Friday, December 09, 2005
Brokeback Mountain is being unveiled theatres. Let's make sure it is a hit, so Hollywood will make more movies with hot gay cowboys. Let's try to ensure this movie outperforms that dreadful "Passion of the S&M Mel Gibson Christ" movie. Get yourself tickets and take your straight friends. Art is much more powerful than politics at changing hearts and minds. Movies such as this create real and profound cultural change. Plus, the cowboys look good in their jeans.
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Thursday, December 08, 2005
Angered by gay contests such as Mr. International Leather, Tom Crouse, pastor of Holland Congregational Church is launching a "
contest" to name the most heterosexual guy in Massachusetts. "
"We're just looking for tolerance for heterosexuals. Someone should stand up for heterosexuality, someone should stand up and celebrate how God made us and I said, 'I'm gonna!', so I think I'll have a Mr. Heterosexual Contest!"
Sounds like a great idea! So, I have a few contestants in mind who swear they are straight. My friends, I'd love to hear your thoughts on which one should win the title of "Mr. Heterosexual".
1) Alan Chambers, "Ex-Gay" Leader
2) Richard Simmons
3) Clay Aiken
4) Sean Hayes, Will & Grace
5) Richard Cohen, "Ex-Gay" Therapist (Not the leatherman)
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(Alan Chambers)Why was
Alan Chambers, President of the "ex-gay" group Exodus International, featured on ABC's Good Morning America yesterday to discuss the new movie Brokeback Mountain? Since when did he become a film critic?
It was incredibly biased for GMA to put Chambers on the tube, especially without the show using someone to point out that there is no such thing as an "ex-gay." Without such a counter-weight, GMA helped spread his destructive message that is shattering lives across the world.
Please contact GMA and tell them that including Chambers in such a segment was unbalanced, unfair and completely biased. Ask them when they are going to have a show highlighting the lives ruined by Chambers and Exodus? Let them know that you are going to switch to the Today
Show unless they produce segments that accurately represent the gay community.
ABC's Good Morning AmericaProducerKaitlyn.Folmer@abc.com
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Ford is now in bed with the American Family Association, one of the most radical hate organizations in America. The group is so fringe, that its leader, Rev. Donald Wildmon, once accused the cartoon
Mighty Mouse of snorting cocaine!
It is now well known that the AFA is STILL selling a video by its
disgraced former "ex-gay" and HIV-positive spokesperson Michael Johnston even after he entered a sodomy addiction facility for having unsafe orgies.
However, most people don't realize AFA's strong ties to
holocaust revisionist Scott Lively, who had been the group's California director as late as 2003. Lively is co-author of the book
The Pink Swastika, a book that claims "homosexuals are the true inventors of Nazism and the guiding force behind many Nazi atrocities". According to the book:
"The Pink Swastika will show that there was far more brutality, torture and murder committed against innocent people by Nazi deviants and homosexuals than there ever was against homosexuals."
I hope Ford knows exactly who they are in bed with these days. It is important that they realize that we will never buy a Ford again as long as they discriminate and kiss up to homophobic, fascist holocaust deniers.
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Caving to
pressure from The American Family Association, Ford has announced that they are no longer going to be
advertising in gay publications. If you want to raise some cain and give Ford a piece of your mind
click here.
Please also visit
Americablog which has been all over this controversy. Let Ford know that they are going to lose a lot of money for consorting and conspiring with bigots.
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The right wing is
freaking out because President George W. Bush's holiday cards aren't Christian enough to pass their litmus test. They are steaming because the cards say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christians." All I can say to this absurd "controversy" is HO-HO-HO.
Bush "claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian. But he sure doesn't act like one," Joseph Farah, editor of the conservative Web site WorldNetDaily.com, told The Washington Post. "I threw out my White House card as soon as I got it."
A spokeswoman for Laura Bush said while the first couple celebrates Christmas themselves, they wanted an inclusive greeting to be respectful of other traditions. What the hell is wrong with these fundamentalists? Do they not understand that other people also live in this country? In any case, they certainly know how to take the joy out of Christmas.
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Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Vice President
Dick Cheney, appearing before more than 2,000 troops in northern New York, said Tuesday that the administration had "a comprehensive strategy for victory" in Iraq and was making progress in training Iraqi forces.
Is there a more dishonest person with less credibility in America? Why does anybody listen to this pathological liar? Sometimes, I don't think this man is even capable of telling the truth.
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Several Democrats joined President Bush yesterday
in rebuking Howard Dean's declaration to a San Antonio radio station Monday that "the idea that we're going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong."
"Dean's take on Iraq makes even less sense than the scream in Iowa: Both are uninformed and unhelpful," said Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga.), recalling Dean's famous election-night roar after stumbling in Iowa during his 2004 presidential bid.
A new
Time magazine poll found 60 percent of those surveyed disapproved of
Bush's handling of Iraq. Still, I have to agree that Dean's remarks were not helpful. I think that Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid, D-Nev., has it right. He has persuaded most Democratic senators to vote for a recent Senate resolution calling 2006 "a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty" and to compel the administration "to explain to Congress and the American people its strategy for the successful completion of the mission in Iraq."
