05/21/2013
TownHall columnist: 'It's high time for…heterosexual America to stand up'
Considering I've been waking to news of a new anti-gay hate crime on what feels like a daily basis, my patience for loose rhetoric like this is really wearing thin:
"No matter how many TV shows are produced about gay couples being married and raising children, or phones calls made by president Obama to gay athletes, homosexuality will never be the majority in our culture. I think it’s high time the 97% of the rest of heterosexual America stand up for the preservation of American society not the distortion of it."
—Crystal Wright, writing for conservative behemoth Townhall.com
And the comments under Ms. Wright's article play out exactly how you'd imagine: untruths about gay people, biblical justification for our shunning, and commitment to never accept our "lifestyles."
Of course the difference between 2013 and the past is that we are now winning hearts, minds, and elections. That is a crucial distinction. When oppositional voices verbally degrade a minority population that is losing, the supporters who receive the message are more likely to feel self-satisfied. But when these same voices degrade a minority population that is winning, the suddenly disempowered supporters look for new outlets through which to express their fear and anger. And when they hear a writer for a leading outlet on their side telling people to "stand up" against that minority population, they are more likely to believe that he or she actually means it.
For years, I've feared the double-edged sword that could come from our political gains. I'm afraid we're just at the tip of it.
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05/21/2013
John Stemberger attacks Canadian scouts: 'A joke' ; 'a group of hippies'
John Stemberger is the man leading the current effort to keep the Boy Scouts discriminatory. Yesterday, he decided to go after another country's young scouts as well:
*Source: Janet Mefferd, 5/20/13
A joke? Hippies? Lacks esprit de corps (common spirit and devotion)?
Does anyone remember designating Mr. Stemberger as the world's authority on acceptable youth experiences? I know I never got a ballot.
'Ex-gay' junk science group tells Boy Scouts to keep discriminating; so score one for our side
Remember that moment in the third presidential debate of 2012 where President Obama was all like, "Please proceed, Governor," since he knew his opponent had unwittingly painted himself into trap? Yeah, well—that's kind of how I feel when orgs that proudly fly in the face of all credible science stand up for a cause, wrongly thinking their advocacy is helpful to their side:
Ex-Gay Group NARTH Encourages Boy Scouts To Continue Anti-Gay Discrimination [ThinkProgress LGBT]
Better idea: Keep snake oil out of Boy Scouts' canteens; let gays in.
NOM's summer speaker, Rob Gagnon, calls me 'an abrasive homosexual activist'; my outfit welcomes this badge of honor!
Remember when Exodus International's Alan Chambers added me to an email thread of conservatives, revealing all kinds of nasty things that were being said about me/us? Well, one of the thread's participants adds more:
"Earlier this month, [Alan] Chambers even went so far as to insert secretly the email address of Jeremy Hooper, an abrasive homosexual activist, into the middle of a private group email thread containing a number of pro-family leaders (including moi). This led to a number of misrepresentations online by homosexual activist sites and even Salon.com. This deceitful alignment with a person who maligns those who believe in a male-female foundation for marriage is not exactly a model for Christian conduct, certainly not for someone leading what is supposed to be a Christian ministry."
—Rob Gagnon, virulently anti-gay theologian and annual star speaker at the "It Takes A Family" conference (a project of the National Org. For Marriage's Ruth Institute), speaking to Charisma News
(h/t David C. Hart)
Eh, he compared my marriage to an incestuous relationship, and I told him to "have a great Sunday." So I have nothing more to add, really. I'm more than happy with letting previously delivered abrasions speak for themselves.
Scout's Dishonor: Gay BSA employee shares pain, hope
If found out, his bosses would instantly remove him from his job. That's where we still are with the Boy Scouts of America, and that's where we will remain unless there is a policy change. Gay boys and gay adults are routinely given the boot, making the organization seem like something out of an earlier era of institutionalized fear.
This week in Texas, BSA delegates will vote on whether or not to change the policy, at least as it applies to boys. In the run up to that vote, this aforementioned gay employee (who wishes to renin anonymous) shares his experiences and his hope. GLAAD has the details:
Just days before 1,400 members of the Boy Scouts of America National Council converge in Dallas to vote on a resolution critical to equality in Scouting, Time Magazine published an op-ed written by a gay employee of the Boy Scouts, calling for a repeal of the ban on gay Scouts and leaders. The author wished to remain anonymous, but shared a wealth of information on how much the anti-gay ban has damaged the viability and reputation of the Scouts, hurt efforts to recruit more Scouts, and taken its toll on his own well-being.
KEEP READING: Gay Boy Scout employee to Time magazine: I can't live a lie any longer [GLAAD]
Matt Barber accuses distraught New Yorkers of 'politicizing' gay man's murder
Last night, thousands of distraught New Yorkers took to the streets to rally/protest against the violent turn that has gripped the Big Apple during the month of May. The powerful and peaceful rally also included victims and families of the slain. It was heartfelt, powerful, and needed. I was there.
But according to one of the most rabidly anti-gay voices in American politics, the whole thing was just an attempt to "politicize"
This is truly vile behavior. A man is dead in an act that everyone admits was a hate crime. Gay New Yorkers are truly scared that they could be next in what feels like a targeted crime spree. People showed up, came together, and stood up for peace because it is a commonality that should unite us through our political differences.
And this Virginia resident who makes a career off of rhetorically bashing LGBT people has the nerve to accuse us, the actual victims of a form of hate violence that we know stems from overheated rhetoric, of "politicizing" a bona fide tragedy? This is truly a new low, Matt Barber.
**Addendum: I can't even fathom saying the same thing in reverse. If Christians were targeted because of anti-gay beliefs, I would not be demeaning their rallies for peace and/or protests against violence—I would be joining them.
'Heather Has [A New Book Shunning Her] Two Mommies'
After a school day where the teacher tells him that "God made men to be fathers and women to be mothers"…
…and a zoo trip where add teaches him that all all animal families "consist of a male, a female, and their offspring," a young boy named Michael decides to pray for his friend with two dads:
That is the gist of Amber Dee Parker's new anti-gay children's book:
Because the drive to reject people who are so clearly a natural part of our world isn't going to be indoctrinate itself. They've got to be carefully taught.
Oh, and did you notice the cover? It says "Endorsed by the president of the American Family Association." That would of course be Tim Wildmon, a man who says gay couples make him want to throw up and that homosexuality is something to "be ashamed of." Lest you thought this book was anything other than aggressive indoctrination. It's not.
Although personally, I'm going to wait for the inevitable sequel: Michael Learns to Make A Protest Sign Smearing the Activist Judges Who Overturned Prop 8 & DOMA.
**MORE: Listen to the author talk to Concerned Women For America, where she attempts (@ around 3:30) to connect NAMBLA to gay activism in order to support Boy Scout discrimination.
05/20/2013
Report: IL has votes to free itself from marital discrimination's slipping grips
With just eleven days to get pass the marriage bill, this promising report out of Illinois:
Advocates: votes are there for marriage bill [Windy City Times]
As someone who happens to love both equal rights under the constitution and Chicago-style pizza, I couldn't be more hopeful. Invite me to your wedding, and I promise to not let my ritualistic eating of the latter make me late to the ceremony granting you the former.
