Issues, Exodus International, Hate Speech, Peter LaBarbera, Uncategorized |
Daniel Gonzales wrote a great video piece on the “Day of Truth”. It has been release by “Truth Wins Out“. Dan examines the lies and misinformation behind the “Day of Truth” and shows you how their is sadly, little truth in the day of truth or the anti-gay industry behind it!
Apr 09
2007
JoeBrummer| Category: Americans for "Truth", Cross-Posted, Hate Speech, Peter LaBarbera, Uncategorized |
Paul Cameron, almost famous for distorted research, has once again put out some shady statistics on how married gays die younger. The conclusions reached in this latest study not only are absurd, they have been misrepresented to the Christian Press as way more legit than they are. This hasn’t stopped Americans for Truth and others from shouting from the rooftops how gays die younger and that homosexuality is worse than smoking.
Jim Burroway over at Boxturtle Bulletin has the details on the Cameron and Cameron study.
Jim writes:
In 1993, Paul Cameron, of the Family Research Institute, began touting a paper he said he presented at the Eastern Psychological Association entitled, “The lifespan of homosexuals.” Using obituaries from various gay newspapers around the country, Cameron claimed that the average lifespan for gay men was a mere 42 years. For lesbians, the average was 44.
While that study was roundly criticized for its ridiculous methodology, those statistics have persisted as a sort of macabre urban legend among some anti-gay activists. Among them include Christopher Rosik, a California psychologist who cites Cameron’s lifespan figure as justification for sexual orientation conversion therapy.
Well, Cameron’s at it again, hijacking the Eastern Psychological Association’s reputation once again to claim that gays and lesbians in registered partnerships in Denmark and Norway experience a lifespan up to 24 years shorter than their heterosexual counterparts. His latest claims are already being picked up by anti-gay activists, conservative news organizations, blogs, and pundits. Conservative columnist Armstrong Williams commented on Cameron’s claims and asked, “Considering these statistics, do you now believe that vulnerable children should be raised in such an unstable environment?” It’s only a matter of time before these statistics make their way into the mainstream media.
Cameron’s paper, “Federal Distortion of Homosexual Footprint,” is filled with all the strange and bogus statistics we’ve come to expect from him. I examined his methods and in my latest report, “Paul Cameron’s Footprint,” I show you why the claims he makes based on data from Denmark and Norway are completely worthless. My conclusions:
Yes, Cameron is up to his same old tricks again. You can bet that this won’t be the last time we hear from him. And no matter how ridiculous his methodologies may be, he will continue to provide statistical fodder for the anti-gay lobby. But with his latest paper on the “Homosexual Footprint,” he doesn’t have a leg to stand on. This time, as always, his “footprint” is planted firmly in his mouth.
You can read the whole report here.
Mar 26
2007
JoeBrummer| Category: Cross-Posted, Ex-Gay Issues, Hate Speech, Lies, Stephen Bennett, Uncategorized |
Cross posted from “Replace the Lies With Truth“
I often see anti-gay advocates make tragedies even more tragic when they turn them into hate speech against gays. Ex-gay minister, Stephen Bennett is very good at this. In his latest blog post, he carefully, and skillfully chooses words that try to link homosexuality to child molestation. What is tragic for all of us is the misinformation puts more kids at risk. What is tragic is that this type of distortion perpetuates the myth that gay men are more often child molesters than straight men. It is nothing more than taking a sad and tragic event and making it even more tragic by using it as hate speech.
Stephen Bennett writes on his site:
“Read the story and weep. Weep for the young, innocent little boy whose life was taken in the most heinous of ways, because of two demented and evil homosexuals, a father and son, and a perverted wife and mother. The two homosexual men took turns brutally molesting and sodomizing the child before choking the little boy to death.”
The distortion us subtle, but it is there. Stephen is turning the focus of this tragic story to something that doesn’t even exist in the story. There is no evidence these men were homosexual, in fact the evidence points to them being heterosexual. This older man did not identify as a homosexual man. He was married to the women in this story. It is also not clear from this story if the younger man identified as homosexual. Stephen is calling them “homosexual” men because it fits with his distortion that gay men molest at a higher rate. The distortion gets worse when we realize that when a man molests a little girl, Stephen does not refer to them as heterosexual molesters. Men who are attracted to children are just that, attracted to children. Studies show that those who are attracted to children tend not to care as much about the gender of the child but the availability of the child. It all comes down to the language.