Finally, it would be nice if the Democrats would handle their disputes behind closed doors. As the Republicans crumble under deceit, lies and corruption - the last thing that Democrats want to do is give them new life by having a spitball fight on the public stage.
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Denver philanthropist
Tim Gill has formed a political nonprofit group to get more involved in candidate races and fight constitutional amendments barring gay marriage. The Gill Action Fund, established in August, will be national in scope and bankrolled entirely by the high-tech millionaire, said Rodger McFarlane, executive director of the Gill Foundation.
The main reason gay people don't have rights is because miserly gay millionaires are too selfish, spoiled and cheap to spend on anything other than luxury items. These selfish moguls are an embarrassment and a disgrace. Shame on them for letting down the GLBT community.
Fortunately, we have men like Tim Gill who are spending their money to improve the world. He is a genuine hero who is making life better for the next generation.
Thank God for Tim Gill.
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Mayor James E. West was
recalled from office Tuesday in a special election over allegations he offered jobs and perks to young men he met in a gay Internet chat room. West, 54, became the city's first elected chief executive to be ousted before his term expired. With just over half of the 110,000 mail-in ballots counted, 38,718, or 65 percent, voted to recall West, while 20,681, or 35 percent, voted to retain him.
Thank God voters finally got rid of this closeted right wing creep. Maybe his fall from grace will help him turn his pathetic excuse for a life around. Sorry, no sympathy here. He got what was coming to him. Justice has been served.
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Tuesday, December 06, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005
AUTHOR DEMANDS THAT THE AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION PULL FRAUDULENT VIDEO THAT PROMOTES HIVAFA's Video Features 'Ex-Gay' Leader Caught In HIV Scandal, Says Wayne Besen
NEW YORK - Author Wayne Besen called on The American Family Association today to immediately
stop selling a video featuring an HIV positive "ex-gay" leader who allegedly had
unsafe sex with several Virginia men.
The video, "It's Not Gay," features Michael Johnston who once said he had gone from gay to straight through the "power of Jesus Christ." The "ex-gay" leader stepped down in 2003 after credible allegations that he was meeting men online and having unsafe sex.
After the incident, AFA spokesman Buddy Smith called Johnston's failure a "moral fall." With the AFA publicly acknowledging that they were aware of Johnston's failure as an ex-gay and his unsafe behavior, it is shocking that they would continue to promote "It's Not Gay" on their website.
"The American Family Association is blatantly committing fraud by suggesting that Johnston is heterosexual and they are promoting the spread of HIV by continuing to use him as a spokesperson," said Wayne Besen, author of Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth. "This episode suggests a stunning lack of integrity on the part of the American Family Association and utter contempt for the truth. If they have a shred of decency and morality, they will immediately stop selling the tape and apologize for their disgraceful behavior."
In 1998, a coalition of conservative religious groups launched a high-profile national print and television ad campaign preaching that gays can change. Johnston appeared with his mother, Frances Johnston, in a controversial print ad under the headline "From innocence to AIDS." A similar
television commercial also appeared in 1998, dubbed "Mom." Johnston also worked with Rev. Jerry Falwell and was the founder of National Coming Out of Homosexuality Day.
Johnston's moral fall in 2003 wasn't the first time he acknowledged having sex with men without disclosing his HIV status.
"I continued to live as a homosexual for two years after I knew I was HIV-positive," Johnston said in a 1998 speech to a California church, reported in POZ magazine. "And I am ashamed to say that in those two years not once did I ever tell any of my partners that I was carrying this deadly disease."
"The American Family Association ought to be ashamed that they continue to use this scoundrel as their spokesperson and shamelessly plug his products even though they are well aware of his past," said Besen.
- 30 -
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(Weekly Column)When some evangelical Christians express their unique brand of "love", it is usually time to run in the other direction. They seem to think that love is insulting people with a saccharine smile and patronizing them with phony compassion. May I suggest we buy these evangelical Christians dictionaries for Christmas so they can understand the true meaning of the word?
Exhibit A is Pastor Rick Warren, author of the best selling book The Purpose Driven Life. On World AIDS Day, he and his wife convened a conference of 1,700 evangelical pastors to urge them to minister to people with AIDS.
"The fact is the evangelical realm of the church has failed in this area," Rick Warren told ABC's
World News Tonight. "They put it off too long; they didn't care."
"We've been wrong," said Kay Warren, his funnel cake sweet wife. "We need to repent, say we're sorry, and open our doors to everyone who's HIV positive and say, 'He loves you.'"
Ostensibly, this sounds promising and a potential bridge to evangelical Christians who have been a major cause of great suffering during the AIDS epidemic. If you dig beneath the surface, however, it becomes clear that this effort is shallow and the love conditional.
"People ask me, is homosexuality evil? I say, it's just not natural," Warren told ABC.
For a moment, let's forget that homosexuality occurs in nature, and is therefore natural. Let's forget that gay people have existed since oxygen. Let's forget that same-sex behavior is quite common in the animal kingdom. Let's forget that gay people are in every known society, no matter the strictures placed on them. Let's also forget the avalanche of new science that points to biological origins for sexual orientation.
