Thursday, July 26, 2012

Your religion WILL NOT protect you from criticism

When it comes to people who hide behind their religion while attacking us gays, we need to be clear about something.

First check this out from Religious Right Watch:



Jack Hakimian is a Florida pastor who is turning into something of a Religious Right martyr after the North Miami public schools rebuked him for delivering anti-gay screeds on school property. Today, Hakimian took his case to American Family Radio, where he complained of “censorship” by gay groups. He said gay rights advocates “know that if we keep debating from biology, from theology and from sociology that homosexuality is not a healthy lifestyle, it’s not God’s plan, we will persuade people’s minds,” and so those advocates “want to destroy our presence.”

The thing which is sadder than Hakimian's ridiculous screed is that if we as a community cried foul, he, Tony Perkins, Donald Wildmon, and other members of the religious right would call US the bullies.

No matter how these folks push the false notion that they are "talking about the lifestyle," the fact remains that they are talking about us as people.

We haven't called them out. They've called us out.

The late lesbian poet Audre Lorde once said "your silence will not protect you." Allow me to paraphrase her words when speaking to people like Hakimian and other denizens of the religious right:

Your religion will not protect you from criticism.  You don't know us and based upon your words, you do not care to know us.

That's fine. Lgbtqs don't exist to get in your so-called good graces. Nor do we seek "tolerance" from you like some pet who has urinated on your favorite rug.

You can believe what you want and you can say what you want.  But when you start talking about us, don't expect us to sit in a corner and cry. And above all, don't expect us to take your abuse with the pitiful good nature of a battered spouse.

We are not "things" nor are we "trapped in a lifestyle." We are human beings and we will not settle for less than being treated like human beings. Your religion does not entitle you to take verbal potshots at us without the courtesy of a highly angry response nor does it entitle you to freely lie about who we are without the courtesy of a stern correction. Our lives will not be dictated by your fevered imaginations of what we allegedly do in the bedrooms. Nor will you restrict every aspect of our lives to those fevered imaginations.

I don't care if you speak in tongues, can heal the sick, or raise the dead. You don't have rights and privileges above us. You never have and you never will.

Basically, it comes down to this - if you can't handle our response, don't call us out in the first place.




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'Is NOM distorting another photo?' and other Thursday midday news briefs

NOM photos suggest packed [trucks in front of the Chick-fil-A one] - For a supposedly Christian organization, the National Organization seems to have a problem with being truthful about photos. Check out the link and tell me what you think.  

10-Year-Old Delivers Marriage Equality Speech To New York City Council - Outstanding!  

Will Anti-Gay Actor Kirk Cameron Say Yes To A Lunch Invitation From Bullied LGBT Youth In New Jersey? -If Cameron doesn't meet with these teens, don't be surprised. Folks like Cameron only TALK about their Christianity.  

John Kirkwood on Gay Judges: 'We Were Better Off When the Mafia Ran Illinois' - I'm guessing he means it would give new meaning to the phrase "stick em up!"

 The 20 Openly Gay Athletes Of The 2012 Olympics - During the 1984 Olympics, there were rumors of one gay athlete on the American team (which I knew was Greg Louganis). My, have we come a long way!

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Matt Barber - 'How dare Hilary Clinton not talk about gay sex!'

Matt Barber
Editor's note - Today is one of my two post mornings. After reading this piece about the stupidity and homophobia of Matt Barber, pan down for a good laugh with the post NOM's Ruth Institute quietly acknowledges how dumb it is

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton recently addressed the International AIDS Conference in Washington where she said that the United States is committed to creating an AIDS-free generation.

But leave it to Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel to get angry at Clinton because she didn't use her speech to talk about gay sex:

 "Shame on Hillary Clinton in choosing to ignore the reality that, in the United States, people are primarily infected with AIDS through deviant homosexual behavior," Barber offers. "She has essentially postured with a false air of resolve while cowardly refusing to address the real cause of AIDS in the U.S., and that's homosexual behavior."

He points to the fact that even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been forced to admit that reality.

Of course Barber omits that the CDC actually said

Stigma and homophobia may have a profound impact on the lives of MSM, especially their mental and sexual health. Internalized homophobia may impact men’s ability to make healthy choices, including decisions around sex and substance use. Stigma and homophobia may limit the willingness of MSM to access HIV prevention and care, isolate them from family and community support, and create cultural barriers that inhibit integration into social networks.

Racism, poverty, and lack of access to health care are barriers to HIV prevention services, particularly for MSM from racial or ethnic minority communities. A recent CDC study found a strong link between socioeconomic status and HIV among MSM: prevalence increased as education and income decreased, and awareness of HIV status was higher among MSM with greater education and income

Barber is angry that Clinton didn't do the very thing that the CDC has outlined as a leading factor of HIV/AIDS infections, i.e. the stigmatizing of gay men.

I say good for her.



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NOM's Ruth Institute quietly acknowledges how dumb it is

The National Organization for Marriage's Ruth Institute does have a degree of shame.

Yesterday, I wrote a post on how a Facebook group I help to moderate was accused by the organization using Sesame Street characters Ernie and Bert to "recruit" children:


The claim by the Ruth Institute was nonsense and those in the Facebook group got a good laugh over it. As a matter of fact, it was so hilarious that some of us felt that we needed to go to the Ruth Institute Facebook post which made the claim to tell the organization how we appreciate the laugh.

Apparently our thank you's (none of which were threatening or obscene) wasn't appreciated because the post has been taken down.

Shucks. Oh well at least I will have the memories. I am very proud in particular of the message which I left:

"As one of the moderators of the Facebook site you have accused of using Bert and Ernie to seduce children, I have one thing to say to the Ruth Institute - 'y'all stupid.' In addition, if you pardon my French - Y'all need Jesus."


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