Dr. Gregory Herek explains:
“Another problem related to terminology arises because sexual abuse of male children by adult men2 is often referred to as “homosexual molestation.” The adjective “homosexual” (or “heterosexual” when a man abuses a female child) refers to the victim’s gender in relation to that of the perpetrator. Unfortunately, people sometimes mistakenly interpret it as referring to the perpetrator’s sexual orientation.”
Stephen Bennett continues this distortion by changing the wording in the Fox News Story. Again, the changes are subtle but just enough for the reader to make a false link to homosexuality and child molestation.
The original wording of the story said:
The indictment charges all three family members with murder and child molestation in the slaying of Christopher, whose body was found March 15 inside a trash bag dumped by a roadside.
Stephen changed the wording to read:
The indictment charges all three family members with murder and homosexual child molestation in the slaying of Christopher, whose body was found March 15 inside a trash bag dumped by a roadside.
(more…)
Feb 22
2007
Pam| Category: Cross-Posted, HRC, Pam's House Blend, Uncategorized |
[UPDATE: Metro Weekly’s coverage is here.]
I was in DC on Tuesday for a panel discussion on the State of the Movement, moderated by Sean Bugg of Metro Weekly. It was held in the Human Rights Campaign community room; according to Sean about 100 folks came to the gathering.
On the panel: Chris Barron of the Log Cabin Republicans; Herndon Davis of the National Black Justice Coalition; Matt Foreman, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; Mara Keisling of National Center for Transgender Equality; John Marble, of National Stonewall Democrats; C. Dixon Osburn, from Servicemembers Legal Defense Network; Joe Solmonese, HRC; and yours truly.
The overall impressions I came away with are after the flip… (more…)
Feb 20
2007
Punted| Category: Cross-Posted, Debate, HRC, Pam's House Blend |
HRC holds a ‘State of the Movement’ panel tonite at the HRC Headquarters in Washington, DC. The Panel will be moderated by Sean Bugg of Metro Weekly.
The problem is many think that HRC is a notorious Blue Team memeber pretending to be a GLBT rights organization.
While this is debated, “kevinbegood” a regular blender at PHB came up with a scathing and undeniably on point argument against the HRC or any other group that pretends to be doing a lot for the GLBT community but doesn’t have much to show for their efforts.
Comments after the flip. (more…)
Feb 12
2007
Pam| Category: Cross-Posted, Iniative 957, Pam's House Blend, Tab A into Slot B |
(Cross-Posted with Permission by Pam from Pam’s House Blend)
If you straight folks out in Washington state don’t think the unhinged social control advocates aren’t aiming to make sure you live by their biblical principles, take a look at Human Events columnist Ben Shapiro. He knows that the citizen Defense of Marriage Alliance initiative (Initiative 957 ) requiring procreation by het couples is a political statement by equality forces — but he tries to reason why it’s really not about the children — it’s about the parts fitting. Boy, this defense of bigotry is tired.
Their point in Washington is purportedly to prove that traditional marriage is not solely about children — and that if it is not about children, it is about discrimination for its own sake. But even same-sex marriage advocates realize that though traditional marriage sees children as the first priority, it does not rest its legitimacy solely on the basis of child-bearing and rearing….Women and men are inherently different. They are not interchangeable parts. Men have different strengths and weaknesses than women. A marital relationship between a man and a woman provides spiritual enrichment for each. The union between a single man and a single woman is, as the liturgy says, blessed.
…In one sense, Washington’s same-sex advocates do us a favor: They make clear that in order to deny homosexual marriage, we must uphold the beautiful and natural distinctions between men and women. They also make clear that we must uphold the value of heterosexuality over homosexuality. We must take up the gauntlet and, in doing so, vindicate the possibility of a higher spiritual elevation through the deepest possible human relationship.
– The Homosexual Assault On Traditional Marriage, by Ben Shapiro
OK. I couldn’t resist posting another nugget from Ben, who is also the author of Porn Generation: How Social Liberalism is Corrupting our Future. He further explains the “parts fitting” argument with this interesting analogy.
The fact that certain traditional marriages do not produce children does not invalidate the general point that men and women belong together, just as the fact that broken cars exist does not demonstrate that ignition keys ought generally to be put in exhaust pipes.
Related:
* Freedom to Marry video on Washington State’s DOMA initiative
* Washington State Defense of Marriage initiative rocks the homophobes
* A ball of Freeper confusion over Washington’s Defense of Marriage initiative