What we will focus on is the impact of Warren's ignorant statement and how it is a catalyst for spreading HIV. Indeed, Warren is not part of the solution, but part of the problem.
While working on my first book,
Anything But Straight, I had the pleasure of meeting dozens of openly gay evangelicals. I also met so-called ex-gays who were trying to unsuccessfully change their sexual orientation.
When churches made the people I interviewed feel that their love was "unnatural", as Warren suggests, they became depressed and their self-esteem inevitably plummeted. A large factor in HIV prevention is making people feel they are worthy of living. People with high self worth will usually take the necessary precautions to protect themselves. While those who believe their love is sin or unnatural are less likely to make smart decisions in the heat of the moment. What is the incentive for a person who believes that God despises the way they experience love to wear a condom?
Many of the "ex-gay" men I interviewed went through what I call the "sin and repentance cycle." They refrained from sex for long periods of time until the dam inevitably broke. Then they would go on wild, guilt-ridden sexual binges where safer sex was an afterthought.
The Warrens can offer all the syrupy "love" they want. But, from my experience, the very people they are most likely to reach, gay Christian closet cases, will only hear their unloving condemnation, which can lead to self-destructive behavior.
If they really want to stop the transmission of HIV, the Warrens will find the moral courage to proclaim that same-sex love is equal to heterosexuality. They will recognize the inherent beauty in gay relationships and celebrate successful same-sex unions.
The Warren family can also begin by holding their fellow evangelicals accountable for their homicidal assaults on the gay community. For example, the American Family Association is hawking an "ex-gay" video, "It's Not Gay."
On the cover of the video is
Michael Johnston, an HIV positive "ex-gay" leader who left ministry in 2003 after he allegedly had unsafe sex with several men in Norfolk, Virginia. The AFA's spokesman Buddy Smith publicly acknowledged Johnston's failure calling it a "moral fall."
So, it is disgusting, even demonic, for the AFA to continue
promoting a product featuring the disgraced ex-gay. They are not only committing fraud, but they are helping to spread HIV. If Rick and Kay Warren want to be useful, they can call the AFA and demand that this garbage be expeditiously pulled from their website and an apology be immediately issued to the GLBT community.
AIDS has killed millions of people while evangelicals have been, at best, indifferent. It is great that they want to get in the compassion game a quarter of a century after the fact. However, if evangelicals want a truly loving marriage with the gay community, they need to treat us with respect in both sickness and in health. If they are going to condemn our loving relationships in the bedroom, there is no place for them at our bedsides. The last thing anyone needs is more phony love and purpose driven lies by intolerant right wing ideologues.
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Monday, December 05, 2005
Thinking of the perfect holiday gift for a friend or loved one? Consider my book,
Anything But Straight! ABS is the premier expose of the ex-gay ministries and was nominated for two Lambda Literary Awards.
HOLIDAY BONUS: The price of an autographed copy has been slashed from $35 to $25 for the holiday season. PLUS - I will throw in a FREE
Anything But Straight DVD with each purchase. Don't miss out on a gift that is entertaining, educational and inspirational.
You can purchase an autographed copy of Anything But Straight by sending a $25 check or money order to:
-------------------------
Wayne Besen
1000 West Avenue
Apt. 706
Miami Beach, FL 33139
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I was just about to kick my 2-cup a day coffee habit, when a
new study came out saying Joe was good for the liver.
Coffee and tea may reduce the risk of serious liver damage in people who drink too much alcohol, are overweight or have too much iron in the blood, researchers reported yesterday.
The study of nearly 10,000 people showed that those who drank more than two cups of coffee or tea per day developed chronic liver disease at half the rate of those who drank less than one cup each day.
If you look closely at the ubiquitous Starbuck's Mermaid, you can see she is smiling today.
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The rules of American democracy say every president may install his own team of like-minded people in the government - even at a place like the Justice Department, which is at its root a law-enforcement agency and not a campaign branch office. But the Bush administration seems to be losing sight of the fact that the rules also say the majority party of the moment may not use its powers to strip citizens of their rights, politicize the judicial system or rig the election process to keep itself in office. (
New York Times Editorial)
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Today,
Lambda Legal will file its opening brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in a lawsuit on behalf of a man who was denied employment as a Foreign Service Officer by the U.S. State Department because he is HIV positive
"Lorenzo Taylor is being denied the job of his dreams, after years of preparing for it, based on a 20-year-old policy that bans every person with HIV regardless of over-all health. Given his long history of excellent health, this makes no sense," said Jonathan Givner, HIV Project Director of Lambda Legal. "The federal government needs a reality check."
Good for Lambda. This absurd policy is keeping qualified Americans from doing their jobs and helping this country. And after watching Bush's parade of cronies screw things up, America needs all of the qualified people it can get.
The government's main argument is that Taylor and others with HIV might get sick and miss work. However, with new HIV medications, this is patently absurd. People living with HIV perform any number of jobs with little or no problems. The only "complications," it seems, are coming from Condi and the state department who want to discriminate for no valid reason.
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